Ovation, or not?

[dmb spook]

Hey, I'm a drummer that picked up a cheap acoustic at a music store one day and over the last few years have taught myself to play. My technique was basically developed largely in party by learning as much dave matthews as i could over the last year, which i owe 100% to this site.

Anyway acoustic guitar has become just as important to me as drumming and I feel its time to replace my "El Dorado SB906N ~ By Apex" .. yeah thats what i play right now. Since I taught myself everything I know and all of my money generally goes into drum equipment, i know very little about guitars. Basically i know that Taylors and Martins are expensive, and it seems that they generally are praised as being some of the best.

Im in highschool with very little cashflow and I have about $300, absolutely no more than $400 to spend on a new acoustic guitar, hopefully an acoustic electric. New or used doesn't really matter to me as long as it sounds and looks nice. A few months ago i sat down with an Ovation (Celebrity?) at Guitar Center because I thought the bowl was badass. I really liked the sound and the guitar was right in my price range. A good friend of mine who just went off to Berklee told me he didnt like Ovations that much though... IM Lost and need some guidance before i spend a load of money on this.

[Trippin Hillbilly]

Save it for a guitar made of wood. Ovation is a shit way to go. Try an Alvarez. Alot of people on this board have them and they recommend them.

[pills_PMD]

sigma by martin. they have one for like 320 with a cutaway (electric also) and it sounds pretty decent. i have one and my friend got the same thing, i've been happy with it.

[dmb spook]

thanks guys... oh and more suggestions are welcome... i have looked into both ... while alvarez seems to expensive the sigma seems right in range.. but thats just one option...

[jsgksu]

dont go sigma.

for $300-$400 you can get a nice alvarez.

Or other low ends, I wouldnt get a cheap martin or taylor ever, its not worth it. Do a search and try to find some topics, theres normally 3-4 guitar brands that get brought up for good guitars in that price range.

[dmb spook]

i ask for suggestions and then i come up with my own... oh well... i took your advice jayme and did a search on the site.. and came up with takamine.. also i like the feeling of the cutaway i have now so im sticking to that... I looked around and found this one Takamine EG320C
is that a good guitar? also dean and washburn have guitars that look cool, any chance they sound good as well?

[jsgksu]

Taks are nice. Ill check out the specific model number you were talking about cuz Im not too familiar with them. My uncle loves them though.

[jeffro]

Don't buy a dean. I hate mine, and washburn I haven't heard things about. In your range I think Alvarez/Takamine is the way to go.

[HumbleMonkey]

i have an Ovation AE-28, which is as crappy as they come and i have grown to love the thing. of course it looks like the bridge is going to crack the top of the guitar off anyday now i love how this guitar feels, the playability and it does the job through my acoustic amp. for < $200 i love this guitar. of course i would take anyother guitar over it. and i suggest going in another direction if you want a nice acoustic guitar. ovations are a great cheap guitar if you want to plug and play with a band if you dont have the money for a nice guitar, but they most certainly do not cut it for a nice acoustic guitar.

phew, done witht that mess

[jsgksu]

Do you really need an acoustic/electric?

You could get a better guitar in your same price range without electronics, then just add them later if you feel the need and have the extra cash. Just something to think about.

[bpongo09]

I got a takamine eg530sc for $349 at a music and arts. Best guitar for that price.

[jsgksu]

Guitar reviews by owners: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/#man

Good site to check out prices, reviews, etc. Check it out, but remember: Choosing which guitar you want to buy is ultimately your decision, go out and play a bunch of different ones in your price range and buy the one you like the most.

[dmb spook]

thanks guys.. also sorry for posting in wrong forum i could have sworn i was in the gear forum when i posted it...

suppose i were to go without electronics .... would tak and alvarez still be the way to go.. and could i get one for closer to $200 ?

[jsgksu]

thanks guys.. also sorry for posting in wrong forum i could have sworn i was in the gear forum when i posted it...

suppose i were to go without electronics .... would tak and alvarez still be the way to go.. and could i get one for closer to $200 ?

yes and yes. Id try to spend closer to $250-300 but still.

[Loki]

if you end up going the route of just acoustic (no electronics), you might consider ibanez acoustics. i have an aw50 (meh, not the best but it gets the job done), but my friend has an aw100 which is actually quite nice. and both come in at under 300.