Help me buy an acoustic

[Not that Bob]

My heart is set on a D 28, so no need to discuss make and model. However, as each individual guitar is...well...individual, how would you shop for said individual instrument? There is great selection and some pretty fair values on line, but you don't get to play the thing. "Guitar Mega Central" is deafening, no chance of actually hearing an instrument in there. Mom & Pop may have one to select from...if any. How do I do this, fellas?

 

[Horn89]

Most online retailers will give you some time to play it and decide if you'll keep it. Be prepared to lose $125 in shipping fees if you send it back. But absolutely don't buy online unless it's from a very reputable seller who you KNOW will take it back. Some guitars have mojo and some don't. That's true for just about any make and model.

The local stores would be happy to let you bring in an outside guitar and shoot it out against the ones on the wall. They've got nothing to lose.

I would also think about shooting it out against a used D28 (if that's the model you're dead set on). A new guitar for 2 grand will depreciate. A good Martin from the right year for 4 grand will go up in value. Think about that. You will have to do your homework to find out what is considered the "right" year for a given model.

Find your best online deal, then take it down to Heart of Texas (last time I was in there they had a suprising # of new Martins) and shoot it out against a few others (likely not as big a difference in price as you'd guess). Then walk around the corner to Austin Vintage and do the same against some old ones (great store, but you're not going to get a killer deal there).

Have fun. I would be curious to know your results (shoot me a PM when you decide!).

Happy hunting.

 

[tbone]

I would never by a serious acoustic without playing it first. They're just too different as far as I'm concerned.

I know you are set on a D28, but let me just throw this out: A few weeks ago I was set on a D 28 as well. Went all over and played several. I also played several Taylor's and ended up buying an 810 CE Taylor. I played on probably 10 Taylors that day, and 3 810's. Played 3-4 d 28's as well. The one I bought just stood out above all the others for some reason. I was really surprised it wasn't the d 28.

I'm not advocating Taylor over Martin, but what I'm saying is that I think buying a high end acoustic is like searching for a wife. You have to crack open a lot of oysters to find a pearl. But you'll know when you find it. For me it was the Taylor.

 

[tbone]

btw, I got my Taylor for $400 less than the Musician's Friend price.

 

[LazyEngineer]

I know you didn't want to discuss make and model, but still wanted to give a shout out to my Larrivee D-03R. I really like the sound this thing generates:

Larrivee D-03R

 

[Bayerithe]

I wanted to buy a Martin at first, but a guy explained to me how Martin has kind of changed their manufacturing process with their neck joints to save money. The construction isn't as good as they used to be back in the 80's.

Like LazyEngineer said, Larrivee's don't have the name recognition like Martin and Taylor, but their guitar's are absolutely top notch. I bought a D-03E a year and half ago and have been super happy with it. It was priced around $1100 but I told the guy at the shop that it was priced online lower, at around $875, and he offered to come down to 900ish, and I took that deal.

Larrivee guitars are just as good as Martin's and Taylor's, but you're paying a bit more for their name.

Take some time and find a shop that sells Larrivee guitars. You can find a list of retailers that have them on the Larrivee site.

But like others also said, you really do have to try out a guitar before you buy it. It's like buying a car. You don't just buy it without test driving it.

The only thing I would go back and change is now, I kind of wish I had an acoustic model that has the cutaway, like maybe one of the LV models

 

[hullabelew]

I would never buy a guitar that costs that much from the mega store. Those things get abused. I would lean towards finding an independent store that handles Martins. If they don't have what you want, they can order one for you. If they know you are going to buy from them, they would possibly order more than one to compare.

When I bought my Taylor about 9 years ago, I played 3 of the exact model and one of them stood out above the other 2. When I went in the store, I was looking at a completely different model but settled on the 514. Plus, the beat the mega store price by about $300 and got a guitar that hadn't been beat up.

Best of luck in your search.