Tagged As: Fender Guitar Uk
Question:
I currentlly own two guitars: A Yamaha FG-411 A Fender DG-4 Of the above, I love the slim neck on the Fender, while the sound of the Yammy is very slightly nicer, I think. I think the Yamaha was about £150 new and the Fender about £100. I like them both, but I have a feeling there must be nicer guitars out there. You get what you pay for (sometimes) right? Most of my life, I've played electric guitars, but after six months of accoustic laying, I am now feling the urge to upgrade - especially since I am starting to do public performances. Trouble is, I just do not trust my own judgement when it comes to choosing a guitar in a guitar shop environment. I do not consider myself enough of an accoustic guitar connoisseur anyway. So my question is threefold: 1) How much do I need to pay to buy a guitar that I will probably be happy with for the rest of my life (insofar as such a question can ever be answered). and 2) Can you tell me some guitar makes that I can trust to give me what I pay for - whose guitars are consistently good... ones that you'd even trust enough to buy via mail order without getting a chance to give the thing a trial run. (It must be a make that is freely available within the UK.) and 3) Would you suggest that a solid spruce top is a must-have feature? BTW, my style of playing is folk, a little delta blues, and a touch of bluegrass and a growing pinch of renaissance folkey/classical-sounding stuff. I want a guitar that is guaranteed not to grate the teeth of even the most refined guitar connoisseur.
Answer:
Anything that is more than £500 is likely to be a world away from these two. Choice in fine guitars is intensely personal, possibly more so than anything else I can think of. You can only buy a guitar after playing a number and whittling it down. I strongly recommend taking someone with you whose opinion you value, and you can listen to each other playing the instruments. This proved valuable to a mate who took me to the Acoustic Centre in Birmingham (UK) to choose an acoustic guitar. We played about 15, then narrowed it down to 4. After a break for lunch we swapped between two, and Pete eventually bought a £750 Martin. Personally, I'm more interested in UK luthiers' work than even the best stuff from a factory outfit like Martin. Andy Manson, Brook, Fylde, Northworthy and Lowden are among the names that spring to mind. Each has their own style of construction, choice of woods and sizes that will influence the final decision. For starters you could visit a couple of the big name stores in London that feature UK made guitars. Play a few, get a feel for the sounds and the feel of each. If you can decide on one luthier, visit the chaps and discuss exactly what you like, what's best for your style etc. Then get them to make it.
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