what is the thinnest, left handed thin-line acoustic guitar on the market?

Tim K

I have cerebral palsy which limits my range of motion, but currently can play a left handed epiphone dot, I really want to start playing an acoustic guitar but have only been able to find full body acoustics that are lefty. so what is the thinnest acoustic guitar that I can get for left handed play?

Answer
It may not be the thickness of the guitar that's the biggest problem. Have you tried some of the orchestra/auditorium models which have a smaller body than a dreadnought? If money isn't a concern I was recently looking at BlackBird guitars because I saw an ad for them in a magazine. They are carbon fiber and weigh about 3 pounds. They have a few different models, but their biggest is still just an orchestra size. They're about $2000 though, so I stopped looking at them! But there are a lot of "travel" acoustic guitars out there like the Martin Backpacker. They don't sound as nice as a full size guitar, but are certainly playable and small. Yamaha APX guitars are pretty thin too and Yamaha makes good guitars for the money if you're on a tighter budget. The best thing to do is get out to a music store and try a bunch out if you can. Even if they don't stock left handed models you can just flip a righty over to see how it feels and then order a left-handed one if you find something you like. Good luck.

I found a really exquisite guitar barely within my price range, but there is no pickup...?

epitome of

It's a Michael Kelly Trio Rose. It sounds beautiful, and he agrees, but one of the things my dad thinks is really important for my guitar is to have a pickup for gigging. What should I do?

Answer
This is an acoustic guitar, yes?

There are numerous after-market pick-ups available for installation in those acoustic guitars which lack one. Some of them just sit in the soundhole and require no special knowledge or tools to put in. Others require the skill and patience of an experienced guitar tech...and there's the question of how much one wants to spend, to install a first-class pick-up into what might be only a mediocre guitar...

and many of the newer guitars, which come with one built in, also have valuable tone-shaping tools on-board which can make a HUGE difference when the guitar starts to feed back...as acoustic guitars tend to do under certain conditions...it might be worth your while to consider this and go with a guitar which is already set up for the long run.

but Sunrise, Barcus-Berry, Fishman...they and many others make such pick-ups...see MUSICIAN's FRIEND.com for some ideas. Go to HARMONY CENTRAL.com and search the owner's reviews, by manufacturer, for the pick-ups in which you may be interested...does an artist whose work you admire, and whose tunes you might play, use a particular brand?...could be a good starting point...will you be going solo?..or is there some possibility that you'll be more in a group thing, maybe competing with a keyboard or drums?

but THEN you need an amp...where will you be gigging?...the bedroom, or small clubs?...the garage or good sized halls?...the local poetry jam?

Some folks just put a microphone in front of the guitar and let the PA system, assuming the venue has one, carry the weight... that minimizes the amount of gear you have to hump around...if you really start gigging, and you are your own roadie, you'll find out quickly what an advantage this could be...if you're just starting out and DAD has to be the roadie...?...think about it.

MOST IMPORTANT: you like THIS guitar?...it's more than just "cute" and REALLY REALLY sounds great (compared to how many? you'd be surprised how much of a difference there can be between different guitars, even when they're otherwise exactly the same...) and you find it comfortable to play? The price is right? AND you've got a good case for it, yes? Don't scrimp and not get a case...you can't gig without one and the guitar deserves one if you REALLY love it that much

Realize that the vast majority of people who pick up the guitar will lose interest in a matter of weeks...as every guitar teacher (and every parent facing the after-Christmas bills for the guitar-which-sits-unplayed-in-the-corner) will tell you, enthusiasm tends to drop off dramatically when one has to start remembering the names of the strings and how to tune them...and good lessons aren't cheap... ALWAYS practice with a metronome!!!

If your dad has reason to think you're actually going to stick with it, he might be right...maybe you're a poet in the making and putting your thoughts to music is the path with heart...someday, somewhere, it will have to be loud enough to cover a crowd of people who are more interested in their food, or their drinks, or whatever inconsequential blather they think will impress their date...

THAT's when you want the glory of your instrument and the quality of your music to stop 'em in their tracks...the more you put your stuff out there, the more you'll learn.

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What electric acoustic guitar should i get?

best acoustic guitars on the market image

I'm i the market for a new electric acoustic guitar and i just wondered what other people thought were the best makes? i'm willing to spend a bit of money but not loads. i've owned a tanglewood and i loved it but i want something different i think. idea's?

Answer
Try a Fender or a Gibson.

What type of acoustic guitar should I get?

delbert050

I'm looking to get a new acoustic guitar for a price range that only goes up to about $400ish.
Whats a some good acoustic guitars that fit into that price range?
and just a typical acoustic guitar

Answer
Your budget is a realistic one- you can get a very good instrument for under $400. Here are some guidelines that may help:

TYPE- Chances are, you are most likely to want a steel-string guitar- nylon strings are easier on your fingers, but the necks are wide, which makes reaching the top-most strings difficult.

BODY SIZE Most acoustic guitars sold have a "dreadnaught" sized body, with a large body (particularly the "lower bout,") which makes for a bassy sound, and can be hard to reach around for smaller folks. A better balanced sound comes from a smaller body, such as Seagull's "Folk" sized guitars, or Martin's 00 size.

FRET BOARD WIDTH Again, classical/nylon strings have rather wide fretboards, Dreadnaughts have quite narrow ones. Again, the Folk or OO has a good balance.

NECK THICKNESS Not usually an issue for acoustic guitars, most necks are of around the same thickness and "profile," so don't worry about it- if a guitar feels good when you wrap your fretting hand around the neck, and you don't have trouble reaching all six strings, that's good enough.

EXTRAS It seems many acoustic guitars have electronics added to them, so that you can play them though an amplifier or PA. You will see a small (2" x 2" or so) panel on the side of the guitar, facing you as you play it, that has bass, treble, etc. controls on it. Really, this is an expense you can easily do without- you may never "plug it in," this being your first guitar. There is one benefit to this, though- these days, this often includes a built-in tuner. In my opinion, a pickup/preamp (what this assembly is called) is pointless UNLESS it includes a tuner, but perhaps worth the little extra money if it does have a tuner.
A plain-top guitar will cost you far less than a fancy, dolled-up one, and will play just as well, sound just as good- maybe even better.

BRANDS/MAKES Godin makes some excellent guitars, and terrific values. Art & Luthier, and Norman are their least-expensive brands, Seagull just a bit pricier. You should be able to stay within your $400 budget. Alvarez and Ibanez (not at all related, in spite of the association the "z's" inplies) are good brands, too, although I think Seagulls are, in most cases, better values. Epiphone makes some good guitars, but their lower-priced stuff (under $200 or 300) is suspect, avoid Epi's unless you are serious about spending $400 or more. Martins and Taylors are usually excellent guitars, but beware: if you find those examples of either in your price range, you are getting things like HPL (high pressure laminate- a manufactured product, only distantly related to wood), and "Made in China." Yup, a Martin made in China. What HAS the world come to?? Fender makes some good electric guitars, but AVOID their acoustics- Fender only makes acoustics because people know the name; their acoustics are not good values, nor are the particularly good guitars. A possible exception: Fender makes some very cool thin-body "Telecoustics," which are cool guitars, but be warned- they sound thin when played just acoustic- probably not what you are looking for.

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID: Almost ANYTHING made in China. probably Indonesia and Korea, too. Too much a crap shoot as to quality and even playability. Fortunately, most of the MIC "guitar-shaped objects" are aimed at the low-end market.

BEST PLACE TO BUY: Locally-owned, acoustic-orientated shop. If they have dozens or even hundreds of acoustic guitars hanging on the walls, and fewer electrics, AND your eyes bug out when you look at the first three or four price tags, YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. They will have less expensive guitars, and 99% of the time, know their stuff plenty well enough to make sure you buy the right guitar. Yes, you will pay a bit more, but you get much more. You can do okay at places like Guitar Center, but the chances are far greater that you will walk out with a guitar that is not quite "right" for you.

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