Whats a good dave-sounding guitar?

[41POLICE]

I have been playing for about 16 months and own three guitars... a Martin Sigma DM1 (my baby) that was about $180, a Takamine EG 541C that i got for $400, and a Martin Backpacker that is small to just play around with and take with you places. The takamine has good action but sounds terrible, while on the other hand, my sigma has incredible sound with bad action and is made pretty cheaply. i play the sigma most all of the time. anyhow, i can play almost every acoustic dave song (its almost all i play :) ) and i am looking to buy a new guitar. of course i want it to be good for playing dave and have that unique dave sound to it. If anyone has any suggestions i would greatly appreciate it. I know that Dave's taylor is obviously the real deal, but i could never afford that. im looking probably for $600 or in that range. i have played the martin D15 and i think it sounds good, but am not big on the color. the martin DX1 is very tempting with its price, however i havent played one. i would also consider getting a cheaper taylor, does anyone know what price they start at and how good their lower-end guitars sound/play? any help with any of this stuff is greatly appreciated :D

[Firedncin8nancy]

the d-15 is made of mahogony and you wont get the dave song from that.. i was goin to buy taht guitar but bailed once i tried it out... martin makes a black acoustic/electric for around 600 bucks but icant remember hte model, and also the Martin DM is about 600 bucks, maybe 550..not acoustic electric (i dunno if that concerns you if you dont preform live, but you could always get a pickup for it...) so if you were lookin at 600 bucks and wanted a nice rich martin sound the DM is your best bet.. its a low end Martin but sounds great

[41POLICE]

yea i did try a DM one time and it was very nice... the D15 was set up a LITTLE better but was barely noticable. ive seen the black cutaway, but i want a natural looking dreadnought preferably. my takamine is a black cutaway. the DM is pretty though... anyone know anything about the Martin DX1 or Taylors? or if you know more about the DM, any help is greatly appreciated. thanks firedncin

[BrotherChaos]

taylor's are gonna be out of your price range. check out larrivees, the martin dm, the sigma dr-41, and seagulls. dave's 714 and 914 taylors both have rosewood back/sides. i just purchased a larrivee dv-03R, all solid wood, with rosewood back and sides, for 650. great guitar for the money. try to stay away from laminated wood. a lot of the cheaper martin's are laminated.

[41POLICE]

yea they make a Martin DX1R which sells for about 450 i think... it has a solidtop and rosewood back and sides i believe. any opinions?

[BrotherChaos]

i wouldn't recommend the X-series. and the dx1r is laminated back and sides.

[41POLICE]

ok, so it looks like the dm is the best bet for the money. is there a rosewood version of it, and if so i wonder how much more it costs?

[BrotherChaos]

the dm is a good guitar. the best advice anyone can give though is to just go to a guitar store and play literally every guitar on the wall. did you look at the larrivee's at all? here are a few to keep an eye on:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892873505
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892804527
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892807617
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892238855

you're going to have to spend a lot more to get an all solid wood guitar from martin or larrivee.

[41POLICE]

the larivee's look very nice, i will consider them... back to martins, the dx1r appears to be the DM with rosewood sides and without a case and without finish, and the DM is 550 and the DX1R is 440. which is the better here? also, just out of curiousity, does anyone know what/how much the cheapest taylor is (other than big baby)?

[BrotherChaos]

the 300 series. which will run you around 1000-1500, depending on where you get it.

[41POLICE]

thats most likely too much for the taylor, i need to buy a car at the end of the summer... so ive narrowed it down to the DM, DX1R possibly, the D15 (any more opinions on this one?), and possibly the more expensive DR... im still open for suggestions/reviews/opinions

[DreamingTree34]

ovation celebrities and takamine's have impressed me quite a bit and im going to buy an ovation real soon:)

[41POLICE]

i have a takamine EG 541C... it got nice reviews and whatnot. i picked it out for xmas because it had a lotta features, ie. black cutaway, NEX mini-jumbo style, nice electronics, pretty thin body, comfortable for the most part. however a month after getting the guitar i realized that i had made a mistake, for it sounded like shit unplugged. theres absolutely no boom to it and it lacks tone, my cheap sigma :violent BLOWS :violent it away as far as sound, and has much more of a "dave tone" to it. however the takamine is good plugged in so if thats your deal than i would consider looking at it. i do like ovations, they have a nice sound plugged or unplugged, no complaints there. but in my opinion im not a big fan of the plastic backs... thats not to say they are bad by any means, its just a matter of taste. the guitar im gonna buy, whatever it ends up being, is gonna prolly be a full wood dreadnought body style that is great unplugged as i rarely plug it in, so it doesnt need any electronics. but i would say go for the ovation if you find them comfortable, because they have outstanding sound. not to mention they hold up well... i played my friend's father's celebrity that was from the mid 70's and it played like new. even the dated pickup and preamp worked as good as new. anyhow, keep posting, i like this topic with guitars as they relate to dave, so please post any advice, reviews, or if you need help or have a question, then feel free to ask :)

[mikeo²]

I personally like the Martin X-series (Black acoustic/electric) guitars alot. For the money, I think they are an excellent buy.

[41POLICE]

yea mikeo, i am seriously considering the Martin X-series DX1R... it looks real nice with the rosewood back and sides, has a solid top, and is at a very good price (about 430 or 440). i just cant see the advantage to paying a lot more for the dm except that it has a nice case. the dm is mahogany and i was told dave plays a rosewood, so the DX1R prolly sounds more "dave-ish". anyone have one and would u recommend?

[BrotherChaos]

if that's what you are leaning towards, i'd really recommend the sigma martin dr-41 then. look here: http://www.sigmaguitar.com/store/product.asp?sku=EM.DR-41&nav=m

what do you think about that? i've heard lots of good things about this guitar.

[41POLICE]

that guitar sounds real nice... in my opinion the DX1R looks a lot better. i wonder how they compare in performance, but id def consider the sigma. the only problem is im looking to upgrade from a sigma, but if i try it and like it than i wouldnt care. anyone have either the sigma, dx1, d15, or dm?

[Firedncin8nancy]

ive played the DM i like it a lot, the DR sounds a lot nicer but its significantly more money... maybe 250 bucks?? but if you could afford the DR, get it

[41POLICE]

yea i played a DM at the store and liked it. the guitar that really surprised me as far as sound and playability was the Martin DXME acoustic electric, but i wouldnt get it b/c it doesnt even have a solid top. i also liked the D15 but it doesnt really sound Dave-ish. that is all i got to play tho, i havent played any X series other than the DXME.

[41POLICE]

please keep this thread going. i figure since this is a Dave forum that u guys probably play dave on guitar. so what kind of guitars do u guys play? and how do u like them for playing dave?

[mikeo²]

http://www.mguitar.com/MartinGuitar/images/photo1/ooCXAEBLACK.jpg <-- theres my baby

all the info here: http://www.mguitar.com/MartinGuitar/StandardOutput.asp?RECORDID=158

I've had this guitar about 8 weeks now... absoutly adore it. Extremely comfortable to play... good sound.

[BrotherChaos]

here's mine: larrivee dv-03R. sweeeet guitar. all solid wood. rosewood back and sides.

http://www.gbase.com/guitar_pics/846/377941.jpg

how do those sonicore pickups compare to the prefix?

[41POLICE]

that larivee really looks nice! does that martin thinline have enough sound unplugged? i have a sigma DM1 with elixers ( the elixers make this shit guitar sound great) with really high action that is good for playin dave, a takamine eg541c black cutaway with sweet action, nice feel, and shitty sound, and a martin backpacker. keep postin what u got people and whether or not u recommend it for dave-playing

[mikeo²]

Originally posted by 41POLICE
does that martin thinline have enough sound unplugged?

yes... it suprised the shit out of me... martin are the masters of maximizing acoustic volume... its not as good as say a hd-28 or hd-35, but its very suprisingly good.

[41POLICE]

topp

[mdmt619]

i bought a martin DX-1 in like may and i love it! i got it for like $450 and it has a really nice martin sound, it has a solid spruce top and laminated sides and back. i really like it and would recomend it to anyone looking for a good not very expensive dave sounding guitar.

[BelushiII]

i was wondering if you were playing many types of guitars in this search, because it sounds like you are making a pretty big purchase. I know you aren't interested in larrivee's but have you tried playing all these guitars? any guitarist will tell you thats the key in choosing a guitar. I would take a few hours, and find a big music store in your area (ie: Guitar Center). and play every acoustic you like. then make a decision. I went in thinking i was walking out with a martin guitar. I walked out with a larrivee. My PERSONAL opinion is that they just sound better to me. Not to dis martin or taylor, there are many martins and taylors that i want to own. I just wanted a larrivee more at the time. Plus you get the sound of martin and taylor combined for a smaller price. Just my thoughts

BelushiII

[41POLICE]

i am saving for a car, so i have yet to play all of the guitars, i have just done research and am gettings people's opinions. i definately havent ruled out larivee's, that guys dv-03R looks awesome, i mean all solid rosewood for that good of a price. i just need to play them all first so that i can decide. everyone's input has helped tremendously in my search. i definately will play all of these guitars before i decide what to buy, this is just for educational purposes, and everyone's two cents helps, so i ask that you continue to share your opinions. thanks!