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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
 Posted - 05/23/2006 : 06:07:35 AM
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Just to keep this thread going, I did some investigating this past weekend. I found and played:
1 - Yamaha "skeleton" : I liked the way that it sat in my lap, but they only had the nylon string version and I didn't like the way it played at all. I don't have a nylon-string guitar, so it felt "strange" and with headphones, it didn't sound very good. About $500 out the door. I'd have to order the steel string version, which I won't.
2 - Baby Taylor : didn't care for the sound at all < $300
3 - Martin LXM: for a basically plastic guitar, this played and sounded pretty good. Nice gig bag. The one I played was called a Koa, but it was just veneer. $279
4 - Traveler : This has the tuners in the body and uses standard strings. I found it difficult to tune and the neck is very heavy and not balanced well. Impossible to play without a strap to hold the neck up. Kinda cheaply made, too. I also couldn't find a place to attach my tuner and had to use an in-line setup. No separate phones plug; have to use a 1/4" jack. $379.
I was pretty disappointed with the lot, except for the Martin. I'm leaning towards buying the Breedlove C25 from MusiciansFriend; I can return it for a full refund if I eat the shipping. Can't wait til I'm retired so that I can do this full time.
Thanks for all the input from the TP.
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2006 : 12:45:33 PM
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Terry,
You do know that the C25 Passport is tuned like my KoAloha D-VI don't you? It is like playing your guitar capoed at the 5th fret. It takes some getting used to. The fingering is more cramped (like an ukulele) and your taropatch tuning will be in the key of C Major (or B since you are normally in Taropatch F). You'll have to do some thinking if you try and play with anyone else. . . . But that is a good thing anyway.
See you at Kaisen's? |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2006 : 2:44:55 PM
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Chunky and Mika,
Just remember that if the instrument is longer than 22 inches in
it's longest dimension, the flight crew can require you to check it.
I now know more than a few folks with Baby Taylors and other similar
instruments that were forced to gate check at one time or another
(and some of the instruments were subsequently broken). Most of the
time this will not happen, but if you fly enough it will eventually
happen to you. Could happen on the 100th flight or on the first.
Having a smaller instrument (if it still exceeds 22 inches) is no
guarantee that you will always be able to bring it into the passenger
compartment, but of course it helps.
Just be aware of this eventuality.
P.S. Checking a full size guitar in a Calton case (like I do) is no
guarantee of avoiding damage either, but it appears to be much safer
than trying to carry a full size aboard in a soft case! The Acoustic
Guitar Magazine site and other such sites have lots of data on the
flight situation, along with horror stories, etc.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 05/23/2006 3:28:21 PM |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 05:52:14 AM
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Thanks for the input, Lawrence. Yep, I know the risks, but flying with this isn't my first priority.
I just ordered the Breedlove. MusiciansFriend has a 100% guarantee policy, so I can return it in 45 days if I don't like it. The feature that sold me was the 1 3/4" at the nut; same as my Taylor. I've been noodling on my son's Ovation which is 1 5/8" at the nut and I find the difference a challenge (primarily adjacent string buzz off my fingernail - takes more concentration to get it right). Re the "A" tuning - in Taro Patch this would put me in C which is a better key for my wife if I can get her to sing with me. One of us has to play and I can't sing worth a damn - so in true classical economist form - specialization and division of labor. Thanks again for all the TP input. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 08:17:43 AM
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You did a very nice job with Koke'e last night. I have a different opinion of your voice. Playing slack key and singing at the same time is a very difficult thing to do and you pulled it off well. Never mind getting all the verses right - I didn't catch it and I know the song. I was just humming along with you. Now a duet with your wife joining us would be really nice.
My youngest daughter has a terrific voice but she won't sing with Dad in public - how humiliating . . { o}==%% |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 1:41:33 PM
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| Actually, I think I did get all the verse correct. It just sounded bad (to me). This was the first Hawaiian (lyrics) song that I learned. Uncle Dennis may have felt a movement in the "force" last night; probably thought is was just indigestion. |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 3:07:59 PM
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| It took a lot of courage, Terry. We liked it. I'm amazed at how you played complex backup ad very good solos and sang at the same time. Keep up the good work & try it in G or G# and see how it goes. |
Dusty |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 4:07:48 PM
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Terry,
Singing anything sitting down is way hard. Sarah knows that. Your whole mechanism is cramped and crowded. Don't push or strain; you don't want to be Pavarotti. Let the mic and amps do the work. Be a "song-stylist". You can even whisper, if the idea of the song permits it. Relax as much as you can. Remember that the guitar trickiness is reserved for the pa`ani. Go with simple chord stuff while you are singing. And, keep it up, keep it up, keep it up. You did it once, you can do it again - and you can have fun doing it.
Me ke aloha,
Reid |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2006 : 05:58:13 AM
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| Here's an update on my quest. I ordered the Breedlove C25 Passport from Musician's Friend because they shipped for free and I could return it within 45 days for a full refund. I sent it back. The quality was fine and the sound was very good considering its size. My problem was playability. 21 tiny frets. Although the nut is full size (1 3/4"), I couldn't barr the 1st fret and get all the strings down. I backed the tuning off 1 full step and couldn't regularly get the 1st fret to work. The nut was cut very high which contributed to the problem. I guess the nut could be shaved, but why bother? I think I've decided I want a regular scale fretboard. I don't play ukulele, so the difference in fingering was a big change for me. Others might like it give the quality, but I'd play one before buying. |
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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2006 : 08:14:39 AM
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The Martin 000-15 I was using to slowly limp through the first pages of Ozzie's book has been borrowed/kidnapped from me for the summer. Without a guitar for a day and suffering withdrawal pains from not playing the first and second pieces from the book, I checked Craigslist and found a used Martin LXM for around $100.
After meeting a guy at a pizza parlor and getting the guitar, the plywood LXM seems ok to schlep around the subway (hot and humid on the platform/air conditioned cold in the subway car).
I need to put new strings on it, but it sounds ok to practice on. Seems to be regular scale. Will the elixer strings that folks recommended in another post work on this shorty Martin plywood guitar?
It is lightweight and small and good for a person with small paws. I'm just a beginner so I can't tell if its a good guitar or not, but for $100 used, its good enuff to practice with. My friend who is a "real working musician" picked up the shorty Martin and played it for a while thought it sounded great for a little travel guitar.
I think this is the first guitar I can actually play barre chords with. |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2006 : 06:01:38 AM
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| Brooklyn, yes, I'm leaning towards getting one of these Martins, too. I was impressed with the sound and the price is right. $100 is a good deal. |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2006 : 12:30:04 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by brooklyn
I need to put new strings on it, but it sounds ok to practice on. Seems to be regular scale. Will the elixer strings that folks recommended in another post work on this shorty Martin plywood guitar?
Try the Elixir Polywebs...I use them on my Larrivee Parlor and they knock down some of the extra high end that comes from the smaller body. (The Light-Medium set works particularly well.) |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2006 : 06:10:08 AM
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| If anyone still cares, I bought one of the little Martins, an LX1 with the solid spruce top. I thought it had "better" sound than the LXM and I found it locally at a very good price. This also gave me a chance to bang on it for an hour before I bought it. The action is very good for me and the neck feels a lot like my Taylor; 23" scale. Sound is still a little flat, particularly the treble strings, but I haven't restrung it yet. It came with Martin mediums which squeek, but play ok. I dragged it on a plane to Sacramento this week and it was very cool not lugging a Calton case through the airport. Thanks for all the input. |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2006 : 1:03:26 PM
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I have to add my 2 cents on travel guitars now...
I bought an Aria Sinsonido AS-100C classical (low cost) and used it with a Zoom A-2 Acuostic Effects pedal (low cost) just this weekend. I was on a short getaway on in the Green Bay peninsula area near Door County, WI. I played in the car three hrs up and three hrs back. Also played on the shore line in beach chairs, and in the motel, and also on the balcony. Basically anytime and anywhere I wanted to...silently. As a guitar, it plays well and has good intontion. Tone wise, it is passable in a pinch but is a little plinky and the tone is not helped with included headphones. But, it improves dramatically and great tone if you use an acoutstic processor like the Zoom A-2, and a better set of headphones ($20 sony's good enough). After one hour messing with the kajillion setting available on my pedal and storing the settings it in, I ended up with something that on a scale of 1 to 10 gets at least an 8 and comes very close to sounding like a classical guitar. Through an amp (with the acoustic processor)it is also acceptible. Without the processor and with the suppied phones most player would not care for it. In this config it maybe eaks out a 4-5 on my scale.
However, I am very happy with guitar with the two improvements. I never have to travel without a guitar again :)
I give this thought a great big...YEEHAA!!!
Bob
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