| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Robert Cassagnol
Aloha
1 Posts |
 Posted - 01/24/2003 : 11:40:55 AM
|
 Hello,
I would like to get suggestions/recommendations on purchasing a guitar suited for the "slack key" style. My budget is about $1k...
thanks
|
|
|
marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2003 : 12:22:48 PM
|
aloha e robert,
welcome to this ohana!
there's been a lot of good advice on selecting guitars, recently from fguidry, sarah, and piffle (look at their recent postings).
keola beamer says that any guitar is good for slack key, and i've seen lots of different guitars come out with beautiful music. my guess is your own personal style and your own body is more important in determining the guitar for you than whether you're playing slack key versus, say, bluegrass.
we southern californians seem to be gravitating towards rainsongs, maybe because it never rains down here? they're more expensive than your budget, but they have some nice properties: (1) they're loud, (2) they're quite balanced in their responsiveness, (3) they have a superlong sustain, (4) the action is quite tight, (5) they're immune from the termites that love living down here, (6) they're black so you can sneak up on people and surprise them with a turnaround.
last year i found a 1940s gibson, not a jumbo, looked like hell, was going for $800, and it had the most beautiful sound. i wish i had bought it.
aloha,
keith
|
Keith |
 |
|
|
konavet
Aloha
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2003 : 4:43:55 PM
|
| I'm sure there's as many opinions about the "right" guitar as there are guitarists. There are many good quality instruments in that price range, both new and used. I have a few (too many, actually) guitars and prefer certain ones for different styes, but that's just my taste. And that brings me to my advice- go play as many different guitars as you can- be sure to include some of the high end instruments even though you're not planning on buying. I'm sure you'll find one that just sticks in your mind (and heart).I always found if I had dream about a guitar I was looking at, I knew that was the one. That's also why I have too many guitars. |
Dr. Pat |
|
|
|
cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2003 : 5:23:16 PM
|
| You can never have too many guitars. (Too small of a house, yes; too small of a bank account, yes; but too many guitars, no.) |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
|
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2003 : 6:50:22 PM
|
Welcome Robert 
Another member was asking almost the same question just this week. Check http://www.taropatch.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=584
I'll repeat it again, don't overlook nylon for slack key. If you really prefer steel, still consider the comfort of a smaller body guitar for slack key's fingerstyle. |
Pauline |
|
|
|
Ianui
Lokahi
USA
298 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2003 : 11:36:56 PM
|
Christmas was good to Southern California Slack Key society members. Three Rainsongs showed up at our January meeting. The group displays a variety of instruments. They ranges from custom made to antique, to price ranges lower than your budget. Some like me have just one guitar, and others have as many as 10. We all dream of sweet resonate sounds and think maybe a new instrument will make our playing better.
The best advice I recieved when I bought my first one last June was look around, play them, and one day you will pick one up that is a couple hundred more than you budgeted, and it will say Robert I love you. ----Buy that one. |
Edited by - socalslackeysociety on 01/25/2003 12:32:25 AM |
|
|
|
Pops
Lokahi
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 01/25/2003 : 10:39:04 AM
|
Aloha, Robert,
For $1k you should be able to get something very nice. I play a lot of different guitars regularly and the bottom line will be what feels right to you. I personally prefer guitars made with solid tops, back and sides, but I recently played two of the new composite material Martins with the cowboy and Hawaiian-motiff painted tops and they both played and sounded great ($800?). I was very surprized. I also recently played a small bodied Takamine (solid top and laminate sides) that's at a local music store here in Cleveland that's going for $525 with a hard shell case and it is an awesome guitar. I've played for almost 40 years now and I couldn't believe how nice it was for the money. Normally, I wouldn't have been interested in it but once I played it I was really impressed. Don't judge a book by its cover is good advice. Try as many different guitars as you can and don't get too hung up on designer names. I've played some very high-end things that we're very disappointing and some plain Janes that were wonderful. I know some people like certain makers. I personally don't like Gibsons (old or new) but I have friends who swear by their vintage models. I know they good but I don't like them. It all comes down to personal taste. I would suggest that you buy from a reputable dealer, preferably a luthier, who's done their homework and set the guitar up properly. Make sure you know the "real" condition of the guitar in terms of any cracks, etc. This will insure that your money goes farther in the long run in terms of actual enjoyment and value. $1k is still a lot of money and you want to do it right. If you'd like you can email me and I'll put you in touch with an outstanding luthier who sells some really nice guitrs for your budget. I purchased any number of guitars, banjos, etc. from him and he's outstanding and as honest as the day is long. Good luck.
Pops |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 01/25/2003 : 5:08:28 PM
|
For my 2cents -- definitely play a bunch of different models. I also find it useful to check into smaller dealers -- you may pay a bit more up front but you often get 2 advantages -- 1) they typically know guitars really well and as you play one or two and tell them what you like or don't like they can often direct you to something they have that really fits. 2) often small dealers will allow you nearly full price as trade in credit at a later time if, and typically when, you want to upgrade. Finally, like Pauline said, don't overlook the nylon string guitars, which I play almost exclusively. You loose a bit n the "ringing" sound. and chimes are a bit more difficult to get down, but you gain a lot of expressiveness in tone. Listen to a John Williams or Sharon Isbin CD, or even better some Latin stuff like the CD "Intimo" and you can get a feel for the expressive capabilities of nylon. Just like in "The Graduate," "One word, son -- plastics."
Raymond
San Jose |
|
|
|
cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 01/25/2003 : 5:25:54 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by RJS
Just like in "The Graduate," "One word, son -- plastics."
That's right...polymer-coated steel strings (e.g., Elixir Polywebs). And despite what Piffle says, check out Larrivees.
|
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
|
|
|
Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2003 : 1:14:24 PM
|
Note a strong common thread here: try as many guitars as you can, and keep an open mind/ear, because there's no single size-shape-style formula for *your* optimal instrument. And with a grand in your pocket, you are, as the Brits say, spoiled for choice even without including used guitars in the search. (I'll come back to that.)
That said, I would suggest one mild bias that you might apply to your search: pay attention to the neck width and string spacing. Many fingerstyle players find that 1-3/4" (or even wider) at the nut is more comfortable than narrower widths. But as always, they're your hands and your ergonomics, so even this is a statistical observation rather than a rule.
About used: it's like buying a car--if you're knowledgeable, persistent, and lucky, you can get more bang for the buck with a used instrument. In October, I found a lovely little 1926 Martin 2-17 for $850 that is a *very* nice slack key guitar. I've owned probably 30 guitars in the last 48 years, and only about seven were new. If you enjoy shopping as much as I do, it just makes the search more interesting.
|
|
|
|
Rickster
Aloha
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 10:14:01 AM
|
I just bought my first nylon string guitar, and it sounds great in slack tunings. It's a Ramirez R1, their entry level model, with a very sweet tone and nice bass response for slack key. Surprisingly loud when it needs to be, so I'm having fun with dynamics, etc.
|
|
|
|
wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 12:35:25 PM
|
A lot of great slack key musicians use nylon string guitars. Hal Kinnaman comes immediately to mind. Doug McMaster has one of the nicest sounding nylon string guitars I've ever played (or heard). I don't recall the make but maybe if he or Sandy read this thread they will tell us what it is.
One drawback/feature of most nylon string guitars is that they only have 12 frets clear of the body (i.e. the neck joins the body at the 12th fret). So more fretting hand dexterity and stretching is needed to play high positions on the neck. Those with a cutaway make it somewhat easier.
Try before you buy. |
Dusty |
|
|
|
edkalama
Akahai
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 1:54:45 PM
|
Aloha Rickster
Ramirez -- hmmm... that's my dream guitar. Remembered going shopping for a classical guitar way back in 1984 with my teacher and the price on the one I wanted was over $3,000, way beyond my budget. So my teacher bought it for himself and I bought his old one.
Didn't know they had an entry level model. How much do they go for?Can you suggest a website that I can check them out? Will do a search tonight, now that I mentioned it. Thanks for bringing back a memory. |
ed
______________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Rickster
Aloha
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 3:00:54 PM
|
Aloha, everyone. This is a wonderful site and I'll be checking in for information and inspiration often.
The question of a cutaway was an important factor. I tried both kinds and settled on the traditional body design. Like wdf says, it all depends on your comfort level beyond the 12th fret.
As far as price goes, I believe the R1 can be found at about $1000 in various places on the Web if you search for Ramirez. I got mine at a local music store for a little less than that.
I've been listening to Ozzie for quite a while, and when I heard Moses Kahumoku's Dancing Cat CD last week, I just had to have that nylon string sound. Very interesting how he incorporates flamenco touches into his playing. I'll have to check out Kinnaman and McMaster as well. The names sound familiar but I haven't heard them yet.
|
|
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 3:36:06 PM
|
| Let me suggest one more criterion: scale length. I am just now discovering the joy of truly short scales, ukuleles, and wondering about getting a shorter scale guitar for myself. Trouble is I have a bunch I'll have to peddle to afford to go that direction. For comparison, I have large hands for a woman, maybe approaching a man's medium glove size. They are also sr. citizen, not so flexible anymore, hands looking for comfort more than volume. |
Pauline |
|
|
|
Karen
Aloha
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2003 : 5:51:19 PM
|
Hi Robert -
Play, play, play. I have performed all over the world (not slack key though) and dragged my poor partner into music stores everywhere while I played guitars without looking at price tags. You may find the dream guitar that is out of your price range, then again you may find the dream guitar in your price range. I found several dream guitars before I found the "one" that was what I wanted at that time.
As I play more, I also find that I like different guitars for different songs and performing situations. I own five very different guitars and have my eye on another one the costs under $1000 - a Godin acoustic electric that has a wonderful tone and sustain for slack key and fingerstyle guitar if you like rich lows with well rounded mids and highs. The drawback is that it needs to be plugged in unless your just practicing on your own.
I also recommend that you play all of the guitars on display of a certain make and model because they all sound different - except Rainsongs. I have an Ovation that sounded totally different than the two next to it at the music store - all were the same model and same year. I just picked the one that sounded right to me for me at the time. I also have a Rainsong and it is the only guitar that I would ever consider mail ordering (unless it was a custom built guitar) because they have the most consistency in sound.
Good luck and have fun experimenting.
Aloha,
Karen |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
