Which 3/4 baby acoustic plays best?
Hub
I have a Martin backpacking guitar, which plays like crap. I'm looking
for a lightweight 3/4 (or smaller) acoustic guitar which plays good,
doesn't have to sound all that great. I just want something with a
decent feel on the fretboard and can stay in tune, that I actually can
take backpacking and play while sitting around a campfire. A search on
ebay for "3/4 acoustic" reveals quite a few to choose from.
Any suggestions? thx... hub
Sasquatch
"Hub" <h...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:IHCJg.5418$o42....@tornado.texas.rr.com...
I love the Baby Taylor. And it SOUNDS good too.
Sasquatch
Keith Adams
Martin. It will sound good then.
"Hub" <h...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:IHCJg.5418$o42....@tornado.texas.rr.com...
I have a Martin backpacking guitar, which plays like crap. I'm looking
Dave Van
> Put new tuners, with a bone nut ,bridge pins and a saddle on your
> Martin. It will sound good then.
Where exactly would you suggest he install the bridge pins on a
backpacker? Do you have any idea what you're talking about?
Mark Nahra
composite-material guitar. Don't be put off by the material. In fact,
notice how cool they look. That Little Martin feels like a guitar --
the neck is has the real Martin feel. The guitar is INDESTRUCTIBLE -- I
literally fell on mine, knee-first, and it lived. It feels like a real
guitar, sounds VERY good, especially if you get the right strings (I
suggest Martin's own silk and steel Folk strings in a heavy gauge),
tunes up nice, comes with a fantastic gig bag and fits on every plane
on earth. When I pick it up to noodle, I just like playing it. If I
take it to a campfire sing-along type thing, I appreciate how easy to
play and tone-ful it is. I owned the Washburn Rover -- which is nicely
made but hard to hold and has nowhere near the tone of this one. The
Martin Backpacker is impossible to play, if you ask me, but I know a
lot of folks have them. The Baby Taylors have a woodier sound, but
they're $100 more than the Little Martin, and there's something
indistinct and muddy about the Taylors I've played. Your impressions
may vary, of course. But I'd check out the Little Martin, which runs
$259 online and is worth every penny.
Dave Van
> I'll go to the mat every time with the Little Martin LXM, their
> composite-material guitar. Don't be put off by the material. In fact,
> notice how cool they look. That Little Martin feels like a guitar -- the
> neck is has the real Martin feel. The guitar is INDESTRUCTIBLE -- I
> literally fell on mine, knee-first, and it lived. It feels like a real
> guitar, sounds VERY good, especially if you get the right strings (I
> suggest Martin's own silk and steel Folk strings in a heavy gauge),
> tunes up nice, comes with a fantastic gig bag and fits on every plane on
> earth. When I pick it up to noodle, I just like playing it. If I take it
> to a campfire sing-along type thing, I appreciate how easy to play and
> tone-ful it is. I owned the Washburn Rover -- which is nicely made but
> hard to hold and has nowhere near the tone of this one. The Martin
> Backpacker is impossible to play, if you ask me, but I know a lot of
> folks have them. The Baby Taylors have a woodier sound, but they're $100
> more than the Little Martin, and there's something indistinct and muddy
> about the Taylors I've played. Your impressions may vary, of course. But
> I'd check out the Little Martin, which runs $259 online and is worth
> every penny.
I'll second everything written above (except for the experience with the
Rover) I string my LXM with mediums and the tone is pretty good. No
where near a full bodied guitar, but decent. The neck does have a nice
feel.
Hub
Thanks for the info ya'll.. I had never heard of the Martin LXM, looks
like it might do the trick for me, I'll check them out. I actually like
that its "plastic" and not wood like a Taylor 3/4, hoping it can
withstand a real 10 day backpacking trek next Summer that might include
alot of harsh conditions.
The Martin Backpacker is just too lame to consider, even at 2 lbs.
Hub
bluezfolk
I love my Martin LXM, but I think it would be a bit on the large
side for a 10 day backpacking trip. Have you ever considered switching
to a harmonica?
Eric
Dave Van
I have gone on 'car trips' with the LXM but I'm not a camper or
backpacker so I can't really speak with authority on that. The LXM
might be a great travel guitar but it may be a bit large for 10 days on
the trail. Unless you ditch the case that comes with it and just hang
it on the outside of your pack in something lightweight. The case that
comes with it is heavily padded and bulky.
crow
exposed drywall screws in the fingerboard either.
-- jepp
if it sounds good...IT IS GOOD!
"Mark Nahra" <mark...@salon.com> wrote in message
news:2006083112060716807-marknahra@saloncom...
Difar
size you say your are looking for...
Baby Taylor is louder but lacks lows, sort of shrill sounding, but cuts
through when playing with a group. All wood. Necks have a reputation for
needing repair after a few years.
Martin LXM has a more balanced but somewhat subdued sound. Mics very well
for recording or live. There is a version with piezo pickups. Sounds
pretty good for the price.
Here is a small sample. Double track, same LXM:
http://home.comcast.net/~satew/PHX_Short.mp3
Steve
"Hub" <h...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:IHCJg.5418$o42....@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
haligonab
<keith...@socal.rr.com> wrote:
> Put new tuners, with a bone nut ,bridge pins and a saddle on your
>Martin. It will sound good then.
Respectfully, bullshit! Keith, I assume your reply was
tongue-in-cheek. The Martin Backpacker is an overpriced
poorly-executed gimmick and a POS in my experience.
>"Hub" <h...@nospam.com> wrote in message
>news:IHCJg.5418$o42....@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
>I have a Martin backpacking guitar, which plays like crap. I'm looking
>for a lightweight 3/4 (or smaller) acoustic guitar which plays good,
>doesn't have to sound all that great. I just want something with a
>decent feel on the fretboard and can stay in tune, that I actually can
>take backpacking and play while sitting around a campfire. A search on
>ebay for "3/4 acoustic" reveals quite a few to choose from.
>
>Any suggestions? thx... hub
I own a Taylor "Big Baby" which is a 15/16 dreadnaught that plays very
nicely and sounds pretty decent (someone else mentioned the Baby
Taylor which is 3/4 size), but I don't believe these are really
campfire guitars. They're not properly braced and I don't think they'd
handle outdoor climatic changes very well. Then again, I'm not a
camper. Others may have had positive experiences with these in an
outdoor context. I'd be interested to hear other opinions. Good luck
in your search.
Steve