What Guitar?

I was going to ask this in the show me your guitar thread but it has taken on a life of its own and I think I may get lost in there. 
 

So here goes. The back story.

I use to play when I was young. Never very good but I could keep up with others. I would describe my self as a camp fire rock star. It sounds good in the moment after the crowd has imbibed a bit but if you listen to a recording it is a bit cring. Anyone with a little bit of  talent does not have to worry about me replacing them in the band. 
 

I stopped playing in the 1990s because my guitar broke. I had a Gibson acoustic that I am assuming was a clone that my parents had got me used when I was in school. But I was broke as well and trying to make it with two young kids so guitar was pushed to the back .

A while ago I  picked up a segal to mess around with and also my daughter has expressed an interest in playing. Well she has taken ownership of the segal and it is now with her in NY.  
 

Current day me was watching you tube and stumbled on the carbon fiber acoustic /electric guitars and I realized I want to get another guitar. This time it is for me. (Unless my kids kidnap it). I like guitars with standard width but thinner necks.  I also like guitars that the edges are all rounded smooth. The neck, frets etc all have been rounded and finished.  Other than that I am not good enough to know what else to look for. 
 

Budget is flexible.   I don't mind paying for quality. Let's say under 1k all in. I think I want to get an electrified accoustic. Beyond that I got no clue. 
 

suggestions are needed!!!!

Figure a day when you can go try a few at local places. Get your hands on something you like. 
For thinner necks, watch Ibanez and seagull. 
Pay extra attention to the edges of the frets. Most models have electrified options if they're not standard, and usually not a lot extra $.
 

Acoustics are hard to recommend. I found a secondhand epiphone ej200 some years ago for $300. For sound and feel, I'd put it up against anything I've ever played. It works for me. Find something that works for you. 
 

Get a good hard shell case and a tuner. Have fun. 

What are your goals with the electric part? Good sound at an open mic? Just amplification? Recording?

I would avoid any factory acoustic electric with a big cutout in the side, and would err to putting the electrics into an acoustic rather than getting one from the factory... but that is the tinkerer route. My open mic guitar is an Epiphone Frontier reissue (Korean made in the 90s). Acoustic, it sounds good but is nothing special. Plugged in, it sounds wayyyyyyy better than it has any right to sound. Why? The pickup. It is a Fishman Ellipse with a sound hole mic and a saddle pickup. Seriously, it sounds better plugged in than my Gruhn custom shop Martin with whatever pickup is in that - I never plug it in, because the Epi sounds so good comparatively.

How is your shoulder? Do you need to be considering a smaller shape (000, OM, 00, etc.) vs a dreadnaught or jumbo? My dad primarily plays his CEO7 (roughly 00 size) because of the comfort while the dreads sit in the closet.

Sub $1k, I'd be looking for used Larivee, new or used Eastman, new or used Epiphone Masterbilt series, Yamaha LL or L (preference to LL). 

More thoughts later

Thin neck and rounded corners?  Sounds like an Ovation.  If you can find one go with the deep bowl for better acoustic sound, the mid and shallow bowls sound a little thin until you plug them in.

Ovation/Applause/Celebrity. Most serious players I know who use them only use them for live gigs, but they're decent guitars. I have issues with them for the sound (not my cup of tea), and more importantly, their construction. I also find them uncomfortable to play without a strap. Unlike most guitars which are either X-braced or ladder braced, Ovations are braced more or less along with the grain. When you combine that with the fact that plastic doesn't move but wood does, it means that you're more likely to get a cracked top, or have the top split from the back. That can all be repaired, and it can happen on conventionally built guitars as well, but it is more likely to happen with an Ovation. They definitely look cool though, and a lot of people really like them. 

For carbon fiber guitars… I had a Carbon Acoustics Cargo. Nice travel sized acoustic, and I wish I hadn’t sold it. It was very comfortable playing and sounded good to the person playing it. But overall they’re something of… well, they’re not a novelty, but they’re different and not what I would want as my main guitar unless I was playing in a lot of different environments (temperature and humidity). They’re also expensive compared to a traditionally built guitar. For my uses I’d rather get a Mexican made Martin HPL construction guitar (high pressure laminate). 

I forgot about the Martin GPC line. I’m pretty sure they’re made in PA instead of Mexico, probably at the $1,000 mark, and I remember disliking it because of the thin neck. 

Larrivee tends to have thin necks as well. I really like Larrivee guitars; mine has a chunky neck like God intended, but most are on the thinner side. 

BlueRidge Guitars are imported from China, but well made and also have thinner necks. 

Taylor. I really do not like Taylor acoustic guitars. They all sound thin and tinny to me. I don’t like the way they play, they feel underpowered, and sterile. To me, it’s like having the option between Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes, SAAB, Jaguar, Jeep, Mustang, vintage classics, GTRs and Supras, etc, and showing up to the car meet in a Lexus RX. 

That said, a Lexus RX is a superb car. It’s just really, really boring. Taylor makes fine, consistent guitars, known for thin necks that are easy to play, and I seem to be in the minority regarding their sound. And their Academy line (made in Mexico) has an armrest bevel that sounds like something you’d be interested in. 
 

Pretty sure Alvarez has the Beveled armrest too on some guitars. I would rank Alvarez up there with Yamaha - at worst you're getting a playable guitar. I would look hard at these. Washburn too, same thing with the beveled armrest, though Washburn maybe isn't quite as high quality as Alvarez.

Lastly, Guild… been through a ton of ownership, a ton of turmoil, but you can find some real gems out there. But also a lot of mediocre instruments. 

FWIW, the wood doesn’t care where the CNC machine is… but USA >= Canada >= Japan > Korea >= Mexico > China > Indonesia

triumph7 said:

Thin neck and rounded corners?  Sounds like an Ovation.  If you can find one go with the deep bowl for better acoustic sound, the mid and shallow bowls sound a little thin until you plug them in.

I agree. The ceder topped ovation with the built in pickup are fantastic and very sturdy so they travel well. There are a good number of them out there used. Like suggested go to a few stores try what ever catches your eye and then start looking around. 

I suggest the ovation ceder elite as the first place to look. Easy to get sub 500 sometimes even as low as 350. 

It's so personal, and there's so much that can vary; I'm glad you've got specific recommendations, but don't forget to just pick up anything that appeals while you're looking at those and see how it feels.

I've got an old Harmony that's kinda weird and percussive and has an almost classical-width neck, but I wouldn't want to give it up (partly for sentimental reasons), and I'm probably going to bring my dad's Gibson (don't know the model, strangely narrow neck, in the nut-width direction) home soon since his hands are keeping him from playing anymore, but I also think a friend's Takamine was one of the best-feeling guitars I've ever picked up.

You never know what will grab you after you grab it.

^^^ good advice ^^^
 

Get out and play things. And be picky. I tell the story about my epiphone, because I would have never given it a chance had I not made it a goal to play every acoustic in town before buying. Especially since I'd played high dollar Gibson jumbo models and never liked them. 

I like the Michael Kelly Forte I have, it's more of an electric feeling acoustic. The neck is thinner than I like but it is comfy.

It also has some cool features not usually seen in acoustics  like the modern bridge and the side port that faces the player, which is very awesome.

Highly appreciate everyone taking the time to chime in. Some great info. Hell just getting brand names and models to look at is huge. I have been out of the loop on this stuff for a long time. 

Yamahas are always worth looking at. Even their cheapo bottom tier guitars feel decent.

I checked out a Fender Sonoran acoustic electric not too long ago, and that was a neat guitar. The neck was more like a modern Strat shape so kind of a unique thinner feel on an acoustic.

I had a Yamaha that I loved.  When I was in college, I had to sell it to eat and I still miss it.

I currently have an Alvarez 2-piece top.  I played the 2-piece and 1-piece side by side and actually preferred the midrange on the 2-piece, so it was a win that I bought a $275 guitar instead of a $475 guitar.

It truly is about what sounds good.  Guitars are a little bit like Steinways.  You could have three of the same model in a showroom and they all sound totally different.  I use my ear and not the name on the sticker.  My electric is a cheap Washburn, and my acoustic Bass is an Epiphone.

This is especially true if you're playing on the pickup since you can EQ what you want electronically within reason.  For that reason, I would look closer at the quality of the pickup in addition to the natural tone from the guitar.

I used to play live a lot and had an ovation because I was broke and it was never broke and I didn't have to worry about feedback. It's also sounded pretty decent plugged in. 
 

It's been 20 years since I've regularly played live and my ovation sits in a stand in my office and I rarely play it. I hate HATE the way it sounds acoustic. 
 

My dad bought a d35 while taking lessons. $50/month. It's a great guitar.  I have always like Taylor's live- and if you can find some of the early blueridge guitars they fought above their weight. 
 

guitars are a vast vast field. If I had my dream it would likely be a gc collings. 

grover said:

I used to play live a lot and had an ovation because I was broke and it was never broke and I didn't have to worry about feedback. It's also sounded pretty decent plugged in. 
 

It's been 20 years since I've regularly played live and my ovation sits in a stand in my office and I rarely play it. I hate HATE the way it sounds acoustic. 
 

My dad bought a d35 while taking lessons. $50/month. It's a great guitar.  I have always like Taylor's live- and if you can find some of the early blueridge guitars they fought above their weight. 
 

guitars are a vast vast field. If I had my dream it would likely be a gc collings. 

Yeah, the Ovations are definitely "electric guitars that you can hear unplugged".  I also used to call them "acoustic guitars for electric guitar players" because of the thin necks and low action.

I've never played a bad Martin or Gibson and even the bottom-tier models had decent setup and nicely finished necks.  Brand doesn't necessarily translate to ease and comfort of play, but it does to resale value and support, if that matters.  I learned on a really cheap, nameless, Asian guitar and was amazed how much easier and enjoyable it was to play a Martin.  Had there been a Gibson available, I might have gone that way instead when I upgraded.  I've had good experience with Yamaha as well.

I'd suggest you put your hands on many different guitars and then see what the headstock label says on the enjoyable ones.  That's the only way to really pick a good guitar.

No suggestions from me as I don't have an acoustic or played many of them. 

I've got 4 guitars but they are electric and I haven't touched any of them in quite a while. 

Also, the obvious answer is a black/white Flying V and 100w Marshall full stack. 

Also throwing this out there but Orangewood bakes stunningly good guitars for alarmingly cheap. I have a Rey that plays better and sound better than guitars 10 times it's price

it's SO subjective, but i play a concert-sized (pretty small) Breedlove, Korean made but solid wood, and it's a really nice guitar.  Electrified, with a pluggable sound port on the upper bout, cutaway on the lower. Worth checking out, IMO.

barefootcyborg5000 said:

Also, the obvious answer is a black/white Flying V and 100w Marshall full stack. 

I have the Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V. Had a local shop set it up to be tuned to D standard. Plays great and sounds great with his Signature Lace pickups. 

I also have a Charvel (tele body) with Bill Helliher's signature Lace Pickups in it. 

In reply to z31maniac :

I have those pickups in my spotlight. You'll like them. So thick and juicy. 

barefootcyborg5000 said:

In reply to z31maniac :

I have those pickups in my spotlight. You'll like them. So thick and juicy. 

They both sound phenomenal.

Then I have a little cheepy squire strat.

Then an ESP LTD SC 208 Stephen Carpenter Signature 8-string. It's like the cheapest version of his 8 string guitars from them a few years ago. 

Oh I looked up the Charvel , It's the Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimes Stley 2HH with Lace Divinators.