Willie Nelson on a Budget?

[CostaRicaJones]

Hi, Guys:

What would you recommend to look at for a Willie Nelson/Trigger sound on a ~$300 budget? Makes/Models? I don't need amplification at this point in the game.

I want to buy "new" -- as our local market doesn't see a lot of used acoustics go up for sale.

Thanks.

[simonc]

I'd checkout the La Patrie range of nylon string guitars - awesome bang for your buck!
I've sussed out a couple, and come really close to buying one - but I think I've got enough guitars for now, so I always wuss out at the last moment.
Plenty of others on this site recommend them too.

[P Thought]

You're going to run in to three problems there, and they're going to cost much more than $100 each.

1) Willies guitar is a Martin. No $300 guitar is going to even start going there, even with Esteban playing it.

2) The sound you're hearing comes through $1 zillion worth of who-knows-what kind of preamps, compressors, amplifiers, mixers, and I-don't-know-what-else, and each of those things contributes something to what you hear.

3) That guitar is played by a man my dad's age, who's played professionally since he was a teenager, and who's developed a string attack all his own, sufficient to durn near wear the top off that Martin classical.

Any decent classical will get you going in the right direction, though. In your price range, I'd suggest an older Takamine C-128 off e-Bay, or a C-132S if you can scare up a bit more budget. Lotta guitar for the money. Yamaha makes lots of very serviceable nylon-string guitars, too.

[SamClemons]

Couple of decent Classical guitars on the Reno Craigslist. They have both been on their since Nov. I would go check them out and offer them a lot less as no one has bought them yet. Compare ebay prices for the same models.

Nov 27 - Guitar, Yamaha CGX 171 CCA - $450 (Carson City, NV)


Nov 26 - VALENCIA VG-35R CLASSICAL GUITAR W/ CASE & STAND - $225 (Carson City) pic

[BB]

Originally Posted by CostaRicaJones

I want to buy "new" -- as our local market doesn't see a lot of used acoustics go up for sale.

Thanks.

As mentioned, as far as new goes, may be had to do for 3 bills....one would think Reno would have a great used market for what you're after.For new, the La Patrie suggestion is a good one. May be more than 3 bills, but the quaility is wonderful. Also, check out the Art & Lutherie Ami nylon. It's a parlor size guitar, but great quality, a lot of fun to play and they sound darn good.

My suggestion is to always go used. The bargains out there at this time are simply amazing. Be sure to check areas and places you would not otherwise think 'guitar'.....Goodwill, Bargain World, Value Village, etc....

You could always come to the Seattle/Tacoma area and hit some pawn shops, antique malls and craiglsist....I have had great success in the past few years buying guitars for less that $100. Most of them I spruce up and give away to friends, others I've been able to flip quite easily.

Recently, I scored a sweet old 60's Yamaha classic in an antique mall for $50 that just killed tone wise....also, the older Lyle guitars are a great buy. Picked a nice classical up for $40 at a pawn shop that had great tone and playability. Got a Lyle dread for $25 that was an absolute CANNON! Found a Lyle 00 for $40 that was also very sweet. This past week I found a Hofner dread at a pawn shop for $20. After a good cleaning, set up and new strings the darn thing was a real nice tone surprise. The new owner say's its one of the best sounding and playing acoustics she's ever had.

So...the deals are out there and for $300, you have a nice budget to find a few things used wise....again, new...not so much.

If you do decide to go used, I would be more than happy to keep my eyes open for a good deal for you. Good luck to you!! Let the fun begin!!

[Darrell]

I am with BB, I found a 69' Rosewood classical for $50 on CList that is amazing in every way. So they can be found.

For affordable new, I recommend the Yamaha's and the Cordobas. You will be more satisfied with a Rosewood (I know I am). Just before I found my little jewel, I played a low end Cordoba in Rosewood at GC, and it was very nice. At the time is was going for 299...and it almost went home with me.

[Darrell]

A little story about my 69 Classical. I bought it hoping to have a decent travel guitar. I have come to the conclussion, that it is so nice, that it would cost me we over 1000 dollars to get another guitar of this quality. So now I won't take it anywhere, and I am back to looking for a travel guitar.

[JohnnyRebKy]

Willies guitar is a Martin N-20 with a old baldwin pickup. Its made of brazilian rosewood with spruce top which i didnt know untill recently. I thought it was mahogony!
So obviously your not gonna get a brazilian rosewood guitar for 300 lol. And i hate to disagree with anybody, but i respectfully disagree that willies sound is achieved with a zillion amp affects that we are out of reach of. He chose that guitar acousticly, and had the baldwin pickup installed in it that was in his previous guitar.
I think your best bet is in copying his materials......which would be a rosewood guitar. I dnt know if theres any indian rosewoods in your price range ( used maybe?) look around and see what ya find thats rosewood. But heck if you can learn to play willy style any ole geetar sounds good :) my dad can jerk tears from your eyes with a old 30"s stella guitar and some blue eyes cryin in the rain

[Mark Moore]

The secret is the Baldwin Prismatone bridge. Originals are nearly unobtainable. There is a guy building reproductions of Jerry Reed's Baldwin guitar, the "Clawmaster", that I think has a repro Prismatone.

For what it's worth, the Ovation piezo system is based on and pretty much copied from the Baldwin Prismatone. Reed was appearing on Glen Campbell's show with the Baldwin, and Ovation wasn't happy about that since they were endorsing Campbell. So, they bought a bunch of Baldwins and started experimenting.

The rest is history.

Anyway, if you want to get a sound close to Willie's, it's mostly in the fingers. Play your gut strings with a percussive flatpick attack, and don't be afraid to snap them hard. Use an undersaddle piezo through a solid state amp and EQ until it sounds good to you.

[studebaker hawk]

Originally Posted by Mark Moore

Anyway, if you want to get a sound close to Willie's, it's mostly in the fingers. Play your gut strings with a percussive flatpick attack, and don't be afraid to snap them hard. Use an undersaddle piezo through a solid state amp and EQ until it sounds good to you.

Tue Dat! I saw an Austin City Limits with Roger Miller in the early 80's. Willie came onstage, picked up a tele, and it sounded just like Trigger!