Looking for suggestions

[SlideGuy123]

I’ve done a bit of shopping around for what will be my only acoustic. I’ve played some pretty good ones and some that left me cold. I can’t seem to find the right combo of features and sound, so I thought I’d ask for ideas here. Things to know:

- I’m not really a guitar player. I play mostly lap steel and banjo, but I want an acoustic guitar for songwriting and a change of pace.
- I own a PRS SE Maple II. Great sounding electric with low action, but the neck feels just a hair wide to me
- I’m looking for a OOO-size body. Not interested in dreads or jumbos.
- Here’s the tricky part: I haven’t yet found a neck I’m comfortable with on a smaller body guitar. I want a shorter scale (24.9), and they all seem to come with 1 3/4” nuts. Yes, I fingerpick, but I haven’t yet felt comfortable with that nut size. Might be because the necks are too chunky?

I’ve played some Eastmans (felt too wide), a couple of Yamahas (on the fence about the feel), and some Taylor GS minis (scale is way too short and the sound is too thin, even on the koa model).

Price point — since I’m not really a guitar player, I’d love to keep the price reasonable, which for me is $600 - $1000. I’d be willing to go higher if it’s worth it. Any suggestions are very welcome. Thanks!

 

[Swirling Snow]

If you talk to any of us who own a lot of guitars, you hear the same thing about neck sizes, "You get used to it."

Shoes always feel funny at first, but we get used to them and then don't notice. Because there's no actual physical contact the internet has made it acceptable to complain about how a guitar neck "fits your hand". No. It's your job to learn to play the guitar.

If you're sitting in a shop and someone hands you a '59 Burst or a real Blackguard, and you say, "No thanks, I don't think the neck is comfortable," eyes are going to roll.

 

[Freeman Keller]

If you look at one manufacturer, Martin, most of their guitars are 1-11/16. In fact the UMGF FAQ has a listing of all of the ones that are 1-3/4 since, as they say, many modern players are trending in that direction. I know you don't want a dread my my old D18 is 1-1/16.

Since you specifically mentioned 000's this is from the FAQ

14-fret 000.
a. All 000's in the 16 Series and below are 1 11/16".
a. The 000-18 and the 000-28 000s in the Standard Series and below are 1 11/16" and the 000-42 is 1 3/4".

I personally DO prefer a wider neck but I understand why others don't. I like my fretboards pretty flat, 20 inch instead of the more usual 16 or 12 (I play a lot of slide on my acoustics and wide flat boards are better for both my fretting/slide and my picking fingers. Depth and profile also make a difference but I must be lucky, I play equally poorly on almost any neck.

Good luck with your search and let us know what you find.

 

[black_doug]

If you look at one manufacturer, Martin, most of their guitars are 1-11/16. In fact the UMGF FAQ has a listing of all of the ones that are 1-3/4 since, as they say, many modern players are trending in that direction. I know you don't want a dread my my old D18 is 1-1/16.

Since you specifically mentioned 000's this is from the FAQ

14-fret 000.
a. All 000's in the 16 Series and below are 1 11/16".
a. The 000-18 and the 000-28 000s in the Standard Series and below are 1 11/16" and the 000-42 is 1 3/4".

I personally DO prefer a wider neck but I understand why others don't. I like my fretboards pretty flat, 20 inch instead of the more usual 16 or 12 (I play a lot of slide on my acoustics and wide flat boards are better for both my fretting/slide and my picking fingers. Depth and profile also make a difference but I must be lucky, I play equally poorly on almost any neck.

Good luck with your search and let us know what you find.

Specs have changed for new 2025 models. The 000-18 and 000-28 are now 1 3/4”. So is 000-16.

 

[SlideGuy123]

Thanks for the ideas so far, all. To me, it isn’t a matter of getting used to something that doesn’t feel right, although I certainly respect if that’s how you approach it. I’m looking for something I don't have to fight with. It’s why I’ve replaced the nuts on my lap steel for the spacing I prefer.

Martins are generally above my price range, except for the lower end, and I keep reading about quality issues (if you hear differently, I’m open). I’d need to find a good used one, though, especially since they moved to 1 3/4”, and so far I haven’t come across any. The D-18 neck feel is great, but I can’t go with a dread — it throws my right shoulder out of whack.

Any other experiences with 1 11/16, 24.9 scale small body guitars?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

If you talk to any of us who own a lot of guitars, you hear the same thing about neck sizes, "You get used to it." . . .

Yup. In about five minutes. It's like driving cars with clutches. No two clutches feel the same, but you adjust to whatever you're driving pretty quickly.

No one ever said, "I love this car, but I'm not used to the clutch, so I'm not buying it." Instead, they get used to it.

But having said that, there's nothing wrong with knowing what you want. Limiting, sometimes, but not wrong. Neck specs for most guitars is just a Google away. Take advantage.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Thanks for the ideas so far, all. To me, it isn’t a matter of getting used to something that doesn’t feel right, although I certainly respect if that’s how you approach it. I’m looking for something I don't have to fight with. . . .

I've never found it to be a fight. Within a few minutes, a well set-up guitar does feel right. I like bass, mandolin, and everything in between.

But you're not alone. It's a common complaint. See post 6. And again, Google is your friend.

 

[Supertwang]

The Martin 000-28EC kinda set the modern bar for 14-fret 000 guitars. Just saying because that price tag is like triple your stated budget. I also prefer the smaller guitars and have been enamored by some of the "Recording King" and "The Loar" 000 offerings. What about the EL-00 by Epiphone & Gibson? Larrivee has some smaller guitars that come up for sale used around the upper end of your budget. Larrivee is right up there with in quality but usually priced well under Martins on the used market

 

[SlideGuy123]

Those are some good suggestions. Used Latrice’s are hard to come by but I’ll keep an eye out. I haven’t looked at the EL-00, but I’ll check into it. Thanks

 

[Supertwang]

Those are some good suggestions. Used Latrice’s are hard to come by but I’ll keep an eye out. I haven’t looked at the EL-00, but I’ll check into it. Thanks

No problem. I'm all about 12-fret 000 and 12-fret guitars in general. I prefer a 1.75" nut and at minimum a 12" radius. One last suggestion,...I bought an all-solid, smallish, acoustic 7-string on EBay made in Romania for @ three bones,...it's a very nice guitar. They make mostly 6-string guitars

 

[arlum]

We share many of the same specs for an acoustic guitar and I also own / play a banjo and would love to own a steel whether it be lap or pedal. I purchased my Furch, (well out of your listed price range), to get some of the very specs you and I both desire. They're a custom shop so they'll build to order. For acoustic players they offer 1 3/4" nut widths and for those guitarists who switch between electric and acoustic during performances they offer a 1 11/16" nut width. I'm not steering you in that direction because you're obviously sane enough not to spend that kind of bread.
I also prefer a shorter scale length. 24.75 to 24.9. My favorite acoustic guitar body shapes are the 000, much like the OM but often offered with the shorter scale length or the Grand Concert as used by Furch and Taylor, (which need to be ordered with the shortened scale length.
You didn't mention the neck join to body fret. The 12th fret join sounds fuller and richer but I still prefer the 14th fret or even a cutaway body for upper fret access.
In your wish list you don't mention tone woods. Musical styles lead us into different directions. I'm a singer / songwriter with a deep voice. When I'm playing by myself for a group of listeners I prefer a solid cedar top on an acoustic guitar with solid rosewood back and sides. At a point in life where I was offered a chance to play guitar in a bluegrass band I went with what they told me were the standards and it worked out great. I purchased an acoustic with a solid Adirondack Spruce top and a solid Mahogany back and sides. The Mahogany was much louder and more defined and kept up closer to the banjo player. Rosewood would have been buried from the get go.
I've yet to find an acoustic in your price range with your desired specs but I will continue to search for one. Unless you alter something I'm looking for a 000 with a short scale neck, (24.75 to 24.9), a 1 11/16th nut, Spruce top and mahogany body. ??? You didn't mention whether you required solid wood. It makes one heck of a difference to the guitar tone on the plus side but definitely up's the price. Laminate woods rob a lot from projection and string definition as well as maintaining clarity when strummed heavily. If you're trying to keep up with a banjo you'll definitely want solid wood.
If I've got something wrong please let me know. I've gone through the current offerings from Takamine and Seagull and there's nothing there. I know of many other brands I used when I needed to stay in a similar price range and will check them out. Good luck!

 

[SlideGuy123]

Wow @arlum — thank you for the detailed response. I appreciate you helping in the search. The only ones I’ve found so far in online searches are super low end, and those tend to sound cardboard-y, but I plan to check them out anyway.

I haven’t really concerned myself with wood yet. A solid spruce top is what I was thinking, but I haven’t tried cedar or mahoghany. While I’d prefer solid wood back and sides, a well made laminate could do the trick. Mahogany is probably my favorite but I’m not against rosewood if it works for the instrument. I don’t plan to be playing in a bluegrass setting, and if I did I’d be playing banjo or dobro anyway. I expect I’ll be playing it 97% solo, 3% with one other guitar or mandolin player.

The search continues. I need to find more stores!

 

[erratick]

Only thinking new here:

Maybe Epi Hummingbird- it has the scale length.

It's a 12 inch radius and 1.693 neck width.

Miranda Lambert Bluebird is similar.

The Dove would have a narrower neck, but longer scale.

I'd probably start looking at parlor guitars. That might have the size you are looking for....

Takamine makes a nice parlor with a narrow neck. I think it's 1.65 wide. That would be correct scale that you asked about.

 

[black_doug]

The Seagull S6 or Entourage series are excellent value, and in your price range. The nut width is 1.72”. The tops are solid cedar, if you’re considering something other than spruce. Back and sides are laminate.

 

[Pickingthru]

Before you decide, go play a Martin SC-13e. It has excellent playability and good tone. I miss my SC-13e Special Burst. Too guitar poor to buy another at the moment.

 

[24 track]

I have 2 Yamaha's the price is reasonable one thing I can testify to with these is a new set of strings and these sound incredible all over again , have you tried a Godin? I have one as well is one of my favorites

 

[SlideGuy123]

@24 track I’ve only tried a couple of Yamahas at GC, so probably not a fair shake. I plan to dig into those more if I can find a shop with a decent selection. I haven’t seen any Godins, but I’ll keep an eye out.

@black_doug I remember trying out a Seagull quite a while ago and it was setup pretty poorly, so the action was way too high. I’ll take another look, but that nut width seems a bit much. Still, it’s the overall feel I’m going for.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[24 track]

here are some of the names that Godin make ,so if you see any of these they are Godin , each name is different and has differnt qualities I have a left handed (one of the first made ) Nylon string Multiac synth ready (it had the piezo pick up to play my guitar synth), what a great guitar, it is a GODIN brand check them out, I called Godin directly and spoke with him very approachable.

 

[srblue5]

Have you heard of or tried a Lâg acoustic?

Lâg is a company based in France and the guitars are built in China (I think). I tried out a couple of friends' 000-sized Lâg acoustics while visiting England a few years ago and was impressed by both. The neck profiles reminded me of an electric but not overly thin -- a good medium size. The nut width definitely was smaller than 1 3/4" (which I'm used to on my Waterloo). At that price point, I'm pretty sure they're laminate sides/back but solid spruce top.

Last year, I found a store in Halifax that had a few Lâg guitars along with some Yamahas, lower end Martins, and Sigma guitars. I tried out a number of them and the Lâg easily blew the others out of the water. I almost bought one but couldn't figure out shipping with the store and didn't want to fly back with it. Maybe someday I will.

I've also played a few decent lower end Guilds with smaller nut widths, though some sounded pretty meh (especially the smaller bodied guitars).

 

[getbent]

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guita...0ejM5j7mnJ9FLYbVMqkd_a2TpvBGwrTsaArb8EALw_wcB

This fits price point and I think playability for what you describe. they are stable guitars too if you aren't going to use constantly...

it should be pretty bright and good for recording.