Adirondack/Rosewood Dread. Who?
 

I don't post much but I hang out here and pick up tips all the time. Love it. Anyway, just curious where your hearts lie. If you were shopping for a higher end Adi/Rosewood Dread where would your money likely go? Collings? Bourgeois? Martin? Santa Cruz? Webber? Custom build by luthier(this is what I am most interested in since I really don't know about any)? Thanks!

This question is a very, very difficult to answer. So many variables...

The Collings D2HA would definitely be the guitar I'd choose. I have a friend who plays a Bourgeois Vintage D. It is a great guitar, but all of the other Bourgeios guitars I've played (I played 10 of them recently shopping for my new guitar) weren't even in the ballpark of most of the Collings I've played save 1 other. So there are some great Bourgeois Vintage D's out there, but I didn't find one in my shopping.

Although the Collings D2HA would be my choice, the Santa Cruz D or DPW would have probably been my second choice. They also seemed to be more consistant than Bourgeois. Also check out Huss & Dalton. We played several really good ones at Artisan Guitars in Franklin, TN. The H&D's they had were also better than the Bourgeois that they had.

First and foremost I would go for mahogany and an OM, but if you must have a D and it must be rosewood, there is really nothing better than a great Martin.


check this out: http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/AMG.htm

and then check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iye1cmWcqro

even as someone who doesn't like rosewood or dreads, this guitar makes me weak in the knees, I must have it. please buy it and save me the divorce :)

breedlove. played one for about an hour... couldn't stop playing it. =)

Go to the Source grasshopper.

Bourgeois Signature D. Hands down.

For a more "bargain" price, I would recommend the Larrivee D-60. I would buy one of these over a similarly priced Martin D-28 any day.

Also, if you have the cash, a Goodall TrD is about as close as you can get to an acoustic assault weapon- by far the loudest and most aggressive Adi/ Rosewood dread out there. It has a less traditional tone, but, oh the VOLUME.

rg

agreed, a Goodall D, step back Mr. , you can't handle it. What would really be the ticket is the Goodall Long D. I'd go for something like mahogany with adirondack.

Revival Series
 

You should look at the Revival Series Dreadnoughts in Rosewood and Mahogany. Priced right, sound great and well built. Collings and Santa Cruz would also be a great choice IMHO, you will never go to guitar hell for buying one of those.

I haven't owned a Dreadnought in years but if I were to buy one new it would be a Breedlove, used...well I may go for an older used Martin...sometimes I get a little nostalgic, but I digress.

If my budget allowed it, I would go to John Slobod (Circa Guitars).

Call Brock Poling. He may still have the cocobolo/adi highlander he built for a recent show.

I went through this recently, and after playing several Collings, Huss, Gibson (slope), Tippin, and a bunch of Martins, I ended up with a Martin HD-28V custom adirondack. I played 3 of these, and 2 I had little interest in. You never know what's really going to work unless you play them, I think.

I was not expecting to buy new or buy Martin. This one just sounded right.

I would not recommend mine to anyone else, except to say I love it. I love a lot of other guitars too, and this one fit in my lineup. What will fit in yours? Love to hear how it ends up for you.

Oh, and "Thunderlung" is a great username. I don't know why, that's just cool. Maybe it's my cycling background.

Depending on your budget I would recommend a Martin 175th Anniversary Americas Guitar, Adi over Madagascar. I have played Bourgeois signatures and Country Boys, Santa Cruz Tony Rice Pros and tons of Collings.

Admittedly I am a Martin fan, but to me the Americas Guitars is the best new rosewood dread I have played, period. If you like the vintage sound, highly recommended.

I had a Collings D2hA for a while. I made a little vid of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrSg6OGHKOY I also had a regular d2h some years back. The Collings is a great guitar. It is a tighter, more focused sound as opposed to the more open Martin thing. Neither is "better", you just have decide what appeals to you, or get two:) I now play a D/PW with an adi top, hide glue, and a 1 3/4 nut.