Planning to buy my first stepup guitar- opinions invited!

[lowrider]

You're getting a lot of recommendations for guitars that are about the same level as you Paramount. The Paramount is a pretty good guitar but you don'[t need something else like it.

With 2,000 to 3,000 to spend, I'd get a D-18, 000-18, or an OM-18. Any of those will take you to any level that you are willing to work to get to.

First thing you need to learn to control you strumming. Work on it. Go to a teacher and have them tell you what you're doing wrong. That's the first thing you need.

[Gasworker]

Lots of good choices in the $2-3K range. A Larrivee L03 may stand up to your style. Made in Oxnard so reasonably close by for repair work. I’m a big Seagull supporter as well but I strongly advise you stay away from cedar tops. I can’t be the only one that would like to see a photo of your pick guard.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

As is always said here the optimum situation is where you can go out and play some. You need to learn about what you like both in feel and sound. Have fun with it. Happy hunting!

[Shortfinger]

Replaced a pickguard because you scraped it up?

Playing Neil Young and JJ Cale and Greg Allman? What are you doing? I watch those guys play on YouTube vids and never see a pick coming close to the guard.

If you are that wild you ought to just get a good steel resonator.

[tinnitus]

Interesting thread.

Can't/won't comment on OP's playing style without seeing hearing him play - a lot of the same stuff I cover. I'm brutal on strings and wear out my preferred medium-gauge picks in a gig or two - all with nary a scuff or smudge on the pickguard. In fact, I recently removed the "scratch-plate" from my Eastman AC422CE because it looks nicer without it and subtly sounds better (perhaps some Pygmalion Effect in the latter observation).

Eastman makes such a broadly diverse array of instruments, I can't endorse one model over another. With that in mind, I'd recommend looking around for one you can play first and know you actually love it before you cough up the dough. Easier said than done in many cases. They're well made.

As a far more available option if you insist on a test-drive, Yamaha makes some really nice guitars that I would regard as worthy "stepup" instruments, depending of course on what you're currently playing.

[Br1ck]

You need to change your picking angle. A pick guard should last 20 or more years, I have original guards on fifty year old guitars.

In my opinion, buying an Eastman will have you wanting a Martin sooner or later, and since you have the money a D 16, J 45 level of instrument is in order. I'd think Santa Barbara would have a good guitar shop.

[phavriluk]

Originally Posted by Jackie Treehorn

Trust me I've thought about it- but when I get an audience and I'm singing it up I haven;t found the discipline to keep from hitting the guitar body. Part of it too is probably because I still need to look down at the guitar for the more difficult parts and that puts the body at an angle where I'm getting into it?

Time for some lessons to break some bad habits. And not from the kid at the music store.

[ShannonA]

I'll second the Martin 18 series recommendation. My whole life I wanted an HD28, but when I was actually ready to splurge on one, I found that I greatly preferred the sound of a D18. The 15 series is also pretty great. I also have a 00015sm, and I'd hold that guitar up against anything.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Jackie Treehorn

I was late in life to the guitar game but during covid my wife got sick and I picked up a Fender Paramount and I've learned enough to make a public spectacle of myself with it! I like the sound and everything but I am ready to pay more for a step up from that and allow myself some alternative tunings on the other guitar. I'm basically playing regularly JJ Cale/Neil Young/Wallflowers/Zevon/Tonic/Allman Bros (Greg not Duane!) kind of stuff. Maybe my biggest challenge is I strike the pickguard pretty hard and I've had it replaced once already on the Fender. I think something with a little more substantial feel to the body might be a good idea? Any recommendations about what I might look for and go try out will be appreciated. Thanks!

Jackie, "pickguard" is actually a misnomer. It is more to guard the top from trailing fingertips.

The pick should never need to touch the top. I diagnose some issues with your picking hand style, which I may be able to assist you with ... if interested.

[ShannonA]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Jackie, "pickguard" is actually a misnomer. It is more to guard the top from trailing fingertips.

The pick should never need to touch the top. I diagnose some issues with your picking hand style, which I may be able to assist you with ... if interested.

I would push back against this a little. Everyone has their own unique style which colors the tone in certain ways. I agree that the pick doesn't "need" to touch the top, but that doesn't mean that someone can't go that route and achieve a great tone. You'd really have to hear the end result before offering a critique.

[phavriluk]

I've got to respect my tools....

[L20A]

Guild imports would be a good choice.
They have guitars in several price ranges and the Guild pick guard is a great way to protect the top of a guitar.

[TheGITM]

To be frank, I don't think you need a $2k-$3k guitar yet. Maybe it's not a big deal, you've got plenty of $$, etc... but there are plenty of really good guitars under $2k that would give you a step up from where you are.

If you want to spend the money and get up into that tier, go for it. You have plenty of suggestions to sift through. Try as many as you can in person to figure out what works best for you. Every person is different, as is every guitar.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Jackie Treehorn

Thanks- I'm in Santa Barbara/SLO now but I lived in LA forever and I will go there to shop. I know nothing about a lot of what you say ....

Best thing you could do is spend a day or two at guitar shops in the greater LA area and try out a lot of guitars. See what feels/sounds significantly better than your current guitar. The second best thing would be to invite a buddy along who knows more about guitars than you do. This combination would give you a crash course in what's out there.

Plus it's a lot of fun.

[Bookstorecowboy]

1. Go to a guitar shop with a glassed-in room where there's no electric noise seeping in.
2. Bring a tuner and use it.
3. Bring the guitar you have now and use it as a comparison. So go back and forth between your current axe and the ones you are considering.
4. Visit the shop when there's no one there -- usually those are the first hours in the morning.
5. Don't buy from a shop that doesn't even keep the guitars in tune. If it's wildly out of tune when you pick it up, that means the shop doesn't care about its instruments.
6. Don't pay for bling -- inlay, etc. You already know you'll damage it, anyway.
7. Don't pay for an instrument that needs adjustments. If it needs to be fixed as to playability, etc., then they fix it first, then you look at it.
8. Do consider resale. Personally, as painful as it is to face facts, I have to tell you that outside of a few major brands, resale can be difficult.
9. Keep in mind that strings can make a lot of difference. If the strings are old and rusty, ask them to put on a new set of your favorite strings. If they won't, find another shop.