Light & Resonant Guitar

[A.Wilder1]

I hear those Waterloo WL-Ks are super light! Carries .11s at most.

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by Bosko

I have not established a budget for a new acoustic guitar and have not looked at any guitars in a while. If I come across something special that is a major improvement over my modest Martin 000-17 for twice the money or up to $5k, I might be interested. I'm basically gathering information to see what guitars I should even look at, it's not a super high priority.

That said, I'm looking for a used players guitar with specs not that much different from what I have - no cutaway, not a lot of fancy adornments etc, same scale and nut width, and approximate body size. I use my acoustic mostly for jazz & blues these days, unless my wife wants me to sing her a few tunes so the 000-17 works well.

I have a lower end budget (and perhaps taste?) compared to others here, but when you said in your OP, "light and responsive," not too expensive, 000 size, and I don't care much for fancy dress, I thought of my own current model Martin 000-17.

Tastes, playing styles, and examples vary. And I don't have experience with the multi-thousand-dollar range of the acoustic guitar world that others here do have, but I find mine very rewarding to play in a variety of styles. You know how the idiom goes "You may have to go a long way to beat..."

[dylanheeg]

The 2 I have that o feel meet your description are a Webber SJ and reimagined Martin d18. Both super light and you can feel them when you play them. I can really relate to your description.

[L20A]

I have owned and played other owners guitars that were not light weight but extremely resonant.
Not sure the two have to go together.

Smaller guitars will often be lighter but not necessarily more resonant.
Mahogany will be lighter than Rosewood, so if you want the lightest and still resonant guitar, go with that combination.

I like the deep, rich resonance of Rosewood, so that has always been my choice over Mahogany.

[Bosko]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I have a lower end budget (and perhaps taste?) compared to others here, but when you said in your OP, "light and responsive," not too expensive, 000 size, and I don't care much for fancy dress, I thought of my own current model Martin 000-17.

Tastes, playing styles, and examples vary. And I don't have experience with the multi-thousand-dollar range of the acoustic guitar world that others here do have, but I find mine very rewarding to play in a variety of styles. You know how the idiom goes "You may have to go a long way to beat..."

I don't think I'll find something that I like substantially more than the 000-17 I have for a reasonable $$ increase, can't hurt to look.

[Bluenose]

You can still find a used Martin OM18A for less than 5K. I don't think you can find a lighter OM. It has an ebony truss rod where all others have, I believe, metal truss rods. I've had mine for 3 years and have had absolutely no problems with it at all.

[Terry_D]

I just got an Eastman AC308CE that has the qualities you're describing. Light weight, very resonant and won't break the bank as long as your bank account has 980.00 in it. Despite the fact that it's in Eastman's ACxxxCE line it's not a Grand Auditorium. It's a 000 size cutaway with a very cool slotted head stock. IMHO it's a crazy value and an LTD model, so I don't know how many of them they'll make.

[McLatchey]

I second the Waterloo WL-K....I own one and will never sell it. Simply amazing. Under 3lbs in total weight.

The Martin 17 series for the money is great too.

[Bushleague]

Possibly it is a relative thing, but my particular Gibson G-45 feels really light to me, and is impressively resonant. Technically I think they call it a slope shoulder dread, but with the narrower studio body I think of it as sitting somewhere between a dread and a 000.

[wisedennis]

Originally Posted by Bosko

Back in the day (way back) I played a very light, resonant vintage Martin that you could feel in your body when you played it and the sustain was amazing. I'm wondering what's out there that might be similar in a 00 or 000 size steel string without dropping a fortune or is this just a unicorn hunt?

I had a Ehlers SJ that came close and put my Collings on the shelf permanently, sadly I sold it.
Thanks,

For modern Martin, it would be an unicorn hunt

[leew3]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

The lightest guitar I own is a Martin 00028k 1921 authentic.

Similar here. I have a custom Martin OM 28 12 fret that's very light and resonant. I'm not sure what your threshold is for a 'fortune' but it is my most expensive guitar at just north of $3K. BTW, that was a fortune for me, but it continues to be worth it in the long run.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by L20A

I have owned and played other owners guitars that were not light weight but extremely resonant.
Not sure the two have to go together.

Smaller guitars will often be lighter but not necessarily more resonant.
Mahogany will be lighter than Rosewood, so if you want the lightest and still resonant guitar, go with that combination.

I like the deep, rich resonance of Rosewood, so that has always been my choice over Mahogany.

You are right. There is a relation between resonance and light weight, but they do not go hand in hand. A guitar built of heavier woods (such as a rosewood) can be lightly built, highly resonant, yet not especially lightweight. The same goes for a dread. The greater volume of wood adds weight of course, but it can still be just as lightly built and just as resonant.

[Nort]

Just stumbled across this looking up Ehlers,

They're hard to find, but if you want a lightly built acoustic,

look for Tim Laughlin, Tim used to work for Kirk and Jim at The Guitar Shoppe
in Laguna Beach, while he's known mostly for his stunning ukulele's built on
vintage Martin's, his acoustic guitars are outstanding.

Here's a picture of one of mine.

IMG_4748 by Norton Graham, on Flickr

[Nort]

Just stumbled across this looking up Ehlers,

They're hard to find, but if you want a lightly built acoustic,

look for Tim Laughlin, Tim used to work for Kirk and Jim at The Guitar Shoppe
in Laguna Beach, while he's known mostly for his stunning ukulele's built on
vintage Martin's, but his acoustic guitars are outstanding.

Here's a picture of one of mine.

IMG_4748 by Norton Graham, on Flickr

IMG_4756 by Norton Graham, on Flickr

[srick]

Bruce Sexauer’s guitars vibrate. It’s amazing to play one and feel it on top of your belly. Bruce talks all about it in his interview with Michael Bashkin: here.

And Bruce is a regular on AGF. He’s not the only one who can consistently achieve that goal; many custom and boutique makers do. Because of their lower production volume, IMO, you’re more likely to find what you’re looking for there as opposed to a new ‘factory made’ guitar. But as we all know, each guitar is a little different, and you don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve picked it up and played it.