What Guitar Should I Buy?

[Michael_J-]

Myself: Freshman in college. Been playing guitar for 4, 5 years.
Style: Mostly basic Travis Picking. Plays Townes van Zandt, John Prine, Blaze Foley, and Guy Clark songs very close to the original. Sometimes strum chords of Jimmie Rodger and Hank Williams songs. (And yes, I use my thumb on the low E string a lot)
Guitar Gear Experience: Hmm, had a general brand cheap synthetic guitar. Currently have an Applause cutaway with plastic back and sides. Never owned a guitar over 300 dollars.
Preference: Given my guitar heroes, I will lean toward Martin D-28 and Gibson J-45 or their variants.
Environment: Jail cell-like college dorm. No humidity control, no guitar stand.
Budget: 2.5k
Please suggest guitars. I went to guitar center last month and most Gibsons sounded super dead (oof). Martins sounded great and were easy to play.
Thanks in advance!

[Jaden]

Martin D-28. Monitor room humidity & store it inside case, have good security for your room - and you’ll never have to bother searching for another instrument with that no.1 in hand.

[ChrisE]

J-45 or D-28 would be a bucket list lifetime guitar. Also check out the D-18.

Play them all if possible and get the one you like best. Keep in mind what you liked about the others and use that when picking out your next lifetime guitar, and the one after that, and ... you get the idea.

[Russell G]

Have you played a Taylor? They have some fine guitars for under that price.
Even under a $1000. I have a 110e that I paid $599 and it's easily worth twice that price. I think you owe it to yourself to go to a guitar store and test them out yourself before you buy.

Good hunting!

[jschmitz54]

Gibson’s sounded dead to me at GC too. I think they had old dead strings on them. Then I played a couple of J45s at one off guitar stores and loved them. Maybe try them elsewhere if possible.
You might want to decide if you want rosewood or mahogany b/s. I don’t think you could go wrong with either guitar you listed.
Check out pricing from vendors here on the AGF.

[DenverSteve]

Martin D-18 or 000-18 - you'll thank me later.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by Michael_J-

Myself: Freshman in college. Been playing guitar for 4, 5 years.
Style: Mostly basic Travis Picking. Plays Townes van Zandt, John Prine, Blaze Foley, and Guy Clark songs very close to the original. Sometimes strum chords of Jimmie Rodger and Hank Williams songs. (And yes, I use my thumb on the low E string a lot)
Guitar Gear Experience: Hmm, had a general brand cheap synthetic guitar. Currently have an Applause cutaway with plastic back and sides. Never owned a guitar over 300 dollars.
Preference: Given my guitar heroes, I will lean toward Martin D-28 and Gibson J-45 or their variants.
Environment: Jail cell-like college dorm. No humidity control, no guitar stand.
Budget: 2.5k
Please suggest guitars. I went to guitar center last month and most Gibsons sounded super dead (oof). Martins sounded great and were easy to play.
Thanks in advance!

For your style of music and playing

Check this one out in the AGF for sale section.
This is exactly what you need!

I do not know the seller or the guitar...just saw this over there in the for sale section, had a look at it and a listen to the sound clip and said to myself...yeppers, this would do the trick perfect for the OP.

For Sale: Gibson J-50 (‘59 Neck Profile and Baked Top)
Nid2007

Go give it a look, and a listen...see what you think!


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[palsed]

a $2500 guitar in a dorm room somewhat sounds like a bad idea to me. What if you get a used good guitar or lower model and get the $2500 when you move out of the dorms? I don't mean to be debby downer, but dorms are not a good place for valuable guitars. But I agree with the others about the Martin suggestions.

[hairpuller]

Yeah, I'd have to agree with the sentiment that dorms and expensive guitars are a bad mix.

If it were me I'd pick up a beater Yamaha that plays and sounds good (they are all over the place!), pocket $2K and thank me later. You have plenty of time to find that lifetime guitar, but now is not the time.

Best of luck,
scott

[Graham H]

I was gonna tell ya, get an inexpensive yamaha, they play great sound great you can beat the daylights out of them and they keep right on tickin !!! Then, when you move out of the dorms look for something thst is better, but Yamaha as well, the best bang for your buck !!!

[Bridgepin]

If I was you I'd wait to get out of school and that environment before you spend 2500 on a guitar. Now here is why, I had four friends that roomed together all through college and one of them had a very sweet Gibson dove.

We would all sit around and party and play that guitar. One weekend they had a keg party, lot's folks coming and going and we all got S---t faced. In the morning that guitar was gone.

My friend was heartbroken to lose his guitar, we asked everybody we knew that was at the party did they see anyone walk out with the guitar........NOPE...... it was gone.

Get yourself a guitar that you won't be worried about.

And don't fool yourself and think that wouldn't happen to me.

[justonwo]

Based on Wade Hampton’s glowing review of his Eastman J-45 clone, that seems like something worth considering. Be careful with your stuff in college, though. Dorms tend to see a lot of flow of people. Mine certainly did. We often kept out door open in the evening, as did everyone else in the hall. You’ll want to keep a close eye on that guitar.

[Glennm]

Yamaha transacoustic! They have some for $500 and solid wood for a grand. Great sound. No amp required and very versatile. Worth a look.

[cu4life7]

I was in your exact shoes when I started playing and ended up getting my Martin 000-15 for my last year of college (in an apartment) used. Picked it up for $700 I think, and it fits the style of music you play very well. It wasn’t my dream guitar, but I didn’t want to risk more money and I love that guitar. Eventually got my 000-18GE sunburst dream guitar.

I would search out a good gibson knockoff like the Farida models from Elderly. I would get the OT-22 for that style of music, but if you are a hard strummer maybe grab a bigger one. I would not put a new d-28 in a dorm room. Too many idiots.

[Winfielder]

If I were in your shoes and had a $2,500 budget, I'd get all of these:

Alvarez Masterworks MD60ebg -- solid mahogany b&s, AA spruce top (around $450 in great/excellent used condition, or $700 new)

Yamaha LLTA (dred) or LSTA (concert body) -- solid rosewood b&s, spruce top, TransAcoustic ($600/$1k)

Guild F1512 -- 12-string, solid rosewood b&s, spruce top ($700/$1,100)

Yamaha FG830 -- laminated rosewood b&s, spruce top; great beater ($200/$300)

Alvarez ABT60e -- baritone guitar ($300/$500)

$2,250 for all 5 guitars if you buy them used, leaving you $250 to have them setup to your liking if need be.

So for your budget you could get a fun baritone guitar, a really fun solid wood transacoustic, a really nice 12-string, a shockingly good mahogany dred, and a great 'beater' dred. You might have more fun, explore more sounds, and write more songs with those 5 guitars than you would with just 1 expensive guitar. Plus you might have a more refined idea of what you'd want in an expensive guitar after getting intimate with those 5.

Just wanted to offer a different perspective. Best of luck in your search!