I bought the CHEAPEST GUITAR on AMAZON - A bargain or...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2024
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REALLY EXPENSIVE vs SUPER CHEAP! What does money get you when you look at the extremes?
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1943 Martin D-28
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0:00 Intro
0:55 The two guitars
1:04 DEMO 1: Turn those same old chords into something beautiful
1:37 The cheap guitar
2:00 The expensive guitar
2:33 DEMO 2: Travis Picking
2:53 Why so expensive
3:52 DEMO 3: Nobody knows you when you're down & out
4:35 Build quality
5:15 Surprise inside the guitar
6:20 DEMO 4: The Blues (Lesson from my Acoustic Adventure course)
7:20 How does a $50.000 guitar play?
8:00 SOUND COMPARISON
10:55 Upgrading the $50 guitar?
11:50 Alternatives?
12:30 How much for a guitar?!
Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on TH-cam.
If you want to know more about me, check out PaulDavidsGuitar.com or check out my guitar courses at: learnpracticeplay.com and nextlevelplaying.com
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Paul
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When I play, I can make both guitars sound like $5
LOL, same here.
Hahaha!
Hahaha... I'm better, i can make them sound like 20$ ;)
😂
You and me both lol
$49,950 staying in my bank account would make a lovely sound.
This. For 50tsd Dollar you can buy a reasonable guitar, a used car, go on vacation and have some good night outs. Or one vintage guitar...
@@V935_yt That’s actually more than what I’ve paid for home & all vehicles combined.
@@V935_yt one vintage guitar :)
You know amg cars make better sound
And someone finally said my mind
Paul is so good that he made a $50 guitar sound like $80 dollar guitar
hahaha 😂😂
😂
in my experience the cheap price often doesnt come out most in the sound, but in the playability
Put a capo on the first fret.
And remember to tune down a half step if you want to play in the right key.
@@InceyWincey so tune down to Eb standard and capo, this helped a lot.
@@a.danielcoto4910 you’re very welcome, I’m happy to be of service.
@@InceyWincey what's the point of tuning down and using a capo?
The first guitar I ever owned had high action and wouldn't stay in tune for very long, which just set me up for failure. Played it for years and never got very good but couldn't understand why. It wasn't until years later when I got a real guitar that I was able to confirm I actually do just suck.
had us in the first half not gonna lie
i learned to play with a 2 cm high action and it made my fingers fucking arnold, after that getting into bass was a walk in the park. I'm not good, but very strong.
genius
Of course this going to be a long reply but my uncle knew I loved and wished for a guitar and knew my parents couldn't afford to buy me one. But on Christmas he gave me a Martin acoustic guitar that his son had no interest what so ever 😂😂 playing the guitar and he always paid big money on everything. I didn't have a clue how to play one and coincidentally I had a cousin that would live with us off and on and he worshipped the guitar and was an excellent player 😂😌. He taught me 5 chords and taught me how to play a few songs. Due to substance abuse he pawned his which I didn't know at the time but drove a semi and he took mine and I never saw it again. I talked my dad to taking me to a music store and they basically was a piano store but they sold Gibson guitars acoustic and I play the GA35 and I was hooked! I asked them if I could buy it on credit and they said no but the manger saw how I disappointed I was and he had one left so he suggested that I open up a savings account and wait for 3 months I saved consistent and I applied for a short term mastercard and went back and bought the guitar and it came with a case for 675 dollars and made weekly payments to established credit. The action was so high that it was so hard to play. I didn't have a clue that it could be adjusted and I kept it for years but it hindered me from learning to play the guitar. The Martin was so nice but I didn't learn how to play before my cousin taught!
😂😂😂
As a college student who just wants to play guitar casually, I'm very grateful that cheap guitars exists
I feel you bruh.
Watch him discover jazz
I know, but I regret buying the cheapest one as my first and second and I think also third one 😂 For not much more money you can actually get pretty solid guitar that would be more comfortable and fun to play. No need for cheap or expensive guitars, the middle ground is a good place.
I agree with L.A. here. I always start with intermediate level instruments. Nowadays you can get decent guitars for a couple hundred dollars if you look around. They're going to be so much easier to play than these really low-end models. And, if you ever need to sell them (not that I've ever sold an instrument, but you never know), if you get them used you can probably sell them for at least what you paid to buy them. With this super low-end junk, you'll never be able to unload it.
You and me both, been there done that.
I see a lot of threads with people asking about their best "first" guitar. If you are a beginner, just get the cheapest guitar you can find, and use the leftovers to pay for guitar lessons. You can get a nicer guitar LATER, but you need to start practicing NOW. Great guitar playing takes years of practice, and life is short. There is no time like the present, and if that requires starting with a cheap, "crappy" guitar then so be it.
If you already have an acoustic guitar, and you are looking for your first electric, the same rule still applies. Get a cheap electric guitar from your local pawn shop or thrift store, and a cheap 20 dollar amp to go with it.
A cheap pocket-size amp with battery power and headphone capability is even better. You can practice any time, and turn the sound up as loud as you want without those loud, annoying neighbors banging on the wall, which is incredibly rude of them if you ask me ("Quit banging on the wall! I'm trying to practice on my guitar over here, and I can't hear myself think!")
I worked as an instructor for a music school and it was a rather difficult experience for parents trying to decide what to get a child. I told the parents that going to cheap makes it more difficult and people lose interest sooner. My recommendation was Yamaha acoustics. They were around $200-300 and with some minor tweaks seemed to be great in my opinion.
Well said! All good points for sure.
That was my first "real" guitar!! My dad bought me one from Ward's to see it if stick with it, I did, so we went halves on the Yamaha! That was in '70! Eventually gave it to my cousin who had it for 20+ years. That guitar held us together thru many emotional storms, and I will always treasure it's memory ❤️
What kind of tweaks? Asking cos I have a Yamaha
@@rkr6237 I remove the nut and saddle and sand them down to a preferred action height. Make sure to find comfortable strings first, adjust the truss rod, then measure the action before you start sanding. Depending on the model Yamaha, it may be a good idea to upgrade tuners as well.
Very much agree. If you buy students cheap gear, it's extremely difficult to play and they more than likely will quit. Buy a nice mid range price guitar, Yamaha's, Fender's, Alvarez are all excellent to learn on. They will also hold tune better. Nothing worse than guitar going out of tune every other song. Def will make you quit. First guitar for serious student would be 200-400. In my opinion.
This proves beyond anything that if you are an insane guitar player, no matter how crappy the guitar is it still will sound good.. Thumbs up Paul!
The musician makes the music.
My guitar doesn't even sound like 50$ guitar in Paul's hands
Same. LOL
I think it's a lesson in itself.
Paul could make a 50 cent guitar off the WISH network sound good!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I only subscribe to four channels and Paul is on my list.
It’s clear the Martin sounds utterly amazing, but the $50 guitar sounds just fine when you play it. Any guitar sounds good when you’re a competent player, it may not be easy to play, but it will sound great.
Correct, until the bridge breaks off suddenly. Definitely not good for a learner trying bar chords.
Yeah but imagine trying to start with that guitar, its going to be so much harder to learn anything
@@FlySC19 I have a Lucida for students. sounds good and it's cheap. Since I only play guitar on weekends it's great and sounds awesome
Exactly, most playable guitars will sound okay at the absolute least. What matters is the quality of the construction and how big of a PITA it will be to keep it playing "just fine" Any guitar will sound okay, but if the neck twists in 6 months or it can't stay in tune the sound is irrelevant.
Ehh, sure a good guitarist makes a 'crappy guitar' sound decent but many of us are listening to this through our phones or laptop for example. In person, the difference in sound is just wayyy bigger. It rings out way longer, or not as muted. As well as the volume in general and just how much warmer is it. Much more dynamics, ... It's very true tho, that above 2-2.5k the difference gets very, very small.
My rule of thumb has always been, entry level is about 200$ and you go from there to about 1000$, after that, to me, its just paying for the brand name. No matter if we are talking about acoustics or electric guitars and basses. The most important things are, that it fits my hands, plays well, stays in tune and sounds good. Ive worked in a music store setting up guitars and basses and i found that some things are subjective, when it comes to these instruments. And i set up a lot of instruments costing from 100$ ones to over 4000$. And the ocasional "infinite value" ones.
I wouldn't even say $200 is entry level, you can get a pretty decent guitar for 200 in my experience. Factories have made it a lot cheaper, and sure handcrafted at the end of the day is better, that's something you should only really want at the ultra high end, like if you're willing to shell out 500+
These days the brand costs about 500$ on a normally otherwise pretty overall great guitar. My Alvarez pph560 plays just as well as 9ne of my Taylor's and I prefer it when I want go play with a brighter tone.
I agree with the $200 base figure. And if you apply that towards a used guitar - one where the real beauty is more in the sound and playability than the appearance - you can get a really decent instrument.
Agreed, music gearheads are elitist. It’s the player not the instrument.
The guitar I use at the moment is going for around £110 which I think is around $120-$130 but was £60 brand new when I got it and whenever I let anyone use it they say that it plays very well considering the price I got it for. However the first guitar I ever had and learned on was £20 and a 3/4 size guitar that had 3 nylon and 3 plastic strings on it. It was crap but it was where I learned the basics and the upgrade was the first time I saw the huge difference in quality between 2 guitars just by playing them side by side. It was so weird.
The comment about the “Body Feel” of the vibrations really hit home with me. I was given the use of an Ovation guitar for awhile and though it was highly playable it seemed dead to me when I played it. When my brother picked it up and started playing it in front of me it sounded incredibly alive!
It turns out that the round back projected so much of the sound forward that it felt dead against ones body while playing it. It was a good playing guitar but my brother and I both preferred our less expensive acoustic dreadnaughts that we play to this day.
Personally I love the sound of the ovation, you can get the feel of the body by really slapping on the strings. I get complaints if family are home that I'm too loud when playing guitar! They tend to vibrate in the back more then the others I have played, so it seems the opposite to me.
Try spending $20-30 on a set of good quality (thicker) strings 12-54 or 13-56, a bone saddle and some thinner guitar picks.
I had one of those full size ovation guitars, and it played and sounded great, but it slides sideways like a lapsteel and it messed with my technique.
the difference in the sound is clear, but when you can play well even a 50$ guitar will sound great
When you play like @pauldavids .... its impossible to not sound good
... but at Paul points out, (long term) playability has a big say in this equation :-)
@@jenspetersimonsen4235 Yeah, but even high quality acoustics will likely need a neck reset at some point.
I guess one advantage to a more expensive one is that you can justify the repairs.
@@theexplodingmothfromhell8012 That $50 jobby, if you looked closely when he showed the side of the neck, it was set incorrectly, & pitched forward, so NO amount of fret dressing, resetting the bridge, lowering the nut, & adjusting the truss rod (assuming it works) will get that GSO (guitar shaped object) with a reasonable playing action!
Hey, it may have just been an occasional fault, that the next person that bought the same model, MIGHT have got 1 with a neck set PROPERLY, making it salvagable!
@@DMSProduktions Oh no, you're right about that guitar, the thing is awful.
Let’s just be honest, Paul can make any guitar sound like a million bucks. The mojo is in the fingers!
Amen to that brother!!
Absolutely true. He is playing a crap guitar, and it sounds effortless to me.
Want to recommend the same... i think that ist the point
@@__s_t_w__ it wasn’t the point.
@@geezusLive-OF clear me up
I've been playing for over 50 years. One of the best guitars I ever played was an $1100 Chinese guitar. I marked the model down and the next one I played in the same shop was good but not great. My favorite guitar to play is an Alvarez classical that I paid $80 for (wholesale) when I used to be an Alvarez dealer. I have restored violins for over 20 years and sometimes you can find a vintage student German or French violin that sounds like a million bucks. My advice is to try what is in your price range. You might be pleasantly surprised!
What is the name of the Chinese guitar?
True.
People should consider buying their guitar in the shop where they try guitars.
Many try guitars and when they know which one they want, they order it, cheaper, on internet.
Huge difference in sound. I always say the most important thing for a beginner is the setup. The easier to play the better. I say the Seagull is one of the best starters out there although today there are several good budget guitars today.
I have both a Yamaha as well as a Sigma. For some reason the Sigma stays in tune better. But as for Seagulls, my guitar teacher recommended them highly.
The martin sounds like its echoing back into my soul
It's what?
hahaha, nicee dude, it really sounds magical tho
That's not your soul, that's your wallet. It's screaming.
nah its just in your head. its just placebo because you imagine it as big value.
@@hans-joachimbierwirth4727 ha ha. Very good. Thanks for the laugh!
What’s interesting about expensive guitars is the value retention. Over the years I’ve purchased several high end guitars and sold them for the same or more than I paid. All of the mid tier guitars are now worth a lot less.
I think this is technically true with any high end stuff. Given you have the required capacity to keep it as pristine as it is.
Why in the world would I buy a high end used guitar from some Joe Schmoe (no pun intended), for the same or more than it cost new when I can buy the same guitar for the same price new in virgin condition?
@@ss_whole Two reasons. 1. The guitar you want is no longer being made. 2. Extremely long wait times to get the guitar you want (like a Motorave Belair with a one year wait for example). I haven’t purchased a new guitar in a long time. I buy high end examples that will retain their value or potentially increase in value. But hey, if you want only buy new guitars that’s cool too.
@@leanhduy75 Not just that, but exclusivity. Rolex is a great example. You can call them overpriced or whatever you’d like, but I’ve always sold mine for more than I paid. Sometimes a lot more. I’ve purchased other watches at much lower prices and always lose money when I sell them.
I guess it comes down to supply vs demand too. 🤷🏽♂️
@@PaintGuy Yep. there are so many factors that prices might be built upon like rarity, supply demand, or even keeping it intact, such as those 1959 les paul. I believe there are way more 1959 produced but only some survived time, and also the stories behind those.
I started with a $90 guitar and when I went to a $450 guitar it felt like I immediately became better because of how easy it was to play and how good it sounds
Is the upgrade absolutely worth it if you think you learned to play decent on a cheap one?
@@yasinhenfs4540 I’m not kidding, I felt like I was better at guitar when I got the nicer one. I play faster and more accurately. Try going to a guitar shop and playing with a nicer guitar. Don’t have to commit but trying it. You’ll feel the difference
@@yasinhenfs4540 I recommend going to a guitar store and trying out some guitars around the $300 range. A guitar that plays better will actually make you want to pick it up and play more often.
I bought my acoustic by giving a price range and “blindly” playing them. Not looking at the guitar or the pricetag. No I wasn’t blindfolded but simply had the shop set them in a row and I played them nog looking at the brand or any detail. Man, that does magic! It let’s you pick the guitar that gives you goosebumps when you play it. You pick it on playability, sound and feeling… And you could be amazed at choosing a completely different guitar as you would when you see the brand or pricetag… I highly recommend this buying strategy. Hope it helps… ;-)
That Martin sounds like it has taken on the joy and life of everyone who has played it over the decades, and is releasing it back out to the world every time a string is struck
I have replaced nearly all my expensive guitars with ones in the $300 range. They sound pretty good (after minor setup changes) and I no longer worry about damage or theft. Your playing ability goes a long way in making up for a lack of quality.
Helps that we have some brands that cut out the middlemen parasites here and there. You couldn't even get stainless steel frets below the $1100 price point until Harley Benton came along and brought it to the $280 price point through the Cort factories. Really puts into perspective how much of sticker prices are pure profit these days.
There are fantastic guitars available in the $300-$500 range.
I have bought a single acoustic guitar for almost 4000 Euro. I don't need / want other guitars and this one will stay with me till I die and I love playing it. BTW, it's not the price. I have played other guitars in different price ranges which did not touch me like that one. But I doubt you'll find an excellent instrument below 2000 Euro (new).
@@nickgoogle4525 Would you take your guitar to the beach? How about on a boat ride in a small boat? Leave it in a car in an area where it may be broken into? To a gig where you can't always keep an eye on it? For me, I would (and have) been stressed out in those situations and now, I don't worry about it. If my cheap but totally playable guitar gets damaged or stolen....oh well, I guess I just have to buy a new one (said Brer Rabbit).
@@rassabossa4554 No, I would not take the guitar to the beach. If I would want one at the beach I'd buy an "o.k." affordable guitar for that. But I walk or swim at the beach, fly the kite and so on, but I don't play guitar there ;-)
The confidence in moving that guitar around is insane! I could stand in an open field and I'd be looking for things I'm going to bump the guitar with.
When I went to the guitar store and picked up a $1000 Martin and played it, I almost teared up from how beautiful the guitar sounded. Naturally I had to have it and there's not a day that goes by that I don't play it. I've always subscribed to the idea that you get what you pay for.
My Martin D-1GT for a similar price is also great. And then I got to experience the feeling of a 3k euro Taylor. The jump is still a huge one, and I am by no means a highly skilled player. I was *this* close... ;-)
@@lukasvandewiel860 the thing about Taylors, they are way easier to play than martins. But they sound entirely different than martins. So it’s also up to what you prefer
Production models of
Mrtn, or tylr., Suck factoryspecs....Suck
Well, yeah I agree to an extent. Especially with acoustic guitars, some of the woods they use do have a certain ring to it and some of the bracing techniques that have been pioneered by companies like Martin guitars sound really nice. But there's something to be said for cheap instruments. Jack White style. Danelectro was one of the companies who capitalized from the Beatles guitar boom of the 60's. They made budget guitars. They did all kinds of things to reduce the price of their guitars. They made them out of the stuff they make countertops out of. Formica or Masonite or whatever. They used actual skate keys for tuners. Not the cool new ones for skateboards but the old ones for metal roller skates. The lipstick pickups were put into a plastic container that was literally meant for lipstick. Eventually the craze settled down but years later someone bought the name Danelectro and started making them again. And what they discovered was, they just can't get that very distinct Danelectro sound when they try to use more conventional materials. They needed to use Masonite. And I LOVE Danelectro. I even have one of the originals. They're just so quirky but they sound amazing and they play nice.
It's not the gear that makes you sound good. It's the practice. And I've been playing A LOT of acoustic guitars lately because I'm in the market. And there are some more pricey ones that I'll pick up and put right back down again. Some of them just don't feel good at all. Some don't have the right sound. Right now I'm using about the cheapest thing they got until I find my guitar and it sounds pretty damn good for a $109 guitar brand new. Now the Taylor guitars are all way out of my price range but they do sound and feel sweet as can be. They better for that price. But other than that, the ones I'm thinking about are not the most expensive. I played some $7-800 that I didn't like. The ones I'm leaning toward are all around $300. There's a Luna that sounds REALLY nice for $269. Great bass, not to spanky. The Mitchell Exotic series for $360 or there roundabouts also sounds really nice. I'm looking to get one of those.
I've played for about 30 years, just got my first Martin D10. Wow, just amazing guitar. Have a Taylor mid size acoustic, but the Martin sounds sooooo beefy and hearty. Taylor plays great, but can't touch the deep tone of the Martin. You get exactly what you pay for.
The Martin sounds like a hundred voices, a full choir singing
and the 50$'s sounds like my Husky howling ahahah
I have some magic beans to sell you
Great video, and great playing as always my friend!
Thank you buddy!
@@PaulDavids "buddy"😆
Carlos Asensio? :0
Carlos.... crack!!!
Saludos amigo!
My new favorite acoustic is now the Taylor GS Mini... the sound is just awesome, especially for its size. The funny thing is that it actually sounds better on recordings than my other (bigger) acoustics. Nice and rounded but nothing sticks out too much, which is perfect when you want to EQ to match the rest of a song.
The Martin D-28 has a certain, unmistakable voice. I started guitar at 12 years old back in 1970 and fell in love with that particular Martin dreadnought sound on vinyl. Awesome playing. Thank You.
You should make an April's Fool video where you're describing a 50-dollar guitar like it's a rare, 50,000 piece created by Saint Cecile herself.
I’m amazed that they were able to put a tremolo bridge in that guitar and keep it at $50!
There's a high demand for these here in 3rd world countries. 50 bucks guitar with pickup, with a tremolo bridge, they're going to make it happen since people are buying it.
It's probably made by slave monkeys that work for peanuts :)
I still wouldn't buy it with all sort of stuff out there... A friend of mine bought some random one for 50€ and the arm just came loose, the glue just simply went bad.
And there's probably perfect learning guitars at around 100$ that will last which ends up being much cheaper than a 50$ where it would feel bad playing and after just some time it can't handle the stress of the strings anymore and give up and you have to go buy another since gluing it back it still doesn't fix the fact that nothing feels good and everything needs replacing :)
A poor man' tremolo. Just don't glue it very well.
@@kenz2756 you're right! The guitar industry in South East Asian countries is really bad! I live in India and I wanted to buy an acoustic guitar, I had a budget of around 500$ but honestly I couldn't find any good guitars and ended up buying a 100$ ibanez guitar. Due to the absence of the good guitar companies like Martin, Gibson, Fender, Les Paul these markets are completely dominated by cheap quality guitar companies who are literally selling guitars for as low as 25$!! They sell thousands of these guitars every year. Most of the people who buy these guitars quit within 1 or 2 months because let's be honest it's really hard to play them! Meanwhile the guitar companies are making shit ton of money because they manage to sell in such large quantities.
@@AkhileshKumar-fk3od Pretty much, but isn't India South Asian? I'm in Southeast Asia.
There is a huge difference in the sound of the Martin vs. the $50 guitar All the mids and lows flow evenly through the acoustic hole in such a way it sounds heavenly.
I've checked out both Martin and Gibson. IMO, Gibsons are overpriced and for the same amount of money I could get a Martin that sounds so much better.
I haven't played too many vintage guitars, but I've noticed in general that they tend to produce more overtones with less force on the string. The main thing that strikes me about the cheap guitar is there's just no overtones at all. It sounds choked out, or like all the color has been sapped out. The way the overtones just bloom out of an old guitar with no effort is so nice.
Law of diminishing returns. A $2500 acoustic guitar would sound absolutely exceptional and it won’t cost anything near $50k
Flawless logic ;)
Anything above $2-3k is just a collector’s piece imo. Its about owning something unique and rare. Same as with art. There are good $50 paintings which look beautiful, but there are also $1m paintings which might not look so good but are one of a kind and some people want that.
even under 1k godin guitars make exceptional instruments for the money they keep the price low by growing and sourcing the woodlands themselves they are all made either in canada or usa and they average around th 500 to 800$cad in montreal where I bought my cedar top seagull build quality is top notch and rivals the biggest names IMO aint no reason to fork out 2k for guitar
Great video, when I bought my first guitar, I bought a Yamaha, $160.00. I had a friend set it up for me which made it even easier to learn on. On the other hand, I could have spent another $70 on top of the $160 and had a better used guitar, but I didn't want a used guitar. Live and learn from our mistakes that's all we can do. Now I have a Breedlove pursuit concert style and their exotic woods lineup. It just feels good and comfortable to play. When I buy my next guitar, I'll trade my Yamaha in, not sure what brand I'll buy, but it will be a Classical guitar.
@@windrider65 haha we all had a Yamaha as beginners. You're totally right, better buy a used and better guitar for that kind of price.
Sometimes you find golden tone in a piece of crap. I bought a $4 second hand Johnson 3/4 classical with a missing 12th fret, which needed 4 strings. I put on a set and it was fantastic, became my go to for about 4 years before the cheapo painted fretboard wore down to cheap white pine. So I gave it to a kid who was keen. Long live crap guitars. :-)
I love my old Silvertone. If I play it hard it growls. Like some kind of natural distortion
@@PulledPurk
Yeah, that doesn’t sound good.
That's so true. I think it's always worth trying out cheaper guitars in stores, because sometimes they're pleasantly surprising.
@@newthrash1221 It sounds cooler than it sounds (?)
I'll make a video!
@@brockmarketing I love it
i came here becous recently i started learning playing guitar self tough. im playing 20 dollar guitar i bought in super market couple years ago. its not the best but i glad i bought it. every time i look at it in free time i just want to play on it. i dont have money for new one so i need to work with it, and tbh i dont think its that bad :)
I was the same !
Because of my cheap guitar it meant that technique was key, and it made me a better player because of it !
The Martin sounds so warm, and yet so clear in the highs, plays like a dream (according to Paul)... Does it sound 1000's times better? No, that's with Paul's playing 👍
This reminds me of the time I was taking guitar lessons in college. I was playing an Epiphone nylon string guitar that had been purchased for $50 in the 70s (which, I'd say still plays better than most $500 guitars). One day, my professor showed me one of the Miguel Rodríguez church door guitars he had on loan that was insured for $30,000. The sound of that guitar absolutely blew my mind just sitting and listening to it in the studio.
I was lucky to learn to play on my father’s old Fender acoustic. I loved it to oblivion and eventually years and use started to take it’s toll - the neck has moved slightly, the tuners as well, it has bumps and scrapes and scratches. But it felt that it sounded like that Martin - so full and bassy. Even my other guitar buddies would notice. And I know for a fact that the guitar wasn’t super special - just an entry level Fender. I bought a more expensive one to replace it and it nearly made me forget playing it was so lifeless in comparison. I used to want to play with an amp to add reverb. I eventually got a Yamaha TransAcoustic (that is just magic of a different kind). Now I finally thought of digging the old girl up and bringing it to a luthier to restore. Maybe my son will want to learn to play in some years.
I remember getting to a cabin with some friends and in the corner of my eye I see this beat up old guitar. I consider myself an above average guitar player but man... I could barely play it. You had to press the strings/ frets exactly right to not have them buzzing. I played around on it for a little while and it barely kept tune. My friend later picks it up and starts playing "Fransisco Tárrega - gran vals" and the whole room got quiet. He made that thing sound like a million bucks. That together with this video only tells me one thing; a good guitarist can play on almost anything haha! Thanks for a great video as always
Being used to cheap guitars will dial in your technique
I still keep 1 cheap high action guitar to practice in hard mode sometimes ( it has pretty nice warm sound though)
You’re lucky it even functions! I bought an $80 acoustic bass on Amazon a few years ago to see if it was any good, it was literally unplayable! Even after adjusting the neck as far as it would go and lowering the bridge so the action was a more reasonable height than the INCH it came with, it was just unsalvageable :(
Man, the Martin sounds incredible through headphones. The bass in the tone is beautiful
And imagine that this is all through Pauls microphone, editing software AND youtubes audio compression. Yet it still manages to sound amazing
"The Blues" section of this video sounds mind-blowingly incredible..regardless of which guitar Paul is using
I totally agree, could hardly tell the difference! 🤷♂️
Agreed! :)
I have found some nice deals online. Just bought a Squier Affinity HH for slide playing only. A new nut to slightly raise the action helped but the pickups? They were surprisingly more than I expected. Originally planned to swap them out but the factory ones are up to the task! I enjoyed this video.
Interesting what you said about guitar weight. I have a Martin HJ28 from the late nighties. I recently treated myself to the Atkins J43. The difference in weight is astonishing. The Martin feels twice the weight, I guess it's the difference between rosewood and mahogany. I love both guitars, they give a very different sound.
A few months ago I signed up to your acoustic course, its adds so much variety to my playing. I'd highly recommend it.
I got myself an Ibanez ES-335 copy about 1 1/2 - 2 years or so ago and never thought too much of it myself (I've always been a single coil guy) but when I moved to London for work I got a lot of compliments on how it sounded great for a £450 guitar; my electro acoustic (Crafter) also gets a lot of my friends excited when I bring it out and that ran me about £300 (I got it so long ago I can barely remember but honestly it's one of my favourite guitars and gets played at least once a day). I think for me that price range is where I find a lot of gems, especially on the secondhand market. I suppose it's down to what you've experienced and what you look for in a guitar that decides whether or not it's good bang for your buck. I'd definitely say that for me personally once you start going up towards the £600-£1000 range is when you find a lot of people's 'forever' guitars. My Performer strat cost me around £950 and honestly that thing is my baby, and sounds amazing to play.
Not sure why I wrote all this out but figured I'd chip in to the conversation
The best value guitar is one which you, the individual, don’t want to put down and is just a joy to play and to hold. For me, that happened to be a Furch Yellow GC-SR.
Yep, Orange Series for me my friend :) good to hear that you have taste !
Absolutely. All those "the best ..." And the " top x ...." Are absolutely rubbish clips. The ear is subjective as is taste. There is no "the best" in music.
True, but buying that guitar will always be a jump in the dark.
@@dekofschipper8412 Well, this is where it pays to shop around and try out as many guitars you can get your hands on before you commit to buying something. If you can find something which makes you smile when you play it and hold it for the first time, you know that's the one.
That is very well said. The best value one is the one that keeps you playing
Thank you. More reviews please in the future.
I just got a 1979 D35 Martin I am decent player but no D35 level so I began watching this guys videos and learning
Self taught guitar playing I think makes u a more Intresting guitar player and learning the basics later in life
U gotta play from the heart ❤️ everytime
I used to haunt a guitar store back in the day and I would frequently go back into the acoustic room and check out the guitars in there. Out of all the guitars I ever played, including some very expensive ones, the best one I ever found had a price tag of about $1000 (around year 2000). I actually felt that this guitar was superior in sound and feel to the Taylors and other more expensive guitars in the room. I regret not having the money to eventually buy that guitar. Oh, well, at least while it was waiting to be sold, we had some good times.
Hey Paul, would you consider making a video about strings? There's such a huge variety out there that every time I'm shopping for new strings I feel completely lost. There's bright, mellow, roundwound, flat, different gauges, coated strings, and a million other different types and it's confusing trying to get the exact sound I want out of my guitar!
I mean, the Martin sounds incredible, but it helps that you’re a terrific player. My sister went to Juilliard pre-college for double bass and auditioned on a plywood bass. The audition panel said they were impressed at how good she made the plywood bass sound.
Another factor to consider is a higher quality guitar has a much greater chance of not only retaining it's value but can also increase in value. l had a very modest Martin about 10 years ago which I paid about $1600 for. A few years later I had some money issues and ended up selling it and got almost $1800 for it. So technically even if you factor in the cost of shipping and a few sets of strings I at least broke even. I do miss that guitar though. LOL
Paul Davids, my dads' name is David paul and he introduced me to you a long time ago. Amazing playing and amazing editing. Keep it up Paul Davids
I think your point about intonation was an important one. A good acoustic guitar will, at minimum, have reasonably consistent intonation up and down the neck. A guitar with poor intonation will cause more headaches than it's worth, especially when it comes to recording or playing with a band. Thanks for the video Paul 😊
Hello Paul I entered in your acoustic adventure! I respect you man!!! You did a great job I like it a lot!! Adrian from Zurich
It's amazing that most guitars that sound focused are thin sounding, those with good bass sound boomy and unfocused but this Martin has great focus and solid bass.
I love my Martin 000X1AE. I love the response, feel and tone. Great setup and fret work right out of the box. For $500, I don't think you could ask for anything better.
i swear that Martin is the best sounding acoustic i’ve ever listened to
Its not the ride, its the rider
Have you heard the Collings on his top 3 most beautiful guitars, it sounds so full
It is supposed to.
@Gerald Dixon Cummings I prefer Gibson acoustics over Martin myself.
I played in a band with a friend who owned a Martin acoustic guitar and he told me the insane amount he paid for that guitar.
The tone just for me did not justify that amount.
I have played Gibson acoustics before and I played his Martin and the Gibsons that I've played had a better feel and tone to them.
I tried a D42 out in a guitar shop in Bangkok - the strings must’ve been 2 years old, its felt and sounded terrible. The staff said if I bought it, they’d change the strings..! ha! i would hope so 😊
1:06
Have you made a tutorial on that fingerpicking song? It sounds sooo good!
Picked up my dad's old cheap classical guitar when I was 15 and learned on an instrument that had strings older than myself. That was 20 years ago and I've since moved up to a Martin I love, but I still love that old guitar.
Holy crap did it make my fingers smell bad after playing, though.
For anyone curious: The PRS SE line is some of the best bang for buck you can find in this space currently. Genuinely blown away by what ~600 can get you. I have an acoustic PRS parlor , and it destroys all the fender and Taylor acoustics i’ve owned in quality, playability, looks and sound. I have an electric on the way :) recommended
I bought one too for the sound. I don't know how they made parlor sound so good. But that guitar is also more playable. Strings bend easy, the neck has the feel of an electric. I'm not a big PRS fan but they hit it out of the ball park with that guitar.
I've definitely found a lot of guitars around the $500 range that I love. I have a seagull, and it's been my dream come true.
My brother in law has a Seagull 6. It's a great guitar at any price.
Gr8 sounding guitars for sure !
My youngest brother has a Seagull (among other acoustics and several electrics) and I have nice Simon & Patrick (a cousin of the Seagull's). We each also have Godin Summit electrics (different models).
Oh Canada indeed !
The Martin D28 is amazing but so is the price.Some guitars though not expensive can sound and feel really nice..It is hard for a beginner if the instrument is hard to play and may put them off practicing or giving up.🎼.Thanks for all the good advice Paul.
I recently wanted to experiment in acoustic bass and didn't want to fork out a lot of money for it yet. I went to a local guitar store an they had a few in the range starting with an Ibanez at 350€ and ending around 1500€. Well, the Ibanez did not have the punch I was after, it sounded a bit too weak to play it unplugged along with guitars, while the higher end one was simply too expensive and so I decied to just buy a cheap jumbo body bass online. I found one that originally sold for 199€, but got it for 100€, for the pickup wasn't properly working and it had already been retuned by a previous customer. It wasn't built too bad after all, and I was in fact impressed by the level of craftsmaship possible at this low price, but I had to spend a day in the workshop to make corrections, and by the way fix the pickup issue (worth 99€) in less than 10 minutes. I replaced the cheap strings, greased the machinery, filed two or three frets flush, made a new saddle from a much harder plastic for better transmission and to adjust intonation, which was a bit off.
After that, it played okay, was remarkably loud, came pretty close to what I was after, and when I recently visited the guitar store again (I usually buy local), I re-tried the ones they had there and found I had made a very good purchase. Looking back, I believe a huge part of the difference in price probably goes into the finishing touches, which require attention and time. Considerably better materials only start at a much higher price tag. I could do the work required myself, but for someone who is not familiar with the use of tools, buying a very cheap guitar might lead to a higher risk of running into a dead end. These people might be better off buying a better finished instrument for a little more money.
I started Paul's Acoustic Adventure and its a really special guitar course. I love every lesson so far. When you're done spending money on guitars and you're serious about playing great, you should invest in this course.
Could you provide a link to the course? I can’t find it anywhere!
For me the sweet spot on best bang for your buck for acoustic guitar is about $1000. Depending on the manufacturer, that generally gets you a solid top, quality build, and electronics (if needed). After that, solid backs and sides are another good upgrade, but there are actually some really good advantages to having laminated sides (like added strength and stiffness which can help with resonance).
Man.. that Martin sounds so awesome. Beautiful resignation.
Unbelievable sound
I got a Hohner A+ AS355 Dreadnought with a solid spruce top from Amazon for $70 bucks a few years ago. Built well, finished well, plays well, sounds "decent". A fine guitar to learn on or just have around the house.
When someone is professing their love for you, the timbre of their voice isnt at the front of your mind. That's how I feel about musical instruments. As long as they dont sound like gollum, the feeling gets through. Thay being said, that Martin sounds so sweet and full.
I've been using my $40 guitar for a year now, same problems as that that $50 one and I got no complaints because I haven't tried a medium to high quality one
True i learn with a generic guitar too no complaints at All
I learned my love for playing guitar on a $35 fingerhut acoustic cheese grater my Dad got me when I was 13. It was all I knew...it made my fingers hurt...and pain was just what playing guitar was...all I knew was I didn't want to play the piano in our living room anymore. That was guitar playing: Pain and suffering...and I loved it. It wasn't until I finally met a friend with a Fender acoustic that I learned just how hard I had it. Now I play Martins, PRS, and Fender...but I often attribute my love for Guitar playing...with that piece of shit Fingerhut special. What I am getting at is...the cheapest guitar on Amazon...might just be the pride and joy of some kid who has nothing else but that...I had the luxury of not having youtube...or the internet. I imagine if I had known my Dad bought me the cheapest guitar he could find...I would not have seen it as the gold nugget I unwrapped; as far as I knew...I had a mother fucking Guitar!!!!!
That comment is so right on.
Wow. I am new at guitar, never played an instrument my entire life. I started to develop arthritis in my fingers and hands and I was told to play an instrument that requires a lot of use. I chose guitar and my bought me a guitar from Chord Buddy program. I quickly got rid of the chord buddy plastic tool and learned chords. The action is a bit high but it doesn’t sound bad. As I’ve learned I’ve tried to follow as many guitar teaching videos as I can. Thanks for yet another great video
My favorite guitar is a Simon and Patrick Woodland Folk Pro, which I bought around 10 years ago for $750. Stellar sounding fingerpicking machine that can blues with the best of them and is capable of some pretty sultry jazz tones. It’s not a vintage 00 or whatever, but I am never selling this guitar, so one day it will be a vintage guitar.
In the same boat with the same manufacturer. Owned a $600 seagull for years that is an absolute blues machine and will be with me till the end. Those guys make a great guitar
I agree! That manufacturer is Godin and this is indeed a manufacturer which is IMO A LOT bang for the buck. Produced in Canada. And you get them for half the price second hand. 350-500. That brings you up very high!
You can never go wrong with a Godin brand! Plus the deals on used ones are ridiculous, just last week I saw a Seagull S6 for 200 euros
I know exactly how you feel. I have had my Takamine F-340 Dreadnaught for 46 years. She has some road scars but I would never part with her.
Honestly, I don’t know why.
But that martin actually sounds breathtaking.
I've been enjoying your channel for a while now. Back in the mid 90's I had more time than money so I tested every guitar for sale in the shops in Dunedin, NZ around the $200 range. I honestly thought i would end up with a Yamaha butI ended up with a Samick. However it sounded so good that a jazz guitarist nearly brought it off me until he saw the make. I now live in Australia, the Samick went to a good home, and I currently have an old Martin. Nothing special, it has been nicely set up by the previous owner's friend, and it gives me pleasure. Yes I only own one guitar but it's good enough for me... I have 2 clarinets and many other instruments. I love listening to and playing music and always enjoy your videos.
Exellent! As ever. Thank You Paul.
Brushy One String, only needs a beater with one string to create masterpieces.
he's awesome!
He’s awesome, TH-cam algorithm popped him on the screen yesterday 😂
CHICKEN’N’TH’COORRRN
So true 🙌
I love home away from home
Would you ever consider doing a "When You're Down And Out" lesson/tutorial?
Yes, good idea :)
I bookmarked this to come back to that!
Please do!!
I came here looking for this as well... might even pay for your course if it were snuck in there 😉
Same
The best sounding acoustic I’ve ever heard is by handmade guitars from Ireland called LOWDEN ,they use very different wood combinations than usual and tone of those is so unique ,never heard a guitar that good 💯
Paul, thanks. I lost my lifetime guitar ('65 Guild D40) in the Glass Fire in Northern California in 2020. (Bad luck, bad year! Lost everything). Friends were so supportive. The daughter of one gave me (GAVE ME) her 1966 Martin Classical. Different kind of instrument entirely. So I'm looking for a replacement of the Guild D40 and was tempted by inexpensive instruments. Your video was extremely helpful. Thanks.
That Martin - so much punch and bottom, just wow. If you’re not listening with headphones you’re not going to hear it.
I’d really like to see you do a steady bass blues lesson with riffs in E.
That blues at 6:20! I must come back for it.
Thanks for sharing this video!
When I started playing guitar at 17 (now I'm 45, music teacher), I started playing with a handmade classical guitar. Even tho it was a great guitar, it was in very bad condition. Heel was cracked up, and action was even more than this video!
In that guitar I've learnt electric guitar techniques.
Years later my sis gave me another guitar (cheap one). But always I tried to give it maintenance, keep it with good quality strings as much as I could, and believe me, that cheap guitar sounds absolutely better!
What I want to explain:
Maybe you cannot pay something expensive and fancy, but if it's cheap, try to improve it, setting up, fixing action, intonation, installing good quality string to make it batter.
P.D.: A good player can make a crappy guitar sound much better than it looks like 😅
I like your video editing lighting shout out man😁
The sweet spot for the best guitar for your money is around the $1000 price tag. Affordable but not cheap.
Eastman E8d
about 37 years ago (+/- one or two to separate the two of them) I acquired a brand new 6-string and a second-hand late-60's 12-string. I'm not naming the maker (it was the same one for both) but nearly 4 decades ago they cost around £300 each. Both were played regularly, have been busked with and performed with semi-regularly over all that time. I knew they weren't "good" guitars but they seemed to sorta "match" me - I describe myself as a "skilled faker" Entirely self-taught (although I know my music theory and have a trained ear from other instruments and my beginnings as a chorister) but I never really got on with a flat pick and became the kind of fingerpicker that finds the melody in mostly open chord shapes. I honestly thought I would never get any better than that. Every attempt at actually improving seemed to go nowhere although I did become even better at my own style of "faking it"
About 8 years ago a middle-aged reversal in my fortunes had me busking for a living again. A sort of "What the heck, I've done this before I can do it again" thing. The guitars were getting more and more use and to my surprise I started picking up more and more of an audience. Even when that lean period passed and I no longer needed to be out there every day playing to afford groceries I still kept up the regular performance schedule I had managed to snag at a couple of tiny venues.
And then came the point at which I had to face facts. Both those guitars were too far gone for a luthier to fix, their actions were total fingerbreakers and the 12-string was developing a scary pot-belly on its soundboard. Beyond economical repair and nobody with the skill to try would touch guitars of that quality anyway. I made the decision to buy myself one decent guitar rather than trying to replace both, I set a budget somewhere between £1000 and £2000 and I started haunting guitar stores. I found a Martin DCPA4 for right in the middle of that price range. Solid not laminate, one of the more "mid-range" series that were actually produced in the main shop... and I was blown away. The ease of playing it and it rang like a bell. I had to have it and I did. I couldn't put it down, I was playing that thing every single chance I got.
In the few years since then I've realised I'm becoming a better guitarist. The old friends that I still love (They've had their strings taken off and been packed away in their cases but we've been through too much together to be rid of them) had, in fact, been holding me back for 30 years.
The Martin has since been joined by a Takamine 12-string in a similar price range, because once the 12-string bug bites you it never lets go.
But based on that experience I'd say the sweet spot is around there. Between £1000 and £2000. I'll wait to buy a D28 until I win the darn lottery but these guitars in that price range are not going to hold a guitarist back in developing their ability. I'm confident that the two I now have will take me as far as I can go in the next few decades.
That would me a Martin D1GT. All the quality of Martin without the extra's of the more expensive models. I have one here and never looked back.
Of course, when you playing all these beauty chords, it sounds incredible on vintage guitar :) But when you played Nobody Knows You When You're down, it felt that cheap wooden stick for 50 dollars handles it better. I guess the think is with dynamics of the sounds, they are short and edgy which is really good for this song and feels much more like these old recordings. Just fun to think that you are always hunting for specific guitar sound which you've probably heard somewhere - and some might look exactly for these rusty dry notes you can get out of very cheap guitar
This is a great demonstration that shows skill and practice trumps expensive gear. Nice work
I recently bought a pretty nice Art & Lutherie cedar top guitar for about $180 from a local second-hand music store. It's a little beaten up, but its, broadly, in great shape and not in any danger of falling apart anytime soon, sounds phenomenal and honestly blew a lot of the brand new guitars I was looking at for around the same price out of the water. If you're not concerned about looks, you can find awesome diamonds in the rough.
Higher end yamahas and yairis for me ❤️. Those guitars will definitely fulfill me
Models like the fgx5 fsx5 ac5r a5r etc from the yamaha side and most of the yairis especially the yairi dym60hd 🤟
I totally agree on the Yamahas. I have both an AC5R Dlx and a AC3M Dlx and have to say that while the AC5 is a bit lighter and has a couple of other nice touches like open tuners, the 3 series sounds and plays just a good for a bit more than half the price due to being made in China vs Japan.
That Martin sounds insanely good. I can feel all the highs and lows come out of that thing and go straight into my heart. The sound is so rich and open and loud
Great video Paul 👍
Talent is better than money all day long.
The best entry level, "bang for your buck" is a Taylor 114, it's not much to look at but it actually sounds like a good guitar should. And has a build quality that makes it playable.
It's 1000 dollars, wouldn't call it entry level
@@radosawwalkowski5824 it's $799 at most online shops, and can be had used for less. I have had many guitars, many guitars, some cheaper some very expensive. My "opinion" after 50 years of playing is that a 114e gives you a "good sound, a descent pickup, sturdy construction, and very little "fluf". Taylor calls it entry level.
@@flatcapron7971 Agreed. IMO you shouldn't really spend less than $500 anyway, at that price point there are too many points of failure and cut corners, and you'll just be sinking more money into the guitar (like better tuners and pickups or a professional luthier setup). Taylor has some of the best Quality Assurance in the industry, you'll never play a bad one.
To be honest . All the Taylors Ive played sound gr8 ! The baby & big baby even sound like a Taylor. At $500ish the Academy 10 sounds very nice ,looks gr8 and plays so easy ;)
@@radosawwalkowski5824 More like $1300 where I live. Definitely nowhere near entry level. That's $100-150.
So no one is really answering your question, I've been playing on and off for 45 years (incredible to say)
I always had difficulty because of my large hands. I recently found Seagull guitars in Canada 🍁 they have wider necks, sound great and they're made from the companies own forest. I feel for around $500 you can have one of these hand-built guitars and the sound and feel for this price simply cannot be touched. I've owned Gibson's, Martin's and a Guild costing $1000 more and after finding Seagull I've sold them all. :)
Heyyy... the average size guy doesn’t need any more competition in that department.
I just wrote it in another comment. Totally agree. The manufacturer is Godin and has several brands. Art & Lutherie, Seagull, Simon & Patrick. Buy a used one and it’s half the price!!!
Seagull’s are lovely in the performer range and 🆙
I sat down in the acoustic room at GC one day and played a few . The seagull was the winner that day !
Seagull are fantastic for the price.
I will definitely buy your course soon, and I am searching for a guitar to buy now.
Best to hear a guitar, or its brand. Experts are a big help.
At the moment, even where I am being paid, the most discerning ear in the house is my own. I am getting all the bang I need out of beginner guitars in the $125-$250 range, because they have acceptable intonation up the neck and very comfortable action. I’ve earned enough with them to replace them several times over and had fun doing it.
6:22 hope you don't mind me stealing those licks, Paul!
Great video as always Paul
Just get a used guitar lol. I’m really happy with my tanglewood tw9. It was £300 brand new so I’m sure it’s available second hand for half that at least. It’s got a lovely mahogany back sides and neck, cedar top and rosewood fretboard. Beautiful guitar imo. Also it’s quite big and sounds loud clear and vibrant
I bought my first guitar in New Delhi at Ravi Shankars music shop for about £15. It was a 3/4 size acoustic with steel strings built by a sitar maker. Although it was rubbish it had a uniquely Indian twang and I learned the basics of playing and guitar construction from it. The soundboard was painted and I spent several hours scraping the paint off hoping for a better tone, not to be unfortunately..That was in 1991. Cheap but cheerful but a good learning experience was had from it!