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Looking for an exotic cutaway A/E frugal acoustic
Rank: Rocker  Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/4/2009(UTC) Posts: 64 Points: 192
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I think I'm getting full up on electric deals and I realized I have a need for a very pretty cutaway acoustic/electric that would look good on stage. I like exotic wood and finally got a chance to play the ibanez Exotic wood collection. They are all laminate except the monkey pod ew50mp. I've never got to play that model but I did play the lam. quilted ash and thought it sounded very good.
Also someone pointed out the washburn spalted maple D46CESPK. It looks like it could be part of the same ibanez series. I'm looking for opinions on these guitars or any other that would fit the criterion. I know I'm squeezing the budget pretty hard and still trying to get the guitar to sound good specially acoustically but the sample ibanez seems to be getting there. I just wanted to check and see what else I should be considering and how much of a compromise in sound I'm making.
Besides I got that great little silver creek for $60 so I know all the deals are not just electric :)
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Rank: Guitar Hero  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/28/2009(UTC) Posts: 386 Points: 1,164 Location: New Carlisle, Ohio
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After reading Will's review of his Luna, I went to their website and was pleased to discover they also have quite a few acoustic models and you can get them at what I think are great prices. http://www.lunaguitars.com/ I have tried the Ibanez Exotics and some of the Washburn models. In my opinion, the Washburn are far superior to the Ibanez at the same price points. | | Your wish is at my command
www.thissideup.us |
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 Rank: Administration  Medals: Groups: Administrators
Joined: 8/4/2009(UTC) Posts: 1,937 Points: 5,566 Location: Allen, TX
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I think Luna started with acoustics and expanded from there. They have quite a few higher profile acoustic endorsees including Vicki Genfen. I had the Luna Oracle Zen very briefly (it was damaged in shipping) which was an absolute stunner. Not exotic wood, but certainly exotic. Build quality was immaculate especially considering the complexity of the intricate inlay. Tonally, it didn't quite have the oomph that my Simon and Patrick does. But on the other hand, my Simon and Patrick lacks the Oracle's clarity and zing. Unfortunately, I never got to try the preamp (smashed in shipping). You can hear Chris Nathan just killing on one here.  | | Check out my music: http://willchentrio.com | http://www.reverbnation.com/willchentrio |
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Rank: Rocker Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/4/2009(UTC) Posts: 64 Points: 192
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The luna zen is very cool looking for not being exotic wood and it looks like its a solid top. I remember you liking it. Have you compared it to the ibanez or washburn exotics? I read a few reviews on the zen and it seems others didn't have your luck with the zen and had some serious problems if I recall correctly. Also the zen is maple bodied. I find maple guitars, even very high end ones, seem very lacking in the mid to lows. Maybe that doesnt apply to this one with the spuce top.
So JG, you give the nod to the washburn. Was that the exotic spalted maple model? I have not been able to test that one myself.
I also tried a fender with exotic wood, maybe koa, but the strings were shot so I couldn't tell how it was. I have tried one or 2 dean exotics but they truly had no acoustic tone to speak of. The ibanez exotics were ranging from a pretty good quilted ash model to a very 1 dimensional zebrawood model. I still have not heard the solid monkeypod in person. Another nice thing about the ibanez is the are available used. Sometimes even getting into the $250 range. So far I'm pretty sure I won't be spending $500+ anytime soon on some of these new. I will be keeping an eye out for these other models on the used market. Thanks for the input and please add on anything else you can think of.
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Rank: Guitar God Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/5/2009(UTC) Posts: 1,312 Points: 3,960 Location: Northern Tier, EEUU
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The Dean Exotica in koa has been popping up new in the $400 range, & some dealers for that price will get you a 15-watt Dean amp for free. Here's Music Farm's listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-DEAN-EX...&hash=item5d2afe79bbIf you search around, you can find a few with rosewood top. And bubinga is for some reason slightly cheaper than koa. Here's one for $300: http://cgi.ebay.com/Dean-Exotic...&hash=item5d2ae0bf72Personally, I like the wild figuring of a nice piece of bubinga, where I think of koa as more a structural/furniture wood. In any case, if you buy online, make sure to get photos of the actual instrument, not stock shots!!
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Rank: Administration Medals: Groups: Administrators
Joined: 8/4/2009(UTC) Posts: 1,937 Points: 5,566 Location: Allen, TX
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nomadh wrote:...Have you compared it [the zen] to the ibanez or washburn exotics? Nope, I played the Zen long ago and haven't seen one since. nomadh wrote:I read a few reviews on the zen and it seems others didn't have your luck with the zen and had some serious problems if I recall correctly. Also the zen is maple bodied. I find maple guitars, even very high end ones, seem very lacking in the mid to lows. Maybe that doesnt apply to this one with the spuce top. It was a light in the low end. However, some folks really like Ovations which are even more thin in the lows. Personally, I've never been able to bond with a cutaway acoustic much preferring the full dreadnought shape. But I imagine in an acoustic/electric the low end response of the acoustic is much less an issue as the goal is to amplify and EQ it for live performance. nomadh wrote:The ibanez exotics were ranging from a pretty good quilted ash model to a very 1 dimensional zebrawood model. I still have not heard the solid monkeypod in person. Another nice thing about the ibanez is the are available used. Sometimes even getting into the $250 range... If I was buying today and wanted exotic, I'd definitely keep an eye on those Ibanez models. The look sharp and the deep cutaway seems like it would allow great upper fret access. | | Check out my music: http://willchentrio.com | http://www.reverbnation.com/willchentrio |
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Rank: Guitar Hero Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/28/2009(UTC) Posts: 386 Points: 1,164 Location: New Carlisle, Ohio
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When it comes to looks, I think all of them with the exotic woods look really nice. I have played several Washburns with different woods and thought they all sounded pretty amazing. I know one of them was Spalted Maple. I think the Ibanez look good but when I have played them they have lacked a decent acoustic tone but when plugged in have sounded pretty nice. So if you're playing them through an amp or PA, you probably will be able to work with just about anything. I have not played any of the Dean acoustics but they look pretty nice too.
I have a Takamine Acoustic that is pretty nice but I was looking for an acoustic that I could play at gigs that had the "looks" and just wanted something that sounded nice amped up. I didn't want to use my Takamine because if anything happened to it I would be sick. It is a unique model that I bought in Japan 20 years ago and not really replacable.
We have changed our focus for now to more dance music and the Acoustic stuff is kind of on the back burner. But in the next year I might be looking for an exotic looking acoustic again. | | Your wish is at my command
www.thissideup.us |
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Rank: Rocker Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/4/2009(UTC) Posts: 64 Points: 192
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JG, Have you tried the ew50mp ibanez? its the solid top monkeypod (acacia) model. I have not yet. Specs say it could be better than the others. I found the zebra wood model stiff and lifeless but the burl or quilted ash to be quite lively and balanced. I don't know if this is a trend among the models. I tried only 1 dean exotic and didn't like it at all. I found it to be way less live feeling than even the zebra ibanez. I found the sound of the ibanez' to be fairly satisfying up until i played a $3000 martin. Its very tough to pick when some of these you can't actually play before you buy.
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Rank: Guitar Hero Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/28/2009(UTC) Posts: 386 Points: 1,164 Location: New Carlisle, Ohio
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I can't really say which Ibanez models I've tried. The Dayton Guitar Center has quite a few of them. I thought they all looked great but every one of the Ibanez just sounded "cheap" to me acoustically. I plugged in a couple and they sound good amplified. I tried some of the Yamaha, Fender, and Epiphone and they all sounded similer to th Ibanez. Acoustically it is a little thin sounding without good projection and the bass is boxy and "cheap" sounding. When going up just a little in pprice and trying the Takamine and Dove guitars, I found a huge improvement in acoustic tone.
Just to let you know about my backround a little I grew up listening to my uncles playing Bluegrass and they always had a nice Martin Acoustic and a good Gibson mandolin. Even though they didn't have a lot of money they always had great instruments, so I always listen for that "quality" acoustic sound.
In another store where they have mostly Washburn acoustics for a little more money, I have always been impressed with the acoustic tone. The drawback I have noticed about the Washburns is the neck just doesn't seem to fit my hand.
It has been my experience that with an acoustic guitar, price really reflects in tone. Meaning the material used in an acoustic has a bigger impact than on an electric guitar. You can find some good frugal acoustics, I had a Japanese made Cat's Eye guitar, a Martin look alike Japanese company, that sounded very good and I bought it new for a little over $100 back in the late 70s. But for the most part in my experience, price is a direct reflection on the components used and the quality of acoustic tone. | | Your wish is at my command
www.thissideup.us |
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Rank: Guitar God Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/5/2009(UTC) Posts: 1,312 Points: 3,960 Location: Northern Tier, EEUU
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Well, there's price & there's price. Maybe I'm mentally challenged (hah, "maybe" he says...), but I've yet to find a Fender acoustic I like the sound-&-feel of, & the only Martins & Gibsons I've liked were 1930-1950. At The Candyman (Santa Fe) I tried a dozen Tacomas & the top-end didn't sound substantially better than the cheapest, but the midrange were great. At The Podium (Minneapolis), I almost left with a $3,100 guitar -- sorry, can't remember the maker -- that was the single most-perfect acoustic I've ever tried.
Consider my small rack of acoustics. The First Act is rich & loud, surprising in a $120 axe, & would probably do well as a rhythm piece. The Alvarez ($250 used) is loud with a full low-end that works perfectly for low & open tunings. The Washburn ($489) is by far the quietest, but the mids & highs are rich.
A couple decades back, an under-$500 acoustic was probably a crapbox, but many of these are great for jazz partials & maybe some solo stuff. All the "serious" players I knew had put at least $1,000 into their main guitar, but even at the time I noted how many of them were using super-light strings that sounded weedy & twinkly to me.
Anyway, I don't think it's a matter of price per se, but actually playing before buying is definitely more important than with a solid-body electric. I could probably play three or four of the same model & each would have clear strengths & weaknesses.
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Looking for an exotic cutaway A/E frugal acoustic
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