Should I get Acoustic BU?

[PeterSchroeder]

Hi Steph, my main goal is to be able to jam with friends, although I also enjoy "playing on the porch" style. Hence my main focus on BGU and interest in ABGU. I had a look at the first lesson and I guess there are a lot of basics covered. I got my acoustic last week, - a Harley Benton copy of a Taylor GS Mini, but it took me a while to set it up properly, the action was way to high for my liking. It takes some getting used to after having played only electric guitars since I began about two years ago (never played any instrument before...). I am using stuff from BBG for my first acoustic steps, along with some licks from How To Jam the Blues Alone, and will have a go at ABGU soon, without neglecting BGU.

 

[Stephanie-NoelDodt]

Hi Peter! Glad you bought a GS Mini style guitar. I love them. I am a lover of woods of all sorts and I have three GS Minis: Spruce top with Walnut back and sides, the laminated Koa and and the all Mahogany one. I have little hands, as I'm a little 5'1" person. I'm in love with short scale guitars and Taylor GS Minis are 23.5" scale. Right now I'm also enjoying two VERY inexpensive Gretsch guitars from their Roots Guitars: a Gretsch Jim Dandy ($179 USD) and a Gin Rickey ($249, USD). Those are literally the same 12 fret parlor guitar with a 24" scale, except the latter has an attractive magnetic pickup. I have the both because I will want to play in alternate tunings such as DADGAD and I fell in love with the feel of that instrument. Having mostly played acoustics I was astonished when I played my first solid body electric, a Fender Mustang 90 (24" scale as are Duo Sonic and Jaguar). What a difference in fingering! Literally effortless, especially with Barre chords. Stick with it. I know right now the strings on the acoustics feel like wire cheese slicers. But your fingers will get callused. My Mom, a Tenor Banjo player who was as obsessed with timing as Griff is, used a product called New Skin Liquid Bandage (Amazon). It protects and artifically toughens tender finger tips. Avoid playing on the acoustic long enough to get a blister under a callous, or you'll be starting over on the callous thing. I found the start of ABGU elementary too, but Griff wants everyone to be able to make a good start with the course. (I played when I was 16, and life and work got in the way. I went back to guitar when I retired at age 67. I just turned 70 and starting up with Blues Guitar Unleashed exactly a year ago has taken me very far.

I started with the Acoustic course because I will be playing alone. (I live in a area on Long Island. New York where if you ask people whether they play an instrument, will reply "I play the radio". Cute.) Griff 's students are playing Roots music. Everyone played it.
It is how you entertained yourself and family. People wanted to play well, no one felt the shouldn't play if they weren't "star quality". I think you will really love the ABGU course. I am an All Access Pass Member and have been able to peek at the BGU course and know I will get it. I absolutely love what is taught here and how it's taught. I am so happy to find guitar education of such scope. This allow you to become advanced level, which few curricula do. I am so happy I found it, and I sit in on all the Webinars. See you later and keep having fun!

 

[TxStrat]

I addition to what’s been said I found that ABGU really improved my counting and finger and hybrid picking.

 

[Elwood]

I have three GS Minis

Holy cow!!! I mean WOW!!!

Poor etiquette warning.... Total thread hi-jack, or move, or PM or whatever.

I would love to hear how you value the differences between them. I have my Koa Mini (with a big sap wood "skunk stripe") and I love it!!! Snarly little thing, great blues machine. I got mine after learning I was going for spine surgery a couple of years ago. I drove from the docs office to guitar center. Not my first rodeo and I knew I would have lots of time to spend with a little friend. There were about 6 of them there that day, no hogs though. I played "mine", put it back and went to play others. My (very sharp) wife observed another shopper eyeing mine after I hung it up and she cradled it until I was done being indecisive. I got out with my pick of the litter.
I have spoiled myself with a few nice guitars, that mini is one, for sure!

Do you run 13s on all of them? I tried 12s and no joy (for me), the buzz was gone (the guitar against my ribs), the tone was shallow, back to EJ-17s or John Pearse 700M for that one, for me.
How does your koa stack up to your others. Wild guess here, by expectations I would think the spruce would be the brightest, then the koa then the hog? Is the hog snappier than the koa?

If you have not, and get a chance, mic you mini's and hear 'em through some cans. They sound every bit as good as any other guitar to me, their own voice sure, but mine just blew my away. The ES onboard sound, sounds good, the guitar sounds great though!

Small hands (I just have old beat up ones, but we share a fondness for comfortable guitars),here are a couple of real winners from my experience....

for electric, you can find a prs mira cheap <500 (check Dave's Guitar shop - used section). I have 3 teles, they all play like a dream. That little Mira doesn't even weigh 5 lbs, short scale, everything is real fine right out of the box, and that guitar plays like a dream and doesn't have a bad tone. I'm not doing much electric at at all right now, when I do that mira is around my neck. Fun and easy.

for a DAGTH (died and gone to heaven) guitar, find any taylor grand concert size 12 fretter with the wood and price you can live with. Short scale, delightful to play (yes delightful), feather light, yada yada yada. At first you will wonder why the neck feels so much fatter. After a few hours the string spacing will talk to you and you will understand, great for fingers yeah. The cutaway really works with the 12 fret config also, easy access to octave notes with no penalty. Going to the mini /minis all you will find is chording is real fun on the mini, just like pickin on the slothead. If you are fussy about tuning machines you might avoid a 12 fretter, nothing wrong with those tuners, helps if you learn to do it right though. The internet is replete with photos of beautiful 12 fretters, with a birds nest at the tuners, a shame.

So being a Taylor fan you probably know that a grand concert (the smallest, full size Taylor body) would be any model that ends with a 2, then a model that specifies 12 fret. My 522ce 12 fret is the guitar that inspires and humbles me as a player, every time I touch it. I found a gorgeous copy in x bracing that I got for a cool grand under current list price. A major purchase, that together with a cup of strong black coffee starts every day off. If that sounds like a silly, emotional evaluation of a guitar, yup

Finally, I am running my first set of La Bella 7GPS strings on my slothead. The middle four strings on these are a tad lighter than usual, both e strings are 12 and 52 respectively. They are not as loud as the Daddario's I base line off of. The sound real fine, not going to try any words here, I like 'em. And the feel is very nice. I guess they sound like real nice 12s only a bit quieter, and play like 11s. Put those on the short scale slothead and prepare to grin.

Sorry for running on, THREE MINIs....WOW!!!! (and your Momma on the banjo, look out guys, Here comes Steph!!!) Very cool!!!

 

[Terry B]

Holy cow!!! I mean WOW!!!

Poor etiquette warning.... Total thread hi-jack, or move, or PM or whatever.

I would love to hear how you value the differences between them. I have my Koa Mini (with a big sap wood "skunk stripe") and I love it!!! Snarly little thing, great blues machine. I got mine after learning I was going for spine surgery a couple of years ago. I drove from the docs office to guitar center. Not my first rodeo and I knew I would have lots of time to spend with a little friend. There were about 6 of them there that day, no hogs though. I played "mine", put it back and went to play others. My (very sharp) wife observed another shopper eyeing mine after I hung it up and she cradled it until I was done being indecisive. I got out with my pick of the litter.
I have spoiled myself with a few nice guitars, that mini is one, for sure!

Do you run 13s on all of them? I tried 12s and no joy (for me), the buzz was gone (the guitar against my ribs), the tone was shallow, back to EJ-17s or John Pearse 700M for that one, for me.
How does your koa stack up to your others. Wild guess here, by expectations I would think the spruce would be the brightest, then the koa then the hog? Is the hog snappier than the koa?

If you have not, and get a chance, mic you mini's and hear 'em through some cans. They sound every bit as good as any other guitar to me, their own voice sure, but mine just blew my away. The ES onboard sound, sounds good, the guitar sounds great though!

Small hands (I just have old beat up ones, but we share a fondness for comfortable guitars),here are a couple of real winners from my experience....

for electric, you can find a prs mira cheap <500 (check Dave's Guitar shop - used section). I have 3 teles, they all play like a dream. That little Mira doesn't even weigh 5 lbs, short scale, everything is real fine right out of the box, and that guitar plays like a dream and doesn't have a bad tone. I'm not doing much electric at at all right now, when I do that mira is around my neck. Fun and easy.

for a DAGTH (died and gone to heaven) guitar, find any taylor grand concert size 12 fretter with the wood and price you can live with. Short scale, delightful to play (yes delightful), feather light, yada yada yada. At first you will wonder why the neck feels so much fatter. After a few hours the string spacing will talk to you and you will understand, great for fingers yeah. The cutaway really works with the 12 fret config also, easy access to octave notes with no penalty. Going to the mini /minis all you will find is chording is real fun on the mini, just like pickin on the slothead. If you are fussy about tuning machines you might avoid a 12 fretter, nothing wrong with those tuners, helps if you learn to do it right though. The internet is replete with photos of beautiful 12 fretters, with a birds nest at the tuners, a shame.

So being a Taylor fan you probably know that a grand concert (the smallest, full size Taylor body) would be any model that ends with a 2, then a model that specifies 12 fret. My 522ce 12 fret is the guitar that inspires and humbles me as a player, every time I touch it. I found a gorgeous copy in x bracing that I got for a cool grand under current list price. A major purchase, that together with a cup of strong black coffee starts every day off. If that sounds like a silly, emotional evaluation of a guitar, yup

Finally, I am running my first set of La Bella 7GPS strings on my slothead. The middle four strings on these are a tad lighter than usual, both e strings are 12 and 52 respectively. They are not as loud as the Daddario's I base line off of. The sound real fine, not going to try any words here, I like 'em. And the feel is very nice. I guess they sound like real nice 12s only a bit quieter, and play like 11s. Put those on the short scale slothead and prepare to grin.

Sorry for running on, THREE MINIs....WOW!!!! (and your Momma on the banjo, look out guys, Here comes Steph!!!) Very cool!!!

I'm getting some major Taylor gas as well after buying a 12e Academy a year ago for a campfire / boat guitar and feeling the need for a higher end model to go with it and my Martin D-28.

Since I have the dread thing covered with the Martin, Grand Concert kinda covered with my Academy, I'm sorta kicking the tires on a 714 CE at the nearest store. But they also have a 322E 12 fret Mahogany top, Blackwood back and sides that's really caught my eye. Love the slot head and overall look and feel but still not sure if a 12 is best for me. Also its not a cutaway, and as you mentioned its probably best when going to a 12 fret.

Gonna stop by for another look this week...

And apology for continuation of thread drift.

 

[Elwood]

Good luck Terry! So many fine ones out there!
12 or 14 is a whole book by itself. If you have not seem this you may find it enjoyable Why I prefer 12 fretters - YouTube
The link works, just back it up. There is some good info in there along with personal opinion. For me, first playing a slothead was cool, maybe not as much of a change as I may have expected. It's after a few hours, when my mind calms and my hands start getting to know it that I felt the difference for real. Fingerpicking machine.

Lots of folks like a louder guitar, bigger is usually louder, A 714 is a GA size, just one size up from the GC like that 322. A cutaway with the 12 fretter is nice. So many amazing things done on 12 fretters without cutaway that I can't call it essential, real nice though. I bet that 322 is a sweetie. (I think the non-cutaway body looks better, more traditional...)
I'm kinda sniffing around for a guitar for one of my sons. I'm thinking a gs mini, but bouncing around on wood type, I also have looked at the PRS Angelus and Toneare. For him I really want a comfortable neck. He is early in the learning curve and my feeling is that no guitar is good if you can't play anything on it, so comfortable neck is #1. Right now he is learning on my old Martin Traveler so an upgrade will come his way sometime.

Sounds like you are looking at some beauties, let us know what you end up with!