acoustic to carry around

hey tandm, I play my acoustic everyday there is no lack of playing by any means, its just that when you dish out 4,000 bucks the thought of too much humidity in the summer the cold in the winter not to mentions someone stealing it. (I have had a guitar stolen before) or some drunk guy grabbing it, the thought of all the things that could happen, well it just keeps you thinking.......... OK worrying

I have mixed feelings on this.  I suppose it all depends on where I am taking it to play.  But, I would probably take the expensive good sounding guitar to almost any event, but I would also worry that someone will drop it or knock it against a wall by accident.  That's life.  I generally take the expensive one and the less desirable one with me and start out p[laying the good one.  If I see it is getting a little rowdy, I put the good one away and bring out the less expensive one.  No garauntees either way.

I bought a beat up Yamaha FG-403S that had been kicked around at parties at some college in Washington DC.
Paid $20 d0llars and after hearing how nice the guitar sounded...threw the guy a 10 dollar tip.

It's my go-to guitar when I go almost anywhere I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing my electric.

=]
Dm

I know where you're coming from Patrick.  About half of my summertime guitar playing is around riverside campfires.  My "river" guitars spend hours traveling in hot vehicles, get stuffed into dry bags for overnight trips on rafts, get played during rainstorms under tarps, etc.  Although my acoustics aren't as high-end as your $4K Martin, I still wouldn't want to subject my D-16 or my Blueridge BR-73 to that kind of torture.

For a month-long trip out west and a week on the Middle Fork in Idaho, I bought a $100 Johnson dread naught and re-worked the action a little to make it more friendly. It held up well and did a good job on the river, but like you, I'd like a smaller size guitar to take along in the future.  From the experience I've had playing several of them in local music stores, I think a Bristol BM-16 (000 size guitar made by Blueridge) might work out well. For a cheap guitar the ones I've played sounded great, have excellent projection and play easily You can find new ones on ebay for $189 shipped.  You might want to check then out.

DE

hey there ed, mabe I did not explain myself well but you hit the hammer right on the head and thats exactly what I was talking about. I will look into blue ridge. trouble is all the guitars that catch my attention dont seem to be in any of the guitar shops I have found around here. Living in canada deprives one of a lot of products that you get used to living in the states. Buying sometthing through the mail is either not availible or subjected to additinal taxes and customs fees. I dont really like the idea of buying a guitar without trying it out first either, so I do aperciate suggestions and thanks to those whom sent me any. an idea that I was thinking also is replacing the saddle and nut (which I assume would be plastic on a low cost guitar) with bone or a supieror material. I imagine this would greatly improve the instrument. I tried out a small bodied guitar made by art and luither ( a godin co.)and did not care for it. I dont want to buy a 12 fret model either. I would really love to try out that epiphone since having tried the gibson (blues King) in a music store, just to feel the difference between the gibson vs the epiphone model. we are talking about a 2500 dollar difference in price.

I always get that feeling about "Boe's Strings" just from walking past it. (I drove past it another 3 times this past weekend lol)
The last mom & pop shop that I went into on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring MD (Nextdoor to the CD/Game shop) treated me like dogmeat when I asked about trying any of their "Highline" instruments.

Yep! That's the Guitar center I always go to!
I've tried many of the guitars in there (Acoustic and electric) and the electric guitars are the only ones that seem to have a different personality (Per guitar) to me.

The only difference I ever feel with acoustics is a difference in comfort. Like...some are too big under the arm or the neck is uncomfortable (Most are uncomfortable to me...too thin) or the bassiness/boominess of the guitar is the only thing that changes per model.

There was one acoustic guitar that I tried at my Guitar Tech's house out in Annapolis that I did have a connection with. It was a reeeeeeeeally old Martin D-somethingorother and it had a thick neck like my electric and was VERY comfortable. I knew that there wasn't a snowballs chance in the down-under that he was going to consider selling it as it was pretty much an heirloom and older than I am.

But that has been the only really "Stand-out" acoustic that I've ever touched/played.

=]
Dm