That LG thing won't go away. What else is out there?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Partly due to the cost & stress of finding a very good, vintage dreadnought in Europe I'm looking at alternatives. I love my late 70s D50 so I'll happily make do with that until it rockets in price, Gibson dreads tank in value & I make the switch (yeah, right!)

Instead I'm increasingly finding the LG-sized guitars attractive. Also, I miss the extra warmth of a mahogany body. I'd love to know people's thoughts on what else is out there, preferably in the vintage market, that could be a more affordable (and easily attainable) option in Europe.
I'll probably never pay for another guitar to be shipped from the US for various reasons, particularly a delicate vintage acoustic, so the EU is most likely where I'm looking.

From what I've heard so far, an Epiphone would be the next best thing but, again, they're most likely harder to find & overpriced. I'll always be on the look out for a beaten up Caballero but I'm not holding my breath.

So, Yamaha? Levin? Eko? Framus? Do they have a match for the Gibson LG-style of guitar?

[rexter]

Guild M20? THere are some more recent USA made ones I think. A vintage one would probably cost more than an LG because of the Nick Drake factor. Maybe a vintage F20 if you can live with a non mahogany top. I haven't looked at prices for ages - I was chasing one of these a few years back but I think they'd maybe cost more than an LG. Probably better guitars though, to play devil's advocate

[Larry Mal]

What is the price we are considering? Only vintage is to be considered?

[rexter]

This one's pretty cheap even when you add the import charges!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1964-Gibson- ... %7Ciid%3A1

[Larry Mal]

I guess also what are we looking for- ladder or X bracing? Do we care about all solid woods or is laminate fine? Do we want a spruce top of some kind or will all mahogany be OK?

Will a Gibson L-00 size be OK?

What about a Martin 0 or 00 size?

And then there is the excellent Guild F20, are we thinking about those?

Newer stuff like Larrivee, which has excellent value to them?

[rexter]

I guess also what are we looking for- ladder or X bracing? Do we care about all solid woods or is laminate fine? Do we want a spruce top of some kind or will all mahogany be OK?

Will a Gibson L-00 size be OK?

What about a Martin 0 or 00 size?

And then there is the excellent Guild F20, are we thinking about those?

Newer stuff like Larrivee, which has excellent value to them?

I'll sound like a dick but... Larrivee are the only 'new' acoustic guitars that I've played and liked. I'd definitely love one of the OM models one day.

[Larry Mal]

I owned one briefly, a 00 sized Larry. I would buy another.

At the time, though, all I wanted was Gibson, Gibson, Gibson, and that wasn't it.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

OK, goooooood info coming out here.

The vintage thing...I'm a real sucker for the notion that wood opens up more over time. Saying that, I don't need something as far back as the 70s (when 80s stuff is now pretty much labelled vintage too). I also like the idea of beaters. Old guitars with good repairs done to them that still play great but are no longer considered collector grade. I really don't want something pristine (unless I'm convinced that new is the way to go)

The price thing...Hard to say. I love me a bargain! I'm definitely not planning on spending the same as I did when I got the D50, hoping for something in the £200 - £500 price range. I'd consider selling my amp if something really good came up.

The construction thing...I'm not hugely clued up in bracing but noticed a night & day difference between a solid & laminated top. So, I could live with mahogany back & sides with a solid spruce top, if push came to shove. All mahogany would be pretty special though.
I find the 00 shape a bit weird & love the slightly plumper look of an LG-shaped guitar. I like big tits & big hips, I guess!

The picking thing...Here's another issue. I'm generally a strummer & know that a lot of these smaller bodies tend to respond better to fingerpicking than strumming. I'd like to learn more about what it is exactly that makes a good strumming guitar. I mean, I can pick a bit, and would happily learn more with a comfy, less dreadnought guitar, but I love open, droney chords.

I really don't want to buy from the US.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Guild M20.... F20....

I'd happily buy another guild & the specs on both of these are great. They just look a little bit like the 00, depending on which picture I'm looking at. I really dislike the fact that I often put aesthetics ahead of performance but that's just how I am. Maybe if I listen to enough clips I could convince myself to like them more. It looks like they could be cheaper than LGs but that's probably based on US pricing.

[Larry Mal]

They do just fine with a pick, I think.

So I'm going to quote from Wikipedia:

"The LG series were introduced in 1942, with a starting line-up of LG-1, LG-2 and LG-3. However, LG-1 and LG-3 stopped production almost immediately after their debut, until they were re-introduced in 1945. In 1958, LG-0 was also introduced as the low-end model of the series. All these models are 14 ⅛" wide, with mahogany back and sides (except for some World War II models have maple back and sides).

LG-0 and LG-1 has mahogany tops with ladder bracing except the '42-'43 LG1, while LG-2 and LG-3 are spruce with X-bracing. LG-0 and LG-1 discontinued in 1974, LG-2 and LG-3 were replaced by B-25 and B-25N in 1962."

I bold faced what I think is important to know there. The LG guitars were very popular, so there are a lot out there. But there is a pretty big difference in the LG-0 and LG-1 and the higher end 2 and 3. You don't see a lot of those 2s and 3s out there.

But to me those would be the ones to get, but I'm pretty firm on the idea of spruce top and X bracing. I'm sure the ladder bracing would be interesting, and would have a particular sound.

Probably not a sound I'd want every day, though.

Honestly, having spent some time looking over the LG stuff myself, I came to the conclusion that Gibson makes a better LG guitar now with that LG-2 American Eagle than they ever did back then*, it's all solid wood, X bracing that's scalloped, etc. It's probably a better guitar than they were making back then, they price it at a premium instrument and not a student model accordingly.

Not vintage, of course, but that's what I came to conclude.

You may know all this stuff already, so apologies if so. But when I look into the LG stuff, I become kind of overwhelmed at all the variants, and the ones that I think would be "best" really are hard to find.



*Edit: At least on paper, your mileage may vary, etc.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

So, Yamaha? Levin? Eko? Framus? Do they have a match for the Gibson LG-style of guitar?

I came to say Levin, but I see you already have that covered. Maybe vintage Hagstroms? Landola is another vintage Scandinavian brand, but the only (vintage) one I've ever seen in the wild is one I used to own. Hofner also seems an obvious name to look out for, given your location.

I used to rate Ekos, but then I heard what a good-sounding acoustic sounds like. For my money, Eko and Framus acoustics aren't far above Egmond in terms of desirability, but you may beg to differ.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Guild M20? .... A vintage one would probably cost more than an LG because of the Nick Drake factor.

Pretty ironic considering it's not even on any of his records. He just borrowed that one for the photo shoot.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

From what I've read (I was keen on getting a J-160E at one point) ladder-bracing stops the top vibrating as much as an X-braced top; it was used on that model to retard the tendency to feedback. Haven't ever played a ladder-braced guitar as far as I'm aware, but I'd stick to (scalloped) X-bracing, as they're the most common anyway.

That said, the ladder-braced J160Es are all over Beatles records and don't seem to have done them any harm.

[Larry Mal]

That said, the ladder-braced J160Es are all over Beatles records and don't seem to have done them any harm.

Yeah, but you know, you close mic a guitar and whatever projection it has is largely irrelevant at that point. For pop music you don't really need a lot of natural reverb to the guitar, so you can get away with a lot.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

So, Yamaha? Levin? Eko? Framus? Do they have a match for the Gibson LG-style of guitar?

I came to say Levin, but I see you already have that covered. Maybe vintage Hagstroms? Landola is another vintage Scandinavian brand, but the only (vintage) one I've ever seen in the wild is one I used to own. Hofner also seems an obvious name to look out for, given your location.

I used to rate Ekos, but then I heard what a good-sounding acoustic sounds like. For my money, Eko and Framus acoustics aren't far above Egmond in terms of desirability, but you may beg to differ.

I don't have Levin covered, I just know the name & their reputation as decent instruments.

Hagstrom & Landola will take some more research. Eko? Yeah, I know what you mean. As much as I love a good Ranger, the 70s Guild I upgraded to is infinitely better in just about ever department....except weight. They're neck & neck there, believe it or not!

I can't believe I forgot Hofner! *HUGE forehead slap!!*

Thanks for the info on LGs too, Larry. I'd imagine "desirable" would sit along side "expensive" so I'd most likely aim for the lower models in the LG range, if anything ever came up over here.

I haven't given up on Epiphone either &, to be honest, I'd happily disregard everything I've said above for something in Sook's collection (I can't go into specifics because, frankly, he's confused the fuck out of me with that ever increasing arsenal of vintage acoustics. I think it was the Caballero that stood out).