Hey all! I've been playing guitar for 4 years and i need some recommendations as i think it's time for me to upgrade from a solid top dreadnought.
Good for you! There comes a time when we all feel like we've outgrown our current instrument.
Going the full-solid route is a wise one, because a full solid will have a lot more potential to grow and mature. Also, it'd be prudent to take the time and effort now to choose one that you really like, so that you will not get tired or feel like you've 'outgrown' it in the near future. Don't rush your purchase, choose wisely. Get a good one this time round that will last you indefinitely.
I really love doing hard strumming and bassy tones. I like bassy tones for both strumming and plucking./ Not much preferences of wood but, i really love the cedar tops and engelmann spruce tops. Cedar is still my favourite though.
Okay first let me disclaim that everything I'm saying about tone will always be subjective and I'm talking in a broad strokes. Now that that's out of the way, let's address the issue of body shape first.
For strumming wise, dreadnoughts and jumbos are the way to go. They sound very full-bodied when strumming because of the abundance of overtones. Between a dreadnought and a jumbo, the dreadnought will be much more balanced while the jumbo will have a more comprehensive bass response.
Grand-Auditoriums are not as suitable for strumming because of the lack of overtones. Their tapered waist helps to control the overtones. However, controlled overtones give the GA a lot more clarity and focus. That is one reason why fingerstylist prefer the GA shape. Also, because they are so focused, they stay in their tonal range. So when you're in a band setting, your GA will not only cut through the mix, it'll also stay in it's range and not encroach into your bandmates' ranges.
You said that you do not have a preference of wood. Sadly, you need to have a preference. Because different woods have very different tonal characteristics, and you'll soon realise that the choice of wood carries a substantial weight in your eventual decision.
The top is your first priority. The top is the core of your sound, the sides and back shapes it. Common woods for top would be many variants of spruce, cedar, mahogany, etc.
You mentioned that you do a lot of hard-strumming, but you prefer cedar. Why do you prefer cedar? From personal experience, cedar is very warm and rounded as a top.
However, if hard-strumming is a priority, then go for spruce. Because cedar has a quirk in the form of a 'ceiling'. There is point whereby no matter how hard you strum, it will not get any louder. But soft touches on cedar will be rewarded with very sweet singing tones, because it amplifies your soft touches very well. Another reason why some fingerstylists prefer cedar, and why a lot of classical guitars have cedar tops.
Spruce on the other hand, responses very well to hard strumming; the harder you strum, the louder it gets. This is especially true for adronidack spruce, which is truly a powerhouse.
Also if you've noticed, spruce is arguably the most popular wood for tops. Because it's light, stiff as hell and has a very wide dynamic range.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I can 'deduce', you do lots of hard strumming, some plucking, and like something that sounds bassy, warm and rounded.
From those requirements, I'll recommend either a dreadnought or a jumbo with a spruce top and rosewood sides and back. Or maybe a spruce top with mahogany sides and back.
A jumbo or dreadnought with a spruce top and rosewood sides and back,
- would be able to handle hard-strumming well due to the spruce top.
- the shape itself helps with the bass and volume.
- rosewood sides and back give you a wide dynamic range; ample lows and sparkling highs. Also it will help with keeping things 'warm' and 'rounded'.
- spruce also has a wide dynamic range and it's pretty punchy too.
Spruce with mahogany will have a lot more emphasis on the midrange. Mahogany has a chewy organic midrange response. Try these mentioned combinations out and see which you prefer, also take the chance to try out other combinations.
and i've tried the Faith Jupiter Jumbo. It's quite nice but i would like some other recommendations of full solid Jumbos and where i can go to try other guitars. My budget would be around 1.2k -1.5k at the most.
Don't limit yourself to jumbos. I personally like dreadnoughts because they are still reasonably bassy but balanced, sometimes too much bass can overwhelm the trebles.
For jumbos, you can check out the Timothy SJ10 at Sinamex, the Faith and Singa from Maestro, also look at what Ayers at Musictheme has to offer.
Walk around places like Citymusic, Parklane shopping Center, Peninsular, Bras Basah. Try them out extensively. And again, don't limit yourself.
I hope this post will help you understand what you're looking out for and to make an informed decision. Cheers.
