Do you have a good recommendation for the best 6 string acoustic that punches well above its weight under $250?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs8 күн бұрын
@@BJJandBS I get a lot of requests for the best guitar for the cheapest price. And if you are talking about a new guitar, you won't do much better than a Yamaha 800 series acoustic for under $250. It has a solid spruce top, dovetail neck joint, and decent tuners. This is a quick review I did of a student's FG800. Of course any guitar either cheap or expensive, will play better with a proper setup kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6LRgYiinst8e6Mfeature=shared
@BJJandBS8 күн бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs thanks mate
@antipodesman29 күн бұрын
As I like to tell people about saddles and nuts, the fit is more significant than the material. If a plastic saddle or nut is properly fit with a good height etc. the material might not matter that much. In my experience with the FG 830 neither is true. Originally I found that rather concerning then I realized that Yamaha expects owners to replace the saddle and the nut to their own specifications and that is their way to keep the cost down. I'm very happy with my Yamaha FG830. I yern for a Red Label FG 5 but I really don't need one.
@herroglop741112 күн бұрын
Would you recommend against installing a P90 or charlie Christian style pickup with the neccesary routing of the top? Could mess with the stock sound of the guitar in an unpleasant way? Thanks.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs11 күн бұрын
@@herroglop7411 I prefer to do modifications that can be undone if needed in the future. There are pickups available that will mount without routing (like the floating one I installed). However, if you plan to keep the guitar "forever", you can do as you please and the Charlie Christian pickup would probably sound very nice. 👍
@jonahlmoore16 күн бұрын
Any idea what would cause a spoke wheel 2 way to be at an angle at the heel? EVH WOLFGANG, relief is .004”, plays great but noticed the wheel is at angle and won’t turn? Do these bind when over tightened, never messed with this style before.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs11 күн бұрын
@@jonahlmoore they can bind and it sounds like someone may have turned the wheel off angle and bent the truss rod end. If the truss rod is fine, I would not mess with it As they say, if it isn't broken, fix it till it is. 🤔
@jonahlmoore11 күн бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gsI know what you mean. Shouldn’t the wheel be easy to turn? It doesn’t move it either direction. Idk if I should put wd40 on it? Maybe relieve tension on the neck with a clamp first? Just trying to get ideas.
@SH-pf2wf25 күн бұрын
Thanks for the review. Nice sounding guitar. What tune was that you played starting at 0312 min?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs23 күн бұрын
@@SH-pf2wf Wildwood flower
@petromoderne25 күн бұрын
For the cost, I suppose you could have QC issues! Understandably. I was thinking of one of these until someone mentioned noticing fret wear after a month! I wondered if refreting the guitar was possible given the carbon fiber? Since you repair guitars you would be who I would ask. And some idea of what that might actually cost if you would be so kind. I may still buy one, depending on your answer. Another thing mentioned was cracks in the composite material. See any of those?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs23 күн бұрын
@@petromoderne as far as needing a refret, it can be done just like the original fretting with glue, but the easy money would be to just replace the neck as it bolts on in a matter of a minute or two. As far as cracks in the composite, I haven't experienced any in the x4 pro mini or the full size x4 pro. These things feel bulletproof and I haven't handled them gently. 👍 BTW, I have been playing both my x4 pro acoustics for over a year and have not experienced any meaningful fret wear. Of course, I have a light, fast touch.
@scottbecker348527 күн бұрын
Further to my previous comment, now I‘m still wondering about the right way to tighten the truss rod and lower the action a bit. From your video I learned there is also a bolt to tighten inside, so I will try that first. Do the strings need to be completely removed for that? And what about the truss rod adjustment at the top of the neck? Does righty-tighter, lefty-loosey apply?
@drguitar953227 күн бұрын
Tighten with strings on. Do not over tighten, finger tight is plenty.
@scottbecker348526 күн бұрын
@@drguitar9532 Thank you! 😊
@scottbecker348527 күн бұрын
Typing as I watch. Just gone of these, and also have the full-size X4 Pro. Got the X4 Pro Mini for camping-van travel purposes, and possibly busking with an amp, or even outdoor gigs (with high humidity, sun exposure, etc.). Totally agree with your take on the sound! It‘s really quite excellent for such a compact body. Try swapping from Elixirs to Martin SP Lifespans (Phos. Bronze) for a more balanced, less bitey sound. The Elixirs emphasize the treble strings a bit too much for my taste, masking the rest somewhat. Despite the „pleasing“ ring of the Elixirs, they shape every guitar‘s sound in the same direction. Back to the guitar: I tune it - like all my guitars - way down to C# standard to suit my voice, capoing up as necessary. And this little guitar even does fine with my usual 13-56 Martins (see above). Same goes for the full-sized X4 Pro. The low E on the Mini, however, doesn‘t have as much bass as the neighboring A string. It drops off somewhat. This is true both in standard tuning and in C# standard. But the drop-off is no deal breaker for me, since size is the object for travel. Plugged into my Everse 8, a bit of EQ fixes that, and the pickup sound is really very pleasant! Now I want to lower the action a bit, hence watching your video…
@pacodelux728 күн бұрын
Specs action at XII?
@ravil_globalАй бұрын
Thank you very much for this video! I started to wish to get this model of Enya:)
@tenniswilliamАй бұрын
I have an FS800 and I think it is pretty good. I play it a lot even though I have Martin and Gibsons
@JimB802Ай бұрын
Do you have any suggestions on how to get the truss rod to loosen up? I have a double action truss rod that I cannot adjust, the nut will not turn righty or lefty. Unstrung, the neck has a back bow, at pitch there is maybe .004" relief with fret buzzing past the 8th fret.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gsАй бұрын
@@JimB802 it sounds like your 2 way truss rod is jammed. If the neck has a back bow without strings AND has 004" relief at the 7th fret with the 1st and 14th fret depressed when strung up to pitch, it is likely the truss rod is jammed in the clockwise position (tightened against a forward warp). The good news is that 004" relief with strings up to pitch is not terrible and in fact is a common truss rod set up, especially for an acoustic guitar. If you are getting fret buzzing above the 8th fret, that tells me that you likely need a fret level and polish and/ you may need to recheck your truss rod relief calculations. While pressing down the 1st and 14th fret at the same time, measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the 7th fret with a feeler gauge. It should be 004" or as low as 002" if it is a solid body electric. Let me know if your truss rod relief is actually 004" (as it sounds like it may be closer to 011" or more.)
@Jason-cm6uhАй бұрын
Sounds much better.
@MrMjp582 ай бұрын
Excellent modification. I agree that the pick up improves the sound no end.
@karlpeterschillingmusic47902 ай бұрын
Sorry Malaysia..yeh, great guitar but C#m @ 9th fret has intonation problems...love your ditty! Alabama and banjo 🥰
@karlpeterschillingmusic47902 ай бұрын
Thank you, sir...I'm a professional busker who was lucky enough to be gifted a black FG800 recently in New Zealand Hitchhiking.. the driver took me fishing heard my life story and Boom.. It does need setting up so I'll need to head to Kuala Lumpur for that, I'm in a smaller town in Maosyaia
@jackbandel2 ай бұрын
That’s very concerning about the frets falling off. I would get this guitar in hopes that I could leave it in a hot car as a spare for gigs, but that would probably melt or loosen the glue holding the frets. Kind of negates why you would get a carbon fiber guitar in the first place.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs2 ай бұрын
I understand. It is unlikely that the glue used would loosen at 140 degrees fahrenheit (about what you might expect in a closed car in the sun). I think the problem that I encountered was that no glue or at most very little was used originally and the frets were not secured at all. And to be clear, I would not purposely leave an acoustic guitar sitting endlessly in a hot or freezing cold car, even if it is made from carbon fiber.
@jackbandel2 ай бұрын
Can’t really hear the volume is so low when you speak
@LuisLopez-mp7ux3 ай бұрын
What u suggest this or a harley benton custom line sc10 i dont want to pay 86$ on delivery😅 help pls sir.
@drguitar0013 ай бұрын
Apples vs oranges. The SC is a Les Paul type solid body electric, this guitar is an acoustic. You are on your own. 👍
@50mmnikonainikkor553 ай бұрын
I keep hearing 'NAto' .Not sure if that's actually ' Nyatoh' which is a south east Asian tropical wood?
@drguitar0013 ай бұрын
Nato, often referred to as "eastern mahogany" is a wood grown in southeast Asia with similar properties to Mahogany in look and tone. It is not actually related to mahogany though but makes a fine, strong tonewood.
@50mmnikonainikkor553 ай бұрын
@@drguitar001 Got it. 👍
@danm.allison92193 ай бұрын
If I bought one of these Epiphone's and sent it to you what do you think you would charge to make another one just like one you have. Of course I would pay for shipping to you and back and send it in the box that it came in. What do you think about a 30-day turnaround?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs3 ай бұрын
LOL, there was a time back in the late 1980s when folks were sending me guitars and basses from all over the US. It was exhilarating and humbling at the same time. You have a few different questions here. I'm not sure I would change anything from what I have already done. I left the original bridge pickup system in the guitar although I will probably never use it, so that might be a change I would make. In total, I installed a mini-humbucker pickup (Artec MHFA94) that was just $25). It had the right parameters (output and size) and I was lucky that it also sounded quite nice (that was luck as I could not get to hear it first). I then cut a new pickguard out of 1/8" flamed maple and stained it ebony then finished it in 6+ layers of shellac). I also made a tailpiece insert to spruce up the plain tailpiece out of the same flamed maple finished to match the pickguard. And then I replaced the poorly made original tuning machines with HipShot locking tuners in a satin chrome to match the metals on the tailpiece. I also installed a volume pot on the new pickguard and wired it to a output jack mounted on the side of the guitar next to the bridge pickup output jack. SO there was definitely some serious modification. I put Martin Monel (Retro) light gauge strings (12-54) on the guitar and set it up with easy playing low action. Of course, I did an advanced setup with fret leveling, crown and polish. I could have installed an much more expensive mini humbucker, but since I could not try any of them on the guitar, it did not make sense to me to spend $100+ on an unknown. As far as doing it again, I could but the guitar is no longer sold new (as far as I know) so you would be looking at a used instrument to start. It would take me about 2 weeks tops to do the work.
@danm.allison92193 ай бұрын
Thank You guitar doctor I'm a new subscriber! What you did to this guitar would be exactly what I would do and now I'm thinking about getting one. Keep up the good work I hope you get a hundred thousand new subscribers tomorrow!
@dcallan13 ай бұрын
That's a great sounding Seagull even with laminate back and sides?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs3 ай бұрын
Yep. The addition of the 12 strings adds so much in overtones to the sound of the instrument that laminated back and sides does not seem to subtract from the fullness of the tone. 👍👍
@KenneyCmusic4 ай бұрын
I have an Olympic masterbilt. I would love to switch out the pick up. Is it hard to do?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs4 ай бұрын
It was not particularly difficult installing a mini humbucker and running a separate volume pot and output jack. As far as replacing the bridge piezo with a different one, that should also be pretty easy ONLY if you know that the new bridge pickup actually sounds better (how you want it to sound) before tearing out the original. Otherwise you could end up with the new one sounding as bad or worse.
@KenneyCmusic4 ай бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Great! Thank you for replying. I'm gonna give it a go! The bridge piezo isn't my favorite, but I love the smaller body of the Olympic. Dave Rawlings plays an original 1930's Olympic, and says the smaller body is good for cutting through the mix when soloing over a dreadnought for instance.
@JimmyBmusic14 ай бұрын
They’re shit. I bought a rain song. You play them side by side, the quality diff is astonishing
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs4 ай бұрын
That is kind of a blanket statement. Rainsongs are essentially 100% carbon fiber while only the top of the Enya is 100% carbon fiber. Also, Enya have an adjustable truss rod, Rainsongs do not. So comparing the two is apples to oranges. In addition, Enya is a small fraction of the price of a Rainsongs ($600 vs $2000+). However, they do compare in some ways. Both are loud instruments. Both play nicely. Both are well constructed. Both have a wide, balanced sound. Both are nice looking instruments and both are impervious to weather changes. The Enya comes with a built-in tonewood amp, the Rainsong does not.
@rayc0564 ай бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Thanks for the info and video. @JimmyBmusic1 is having a problem and he lashes out sometimes. He blames the Enya guitar plant for leaching toxic chemicals into the environment and ruining his "manhood". I grew up next to Jimmy he has a micro penis and some personal problems. He wanted to say he is sorry, he is sorry for leaving stupid/useless comments. If he comments again it's best to ignore.
@HeathWatts4 ай бұрын
Very useful. Thanks!
@josephurso11085 ай бұрын
I bought one and it had no quality control issues at all. Fantastic right out of the box. It sounds great. It's loud. Plays easily. The short scale length is perfect for me. And the case is beautiful. I have two high end Martin guitars and only bought this one for a vacation road trip this summer, but I find myself playing it all the time at home too. Last weekend I was playing with another guitar and two violins and the Enya X4 Pro Mini held its own. There was no problem with lack of volume. Obviously, it does not have as good a sound as my HD-28 or the 000-28, but those cost thousands $ more. I am totally happy with it and thinking of buying the full size version too.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
Hi Joseph. You are correct that it does not sound like either a 000-28 or an HD28. But, as you said, it sounds pretty good and there is nothing embarrassing about the tone. However, I'm not sure you will like the full size X4 Pro as much. The full size one sounds more like a D35, in a bad way. The full size X4 has a very thick lower midrange and very fat bass. The bass is kind of cool, but the thick lower midrange gives it a muddy tone. In addition, it is lacking the sparkle/treble that the mini has (or any other decent acoustic guitar for that matter). I am on the edge of selling mine and getting a mini for myself. If you live near Philly, I would say "Come by and listen to this one before you put out $800 to see if you like it". Good luck with your decision! 👍
@bennodangmann5 ай бұрын
Great video! But why didn't you keep the first one you got to make it into a fretlessversion??🤯
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
I didn't need a fretless acoustic and I purchased the guitar for my wife (she loves it!), so it was not mine to keep. Also, the Enya company wanted the guitar back. 👍
@BryanClark-gk6ie5 ай бұрын
What about dampen the top side of the inside of the guitar case' the fur lining section of the lid inside the case. Would that work evenly and fast for the guitar? Not enough to cause it to come unglued.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
It would not be a good idea to make the lining of the guitar case wet as it would hold moisture against the finish of the guitar and could quickly ruin the guitar finish.
@kingrobert1st5 ай бұрын
I use 12 / 52 on my 12 string. Tuned down to C#. Also use K&K piezo pick up. That Seagull has a nice wide fret board too. What tuners do you use? I installed 18:1 ratio locking tuners from Taiwan. Originals were Schaller from Germany but after 35 years they started to crap out.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
The K&K mini is a great pickup. The Journeytek pickup is very similar, a little hotter (more output) and a little deeper voice (slightly bassier). The real advantage is that the Journeytek pickups are MUCH cheaper (less than half the price). The tuners are the original tuners from the guitar (with the Seagull graphic imprinted on the back of each tuner). They seem to work pretty well.
@kingrobert1st5 ай бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs I never heard of Journeytek. I ordered the K&K from China because I live in Thailand.
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
@@kingrobert1st yep. Unfortunately not all guitar hardware is available everywhere on Earth. This is the online link I used to purchase them: www.amazon.com/Passive-Acoustic-Pickup-EP001K-Guitars/dp/B088K6431K/ref=asc_df_B088K6431K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693366139103&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4967610320969767794&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007274&hvtargid=pla-980612391063&mcid=1a0ecc1d40953ed3a4433a5b01908884&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0MexBhD3ARIsAEI3WHKHnha9Hwy-Y6fjJ4x9re7SrffRmPVe0K8ksdvla9vWQJiyfDGXQ_waAr6cEALw_wcB&th=1
@kingrobert1st5 ай бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Thanks...I'll bear that in mind.
@kingrobert1st5 ай бұрын
Before then I had a knock off piezo installed which the luthier told me was his own make but they were very low gain and I needed to use a preamp. In the end they packed up. My guitar is 40 years old and has had a lot of pickups in that time. The K&K are way better than al the others.
@jamesgibson32425 ай бұрын
Your guitar sounds really good. That added pickup is really nice sounding. Acoustically it sounds really good. I bet "Tequila" sounds good on it.
@datsch_5 ай бұрын
Thanks! I just tried your elbow technique on my 1968 Winston violin bass and it unstuck the truss rod which had been stuck for at least 40 years! Top quality info here, thanks again ...
@DJ-yc1rc5 ай бұрын
I got a seagull twelve string after watching Leo kottke in the nineties Robert makes great guitars in Canada no doubt
@carlrickards67085 ай бұрын
Hi Doctor are you in Pennsylvania?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs5 ай бұрын
Yep, southeastern Pa. Do you need some work done?
@carlrickards67085 ай бұрын
@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs not at the moment but in the future im sure i will ! Im in Lower Bucks County
@carlrickards67085 ай бұрын
How can i get in touch with you ? You tube isnt letting me me send you my number
No Bluetooth or "app" support. I'm not sure of the purpose of Bluetooth on an acoustic guitar? Connection to a Bluetooth amp or cell phone? Anyway, it does not have that type of setup. It is essentially a carbon fiber acoustic with built-in acoustic and electric effects (if you choose to use them).
@susanroycroft895 ай бұрын
Yes their top acoustic's I have 4 of them, not quite the same bottom end of my Martin but still Excellent guitar's 😊😊😊
@carlrickards67086 ай бұрын
Great video!! Great guitar ! I modified mine slightly, i put a frequensator tailpiece on and a period correct pickg guard. I love the sound of that pick up that you installed
@PhillipHolt-f9r6 ай бұрын
I'm going to buy one.
@shyamjagani68586 ай бұрын
Thank you sir for this extensive review. Hope to see your channel get bigger
@susanroycroft896 ай бұрын
Yes they are quite good, Yamaha make good guitar's I'v found over the years, I recently had a friend bring his to me ( for appraisal ) and it sounded good, so I made a bone nut and saddĺe for it, put them in with new strings, and Now it's sounds great, almost as good as my FG 830 cutaway, I thought the Frets were fine so I left 'em alone 😊😊
@jryan23136 ай бұрын
Smart, whats that worth in shop cost?
@johnmongo4347 ай бұрын
What kind of string did you put on it?
@drguitar95326 ай бұрын
Martin Retro monel strings, 12-54 gauge
@jimmyv67037 ай бұрын
What guitar would you suggest for a beginning player? I have always heard that Yamahas are very popular for beginners because of the quality and the price. Do you have a favorite beginner guitar?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs7 ай бұрын
I have favorites, but it really depends on the student and what type of music they are interested in. Folks will only practice if they are playing songs they enjoy. For acoustic music (steel string), Yamaha acoustics are hard to beat in this price range. Under $250, I would suggest the Yamaha FS800 as it has a smaller body size compared to the one above and is more comfortable to play (made from the same or similar woods).
@pastyman0017 ай бұрын
Too melllow
@BicycleJoeTomasello7 ай бұрын
I bought the De Luxe & the Olympic at the same time, I only kept the Olympic, I sent the De Luxe back, at the time I could only afford one, I wish I still had it. I had some work done on the Olympic. It took me a while, but I used it only acoustically until I could get it done. I had Rudy Penza's guitar tech put on a rosewood bridge and got rid of the composite Piezo bridge, upgraded wiring, removed the plastic battery compartment with a good jack, installed a DeArmond Rhythm Chief floating off the neck, two potentiometers on the Pick guard for tone & volume a couple of caps. Set it up for flats. It's my favorite guitar.
@drguitar95327 ай бұрын
Sounds like you did a great job! Do you have any videos of you playing it?
@KenneyCmusic4 ай бұрын
I bought an Olympic a few years ago for $300 at a pawn shop. I’d love to do some modifications on the electronics.
@BicycleJoeTomasello4 ай бұрын
@@drguitar9532 I don’t really , my chops have fallen by the wayside. I was never a jazzman, but I get into a nice groove on the guitar. I don’t play out anymore once upon a Time.
@denniswilliams23857 ай бұрын
It sounds like they built a pretty good guitar (especially considering the price) however they most certainly have some quality control issues.
@drguitar95327 ай бұрын
Definitely QC concerns. However, as long as there are not any huge problems with the instrument, I can make quick work of getting it to better than new condition. 👍
@dahlanridzuanradinabata42327 ай бұрын
That's it, I'm getting one! Thanks for the great video. Very informative indeed
@gregallen29608 ай бұрын
Good morning. Is your guitar still for sale? If so, can you let me know the details? Thank you
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs8 ай бұрын
Sorry, it is not available.
@davidfaustino44768 ай бұрын
I've had a few of these. Full size and mini. 0% of them had frets that were close enough to the edge of the fretboard where you could pull them up.
@drguitar0018 ай бұрын
Yep, the frets were so loose that just touching the edge of the fret caused them to pop off. Fortunately, they send me another that did not have the same problem.
@Juniper3338 ай бұрын
Thank you for the review! I purchased the same guitar on Black Friday and absolutely love it. I'll keep my eye on the frets when I change the strings so thanks for mentioning that. Otherwise mine is perfect right out of the box. The only challenge I had with it was plugging it in to the sound system at church, the mic inside it is very sensitive and was giving a ton of feedback through the system even from other sounds happening in the room. Once I found the sweet spot I keep my settings the same and it works really well and sounds amazing through the sound system.
@drguitar0018 ай бұрын
I also noticed that the mic was very sensitive, but easily remedied by turning down the mic volume knob.
@nereus__8 ай бұрын
8:36 to 8:46 may I ask you what you mean by that? Is it tightening up the keys or loosening them?
@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs8 ай бұрын
"Check, your truss rod with the strings up to tension". I mean that you should check your neck relief (truss rod) with the strings tuned up to pitch (as if you were playing the guitar). That is the only way you can be sure the neck relief (truss rod) is properly adjusted. 👍