Yamaha LL16M

[Kerry Brown]

i’ve posted before about this guitar but last night I was impressed with how good it really is. I was at a master class with about a dozen people and an amazing instructor Kris Schulz. Before the class two of the guys were going on ad nauseum about their guitars and how much they had paid for them. One of them had brought his $16,000 Lowden. I didn’t say anything, just sat there listening. During the lesson when we started playing I could see them trying to figure out what my guitar was. To my ears it was clearly louder and fuller than theirs. Don’t get me wrong. They were both better players than me and their guitars really sounded great but my $800 Yamaha was their equal if not better tone wise.



This was what the Lowden guy had.

50 Series - Macassar Ebony / Sinker Redwood - Lowden Guitars - Handmade and Hand built Acoustic Guitar Range from Downpatrick, Ireland

His was a dread size with a cutaway. Beautiful guitar.

 

[RVA]

Spruce and hog are cheap and wonderful tonewoods. You done good!

It is nice to be able to talk of tonewood and believe in it again!

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Just for curiosity sake, I found this. I had an EJ 200 I rather liked, but wow. I can really hear the differences between these Gibsons and EPI versions.

Ringy and higher pitched Epi vs more bassy sounding Gibsons.

Pretty talented picking by the players though.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Just for curiosity sake, I found this. I had an EJ 200 I rather liked, but wow. I can really hear the differences between these Gibsons and EPI versions.

Ringy and higher pitched Epi vs more bassy sounding Gibsons.

Pretty talented picking by the players though.

With acoustic guitars it is all about the wood and construction techniques. The Epiphone are laminates and not made with the same attention to bracing. I’ve been lusting after a slope shouldered Gibson for over year but it’s not in the budget. Every time I’m in a guitar store I check out the Epi equivelants hoping to find that really good one. The Epi’s are decent guitars but nowhere near the Gibson’s. My Yamaha I would put up against a J45 (close to the same woods, different bracing) any day.