Tim Clark Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 Hey everyone... Friend of mine has a Martin Backpacker, and while I really dig the portability, the goofy shape makes it real difficult to play. Anyone know of any other 3/4 or 1/2 size acoustics out there that are decent? Do they make any with a cutaway? Since the strings have to be a lot shorter, does that mean these are actually tuned higher than a normal acoustic? Thanks everyone! My music is like a movie for your ears - Frank Zappa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 My dad has an acoustic I use which is smaller. I'm not sure if its 3/4 size, but the neck is full scale. Its a 70s Fender with a Mahogany back and sides, a spruce top, and a rosewood fretboard. It actually sounds really good, not as good as a Martin or Taylor, but decent enough my my use, and especially after a string change the tone is just beautiful. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 Aahh, Tim Clark, as a matter of fact, I do! Now, first let me say that I do not know the current production or "in stock" status of these guitars, but you ought to be able to find some, somewhere... Ovation and Applause have both put out several round-back, small-scale 3/4 and 1/2 scale guitars, and some were available as cutaway versions. They would be excellent "travel" acoustics, as besides their compactness, the synthetic and composite materials used for some of their construction would make them less susceptible to the elements. They have been listed in some past "mail order" catalogs, though I cannot think of the particular retailers. I played a couple in a store once, several years ago, and the short scale and fat, round single-note tone made it sound cool for bluesy licks. One would probably sound great for slide, and that shorter scale can't be beat for these styles! Overall, the tone was surprisingly good. (I don't usually like the tone of Ovation and Applause guitars, by the way.) The playability was quite good, as well. These were made as steel-string instruments, and could either be tuned up, with the light or medium gages usually used on standard scaled and tuned guitars, or tuned to standard pitch. The significantly shorter scale-length of the shorter, 1/2 size in particular, would be pretty "loose" in standard ga. and pitch, and heavier strings could be employed if you wanted. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Keep an eye on Pawn-shops, Goodwill stores, and the flea market for Harmony student model guitars. A lot of the 3/4 & 1/2 size guitars I've seen need work, mainly because they were strung with steel strings, which create too much tension on the bridges and necks. Also, stupid people tighten the hell out of the strings!! I swear, some people just can't do shit right and would screw up a wet dream. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Look at Tacoma. They make a small, 19.1 scale length, 21 fret, "A" tuned guitar. It's the Papoose and available in Koa. http://www.tacomaguitars.com/download/p1.jpg Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukbut Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 See if you can find a Baby Taylor to try. I have one and I really like it. It has a great neck, good tone, solid wood construction and came with a gig bag. You can usually find them for just over $200. If you can't find one in a store look on E-Bay, there are a bunch of them for sale. Good luck. DUKBUT "If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand." Dalai Lama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Yeah! Both the Papoose and Baby Taylor guitars are very worth looking into. Good lookin' out, Dak and Duk. D'OH! I meant to mention them both, and completely spaced it by the time I was winding up on the bit about those Ovation and Applause mini-guits. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 You know, I've had a Martin Backpacker since 1996. I haven't taken it out of it's case in probably 4 years (maybe longer). It really does have a unique (or weird, if you prefer) feel about it... I think I'm going to have to pull it out of the closet this weekend and play it a little... May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy d Posted August 9, 2003 Share Posted August 9, 2003 There are lots of luthiers who build "parlor" guitars that fit your criteria except they tend to be very expensive. Also check out the Vagabond. http://www.stringsmith.com/Vagabond/intro.htm Jill Sobule uses one of these as her main guitar... and Go Guitars. http://www.go-guitars.com/ These get great reviews on the acoustic boards. I think the Grande model would give a sound closer to a traditional acoustic Roy http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/alexisdmusic.htm "once it stops bein' a mystery it stops bein' true" David Mowaljarlai - Ngarinyin Aboriginal Elder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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