So I've had this Yamaha AC1R for a couple of months...

Mark Wein said:
I know that @Psychotronic uses the Pacifica guitars on tour.
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I'll give you an example -- when I have to check guitars on flights, I shit bricks when it comes to my Les Paul's. I never even blink when it comes to my Pacifica's -- they are bulletproof, play/sound incredible and have held up well on the road. I'm always on the lookout for more of 'em!

Are they as precious as a Suhr or the like? Of course not, but I also don't feel bad if these get dinged up. They are good, workhorse tools that keep proving themselves on the road.
 
A friend of mine has a semi-hollow Yamaha with a Bigsby that sounds absolutely gorgeous. It sounds smooth and shimmery and full of warm glisten.
 
My only acoustic guitar is a Yamaha F335 Dread.
It's an entry level model but it sounds great through my acoustic amp ( Behringer AT-108 ) and stays in tune always and after some sanding on the saddle, action and intonation is dead on.
I would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a sub $200 instrument. I really don't believe that there's a better entry level offering out there.
 
I actually took this guitar to a gig this weekend. I ran it through an LR Baggs Para DI direct into the PA and I used a volume pedal instead of the onboard volume control to make life easier. The guitar sounds great direct...I pretty much ran the Para DI flat with no EQ changes and it sounded pretty good so I didn't mess with it during our limited soundcheck. Its my first acoustic with an onboard tuner/preamp and it was easy to play and very practical for the gig. My Guild DV52 sounds better acoustically but this guitar works better for gigs even though it is half the price. I don't really think that in a live band situation the extra money for a high end guitar would really get me anything more in terms of tone or performance. Plus its easier to switch to from an electric in terms of feel with the neck and the shallower body.

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Yep. IMO on most plugged in gigs a high end acoustic is not needed. A guitar with lots of resonance and harmonics can even make it tougher to eq. All you need is a well set up inexpensive guitar like a Yamaha with a good pickup installed.
I've never even bothered to install a pickup in my D28.

I use a Recording King R07 with a Baggs M1A soundhole pickup. It sounds good thru anything, straight to board, acoustic amp, even my Orange Micro Terror. I have a PADI but with this pickup I don't need it. The PADI gets used on the upright bass, or sometimes my mandolin.
I also like my Gretsch Jim Dandy with the GFS lipstick in the soundhole thru an electric guitar amp for a blusier, rawer sound.
 
Because I alternated between guitar and banjo for my "folk" stuff, I tended not to get acoustic/electric guitars; I have yet to find a banjo pickup that gives a decent banjo sound. Now that I am back to the "singer/songwriter" style, I love having the ability to plug in. My Lunas generally allow me to get a good acoustic sound. I hate, however, when I am at the mercy of a sound person who is more rock oriented; the guitar always ends up sounding too electric. That happened to me when I did the Bandedge TV show in Worcester. I could not hear the sound of the mic and plugged-in guitar; all I heard was the unplugged sound in the studio. I did an open mic that was so bad I almost walked off the stage. I turned the treble off and boosted the bass all the way and it was just bearable.
 
It's a different thing when your solo vs a band. You're not competing for sonic space, much easier to get whatever tone you like. I prefer to play my Martin into a mic in that situation. Tho the RK w the Baggs is certainly adequate.
 
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