thinking parlor guitar

strumsilly

strumsilly

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thinking about getting a small bodied guitar. I had a taylor big baby once, and that was ok. looking for a decent one that won't break the bank, just one to have around , just in case.I like the vintage look, but am wary of getting a vintage with neck /action problems. The Gretsch G9500 "Jim Dandy" has gotten mostly good reviews and is only about $150. anything else I should consider in the less than $200 range?
 
strumsilly said:
thinking about getting a small bodied guitar. I had a taylor big baby once, and that was ok. looking for a decent one that won't break the bank, just one to have around , just in case.I like the vintage look, but am wary of getting a vintage with neck /action problems. The Gretsch G9500 "Jim Dandy" has gotten mostly good reviews and is only about $150. anything else I should consider in the less than $200 range?
Click to expand...

That Jim Dandy is darned nice for the price! A few months back when I was guitar shopping, that was what I narrowed it down to (full discussion here, although it's more about guitars for small hands rather than parlor size specifically). In the opinion of one of my teachers, it was a far better instrument than the Baby Taylors.
 
strumsilly said:
thanks. so what did you get?
Click to expand...

Ha ha, I was going to post an explanation but decided to be brief. I ended up not getting anything - got wrapped up in practice for my uke ensemble's holiday performance and while I was focusing on that, someone else bought the Jim Dandy I had my eye on. I was kind of on the fence about how realistic it was for me to divide my time between uke, which I'm actually decent at, and guitar, which I'm not - so I figured that was the universe's way of telling me to be a one-instrument woman... Subject to change at any minute, of course :)
 
Hi everyone,
What do you think would be the value of a used Simon & Patrick Woodland Pro Parlor Spruce guitar (described as being in 10/10 condition by the online seller/store)?

Any idea?
 
Depends on the price and condition. I read up the reviews on the S&P Parlor. Everyone liked them but thought the action was a litle high. They probabaly weren't set up. Manufactuers usually send their instruments with a higher action so it can be adjusted to the players style.

Comparable to a Godin in the 800 US dollar range. Is there a return policy if it's not what you expected?

I suggest you go on Amazon or Ebay to see what they're selling for and compare with what the sellor is asking. Like a uke, a good setup makes the difference. Good looking guitar for sure.
 
Thanks Patrick :). The guitar is listed on ebay by a music store with a buy it now price of US $585.00 (AU $644.63) and there is the option to make an offer. I can't buy one from Amazon because they will only ship it within the US and I'm in Australia.

I'm not sure if there is any kind of return policy.

The only completed auction I could find on ebay was an Australian auction and the guitar went for AU $430.
 
Is it this one Emma http://www.ebay.com/itm/Simon-Patri...e-/261296199216?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cd6779630 Not a bad deal. Again, I'd ask if they would include a setup or discount some more so you can do it at home. Might be preferrable for you to have done then you can get it adjusted for your style.

If an S&P is what you are looking for, that's not a bad deal. I'd offer a bit less and see what they do. Looking forward to read what you decide on.
 
If that's what you really want it looks ok.
I'd hold out for a used larrivee parlor.
Try to hangout at the larrivee forum.
They usually go for $700-750 used.
Larrivee p03 or the original larrivee parlor.
 
Yep that is the one :). I've never played guitar, so I'm thinking about it at the moment...

One reason I'm looking at S & P is that my brother bought a different S & P while in Canada years ago and it is a beautiful guitar.
 
I was going to mention seagull guitars, which is part of the Godin company, also does S&P and make the Multiuke and some other offshoots. Their new line of budget guitars, the Excursion line is slightly out of your range but not by much. I played the grand parlor in the local guitar shop and was pleasantly suprised by the action, tone, feel, everything. I think the parlor size no pickup installed is around 250 brand new. But in complete honesty i did the same thing thinking id want a parlor cuz it was fairly similar in size to the uke but your going to ache for that full acoustic sound eventually. The price difference between the full size dread or mini jumbo and the parlor isnt much so make sure you try every size, most guitar centers carry these. They also arent to difficult to find cheaper online, if you are interested in a slightly blemmed model at a big discount shoot me a message
 
I play a Breedlove concert, great guitar sound with that smaller body.
 
Ipcmlr said:
Since we're on a uke forum why not try a pono parlor?
heard great things about them.
But haven't tried them out yet.
There is one on sale here --> http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332144
$550 used
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion :).

I have a Pono soprano, but I am not keen on the satin finish...I prefer a glossier finish :).

I messaged the ebay seller of that S & P guitar a couple of days ago with more questions, but they haven't replied yet. If they don't reply, I guess I'll move on and try to look for a different seller (if I want to buy, that is!).
 
I have a Gretsch Jim Dandy for when I want to tinker, and it's beautiful. It's a great entry level parlor guitar and you can work out whether or not parlor guitars are a good fit for you without breaking the bank. I also love baby jumbos; they're smaller than a regular acoustic but they're very loud and boxy. I find that baby jumbos pack a lot of the punch that's missing from parlor guitars. I have the tiniest hands in the world coupled with eczema and I was really struggling until I got my first baby jumbo, it's a life saver.

One more word about the Jim Dandy: it is pretty much cat/child/bombproof!
 
Thanks for the suggestion, della-belle,
There were some videos on youtube of some really talented people playing the Gretsch Jim Dandy and I was impressed with how it sounds (for the price). I also really like the look of it too!
 
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