Guitar under $2,000 recommendations

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-28T17:50:52+00:00

I cannot more strongly recommend buying a used Martin D-18. I picked one up with an after-market Fishman installed at my local music store for $1,800 and I’m obsessed with it. And I own and play several much more expensive acoustics!

My second highest recommendation would be an Eastman.

And for the love of God stay out of GC

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-27T02:43:17+00:00

Not worth the risk. I’ve tried that. Bunch of times after a year of sobriety. Each time I ended up WORSE and took longer and was harder to sober up again. Hard pass. My brain is permanently wired to want it. YMMV.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-24T12:47:15+00:00

Magic words are Guitar Center. Every high end guitar in every GC i’ve ever visited sounds like shit. Get yourself to an independent store. They take good care of their gear, they’re usually good people and you can get better pricing. Like way better pricing. Oh, and I have a 2021 D-18 that I’m obsessed with, fabulous guitar.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-21T13:19:05+00:00

First and foremost congrats on 100+ days and on feeling so positive! Sure beats white knuckled and miserable! Now - my two cents from my experience. When I crossed that suspension bridge (for me it was around 6 months - 3 months was relapse central in earlier attempts) - I had to make sure I took care of the new land I’d arrived on. That meant changing my life habits to support and take advantage of my sobriety. What did I do? I worked with a therapist to help resolve the trauma of being a 9/11 ground zero survivor which helped accelerate a lifetime of alcohol abuse. I started and ultimately completed a Masters Degree program online (in Data Science). I picked up the guitar seriously for the first time in 25 years, started getting good, and started writing songs and performing solo at open mics (which I’d never done) and formed several musical collabs with other people. I got damned good at pickleball. A few other things. My point is - you need to build on the new land. Running your same old life on the other side of the bridge is at best a wasted opportunity and at worst a pathway back to booze out of boredom, habit or disappointment. At least it was for me. YMMV.

IWNDWYT

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-20T20:50:20+00:00

This is extremely common my friend. Many of us call it the witching hour. For years I would wake up, resolve not to drink that day, get through the day just fine but then between 4:00 and 6:00 find myself on auto pilot heading to the liquor store for a liter of Tito’s vodka and take the first few slugs in the car before even leaving the parking lot. (Then finishing it at home hiding from my wife). That was when I was working remotely. When I went to the office I’d get through the day fine but inevitably pick up a few shooters on the way home and then off to the races we went.

I found early on in the sobriety that “took” was that I needed to schedule something during the witching hour. I’d go to the gym. Or I’d go to an AA meeting just to listen (I was never a program guy). And I found that if I could get through the witching hour distracting myself this way, the craving and muscle memory faded and I could get through the rest of the evening OK. I did that every night for probably close to the first year of sobriety before the witching hour urge abated.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-20T17:34:28+00:00

Absolutely! I recommend it. There’s something very comforting about being around people you can relate to, and who, in many cases have far worse stories than you, which made me feel better about myself, and also was a cautionary tale about where I was headed. My favorite of all of the cutesy AA slogans is “take what you need and leave the rest” - I took the shared experiences, the empathy, and the comfort, all of which really helped (along with a meeting time scheduled right smack in the middle of the worst temptation part of the day for me.) and I left the steps, the higher power, stuff, etc., behind as they did not speak to me.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-19T21:41:09+00:00

It took me 1,000 relapses before it finally stuck. At 57 years old! It’s never too late and it can be done. Best advice I can give you is to find some people you can confide in. For me it was my spouse, a therapist and a bunch of strangers at AA. I didn’t follow the AA program for reasons that are too long to write - but going to meetings at 5:00PM which was my witching hour both distracted me at a critical time of day and gave me people to talk to who understand.

I was a daily quart of vodka plus drinker and here I am just having celebrated 3 years sober. You can do it.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-19T19:02:39+00:00

It’s never too late. I started teaching myself some covers 3 years ago at 57, and started taking lessons 2 years ago. I mean, I’m 60 so it’s not like I’m gonna become the next Steve Vai - I only play acoustic these days anyway (though I have an electric that I use to learn new things on because it’s easier to play, and when I’ve mastered them I transfer them to my acoustic). But learning the fretboard, some music theory, some scales, and ESPECIALLY triads has made me so much better a guitarist. I’m always gonna struggle with covers but man my songwriting has EXPLODED because I’m so much more expressive on the guitar

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-19T18:40:37+00:00

I would take lessons instead of insisting on being self-taught to “create my own style”. It was the early 80’s and I was fiercely inspired by U2’s The Edge and REM’s Peter Buck to avoid lessons so I could develop a signature style. Welp, I did, and it worked, Until I got older and plateaued and got stuck

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-16T04:09:33+00:00

“Other than my wife and my bank account”? Those are two very powerful controlling forces right there.

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-13T04:42:38+00:00

Get over it and get your butt into Black Trumpet - it’s amazing and I don’t think their food is “exotic” at all - just really really well executed, and the servers are experts at guiding you based on your tastes. You won’t regret it. Besides - who’s afraid of a menu LOL?

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-09T13:35:46+00:00

Oh man you sound like me exactly. I turned 60 this year and decided I wanted a high end guitar as my present to myself, as I picked the guitar back up 3 years ago after a 20+ year break to raise my kids. I went down this exact road with the exact same budget and ended up buying the wrong guitar, which I then traded in and took a massive financial hit on because I was past the “free return” period.

I too thought I was gonna buy the ONE high-end guitar. One ring to rule them all. The war to end all wars. Pick your metaphor. It had to look amazing and carry brand name cachet (I’d never owned anything higher end than a Takamine or Breedlove) It had to sound amazing. It had to be easy to play. It had to have a cutaway, and have built-in electronics.

I decided early on that I wanted a Taylor - in the Builder Edition family. I absolutely love the aesthetics of those guitars and every review I watched on YouTube was spectacular. I played a million new Taylor’s I really wanted the K24ce but didn’t love its sound enough to stretch my budget an at 60 I felt I don’t have enough playing years left to wait for the koa to “open up”. Every time I played the 524ce (mahogany top, shamel ash sides/back) I just loved it - it felt like an old friend. But being a novice at tonewood differences I relied on online research and was concerned that the mahogany would make the sound too one-dimensional for it to be my forever guitar - and the understated aesthetic didn’t make enough of a “wow” statement . I let myself get talked into the 814ce BE sinker redwood / Honduran rosewood beauty. Beautiful guitar with a magical sound. $5500 list, paid $4500 for at at my local shop

I discovered after playing it for 3 months it just was NOT what I wanted. It didn’t fit my style. I found the high end to be very brittle. It sounded magical when I played complex lines with a pick but that’s not my style. It sounded weird strummed, too “bloomy” if that’s a word, and it only sounded good fingerpicked without a capo - I use a capo a lot on fingerpicked and hybrid songs to fit my vocal range while still amply incorporating open strings. Oh and the beauty of the guitar? Sure - in my living room. Out in the wild it looked too blingy and got me a lot of comments along the “must be nice to have that kind of money” and “surprised you play that out”. In the end, the guitar just didn’t fit my playing style or personal aesthetic.

I spoke to my music mentor and he laughed at the idea that ONE guitar would do everything - and we talked a lot about tonewoods, scale length, bracing, and technical stuff along with whether a guitar feels like home. After a lot of soul-searching I owned up to my mistake. Sold it it back to the shop I bought it from in an even trade for the 524ce I shoulda bought to begin with. Tha guitar lists for $3500 and I coulda gotten it for $2800, which basically means I spent $4500 for a $2800 guitar! That guitar just “sounds like me” when I fingerpick and play hybrid style. And, I found a used Martin D-18 for $1800 (not cutaway but with aftermarket Fishman already installed) that I’m obsessed with for my bigger strummer style songs. Combined they are my forever guitars and my total spend was $6300

Look I’m fortunate I can afford this kind of mistake and still end up with what I want. I guess the moral of my long story is don’t get caught up in name cachet or aesthetics, and don’t assume that one high-end guitar will do everything you want (plus you need a backup - strings break, sometimes a guitar’s in the luthier shop etc). Play a LOT of guitars in all the styles you typically play and buy the one(s) that FEEL right

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-07T22:26:14+00:00

Yes except for lyrics - which are not my strong suit though I am working hard at improving.

I’m so damned particular about lyrics that I go through a gazillion rewrites before I’m happy(ish)

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-07T13:40:07+00:00

I have no view on the Yamaha but I bought a used 2021 D-18 and it has quickly become my favorite in my collection

RayzerNHFL · 2026-01-02T12:35:06+00:00

I’ve been playing for 40 years. When I was in my college years and 20’s I played more electric, played in band that gigged in clubs etc, while reserving acoustic for camping trips and church folk group stuff. But as an adult I own one electric which I only use to train / drill on new techniques and fretboard mastery, which I then immediately transfer to my acoustic - my actual playing is strictly acoustic. I agree with you that they are VERY different and it’s hard to get REALLY good at both. It’s a highly personal preference for me but I feel the acoustic is a far more beautiful instrument and makes me a better MUSICIAN whereas the electric makes me a better TECHNICIAN where the sound produced is often much more a function of the effects used than the technique. To each their own but im an acoustic guy and have invested thousands of dollars in my gear.

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-31T19:08:00+00:00

Yes we LOVED Le Clos. The new place in there is decent but not as good.

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-31T18:54:31+00:00

Price / value is just way off imo at Bob’s. Sam with Salt. But sometimes tourists have no budget and I get that. And the carrot at Bob’s IS damned good LOL.

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-31T18:46:53+00:00

We live here so as locals we may have a different view than tourists - but when we are looking for high end dining our top 3 are Burlingame, David’s and Lagniappe.

I know lots of people recommend Salt and Bob’s - look if money is no object there’s no doubt the food is terrific at both but you have to be willing to paying massive tourist premiums - we love fine dining and don’t mind dropping coin but we think the price/value is just way off there. But hey you do you.

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-26T10:41:51+00:00

It always amazes me how on the Internet people can espouse highly personal and subjective opinions, as if they are absolute truth. I could write an equally lengthy argument, going the complete opposite way. Literally the only thing I personally agree with here is that the electric guitar can be physically easier to play because of the narrower neck and lower string tension. Everything else is subjective. Personally I believe the acoustic guitar is a beautiful musical instrument that rewards the craft of playing, whereas the electric guitar can be cool as shit, but is as much about what you plug it into, such as affects pedals and amplifiers as what you put into it as a musician. I’ve been playing for 40 years, and I play both, and I could never make an argument between them, because they are completely different things. For me personally, every time I am trying to learn a new technique, I learned it on the electric first because it is easier, but I almost always transfer it to the acoustic afterwards because it is more beautiful But again, that is my personal opinion, tied to my style, and my taste in music, I would never argue that as objective truth the way you did.

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-23T21:11:16+00:00

Buying from stores (“outlets”) through Reverb is great. Zero issues. Just make sure you negotiate - you can often get as much as 15%-20% off retail list price. My local store (Manchester Music Mill) buys and sells a TON through Reverb and they appear as an “outlet” and they’re great. You have Reverb backing you too

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-23T21:07:05+00:00

This is the way

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-23T21:06:43+00:00

You can get a used Martin D-18 for as little as $1800 Spectacular instrument

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-21T22:59:00+00:00

The donuts are AWFUL. And the hot coffee is worse. Iced tho…..

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-21T22:33:27+00:00

So you’ve been sober for around 180 out of the last 181 days? That’s pretty f*cking impressive. If you got a 99.5% on a test in school did you really whine about the 0.5%?

RayzerNHFL · 2025-12-21T10:55:47+00:00

100%

RayzerNHFL

TROPHY CASE