L25 or L32 ?????

[Gilly]

Hi Folks
I'm new to this forum.
I have a 2 year old Martin HD-28 that I am not totally satisfied with in terms of tone and I am considering selling/trading for a Lowden/Avalon as I played a couple over the years and really liked the projection.

What I want to know is which models would you recommend I try to get the following :
Warm and powerful bass with thick trebles and a punchy mid-range.
The Martin HD-28 provides a lot of what I need in terms of big strong bass but it is a little weak & tinny in the trebles and tends to break up in the treble area when strummed hard. The bass tends to overpower resulting in warm but slightly wooly and soft sound.

So what I want is to retain a big strong bass but with equally strong mid and trebles.

A friend of mine just bought a new Avalon L25E with fishman pro pickup (in side of guitar). I was really impressed and it is a lot louder then my HD-28 and has clearer and louder trebles, perhaps not quite as loud a bass. But overall I prefer the sound of his to my HD. It had a real clear sound even when strummed really hard/
I also tried a L32 which was a bit brighter but perhaps a bit jangly, maybe just the setup ??

What would be the best tonewood top, the cedar or spruce for fairly heavy strumming that has warmth plus treble clarity and sustain.

Any help would be much appreciated as I feel really dissapointed after having spent so much time looking for my dream guitar and after buying my HD-28 (which tons of people reccomended to me and is Martins best selling guitar) to be left not totally satisfied, I don't want to make the same mistake again.

I am considering either selling the HD-28 or else spending €200 to get new bone nut & saddle and setup to see if that will improve the balance.
Or maybe I should just buy the Avalon as well......

Sorry for long-winded email.

Regards
Barry

[JB]

Hello and welcome to the forums Barry

'tis a good question, and really there is no definitive answer.
I was in a similar dilemma recently, I wanted a warm, smooth feel for fingerstyle and strong bass and clear trebles for strumming.

The answer for me was the L32 and I'm very happy with the sound

[Gilly]

Thanks JB
Did you try the L25 too.
Is it true that the cedar top dents easier than spruce.
I tried a A25 V L32 and the A25 was much brighter and crispier and louder and yet I would have thought that a spruce top would be brighter than a cedar top. Perhaps the smaller body made the A25 brighter ??

[JB]

Well Gilly ... I have played an A25 lots of them the things is, I have an unfair advantage when it comes to play testing some guitars seein' as how I work here in the Avalon factory

The sound of a top can is not just dependent on the type of wood, in this case cedar or spruce but there are things that can have quite an impact on how that top will sound for example the bracing material used for the struts, or the tightness of the grain, was it a stiff soundboard before being braced .... ?

and that's just the soundboard .... then there's the rosewood back and sides, they will also play a part in the overall sound .... maybe a particular set of rosewood sides and back had more open grain or maybe more oily purple coloured, dense rosewood ?

I'm not trying to avoid answering your question I'm just letting you see that there can be a combination of factors that can affect how and A25 will sound ... infact 2 similar A25 models can be played side by side and each one could have certain sweet spots and tones compaired to the other ... ahh the joys of trying to select the perfect, complete sounding guitar ... it's not easy my friend but I'm sure you'll make the right choice

[Gilly]

JB
Just wondering do Avalons come with a bone saddle & nut or is it corian ??
Barry

[JB]

all ox bone