best acoustic guitars value
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parker
Im going to GC to look at some acoustic guitars. What might be the range of prices? What is a good brand of acoustic guitar?
Answer
Entry level guitars run about $150-300 and should meet a beginner's needs. Yamaha is one of the better entry level brands.
Different brands specialize in different price ranges. You will generally get the best value by buying a brand whose core expertise is in the price range you want.
Once you have been playing for a year or two, you'll be more able to evaluate different guitars, and you'll have more idea what you want. That's the time to start thinking about a more expensive instrument.
What type of acoustic guitar should I get?
delbert050
I'm looking to get a new acoustic guitar for a price range that only goes up to about $400ish.
Whats a some good acoustic guitars that fit into that price range?
and just a typical acoustic guitar
Answer
Your budget is a realistic one- you can get a very good instrument for under $400. Here are some guidelines that may help:
TYPE- Chances are, you are most likely to want a steel-string guitar- nylon strings are easier on your fingers, but the necks are wide, which makes reaching the top-most strings difficult.
BODY SIZE Most acoustic guitars sold have a "dreadnaught" sized body, with a large body (particularly the "lower bout,") which makes for a bassy sound, and can be hard to reach around for smaller folks. A better balanced sound comes from a smaller body, such as Seagull's "Folk" sized guitars, or Martin's 00 size.
FRET BOARD WIDTH Again, classical/nylon strings have rather wide fretboards, Dreadnaughts have quite narrow ones. Again, the Folk or OO has a good balance.
NECK THICKNESS Not usually an issue for acoustic guitars, most necks are of around the same thickness and "profile," so don't worry about it- if a guitar feels good when you wrap your fretting hand around the neck, and you don't have trouble reaching all six strings, that's good enough.
EXTRAS It seems many acoustic guitars have electronics added to them, so that you can play them though an amplifier or PA. You will see a small (2" x 2" or so) panel on the side of the guitar, facing you as you play it, that has bass, treble, etc. controls on it. Really, this is an expense you can easily do without- you may never "plug it in," this being your first guitar. There is one benefit to this, though- these days, this often includes a built-in tuner. In my opinion, a pickup/preamp (what this assembly is called) is pointless UNLESS it includes a tuner, but perhaps worth the little extra money if it does have a tuner.
A plain-top guitar will cost you far less than a fancy, dolled-up one, and will play just as well, sound just as good- maybe even better.
BRANDS/MAKES Godin makes some excellent guitars, and terrific values. Art & Luthier, and Norman are their least-expensive brands, Seagull just a bit pricier. You should be able to stay within your $400 budget. Alvarez and Ibanez (not at all related, in spite of the association the "z's" inplies) are good brands, too, although I think Seagulls are, in most cases, better values. Epiphone makes some good guitars, but their lower-priced stuff (under $200 or 300) is suspect, avoid Epi's unless you are serious about spending $400 or more. Martins and Taylors are usually excellent guitars, but beware: if you find those examples of either in your price range, you are getting things like HPL (high pressure laminate- a manufactured product, only distantly related to wood), and "Made in China." Yup, a Martin made in China. What HAS the world come to?? Fender makes some good electric guitars, but AVOID their acoustics- Fender only makes acoustics because people know the name; their acoustics are not good values, nor are the particularly good guitars. A possible exception: Fender makes some very cool thin-body "Telecoustics," which are cool guitars, but be warned- they sound thin when played just acoustic- probably not what you are looking for.
AVOID, AVOID, AVOID: Almost ANYTHING made in China. probably Indonesia and Korea, too. Too much a crap shoot as to quality and even playability. Fortunately, most of the MIC "guitar-shaped objects" are aimed at the low-end market.
BEST PLACE TO BUY: Locally-owned, acoustic-orientated shop. If they have dozens or even hundreds of acoustic guitars hanging on the walls, and fewer electrics, AND your eyes bug out when you look at the first three or four price tags, YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. They will have less expensive guitars, and 99% of the time, know their stuff plenty well enough to make sure you buy the right guitar. Yes, you will pay a bit more, but you get much more. You can do okay at places like Guitar Center, but the chances are far greater that you will walk out with a guitar that is not quite "right" for you.
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