best acoustic guitars world
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Devin
I have a guitar right now but its kinda a piece of junk. Picked it up at a thrift store for 30 bucks, I dont even know who makes it.
So what brand makes the best acoustic guitars? I dont mean the best in the whole world, just really really good. Something that sounds really nice and beautiful.
Answer
What you have cannot really be called a guitar. ;) Below $100 new you'll find mainly junk or toys for kids, and a used guitar runs about half the price of a new one.
There are lots of good high-end brands ($1000 and up). Martin and Taylor are well known, and there are also many boutique and custom builders. Companies that are good in one price range are not necessarily good in another, so answering your question won't really help you.
If you want something better than your $30 guitar, but want to stay within an entry level price range (about $150-300), I would suggest the Yamaha FG-700S for $200. It's a great guitar for the money and has a solid spruce top, something ordinarily found on more expensive instruments.
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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