best acoustic guitar 500 or less image
graphicstu
I'm wanting to get an acoustic guitar to learn on. What is the best i can get for 300. How much do the acoustic guitars cost that you can plug an amp into.
Answer
For $300 or less you should be able to get a guitar with a solid spruce top. That will make a great difference in sound from a cheaper guitar with a laminate top. The back and sides on a guitar in that price range will most likely still be laminate but the solid wood top makes the biggest difference. Make sure it specifically says "solid" not just "spruce top", or "select spruce top". My favorite brands in that price range range would be Yamaha, Takamine, or Walden. If you can find a decent used Taylor 110 or Seagull in that price range it would be a great buy as well (they're closer to $500 new though). Don't spend a lot of extra money getting one with a cutaway or electronics if you're just learning. You really don't need to plug into an amp at this point and you'll spend an extra $100 or so getting a guitar with a cutaway and electronics over a similar quality simple acoustic guitar. Spend your $300 on a plain acoustic guitar that plays and sounds nice. If you get good and want to plug in later you can add a pickup or upgrade your guitar at that point.
Just a correction to the guy above, you can plug an acoustic electric guitar into a normal electric guitar amplifier and it will work just fine, but you will not get nearly as nice a tone as with an acoustic guitar amplifier. I have a $60 Raven electric guitar amp that I use at home all the time to practice with and it sounds OK, but my guitar really sounds great when I plug it into my Crate Acoustic amplifier I keep over at the church. But again, you're wasting money on electronics if you don't know how to play yet, and the best you can get for $300 will be a good quality acoustic guitar without the electronics.
For $300 or less you should be able to get a guitar with a solid spruce top. That will make a great difference in sound from a cheaper guitar with a laminate top. The back and sides on a guitar in that price range will most likely still be laminate but the solid wood top makes the biggest difference. Make sure it specifically says "solid" not just "spruce top", or "select spruce top". My favorite brands in that price range range would be Yamaha, Takamine, or Walden. If you can find a decent used Taylor 110 or Seagull in that price range it would be a great buy as well (they're closer to $500 new though). Don't spend a lot of extra money getting one with a cutaway or electronics if you're just learning. You really don't need to plug into an amp at this point and you'll spend an extra $100 or so getting a guitar with a cutaway and electronics over a similar quality simple acoustic guitar. Spend your $300 on a plain acoustic guitar that plays and sounds nice. If you get good and want to plug in later you can add a pickup or upgrade your guitar at that point.
Just a correction to the guy above, you can plug an acoustic electric guitar into a normal electric guitar amplifier and it will work just fine, but you will not get nearly as nice a tone as with an acoustic guitar amplifier. I have a $60 Raven electric guitar amp that I use at home all the time to practice with and it sounds OK, but my guitar really sounds great when I plug it into my Crate Acoustic amplifier I keep over at the church. But again, you're wasting money on electronics if you don't know how to play yet, and the best you can get for $300 will be a good quality acoustic guitar without the electronics.
What is the difference between the mid-priced and super-expensive guitars?
B.J.
Would a $1,999 Gibson acoustic guitar sound a lot better than a $199 Ibanez acoustic guitar and $699 Taylor acoustic guitar, or are you just paying for the design and nice finish? If you can be specific, please do.
Answer
A guitar under 200 bucks is, well, no damn good.
200-500 is a GOOD amateur-class guitar.
700-1000 is generally entry-level pro quality.
1000 dollars and up is 'custom' quality. That is, best of everything put together. The highest end guitars can run around 3K. More, and your paying for vintage, usually.
Making that spread a little more complex, some brands are known for having strengths and weaknesses. For example, in the upper end, an Epiphone Les Paul is the real deal, a serious musicians guitar. At the lower end, Epiphone makes junk. Ibanez guitars are famous cost/value guitars... they make cheap guitars of notable quality for the price. Some guitar makers are famous for one model and everything else they do is junk. Some make great acoustics, lousy electrics. Some the other way.
The differences are in woods (although, in guitar woods, it is usually good vs cheap) hardware (chrome is cheap and wears fast, plastic loses finish and eventually breaks, while graphite and steel last forever) electronics (cheap components and wiring over quality) and craftsmanship (a guitar made by human hands will cost more than a manufactured one... usually any guitar under 500 bucks is mass-produced). Finish depends in intended material/look. Some finishes are soooo deep that scratches don't make it far and never show, and are easily filled and buffed.
Rounding out the price factor will be options: passive vs active pickups, locking bridges and tuners, one way or two way trem bars...
So yes... there is a real quality difference between a 199 guitar and a 1999 guitar.
It is generally accepted that NO ONE should buy the cheapest guitars. Novices should start in the 200-300 range. After a year or three, move up to the best guitar you can afford, especially if you intend to play in front of people for money. If you never intend to leave your room no matter how good you get, you can get buy with guitars between 300 and 800 bucks, depending. A novice usually can't appreciate a GREAT guitar. As soon as you play well enough to know the difference, one should start to seriously begin trying as many guitars as possible, to learn your preferences.
As far as cost, you are paying for a guitar that will sound better, physically play better, and require less fanatical care (although you really should be a fanatic anyway) to remain in good condition. TO keep a cheap guitar going, you have to replace some of the hardware every five or so years, depending on use. A 1000 dollar and up guitar is usually configured JUST as you want it, and will never require repairs if you care for it well.
EDIT: Kab's analogy is very good... most of us have 700 dollar guitars that will 'get us there.' And Mikey's right about Gibson acoustics. They are an example of a manufacturer that has a few pet beauties, and their acoustics ride on that reputation without living up to it.
A guitar under 200 bucks is, well, no damn good.
200-500 is a GOOD amateur-class guitar.
700-1000 is generally entry-level pro quality.
1000 dollars and up is 'custom' quality. That is, best of everything put together. The highest end guitars can run around 3K. More, and your paying for vintage, usually.
Making that spread a little more complex, some brands are known for having strengths and weaknesses. For example, in the upper end, an Epiphone Les Paul is the real deal, a serious musicians guitar. At the lower end, Epiphone makes junk. Ibanez guitars are famous cost/value guitars... they make cheap guitars of notable quality for the price. Some guitar makers are famous for one model and everything else they do is junk. Some make great acoustics, lousy electrics. Some the other way.
The differences are in woods (although, in guitar woods, it is usually good vs cheap) hardware (chrome is cheap and wears fast, plastic loses finish and eventually breaks, while graphite and steel last forever) electronics (cheap components and wiring over quality) and craftsmanship (a guitar made by human hands will cost more than a manufactured one... usually any guitar under 500 bucks is mass-produced). Finish depends in intended material/look. Some finishes are soooo deep that scratches don't make it far and never show, and are easily filled and buffed.
Rounding out the price factor will be options: passive vs active pickups, locking bridges and tuners, one way or two way trem bars...
So yes... there is a real quality difference between a 199 guitar and a 1999 guitar.
It is generally accepted that NO ONE should buy the cheapest guitars. Novices should start in the 200-300 range. After a year or three, move up to the best guitar you can afford, especially if you intend to play in front of people for money. If you never intend to leave your room no matter how good you get, you can get buy with guitars between 300 and 800 bucks, depending. A novice usually can't appreciate a GREAT guitar. As soon as you play well enough to know the difference, one should start to seriously begin trying as many guitars as possible, to learn your preferences.
As far as cost, you are paying for a guitar that will sound better, physically play better, and require less fanatical care (although you really should be a fanatic anyway) to remain in good condition. TO keep a cheap guitar going, you have to replace some of the hardware every five or so years, depending on use. A 1000 dollar and up guitar is usually configured JUST as you want it, and will never require repairs if you care for it well.
EDIT: Kab's analogy is very good... most of us have 700 dollar guitars that will 'get us there.' And Mikey's right about Gibson acoustics. They are an example of a manufacturer that has a few pet beauties, and their acoustics ride on that reputation without living up to it.
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