What is a good acoustic guitar at a decent price?

jordanshif

I have an electric guitar and started playing about 6 mos. ago. i want to get an acoustic but i am not sure what kind to get. i would like it to not be over $500. i looked at some guitars in local stores and they were normally ranging from $149-$439. Any suggestions?

Answer
Times have changed for the better. You can get a lot of good acoustic guitars in that price range from a lot of instrument makers.
I'm particularly fond of Yamaha acoustics. They sound very good for the money you spend.

Style is up to you. Most people like acoustic guitars with a cutaway for the fingerboard access, but the non-cutaway guitars will give you a richer sound thanks to the bigger body size.

A word of advice: Guitars in this price range will come with a plastic nut and saddle. The plastic parts work, but they muffle the sound of the guitar. If you pay a guitar repair guy $60 or so to put a bone nut and saddle on your new acoustic, it will sound much better than if you had spent that same $60 on a slightly better guitar.

Which guitar manufacturer makes the best acoustic guitars for the price?

James M

My price range is between $200-$400, the companies I'm most interested in are epiphone, ibanez, washburn and takamine. I would also like your take on ovation or any other guitar manufacturer that makes good guitars for the price. Also if you could rate these companies based on overall quality and value for the price it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
As far as "bang for the buck" guitar brands, you've pretty much hit'em. Ovation doesn't offer much in the price range you mention but their Korean-made Applause cousins do-if you want Ovation but think you can't afford it then definitly check out the Applause brand. Fender also sells accoustics in this range-so does Dean. ALL of these companies put out GOOD QUALITY products in this price range. Ibanez in particular, puts out a nice Accoustic/Electric "Jam Pack" for about $200 that includes more than just the guitar...you might also consider the Musician's Friend web site's "store brand" "Rogue." I think you can still get a guitar and a mandolin TOGETHER for $100 there...and they are actually decent instruments. Many of these lines are manufactured at the SAME FACTORIES in China, Korea or (more recently) Indonesia. Epiphone is apparently an exception to this as they run their own Indonesian factory but the basics still come down to: What do YOU want? The "Best Deal" is the one that you can afford AND feel good/proud about. If you want a natural-finish "normal" guitar then you won't be happy with a jewel-blue round-back from Applause no matter how cheap it was. Even at this price point many guitars include pickups for amplifying the basic accoustic sound for open-mics etc and some (Ibanez, Applause) include built-in tuners which are always nice and save you from buying and carrying a seperate peice of equipment. Look at the features to see if one of your "short list" picks has either significantly more or significantly less features than the other members of the short list. "Solid" wood tops or sides tend to sound better than "laminated" or "High-pressure Laminated" woods but even that isn't hard and fast as everyone has their own take on how things sound. The names you have chosen are all good solid brands. If you were a bit more specific about what you're after (something to take through the woods or on the subway-something that stays home or sits in a car trunk?) it might be easier to help you come to a decision but if you go with Applause, Dean, Epiphone, Fender, Takamine or Washburn (or Rogue) you're not going to get ripped-off. IF you have access to a music store go and try them out...one might just jump out at you as particularly comfortable to hold or just sounds (or even smells) better than antoher one at the same pricepoint. If you're buying over the WWWeb then look carefully, choose what you like and make sure they have a decent retun policy-webstores don't want to leave you feeling burnt and most do offer a stisfaction guarantee...which you should feel free to use if you get something that isn't what you wanted...

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good acoustic guitar shops in manhattan?

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mo

i am going to ny for a couple of days and have been saving up to buy an ACOUSTIC guitar. my price range is around $1500 and it has to be in or really close to manhattan.

Answer
The two best are Rudy's Music Stop on West 48th Street and Matt Umanov on Bleeker Street in the Village. The best acoustic guitar store in the world in Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island, a pleasant ferry ride away.

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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Which is the best nut for an acoustic guitar?

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Ramon Nava

I have an ibanez Aeg 10 bk electro-acoustic guitar, and the 1st string, when I play it open, it sounds like a buzz, and im thinking on changing the nut, so which are the best nuts for an acoustic guitar? Price doesnt matter

Answer
Yup, the best available material is bone - there are also imitation materials, such as tusq (some times referred to as man made ivory).

If I were you, I would however take the guitar to a qualified tech first, just to check that you really need to change the nut.

Be aware that filing a bone nut properly is quite a task, even for someone qualified for the job. For this reason, it may be better to have a tech just shim the nut for you ... if the nut really is the problem.

good acoustic guitar shops in manhattan?

mo

i am going to ny for a couple of days and have been saving up to buy an ACOUSTIC guitar. my price range is around $1500 and it has to be in or really close to manhattan.

Answer
The two best are Rudy's Music Stop on West 48th Street and Matt Umanov on Bleeker Street in the Village. The best acoustic guitar store in the world in Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island, a pleasant ferry ride away.

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