What is the difference between the mid-priced and super-expensive guitars?

Q. 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.

Good guitars under $700?

Q. I'm looking for a great-sounding Acoustic guitar, preferably a cutaway. I've played guitars from Yamahas, Johnsons, Garrisons, Taylors, and some others, but I'm stuck on a Taylor. Just tryin to see what other good guitars I've missed..

Answer
You could buy good guitars for cheap prices here in the Philippines.

ORRR

try ebay (;

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Best acoustic guitar under $700?

Q.

Answer
That's very subjective, but I'll give you a link to a few that are very popular in that price range. I have owned a couple Blueridge guitars and they are pretty sweet for the money. They will be harder to resell than a Yamaha or something though since less folks know about them.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/blueridge-br-143a-adirondack-top-craftsman-series-000-acoustic-guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/taylor-210-rosewood-spruce-dreadnought-acoustic-guitar?condition=used#used

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/seagull-maritime-sws-high-gloss-acoustic-guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/ibanez-artwood-series-aw3000wc-solid-top-acoustic-guitar

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/yamaha-l-series-ll6-dreadnought-acoustic-guitar-with-case

whats a really good acoustic electric guitar under $600?

Q. I'm looking for a new guitar and my mom won't buy me one over like $700. I really love Taylors and Gibsons. They have the greatest sweetest tone. But I know they're more of high ended guitars. I played a Taylor 110C acoustic electric guitar at the guitar center about a week ago, and absolutely LOVED it. The action was amazing and the tone was great. It was beautiful. And it was only for $650, which I was suprised to hear because of the amazing sound. Do you guys think this is a good guitar, or should I keep looking, maybe at another brand?

Answer
A Taylor 110ce (the c is for cutaway and the e is for electric) is a great guitar for $650. Was that a used one because normally they're closer to $800. If it was actually a 110C then it isn't an acoustic electric and $650 was probably the right price, but I'm not even sure they make a 110C. If it was a 110E then it has the electronics without the cutaway and I've actually seen them for $649. If you're just learning to play though and don't want to spend $650, then just get a Taylor 110 for about $500. You don't really need the cutaway unless you're playing up above the 14th fret, which most acoustic guitarists don't really need to do. You don't need the electronics either unless you play well enough that you'd actually want to amplify it without people plugging their ears. You might also try out some Yamaha and Takamine guitars in the $500 - $600 range if that's what you want to spend and you really want an acoustic electric. They have some nice guitars in that range but your really need to play them and see how they feel and sound. You don't touch a Gibson at $600, but I think they're overpriced because of the Gibson name (they do sound nice though). Martin has some decent guitars at around $600-$700 too that you might want to try. They have a different sound and feel than Taylors but some people like them better (I prefer Taylors myself).

Oh, forgot to mention, you might also like the 114ce, which is the grand auditorium body style, better than the 110, which is a dreadnought. Unfortunately, they don't make a 114 without the cutaway and electronics and they're about $850.

If you buy from Guitar Center, wait until they have one of those 15% off any single item sales. Get on their mailing list and wait for a sale.

If you can find a store that sells them, Walden guitars are a great guitar for the money too. There's a store near me that sells them. They low end laminates are nothing special, but they make some nice all wood guitars with Fishman electronics that are under $500 and are very nice.

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