Members tomi210210 Posted February 18, 2017 Members Share Posted February 18, 2017 I am about to buy my first acoustic guitar. I did a little research and found out, that solid top guitars are the way to go, so I've been looking for those and I found two guitars, that have solid tops and are within my budget. These are:Fender CD-140SYamaha FG 800MThese two are the only ones I found in my country (Slovakia) in my budget. (200 - 250$)Do you guys have any experience with these guitars? Which one is better in your opinion?As I looked through the specs I noticed four differences.1. The Fender has 25.3 inch scale length, while the Yamaha has 25". Which one is better?2. The Fender has Graph Tech® NuBone nut and saddle, while the Yamaha has Urea.3. The Fender has Dual action truss rod, while the yamaha has single. (I don't really know the difference)4. The Fender has Mahagony back and sides, while the Yamaha has Nato.Based on these differences I'm leaning towards the Fender, but I wan't to ask for your opinion as well, because I wan't the best "buck for the money" as they say. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 18, 2017 Members Share Posted February 18, 2017 Your copy/paste message is faint but I see the choices between Fender and Yamaha. I'd grab the latter and never look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 18, 2017 Members Share Posted February 18, 2017 I agree completely with Idunno - Fender has released a new line of acoustics which are probably better than their old ones (almost anything would be) but Yamaha is almost always a clear winner. I've had some experience repairing older model Fenders and have not been impressed by what I see. I will qualify this by saying that I have not seen or played this particular model As far as your questions - you won't notice the difference in scale length- both nut materials are synthetics that are easy to mold and cnc machine. Neither is better- I prefer dual action truss rods but that is not a make or break item. Both will work in the hands of a skilled technician- both guitars have laminated backs and sides - that really doesn't affect the sound much, its the solid top that matters. They will be similar looking, the Yamie is matt finish, the Fender is gloss if that matters to you. I would be more concerned that a starter guitar be will set up for you by the store you get it from. If you don't play take a friend along who does and who can evaluate the setup and action of each on. Welcome to the forum but please remove the COLOR=#DDDDCC from future posts, it will be much easier to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 18, 2017 Moderators Share Posted February 18, 2017 I fixed the font color for you....I'm going with the majority of the other well-respected posters here. Given the choice between a low-end Fender acoustic or a low-end Yamaha, I would opt for the Yamaha as the 'better bang for the buck', and, over all, the instrument that will likely better serve your needs. I also heartily concur that you should bring along someone who's opinion you trust who is far more experienced about guitars, rather than relying on the shop staff to guide you*. This third party should be able to make an on-site comparison and show/demonstrate to you the differences that may be huge, or may not, regarding playability, tone, etc. [i was fortunate to have just such a friend when I bought my first 'good' {albeit student model} steel string acoustic guitar, which I own to this day]. *I have no direct experience as to how businesses operate in Slovakia, and this is not to say the shop staff is not knowledgeable or honest, but sometimes there are sales incentives, dealer quotas, and the like that might tend to bias a salesperson's approach, especially when dealing with the uninitiated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted February 18, 2017 Members Share Posted February 18, 2017 Another vote for the Yamaha . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 19, 2017 Members Share Posted February 19, 2017 Yamaha. Fender should stick to making electric guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 19, 2017 Moderators Share Posted February 19, 2017 well, except they own Guild, Gretsch, Takamine, Ovation.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 19, 2017 Members Share Posted February 19, 2017 You won't notice a difference in scale length. Neither is ''better.'' NuBone and urea are synthetic materials. I don't know which is harder but that would be my choice. There are people who disparage anything synthetic in favor of natural bone but there's no advantage in bone that I'm aware of and, as Freeman said, synthetics can be made in the correct shape from the start rather than being shaped by hand. A dual action truss rod is generally preferable but as long as the rod does the job it doesn't matter. Nato is similar in characteristics to Honduras mahogany. In a guitar made with laminated wood it's debatable whether you'd hear a difference in the first place. Yamaha gets a lot of love, most of it deserved; Fender doesn't get much love for their acoustics, part of that is deserved as well. As the others have said, take a friend along and choose the guitar that sounds and plays the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tomi210210 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2017 Thank you all for the replies. Yes, I can try these out, as a matter of fact, I just went and did today. Both of these guitars feel and sound very good to me, although I don't really have reference to compare them to. As I was in the store I discovered another solid top guitar, that fits my budget, it's the Ibanez AW70 Artwood. Do you guys think is it better than the other two?Some of it's specs:Solid Sitka Spruce topSapele back and sides25.5" scale length1.69" nutIbanez Ivorex II nut and saddle material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ski219 Posted February 19, 2017 Members Share Posted February 19, 2017 I recently played a bunch of acoustics in the $$7-800 dollar range and the Yamaha sounded best to me. Also played very well. Fender does not have a good rep when it comes to acoustic guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 19, 2017 Members Share Posted February 19, 2017 They get some love, but again Ibanez is better-known for their electric and hollow body electric offerings. Even Yamaha is known as being a "jack of all trades" company (that makes everything from pianos to motorcycles) but when it comes to guitars they seem to be more "focused" on entry to mid level instruments. To be fair, Yamaha did make some crappy guitars too. A personal friend of mine once owned a Yamaha made of laminated bamboo. Bamboo is not big enough to make a full bookmatched soundboard or back plate though, so it was basically about a dozen or so inch-wide strips of veneer covered by Yamaha's signature thick poly finish. The result was a surface that looked like a lane in a bowling alley - though the guitar was ironically very quiet in volume. I don't know about Yamaha's 800 series or the higher end 3 series, but I've always though highly of their 700 series as a "starter" guitar (the solid spruce top being the major selling point to me) and especially their "Lotus" series which has solid Engelmann spruce tops. Another friend had an LL6 that had an awesome soundboard transducer pickup system that was the best pickup I'd ever heard. OTOH the guitar was all white so it had all the visual appeal of a refrigerator or some other type of kitchen appliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 21, 2017 Members Share Posted February 21, 2017 Thank you all for the replies. Yes, I can try these out, as a matter of fact, I just went and did today. Both of these guitars feel and sound very good to me, although I don't really have reference to compare them to. As I was in the store I discovered another solid top guitar, that fits my budget, it's the Ibanez AW70 Artwood. Do you guys think is it better than the other two? Some of it's specs: Solid Sitka Spruce top Sapele back and sides 25.5" scale length 1.69" nut Ibanez Ivorex II nut and saddle material. Ibanez acoustics are seriously underrated, IMHO. My ''good'' acoustic is an AW120. the AW70 isn't necessarily ''better'' than the others but it's easily as good as most guitars in its price range. I don't think you'd go wrong with it. One thing to keep in mind: I found better results with 80/20 strings than phosphor bronze on mine, otherwise the G string tended to bind in the nut slot because ''Ivorex II'' is softer than TUSQ or bone. Any knowledgeable music store salesperson can steer you toward 80/20 strings, or you can simply buy one of the other guitars and not worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delmont Posted February 21, 2017 Members Share Posted February 21, 2017 I'd get the Yamaha. The "Artwood" line just smells like a marketing gimmick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 Yamaha all day long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 I'd get the Yamaha. The "Artwood" line just smells like a marketing gimmick. It's not. Ibanez markets various lines of acoustic guitars. The ''V'' models are strictly beginner guitars, usually sold as part of a ''player pack.'' The ''Performance'' models are a step up, still all laminated. The ''Exotic Wood'' models are made to look cool but not so much for great unplugged tone. The ''Artwood'' models feature solid tops, and in some cases all solid wood, and are as good as just about anything out there. Sure, Yamaha is a solid choice but it's not the only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 Only partly right, daddymack. Fender acquired Guild, Tacoma, Kaman and Ovation - then proceeded to run them into the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigald18 Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 I have owned Yamahas, both steel string and classical and have owned Ibanez solid bodies and hollow body jazz guitars. The workmanship on the Ibanez is top notch and their hollow bodies are among the best out there for the dollar. I wold not avoid the Ibanez line. Yamaha is a cut above most manufacturers in quality control and sound today. I would favor the Yammies personally, but the other factors you need to look at are subjective and personal. In the end, all the investigation and comparisons and requests for other peoples opinions are going to come down to an emotional decision that opens your wallet in a store based on your brain saying "I want THAT one" anyway. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 22, 2017 Moderators Share Posted February 22, 2017 Our opinions are basically just that, and certainly generalized. I have to think, as the ultimate end user, you need to try these guitars out and make a decision based on how they feel, how they sound and which one speaks to you louder [or more sweetly] than the others, because that, my friend, is how the deal gets done in the final analysis. Also, remember, this is your first guitar, not your last... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delmont Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 No, it's not the only choice. I don't recommend them - I've only picked up one that played well - but choosing between a Fender and a Yamaha, I like Yamahas better: I've NEVER liked any Fender acoustic I've played. If I were advising on an entry-level guitar, I'd suggest checking out Seagull or Art & Lutherie. (Both are Canadian companies. Wonder how much it costs to ship 'em from Canada to Slovakia. There must be some cool Europe-made guitars around. Have to wonder about that, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 After running them into the ground, fender sold the remainig ashes to other leeches. There is little hope for Ovation and Guild, but Gretsch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 22, 2017 Members Share Posted February 22, 2017 The 700 series is way more than just a starter guitar. It's competent enough to last a player's life and not just the first three chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted February 23, 2017 Members Share Posted February 23, 2017 I agree on the yamaha - they are more durable - not sure wether the 800M has a solid top -but a solid top would be requirementto having a guitar get better with age !Fenders do not get alot of love around here ( Im not a big fan either ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 23, 2017 Members Share Posted February 23, 2017 Not sure what European-made guitars those would be. Framus appears to be rebranded Alvarez these days. Furch and Lakewood are both nice but pricy, especially for a first guitar. Lag is French but their low-end models are made in China. Tanglewood is distributed from the UK but also made in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delmont Posted February 24, 2017 Members Share Posted February 24, 2017 Yup. Just find one you like and buy it. Simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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