Recommend a Guitar in This Price Range...

[fleshvictim]

Something around $300. New or used doesn't matter. I'm just looking for something to noodle around on.

[Guitar Hack]

Try a Blueridge Guitar. Check out E-bay for them and you can usually get them cheaper.

[Hudman]

Yamaha, Washburn, Alvarez and Walden are all in your range.

 

Walden guitars are starting to get a lot of attention. Several people here own them and they can't say enough good stuff about them. You can buy them new from Walden dealers on Ebay for less than $300.

[Harpoinseoul]

Peal make a nice Acoustic Guitar. They're Korean made and great bang for your buck!

[fleshvictim]

Thanks everyone. Keep em comin.

[moctzal]

 

Yamaha, Washburn, Alvarez and Walden are all in your range. Walden guitars are starting to get a lot of attention. Several people here own them and they can't say enough good stuff about them. You can buy them new from Walden dealers on Ebay for less than $300.

 

 

+1

I'd add in Art & Lutherie and Seagull

[fleshvictim]

Im checking out the Art & Lutherie's and Waldens. I really don't know much if anything about acoustics. Which ones should I be looking at?

[Hudman]

Im checking out the Art & Lutherie's and Waldens. I really don't know much if anything about acoustics. Which ones should I be looking at?

 

I like the Walden G570 and G550. They are "Grand Auditorium" styled guitars.

 

From the Walden website:

"Walden's proprietary Grand Auditorium body is an elegant, stylish guitar. With a slightly wider lower bout than our traditional Dreadnought and a narrower waist and upper bout, the Grand Auditorium speaks with ample bass balanced by clear and brilliant trebles. Inviting and wonderfully playable, the Grand Auditorium's rounded contours are visually pleasing and comfortable in your arms."

 

http://www.waldenguitars.com/steel/natura/500series.html

 

G550 (solid spruce top w/ mahogany)

G570 (solid cedar top w/ mahogany)

 

G570ETB in tobacco burst finish (solid cedar top w/ mahogany)

[guitarist21]

+1 on used Seagulls. Washburn is my current favorite for new guitars in your price range. Lots of folks like Yamaha too.

 

Ellen

[moctzal]

Well with the A&L you're pretty limited in your choices. Either a laminated Cherry top, a Solid Spruce top or a Solid Cedar top. The lam. cherry is good if you want a worry/maintenance free guitar, solid spruce/cedar depends on whic you like the sound of more. Spruce is the most used top wood on guitars and in comparison to cedar, it's brighter louder and more defined. Cedar is more mellow and seems to have more overtones and is slightly more repsonsive to fingerpicking.

 

As far as Yamahas, the FG700S and FG730S are probably your best bets. The FG730S might be slightly over your $300 limit.

 

Washburn's D10S is one to look at.

Alvarez's RD20S also.

 

I can't say that I know enough about Waldens to really comment. They are great guitars as well on all accounts.

 

All those listed (with the exception of the A&L with a cherry top) have solid tops. All are great guitars worth the money, it'll come down to your personal preferences.

 

On another note, do you know what sort of neck (profile, nut width, scale length etc...) you want? Or body size?

 

Also with whichever guitar you get, have it professionally set up.

It makes a huge difference on acoustics playability to have them set up correctly to your preferences.

[fatback]

If you're in the UK look at the crafter range. Korean very well made.

 

Phil

[Chicken]

As far as Yamahas, the FG700S and FG730S are probably your best bets. The FG730S might be slightly over your $300 limit.

Also the FG750s. Both the FG730s and 750s can be had at $300, if you request it from a place like GC. Used they are a bit less.

[kwakatak]

What part of Pittsburgh are you in? In the south hills area Empire Music sells Alvarez and Takamine, IIRC Guitar Gallery sells Epiphone (only went there for strings once) and Lawrence Music still sells Seagulls, I believe.

[drnihili]

 

Im checking out the Art & Lutherie's and Waldens. I really don't know much if anything about acoustics. Which ones should I be looking at?

 

 

That depends on you. What kind of music are you interested in playing? Rock rhythm guitar? Fingerstyle? Blues? You can, of course, play any kind of music on any guitar, but some are better suited for certain styles than others.

[totamus]

Crafter, Johnson, Washburn, some Fenders, Epiphone, Yamaha, A&L, Blueridge. There are a lot of really nice imports that represent tremendous value.

[likkafella]

I'd day blueridge. I have a blueridge br-43 and a yamaha dread and the blueridge is just a much better guitar than the yamaha.

[garthman]

 

If you're in the UK look at the crafter range. Korean very well made. Phil

 

 

I think he's in the USA but, I agree with you about the Crafter - best value- for-money guitar on the market IMO, but I'm not sure of their availabilty in the US.

 

If you can get one, fleshvictim, go for it.

[pathofspirit]

Great suggestions above. Here are my two. First, a used Epiphone Masterbilt in your budget range would be a good choice if you can find one. Second, I picked up a used Ibanez Artwood 100 last year for about $150. It was a discontinued model - solid spruce top, laminate mahogany back and sides, great action and sound.

[fleshvictim]

 

Well with the A&L you're pretty limited in your choices. Either a laminated Cherry top, a Solid Spruce top or a Solid Cedar top. The lam. cherry is good if you want a worry/maintenance free guitar, solid spruce/cedar depends on whic you like the sound of more. Spruce is the most used top wood on guitars and in comparison to cedar, it's brighter louder and more defined. Cedar is more mellow and seems to have more overtones and is slightly more repsonsive to fingerpicking. As far as Yamahas, the FG700S and FG730S are probably your best bets. The FG730S might be slightly over your $300 limit. Washburn's D10S is one to look at. Alvarez's RD20S also. I can't say that I know enough about Waldens to really comment. They are great guitars as well on all accounts. All those listed (with the exception of the A&L with a cherry top) have solid tops. All are great guitars worth the money, it'll come down to your personal preferences. On another note, do you know what sort of neck (profile, nut width, scale length etc...) you want? Or body size? Also with whichever guitar you get, have it professionally set up. It makes a huge difference on acoustics playability to have them set up correctly to your preferences.

 

Like I said I really dont know anything about acoustics. I've always played electrics. I just wanted to expand my playing.

[fleshvictim]

 

That depends on you. What kind of music are you interested in playing? Rock rhythm guitar? Fingerstyle? Blues? You can, of course, play any kind of music on any guitar, but some are better suited for certain styles than others.

 

Probably folk, rock, blues. Some examples: elliott smith, bright eyes, radiohead, iron & wine.

 

So many options. I don't know what to look into now.

[fleshvictim]

any of these?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Lutherie-Cedar-GT-Acoustic-Guitar-by-Seagull_W0QQitemZ200176707709QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRAFTER-GAE8-N-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-W-ACCESSORIES_W0QQitemZ190176577234QQihZ009QQcategoryZ47064QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Crafter-Dreadnought-Acoustic-DV200-NV-All-Solid-Woods_W0QQitemZ260186064895QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Walden-D-560CE-acoustic-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ300175253900QQihZ020QQcategoryZ47064QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I really like the cut away body. There's a few more on ebay. I don't want to flood the post with links though.

[T.B.]

any of these? http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Lutherie-Cedar-GT-Acoustic-Guitar-by-Seagull_W0QQitemZ200176707709QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/CRAFTER-GAE8-N-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-W-ACCESSORIES_W0QQitemZ190176577234QQihZ009QQcategoryZ47064QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/Crafter-Dreadnought-Acoustic-DV200-NV-All-Solid-Woods_W0QQitemZ260186064895QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/Walden-D-560CE-acoustic-electric-guitar_W0QQitemZ300175253900QQihZ020QQcategoryZ47064QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I really like the cut away body. There's a few more on ebay. I don't want to flood the post with links though.

 

I went with what I know so, those are my two picks .... with a preference still for Walden. I was in Guitar Center yesterday and they had some nice sales on guitars, as someone recommend checkout Yamaha too, I like Yammy's a lot. FG-700s/730s - in fact the 730s was being sold little bit under $300. Don't let it overwhelm you Fleshvictim. I made the mistake of telling a newbie the search was all apart of the fun and he told me, "No, it isn't". So, I want go there, but you sorta know what you like. If you like a cut away body and onboard electronics than let this be two of the attributes you're looking for in picking a guitar. By all means go out and play as many guitars as you can. Ask some one more experience than you to go along with you so you can hear the "full' sound of the guitar. Once you've played a few you'll be able to recognize what size feels good, what's you preference in neck shape, string spacing, and what sounds good to you and vice-versa.

 

Trina

[Walt Pilcher]

I'm a new player and started with a Greg Bennett D1CE ( http://www.smcmusic.com/website_gregbennett/d1ce.html ), which I like. Paid about $220 at my local music store, which ordered it for me. It's made by Samick, a company that makes several big brand name guitars on a contract manufacturing basis, so they know what they're doing. The guitar is made of nato, a type of mahogany, which gives it a more mellow sound than is typical and is a sound I like. Just a personal preference, but liking the sound is very important, especially for a beginner because it encourages practicing. It is a full size guitar, although the Web page confusingly suggests it is a small model.

[eor]

for the type of crap you want to play, you can get away with an om/grand auditorium sized body. since you enjoy to make the brootalz, the smaller body might be easier for you to work than a jumbo or dread. and frankly, eor finds them more asthetically pleasing.

 

also, take note of the nut sizes, you may prefer a narrower width, as it would be closer to an electric.

 

as for wood combos, spruce top, hog b/s and sides would probably be the most common in your price range. try to get one with a solid top, if not the back and sides, too.

 

love,

eor

 

and eor prefers used over new always. you'll stretch your buck a little further and the guitar will be opened up already.

[T.B.]

 

for the type of crap you want to play, you can get away with an om/grand auditorium sized body. love, eor and eor prefers used over new always. you'll stretch your buck a little further and the guitar will be opened up already.

 

 

 

Poor, poor choice of words and totally unnecessary eor. eor should know better.

 

Trina