Acoustic guitar recommendation

W

walnutzz

Inspired
Hi all,

Hoping to receive some recommendations on an acoustic guitar. It will simply be used for noodling around, practicing scales in front of the TV, etc. Will not be used to gig. Main requirements are price ~$1K (or less), cutaway body (does not need to be electric, but not opposed), and relatively easy playability. I suppose some of these carbon fiber travel guitars like Lava and Enya could be cheap options as well. Again, the goal is for something decent enough that I’ll be inspired to practice on when unplugged and doesn’t get thrown in a case/closet after a month.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
 
For me acoustic guitars fall into two categories.
The first are sub $500 beaters, the next $2k+ "real" guitars.
Everything between 500 and 2k is a wasteland and you're basically overpaying for that 500 dollar guitar because it says brand X on it and kinda resembles one of those "real" 2k+ models that you really want.
So I'd either slash or considerably raise my budget.
 
walnutzz said:
Hi all,

Hoping to receive some recommendations on an acoustic guitar. It will simply be used for noodling around, practicing scales in front of the TV, etc. Will not be used to gig. Main requirements are price ~$1K (or less), cutaway body (does not need to be electric, but not opposed), and relatively easy playability. I suppose some of these carbon fiber travel guitars like Lava and Enya could be cheap options as well. Again, the goal is for something decent enough that I’ll be inspired to practice on when unplugged and doesn’t get thrown in a case/closet after a month.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
For your budget and intended purposes, I vote for the Yamaha (A-series specifically). Incredible value and playability. Gigged one for years. What you’ll need to decide is the body shape. Depending on your physical size, some larger bodied acoustics are awkward to practice on while seated on the couch. Whatever you choose, have a luthier set it up to your preferences. Acoustic action tends to come from the factory a little higher so that it can be set to your liking. Here is an example:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha...c-Electric-Guitar-Sand-Burst-1500000310941.gc
 
Ovations. They sound great and they play like electrics, I would get one with the contour back though. Those roundbacks cost them a bunch of sales they were so uncomfortable to play standing.
 
walnutzz said:
Hi all,

Hoping to receive some recommendations on an acoustic guitar. It will simply be used for noodling around, practicing scales in front of the TV, etc. Will not be used to gig. Main requirements are price ~$1K (or less), cutaway body (does not need to be electric, but not opposed), and relatively easy playability. I suppose some of these carbon fiber travel guitars like Lava and Enya could be cheap options as well. Again, the goal is for something decent enough that I’ll be inspired to practice on when unplugged and doesn’t get thrown in a case/closet after a month.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I recently got a Yamaha FSX 820C. Solid spruce top, mahogany sides/backs. Cutaway. While I don't use the piezo pickup, I appreciate the built-in tuner. I only pull it out occasionally for campfires, so I couldn't justify a nice Taylor or Martin. I really enjoy playing it and it's hard to beat in the $500 price range.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...820c-concert-cutaway-natural?serial=IJK250120
 
Eastman, seagull, yamaha, taylor, martin - buy used. I dont need the cutaway but prefer parlours it turned out - got my martin lx00ae for about $550usd? A few years ago. I mainly use it to teach a lesson a week, no complaints!
 
Musikron said:
For me acoustic guitars fall into two categories.
The first are sub $500 beaters, the next $2k+ "real" guitars.
Everything between 500 and 2k is a wasteland and you're basically overpaying for that 500 dollar guitar because it says brand X on it and kinda resembles one of those "real" 2k+ models that you really want.
So I'd either slash or considerably raise my budget.
Click to expand...
This is very very true. I've been through more acoustic guitars than I care to mention.
You're either buying something high end (over 2k) or you should go for a budget option.
The 'middle market' is (subjectively) not much better than the budget market.

If I was buying sub 1k, I'd be looking at Yamaha....no question.
I have a few Martins (some vintage), and a Yamaha FG830 (comparatively) is an amazing Dreadnought (for price and tone...I was super impressed).
I wanted to get my 9yr old a beater to try...just want it around the house to try and coax her into playing.
I was recommended that Yamaha FS800....it's $230. I figured it was disposable-ish, if she decided to color it with markers.
It has a really impressive tone for that price. It plays great right out of the box. Honestly, could not be happier with that purchase.

I'd recommend going to a shop with a decent selection of Yamahas and give them a run. I preferred many of them to Taylors/Takamines/Alvarez/PRS that were double/triple the price.
 
I’ve spent a fortune on all my high-end electrics, so buying budget is not something I’m familiar with. Really great info here. Thanks for the suggestions so far, everyone.
 
On the “lower” end I would echo the Yamaha recommendation and definitely shop used. I have an AC3R that definitely holds it own against some higher priced guitars. The only downside is that the electronics have a somewhat higher noise floor, or at least my example does.

I also have a Furch Yellow Deluxe Gc-SR that I would choose over anything at its price point.
 
I personally love the Larrivee sound. You can snag a used 03 series for under 1k if you shop around. Occasionally you can find them for $600.

The great thing about these guitars is that they are essentially just plain versions of the much pricier 05, 09, 10, and 72 series guitars without the price tag and the fancy cosmetics. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better value.
 
I wanted a nice classical guitar around $3000, about 15 years ago. I tried about 10 in that range, but no luck, I decided I would go up to $4000. I found some nice ones, but I was not blown away by the tone. For that price, I wanted something great!
I did not want cutaway and electronics. I wanted something that supports the best tone!
I had to realize I had been listening with the pricetag, not with my ears.
I started over and went through all the guitars each by each. picked the top 3 and I compared them. There was one I liked, it was much louder than the rest, a nice warm tone.
It was $400 ... with cutaway and electronics ...
 
I'm happy with my Yamaha too. Some 15 years ago I got one of the CPX models of around $650. Just last week I've read someone way preferring its sound system to their Taylors.

The one Taylor I played I didn't like. I also had one of the cheaper and flatter Ovations that I sold (also came with bad nut spacing that I saw too late). A more expensive model I had on loan was ok, but I wouldn't buy them.

I forgot the brand, but some years later I came across some $80 ones that were amazing. Should have bought three... This was in the day I first noticed the Seagull brand, but not 100% sure they were those...
 
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