(Part 2) Best acoustic guitars according to redditors

Your links are totally misleading, and frankly most of the posts here that are expressing outrage or disgust are totally unwarranted.

The Amazon.com link is for a guitar actually being sold by the company Amazon. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that they're a large company that probably bought a ton of guitars from Seagull to keep the costs low.

The Amazon.ca link is for a guitar being sold by a third-party using the Amazon store front, called "grabthesale". They haven't got any other online presence, so it's safe to say they're a small retailer that probably isn't ordering enough guitars from Seagull to reduce the costs further.

Furthermore, you can get the same guitar from Long & McQuade (a Canadian retailer) for $419.00. That's a $19 difference, and in my experience you could easily haggle with a Long & McQuade representative to get $20 off their price.

The Yamaha is good advice, as is buying it secondhand. But if it's a present and you feel it has to be new, the Epiphone DR-100 is pretty good, and it comes in black, tobacco burst or blonde:

https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-DR-100-Acoustic-Guitar-Ebony/dp/B0002D02J4/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1480620403&sr=8-18-spons&keywords=Epiphone+DR-100&psc=1

Friend helped me find it: https://www.amazon.com/Godin-Multiac-ACS-Guitar-Natural/dp/B002RL8G92

I also play guitar and there's no comparing a $100 guitar with a $150 bike. You can get an OK guitar from a brand like Epiphone for about that which I'd say that was more equivalent to a bike about $500 - it does the job OK and just isn't quite as nice to own or play as more expensive guitars.

A $150 bike is way more equivalent to a $29.99 kids toy guitar, but maybe even worse. It would have to be impossible to tune properly so it always sounded pretty unpleasant and you couldn't jam with other people with proper instruments, and it would have to be guaranteed for the neck to warp or something else to happen that makes it worthless if you played it more than a few times.

Think how many moving parts there are in a bicycle and how complicated a machine it is, it's really not surprising a basic bicycle worth buying costs more than a guitar with almost no moving parts.

For around $1,000, you should definitely be looking at a solid wood body guitar all around (solid back, sides and top, of course).

Depending on what you want as a bluegrass guitar depends on what kind of guitar you want to start looking at. A rosewood back and sides guitar with a spruce top is a great rhythm guitar. It has a punch lower end and good volume.

However, if you want to flatpick, typically a mahogany back and sides guitar is better. You lose the lower end, but you gain in the mids and treble which allows for a more even tone across the entire register.

Understand that a mahogany guitar is going to be less expensive than a rosewood guitar.

Typically I tell people to go to a well-stocked guitar shop and play a number of different guitars. Each guitar is different. You can have two of the exact same models from the same company, and one will be better than the other. So the more instruments you play, the more likely you are of getting a guitar that is right for you. But being a Brit, I'm going to guess you'll be limited on selection. Plus, the price is going to be higher than the guitars in the U.S., so I'm taking that into consideration when suggesting guitars.

One of my favourite rosewood guitars in and around that price range is the Blueridge BR-160. Scallopped bracing, sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides. It's imported from Asia, so there is a high likelihood that you may be able to find a couple different BR-160s in a good acoustic guitar shop in Britian to try out.

For a mahogany, I would suggest the Blueridge BR-40AS. This is like the BR-40, which is a good guitar in its own right, but with a few upgrades. Including the Adirondack spruce top, which is a really nice upgrade. Again, all solid wood, scallopped bracing (forward shifted). This is a fine guitar, and I'm a sucker for sunburst.

Another guitar brand that I really enjoy, though I've heard that there have been problems with inconsistency, is Recording King. They are designed by Greg Rich, who has a pretty amazing history in regards to building guitars and banjos.

The Recording King mahogany guitar I would suggest is the RD-310. Very similar in attributed to the Blueride BR-40AS. If you want to upgrade from that, you can't go wrong with the RD-316. It would still fall in your price range.

As for a rosewood... I absolutely love the Recording King RD-227. AAA Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and the torch inlay and abalone is absolutely beautiful, in my opinion. Of the guitars I suggested, this guitar will be the most expensive though.

I may get downvoted for this, but I would stay away from Martins in this price range ($1,000). You MAY be able to pick up a D18 Martin for this, but it will likely be a 1970s Martin, which are not the best quality, or a Martin with a lot of problems. Martin does have 'lower-end' guitars in this price range, but they typically have laminate back and sides. Something I would stay away from in this price range.

And for bluegrass, you don't want too low of action.

I'm actually appalled by the overwhelming preteniousness of some responses here, so I'll help you out.

When I first started playing, I couldn't afford anything more than $100 in my wildest dreams. On a whim I searched on musiciansfriend.com, having used them before, and found a Rogue Dreadnought RA-090. It's seriously an amazing acoustic FOR THE PRICE. I found one on amazon. ($70 free shipping)

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RA-090-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B005PFPNIO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492049766&sr=8-2&keywords=rogue+acoustic

It's a perfect starter. The action isn't too high, and you get okay tones out of it. I've had mine for 13 years. Yes, it's not a guitar I play anymore. I've much improved my playing, and have a great salary now. Playing on a guitar that has a little high action has helped build arm muscle. Now when I play nicer guitars, it's much easier.

Today, I have a Gibson SG and a Martin DX-1. Both are the least expensive in their class, but absolutely lovely to play.

You'll get there someday, or you'll decide it's not for you. Getting a cheap acoustic can help with that decision. Don't listen to these guys "dude, don't bother playing anything if you can't afford a guitar over $100". That's just petty pretentious jerk talk.

What what fret is that? I've seen him play that, but I had no clue what it was.
Edit: Nevermind, I see the nut. What kind of guitar do you have? I have a black Epiphone DR-100. The other 2 colors are now only $99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002D02IU/ref=twister_B00J3TSEM0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Keep trying craigslist and kijiji.

Steve's can have good deals. Personally I refuse to shop there because every time I've been they acted like doing their job was a chore. "You want to try that guitar? sigh... hurry up". I heard that has changed though.

Archambault has a decent size selection but are often over priced.

Italmelodie shifts wildly from awesome employees to complete assholes. I have gotten my best deals from them though.

Jimi's on Sherbrooke sells a lot of second hand stuff, but they also tried to completely rip me off so...

Alternatively, I have a Norman Encore B20 High Gloss that I never use. Mine is black though. I'd be willing to sell it for $200, or $225 if you want the gig bag too.

Looks like similar models are only $145 new via Amazon so I'm going to guess it's a piece of shit so... yeah. $70 for a piece of shit acoustic is a pretty okay price if you're into that sort of thing.

I think it's just the stock acoustic like THIS

My first acoustic guitar was this, it's straight acoustic though.

Fender FA-115 Click Here Because OMG Amazon Links Are Huge (that's not what she said). Might be a bit over your price range, but it's a solid guitar made by one of the best companies.

You can also check around locally for a used one, sometimes you can get a good deal on a guitar to try and see if you like it. Can always resell it later if it's not your thing.

I'm angling towards something like this https://www.amazon.com/Fender-FA-115-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B07CWH73KD/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=fender%2BFA-115&qid=1557341791&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&th=1

Or the natural version

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-FA-115-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B07C5C9LY7/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=fender%2BFA-115&qid=1557341791&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&th=1

Dunno if they're any good but I'm drawn towards Fender :P

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-FA-100-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B00CA8982Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543266864&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=FA-115+dreadnought+acoustic+guitar&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RA-090-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B005PFPNIO

Very cheap, but does the job...

An acoustic one. I see one on Amazon with markings on the handle for like $70ish dollars. I'll link it in a minute

Edit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003JNQ80Q/ref=pd_aw_vtph_267_lp_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1157ZP73F9QTMWGHJX7Z

Not the most attractive instrument, but in terms of functionality, you really can’t beat Traveler guitars. Their Acoustic-Electric is a full scale guitar, can be plugged into an amp or headphone amp (like the the Traveler Acoustic headphone amp), and is otherwise very quiet. There’s a full electric version for about twice the price, but the only major difference is that the Acoustic-Electric sounds like an acoustic guitar when plugged in while the Electric will sound like an electric.

While the JamStick might work for some practice, it isn’t a real guitar. The Traveler is, and it stands to reason that practicing playing guitar on a guitar will be more effective than practicing guitar on an expensive toy.

Gonna pick up a guitar to see if I like it. Would anyone recommend either of these?

https://www.amazon.com/Jasmine-S35-Acoustic-Guitar-Natural/dp/B0002F58TG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1496175112&sr=8-4&keywords=guitar

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JNQ80Q/ref=psdc_11971291_t2_B0002F58TG

Follow up question, is 41" the usual length of a guitar? The jasmine is listed as 48" whereas the second one is listed as 41"? Which would be the proper size to learn on? Are they the same, am I retarded? You tell me.

Similar to the Soloette, there is also the Traveler Brand

Looks like the one found here:

http://www.amazon.com/musical-instruments/dp/B002EB68RC

There's a whole variety of travel guitars in different shapes/styles. Enjoy!

I wouldn't recommend buying a used guitar as your first, especially if its not a brand thats very common. Its going to be very difficult to determine if that guitar is actually any good, since you don't really have the experience to know what to look out for. I've never heard of that brand of guitar myself.


I definitely think its worth it for a beginner to get a decent guitar. I'd recommend this. Its a well known and trustable brand, and you shouldn't have to upgrade to anything better in a rush until you feel like you want to. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with any picks, tuner or strap though.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: Blueridge BR-40AS

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
• Canada: amazon.ca
  
  
  This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).

Check out guitars from Blueridge. They build 'historic' pre war guitars in China. They sound really good for the money. Basically they start at 1k and go up to 1500. You can find them in Guitar Center now too.

BR-371 has all the inlay, stika top, rosewood back and sides https://www.amazon.com/Blueridge-BR-371-Historic-Parlor-Guitar/dp/B003YOT0AK

BR-361 is less fancy with the same woods. https://www.amazon.com/Blueridge-BR-361-Historic-Parlor-Guitar/dp/B000SCV2GQ

BR-341 has stika top and mahogany backs and sides https://www.amazon.com/Blueridge-BR-341-Historic-Parlor-Guitar/dp/B001OMI3N4/

Try a Martin or Taylor "mini model" guitar. I prefer the Martin version myself--sounds fuller to me. But that is an opinion, as both models are extremely popular.

BTW, if you only want all-wood small guitar for $650, then these Taylor/Martin models aren't for you. You'll need to look at the used market for a Parlor guitar, etc.

Blueridge offers a parlor in your price range and that could be your option as they're Made in China but are clones of much more expensive Martins. Though China made, they're really well built and people own these over Martins, even though they can afford Martins.

https://www.amazon.com/Blueridge-BR-341-Historic-Parlor-Guitar/dp/B001OMI3N4


This Washburn is also highly rated. Washburn makes great guitars and this one is solid wood.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/washburn-r320swrk-vintage-series-parlor-acoustic-guitar?pfm=item_page.rr1|ClickCP?pfm=ac-a

That is the model. Manufacturer is Samick.

https://www.amazon.com/Samick-Bennett-Design-Acoustic-Natural/dp/B000CRDO4U

Surpise...
http://www.amazon.com/Norman-Encore-High-Gloss-Guitar/dp/B000R0FFE4/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1369011631&sr=1-1&keywords=norman+guitar

Its worth repairing I am sure. good friend, singer/songwriter Charlotte Thistle has toured with one for years.

If it is a classical guitar, then I agree.

If it is a cheapie acoustic that is actually intended to be used with steel strings, then OP's friend should be good.

In that case, some of the reasons for the very high stings is that its cheaply made and probably not set up properly.

Well, a new sells for $40 bucks on Amazon and that's with a bunch of accessories. Link.

Seagull Coastline Grand Guitar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DJS1KI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_xVC7wb71HYA1B

Iv one of these and I'm smitten with it. Can't get over the sound out of it.

I always tell people about $300 is a good entry price point for a guitar. Especially for an acoustic. A Yamaha APX 600 is a great life long guitar. It can be plugged in to an amplifier etc. It's a great starter guitar.

But if you're dead set on getting an electric, $300 also buys a nice Ibanez RG 421 or similar.

Best of luck!

Is electric guitar amps different than electric guitar in itself?

So the electric-accoustic guitar thing I wrote in my post (the APX 600), that's not the same with just electric guitar?

Any recommendation electric guitar for beginner that is Yamaha brand?

Give your flair, what are your thoughts on this deal:

Fender FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Bundle with Gig Bag, Tuner, Strap, Picks, Strings - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CA8982Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7vBqybAW1HDBA

Edit: Mobile messed up and made me think your flair was your /u/

Few quick searches.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Travel-Guitar-Acoustic-Steel-String-With-Truss-Rod-In-Neck-Strap-Case-Set-Up-/201465029696?hash=item2ee8406440:g:NZAAAOSwIwhWTw4e


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Applecreek-Acoustic-Travel-Guitar-w-Applecreek-case-great-sound-and-compact-/282113764144?hash=item41af4a6b30:g:fj8AAOSw0fhXl4d8

https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-JG-TR2-Travel-Guitar-Bag/dp/B002EB68RC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469789673&sr=8-2&keywords=Go+guitar+travel+guitar

https://www.amazon.com/Washburn-String-Travel-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B00064TZYW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469789694&sr=8-3&keywords=Go+guitar+travel+guitar

This one is the most pricey at just under 500$ but seems to be one of the better quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Traveler-Guitar-Escape-Acoustic-Electric-Travel/dp/B00DCM0GYS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469789694&sr=8-4&keywords=Go+guitar+travel+guitar

I've been playing for over three years now; my acoustic guitar is an Ibanez Talman TCY10 Acoustic-Electric.
It's $200 on Amazon and it plays wonderfully.

Yeah, I play anthrax and RATM on my acoustic. You'll be fine. Keep in mind, you might need a cutaway acoustic in order to hit the high notes. Take a look at the ibanez talman tcy10. It's a thinner acoustic, and a cutaway. However, being that it's thin, it might not sound as full as a regular acoustic.