Entry level acoustic guitar that doesn't s*ck

Gear
#1

Hello everyone! Lately I’ve been really into Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, Pat Metheny and Tommy Emmanuel. I never had an acoustic guitar so I’m totally clueless in terms of technique, sounds to look for, specs, etc.

I don’t want to really invest in a fancy one since it might be just an impulse buy and regret it afterwards, but I would like to dip my toes into that kind of guitar world.

Any suggestions of acoustic guitars that are really affordable and they don’t sound like a piece of cardboard? Also, what to look for in an acoustic?

1 Like
#2

There’s a lot of variants, me for example using really cheap yamaha f310 and it’s sounds huge and kinda “shimmer”, because the thin upper deck, and sound is full because the size of the guitar. but for more powerful sound, i think what you should search for little bit smaller guitars with more thicker constructions (but btw it’s only my thoughts)

#3

Since you say you just want to “dip your toes”, it would be hard to go wrong with Yamaha FG8xx series.

As always, it’s best try to a bunch of guitars hands-on and decide which one you like best. Taylor makes some really beautiful sounding acoustic guitars, but the bang-for-the-buck is so high with Yamaha that you’d really have to justify the price difference with your own hands and ears.

#4

I’ll second the vote for the Yamaha FG series. I have a 700S (out of production) here in Thailand and an 800 at my parents’ place in the USA to bang around on. Both of them play well and sound decent and each came with a soft case for ~ $200.

#5

Thank you guys, I’ve been aware of these Yamaha models, I might get one of these and if I stick with acoustic playing I’ll upgrade later. It’s gonna be a struggle for sure, the bigger body and the thicker strings will be an issue at first.

#6

A used Seagull S6 would only set you back a couple hundred bucks, and you’d basically never outgrow it.

#7

Third on the Yamaha’s. I have an old FG-04 LTD which has, I believe, actually gone up in value. I bought it about 15 years ago for about $350 give or take. It’s a bit more rare than the cutaway version which has a similar name.
I’ve looked into getting a more respectably named acoustic; Taylor, Breedlove, Martin and Gibson. For sure some of those guitars are obviously better but not their midrange models. I tried $1000 models of all those brands and I don’t like them as much as my Yamaha. The Yamaha has a BIG, warm woody sound.
I will note that I’ve heard that acoustics “get to know” the player over time. If that’s just someone getting used to a particular guitar or some other intangible thing I won’t speculate. But unless some long lost relative wills me a Hummingbird I’ll stick with my Yammy.

#8

You want one that is easy to set up. The lower you can get your action the better.
Now what that would be, no idea. But no doubt some can be set up to play great, and others not at all.

Your best bet is to get out there and try them, due to the flimsy nature of acoustic guitars the exact same 2 models can be totally different playability wise.

#9

I bought an Ortega RCE159MN last April. Even though it’s a classical guitar and not a traditional acoustic I couldn’t be happier. Easy to set up and sounds/looks beautiful. Got it on sale and only paid I think $400 something

#10

If you don’t care about having electronics I adore my Takamine GN30. Possibly the best sounding guitar for the money.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GN30BLK--takamine-gn30-black