Simplicity. Isn’t that the point of an acoustic guitar? Compared to the alchemy involved in choosing an electric guitar, an amplifier, effects, and more. For parts, the acoustic guitar seems pretty up-close. However, variables can multiply exponentially in an instrument where small differences are large. Woods/materials, body”” types, place of manufacture and of course price. Here we will cover the basics of picking an acoustic guitar; whether you’re a veteran electric or transitioning to the more natural side of things, you can tap into an expert acoustic guitar in search of a “beater” with less guilt than your Lowden or Taylor, or even someone who’s never held a guitar. in your life
At first the woods cover it. In the under $500 range, which is what this article primarily considers and thus covers, almost every guitar will come with laminated backs and sides. This means that rather than solid wood, your guitar is made of wood and wood. Solid topwoods are desirable and most luthiers agree that the primary tonal qualities of a guitar come from the top of the guitar.
How much of a role do the back and sides play? I’ll just say this. The top resonance center on an acoustic guitar besides the strings themselves. The back and sides have the appearance of amplification to this original resonance. In this sense it is like sound through two speakers. The top and the strings and other various things (especially the players) determine the sound, and the material of the backs and sides is comparable with a subtle flavor to paint the sound of a pair of speakers.
If a solid wood back and sides are important to you, your price range will quickly jump to at least $600 for a new instrument. Common later materials are mahogany and sapele, which are temperate and warm-sounding, rosewood, which is guttural and dark-sounding, and maple, which is crisp and bright-sounding. The advantage is that the back sides of the plate are less sensitive to moisture than solid wood, so it is not stored as well played “hard”. Mahogany-backed guitars are rare in comparison but still widely available, producing a very dark sound and a dark golden or brown appearance.
The I cover shape is the most common shape of the acoustic guitar in modern rock, country, and and almost every other type of popular music : The terror. If the name isn’t cool enough (in the name of the fight genre), then the adjustable volume, bottom end chug and unusual tendency to fit perfectly under human vocals make it a great choice for all around horror. The guitar is still bigger. Players who desire a smaller or thinner instrument, whether due to sheer personal preference or a petite or young body build, should look at the equivalent guitars below in the 00 and 000 sizes. Often a manufacturer will offer the same basic guitar in various sizes.
So let’s get started. Here is my round of sub-$500 acoustic guitars.
Fender:
We tested the Fender CD140SCE for a street price of $300 without a case. One cutaway, the Chinese-made Fender comes with a tuner board, which works well (and will save you about $20 on a separate electronic tuner), as well as a pickup system board with a jack inserted into the strap clip. The top material is apparently solid spruce and the back/sides and neck are “oriental mahogany”/finish. If the guitar in question looks more or less expensive than the asking price, I would go with the dead on. The top is slightly over-glossed and the fretboard is clearly faux, but next to guitars in the same price range it generally looks decent. That is, until you look inside through the sound of the body, where Chinese craftsmanship is evident in the rigidly cut internal shape and somewhat uneven grip.
The tone of the stock is very well defined, simple and classic, an acoustic guitar that sounds like an acoustic guitar rather than trying to go in its own direction, and this is good for a beginner who needs no surprises. It’s a bit of an annoying hit, since we couldn’t play at higher average volumes, and we tested things with buzzing issues in the near bass of the sound. With d’Addario fitted with fresh strings, we were surprised that the guitar responded with almost no difference in sound. The tuners are basic and feel somewhat cheap, but they did their job very well. He used some tweaking on the pickup board, but in the end it worked well enough to pull off a live gig in a pinch. The integrated 3-band equalization was somewhat useless and turned anything elevated beyond the mid point into a muddy amplification. While most of the other guitars in this review don’t even come equipped with electronics, I still can’t count against Fender for trying.
Conclusion: There are thumbs
Laurel:
It’s an original Canadian-built S6 guitar (yes, one of the few guitars made in North America at such a reasonable price) with a steel acoustic pickup (no electronics) I picked up for $400 on the street. The cedar is solid Topwood, apparently of high quality and the back sides, a unique cherry laminate, look better than the majority of comparable boards. The guitar comes in a matte finish and looks much higher quality than the price would suggest. The S6 Original sports a wide 1.8″ nut for players who, like me, are bothered by narrow fingers, and the S6 Slim narrows down to 1.72″ for players who prefer a narrower neck or have smaller hands. The tuners were of a higher quality than the Fender, at least in a sense, although both performed an excellent job in their respective roles.
The sound of the S6 is best described as responsive. The meat is also very tender by finger-reading very clearly. The guitar seems to gravitate towards the high and low mids, creating an interspersed, addictive sound, ripping off the power of the strings, but with slightly inconsistent amounts of “bohemianness” depending on which part of the fretboard you occupy. The S6 responded no more harshly or harshly to the lyrics than the Fender and I quickly realized that, as is often the case with cedar, I was trading a beautiful quiet vivacity and sweetness for the top of the room. Our test unit was in need of a professional setup and the buzzing noise was a Fender-like issue. When changing stock strings, I actually noticed a slight decline in sound quality; These guitars appear to be similar to Godina strings as long as the pair is fresh or shiny.
Conclusion: There are thumbs
Yamaha:
The Yamaha FG730S is one of the popular beginner and budget acoustic guitars. Of course, having the name of a transnational conglomerate mega-corporation that makes home appliances and golf carts on your guitar can’t pre-war Free Martini nostalgia, but at this price point, it’s the only thing to do. The FG730S consists of a solid sitka top and rosewood back and sides, while its cheaper (by about $100) sibling, the FG700S, consists of the same spruce top and “oriental mahogany” or back and sides combination as the original Fender. We picked up our FG730S for a street price of just under $300. In particular, Yamaha costs more than it does, while you avoid looking at the name in cricket. The build quality is up there with the laurels and therefore slightly better than the Fender, although both Fender and Yamaha are out of China manufacturing.
Tonally the Yamaha leans slightly towards the bright end of the spectrum, it has more punch than the bass and the Fender, but the metal sounds a tad more mellow. Changing the stock strings offered some improvement, but in general the bass was capable of complex tones. In fairness to Yamaha, the FG730S sounded better out of the box than any other guitar they’ve put on this list. although not yet perfect). Overall, a tool for the unemployed.
Conclusion: There are thumbs
Dean:
Dean’s Exotic Flame Maple Acoustic-Electric Guitar is the looker of this package with a flame maple back, top, and sides. Ours was just over $300. Unfortunately, Dean just didn’t deliver when he got healthy. Unplugged, Dean is rocking out and he’s having trouble getting average. They were plugged in, Dean’s electronics were almost useless once they hit the bedroom volume, and the mushi was silent when they ventured into their fingers. Changing the strings improved the clarity over time, but there was still a complete lack of undertones, overtones, or the sound of any tone other than the string itself, apparently. He played the guitar, and he felt that he was dead. It sure looks pretty, though. We had similar thoughts trying the lower end of the Ibanez acoustics, which often prioritize “drive bling” over audio capability. Beware of too little guitars!
Conclusion: Thumbs down
Washburn:
The Washburn D-10S or D10S is advertised as the best-selling acoustic guitar in the world. Ours was a D10S-K Dreadnought, a guitar with a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. This price included a decent hard case, which gave a small edge in the price. Washburn’s vision is simple, but attractive; it’s not trying to be something it’s not and ends up being classy for it. The tuners were reasonable, and the general feeling was positive. Washburn’s jack-of-all-trades tone is similar to Fender’s, yet with the addition of releases at slightly higher volumes, giving it the edge in my book. The tuning was nice, and the factory string changes resulted in a slight increase in clarity and energy. Made in China like all here except Larum, the build quality is very similar to the FG730S.
Conclusion: There are thumbs
winner:
All these guitars except (perhaps) Dean will leave the beginning players satisfied, maybe even a strange old guitar player looking for a “beater” to
