As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a Fender ESC-110 classical guitar and a cheap, basic electric guitar.
I don’t intend to become a professional musician, perform live, or play in a band. At most, I play or record for a few friends and family members, so I don’t need a top-of-the-line instrument.
After your tips on my last post, I did some research and came across these models. I know Taylor guitars are considered the holy grail, but even in smaller sizes (I mostly play with strumming) ? My maximum budget is around $300. I also know I should try them before buying, but none of these models are available in my local shops, so I’ll have to buy online.
Tnks
P.S - all of them have solid tops,the harley has all solid body.
You won’t go far wrong with the Yamaha if you want a fuller sound and a VFM guitar, reviews recommend it. the Epiphone gets good reviews. If you like a more rounded and warm sound go for a spruce top.
For reference, the baby Taylor is more of a travel guitar and it won’t sound good compared to some of the others on that list. If you want a full size Taylor acoustic you’ll have to save some more and get one of their Academy models. That said there’s plenty of other good guitars on your list already
Any of those guitars will be awesome. All modern guitars are made to a high standard. Yes, occasionally you might get a minor issue but nothing that can’t be fixed with a setup. My very cheap guitar goes out of tune more than I would like but could be fixed by replacing with locking tuners, which I will do when I get around to it.
Unless you prefer the look, I would move away from any of the ones that have mahogany or walnut tops. I cannot tell from the pictures and did not look up the models, but it takes a bit more build technology to get volume and tone out of the guitar when you have a harder top wood. To me it looks like the bottom 3 are all hardwood tops. I am sure those are all fine options, but that is my experience.
I would also personally move away from the Ibanez, I don’t think they make great acoustic guitars.
I am biased toward the Yamaha, I think they make great stuff overall and often a good VFM (to reuse that acronym). My next pick would be the epiphone who also is know for good value relative to price.
Even if the models are not available locally, I would still encourage you to go try as close an estimate as you can get for those models it will help you narrow down what matters to you.
Its a fun process and I hope you are happy with your ultimate decision, please post pics when you do decide so we can all share in your joy.
Yamahas make a great mid-level guitar that punches above its weight class.
I would offer one suggestion if go through and make sure you pay a little extra for the cutout versions of any guitar you get. I really wish my best acoustic had a cutout and I will never buy another new acoustic without one.
I have a Yamaha Revstar electric and I absolutely love it. I don’t know much about acoustics, but before I bought it I did some research and found that Yamaha is almost universally respected as an instrument manufacturer.
Holy Grail? Eh, probably not. They make good guitars, but some people don’t like how they sound and they gravitate towards other models.
I agree that the Baby Taylor is going to have a weaker volume than the rest. And less bass. It’s the smallest guitar they make. I really do appreciate the sound from my GS Mini, but it’s also bigger, has a different body shape, and it’s more expensive.
Outside the BT, it still looks like there’s at least a couple different body shapes/sizes amongst those examples. You’ll want to be aware of those particular differences, too.
The way I play an acoustic, I really don’t care if it has a cutout or not. I’ve heard some people semi-jokingly say there’s no reason for a cutout on an acoustic guitar because you really have no business playing that far up the fretboard on one. I don’t know that I’d go that far, but Billy Strings can lay down the flatpicking runs just fine without a cutout.
I don’t know these guitars but I imagine most of them are reasonably good. However, Yamaha acoustics consistently come out well in reviews, without them promoting themselves a lot in the marketing of their products (at least in Europe., that is). So Yamaha is probably quite a safe bet. If you buy online, make sure they have a good return policy. Perhaps you know someone who is experienced who could check it over when you receive it, & before the possibility of return expires.
I have previously bought at Thomman in Europe because they have a no questions return policy within the first 30 days and usually offer a longer guarantee than the manufacturer. So that means you can return it, not only if there’s something wrong with it, but also if you just feel it’s not the guitar for you. So it’s not too risky. But it does require that you know how to spot any major faults.
Another important consideration is size, because it will affect how comfortable it is to play. I don’t know those models or their size.
I recently bought a Yamaha electric and the quality was really top!
(to reuse that acronym). My next pick would be the epiphone who also is know for good value relative to price.