Best sounding A/E guitar in the $500 price range?

Bojack,

I've been really happy with my Alvarez FD60AMB guitar. It has great
sound and stays in tune for ages. It is thinner then most acoustics that
I have played which fits better under the arm.

Here is a link Music123 link.

Rich

You could also consider Takamine and Ovation, although they are very different.

-Laz

Ovation gets my vote. 8)

I've tried out some Takamines in that price range at the music store and am seriously considering one when I'm ready to buy an electro-acoustic, probably within the next 3-6 months.

You might want to consider a Seagull S6. They are made in Canada and have an excellent reputation. Go to http://www.harmonycentral.com and check out the guitar reviews.

Ovation gets my vote. 8)

Mine too. My CS257 doesnt sound too bad unplugged and sounds terrific plugged in..

Geoo

"Best sounding"? What sounds best to you, may sound lousy to someone else and vice versa. Sound is a very subjective thing. Some people like a guitar, which has bright treble, others prefer one with a lot of rich bass. Then again, there are those, who prefer a well-balanced instrument. Each guitar is different in sound quality and, even guitars of the same make and model, can be slightly different sounding. The way perceive the sound is also very subjective.
It's like asking how long an egg should be boiled for.
Asking what people think is the best quality guitar for the money, in terms of build and playability, may get you more relevant replies.
The only way to find out what sounds best (to you) is to listen to it. Go to a few guitar shopy and try everything .out that you can find

My advice, for what it's worth:
- Set your budget
- Go along to any decent music shop, but the bigger the range the better
- Try every electro-acoustic they have that costs your budget amount or less
- Buy the one you like best (for sound plugged, sound unplugged, playability, looks etc).

Anything else may contain traces of peer and/or salesman pressure :)

Try Washburn D10SCE...

Okay, where to start.

1) Ovations are good, but sound better plugged in they when played acousticly.

2) Seagulls are great all around, as are Washburn, Takamine, and Alvarez. They are my suggestions. A Garrison if you can get your hands on one, but that might be hard.

3) Are you a strummer or a finger picker. Dreadnaught may be better for you if your more of a strummer, while a parlour or similar style may be better for finger-picking. However, I mostly finger-pick, but own two dreadnaughts, because of convinence.

4) Play everything in and around your price range. If it's $600, try it, my last acoustic was out of my price range, but I hooked up on a big sale to move old stock pretty much. Try bargaining for a hardshell case too.

5) Solid wood top is a must at that price.

Good Luck!

Paul

If a little over 500 is ok then i would seriously look into the Washburn Timbercraft line. these are all solid wood with bone nut and saddle including a hard case. i played one and if i had not been shopping for a 12 string A/E i would have bought it in a heartbeat.
i have a Takamine G series A/E (EG523SC) that was a bit more than that but i think it's worth a look. check the Musicians friend site and refine your search untill you get a spread of what they sell according to your wants. they have a 45 day no questions asked return policy if you are leary about buying online free shipping as well for over $200 i believe.

if you are in the market for an A/E then i would strongly suggest checking out Acoustic amplifiers as well

edit--
also i would suggest looking at the Blueridge guitars as well, many top pros are using these in place of Martins now and they are gaining quite a following. i think MF carrys some of them and you can go to http://www.sagamusic.com/ as well

edit--
also i would suggest looking at the Blueridge guitars as well, many top pros are using these in place of Martins now and they are gaining quite a following. i think MF carrys some of them and you can go to http://www.sagamusic.com/ as well

Wow, I can't believe I forgot about BlueRidge. They make some amazing guitars. Definitly worth checking out.