Help Buying an Acoustic Guitar

Actually you CAN buy a decent guitar for that price. You could get a Yamaha or Ibanez for that price, also I like the Washburn guitars, those are awesome for the price! I think the D10-SCE won some sort of award for the price range.

I would start with those first. Or you could even get a Baby Taylor or Little Martin for $299, so you have a ton of options available to you! Good luck in finding something that you enjoy!

There is a similar question in another thread. Perhaps you could check the posts there.

Hi Christine, sorry about your bad luck.

Pardon me, but I believe I've been everywhere in Ontario, and have had enough years to do it! :lol:

My wife and daughter worked in Ottawa for a bit (my daughter has catered to the PM, and I've met some interesting people like yourself, I'm sure?), I spent living time there too, whisked my 'baby-girl around' to all the Parliament places and interesting attractions, and visited some not-so-hot music shops.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/list/college.html

Whether you're there, or from Kingston to Guelph, here's a store locator for the best of them, IMO. http://www.long-mcquade.com/?page=locations

Guelph also has one of the premiere shops in the world, http://www.folkwaymusic.com/ It is out of this world awesome, as is the Twelth Fret in Toronto.

The people here, on this forum know a lot, amassing tons of knowledge and experience too. You can apply that if you visit one of these nearby pro stores and keep an eye and ear to the Seagull or Yamaha solid top guitars, some Epiphones, Cort or Alvarez for starters, and IMO. :D

Don't confuse "inexpensive" with "cheap". Low cost guits have a large production run and they vary in quality of build from one to the other. Sort out a brand and model then go everywhere trying the same type over and over. You'll eventually get a decent one...

Cat

Yeah there are actually quite a few great guitars that fall into that price range. I'd second the call for Yamaha. I have an F355 (or is it 335?) that easily outplays my friends' more expensive acoustics. And it was only $150 new a year ago! Head over to the local shop and check out the Yamaha models, I couldn't recommend them more.

I'm going to suggest that you get a used guitar if you can take a bit of time to do it. Since you already play you should have some idea of you like and what a "good" guitar is so that will help in looking at the used ones. You will get a better guitar for your money by buying used. $300 will get you a decent Seagull used but won't get you one new or you'll be able to get a better quality Yamaha than you would new. That price range will let you get the better quality guitars that some would be guitarists bought and then stuffed under the bed until they decided to clean house. Sometimes it's folks moving up in quality but that doesn't seem to happen as often.

I can see some on Toronto Kijiji.com but not on Toronto Craigslist.org right now. That will change over time so keep looking over a couple of weeks. If you're not in T.O. then just use those sites and pick the closest city. I've been watching those sites a bit lately trying to help my nephew into his first electric guitar - I'm an ex-T.O. guy living in Silicon Valley right now.

Thanks for all of the replies!

I'm glad there are other people out there who believe that you can get decent guitars for my budget, I've just been told over and over again by people that I need to spend like $1500+ to get a decent guitar. I do like Yamaha, my first guitar that broke was one, and it was a really good guitar for being $150 at the time, I have heard some good things about them, and some bad ones, like that they make cheap quality guitars, whether or not that is true I'm not sure.

I have actually thought about getting a used guitar, I was thinking about finding pawn shops and seeing what they have, or checking out music stores for used ones, the pawned ones that I have seen are really badly kept. I'm actually in London right now, so I think there should be a few good music stores around here, and I can check the London Kijiji as well.

I was also curious if Art & Lutherie is a good brand, my friend has one that I fell in love with aesthetically, but the strings were set quite far away from the frets, and I don't like that. But I thought that they were reputable, I remember finding a pretty nice one in my opinion for $250.

Thanks for the help everyone,
Christine

Hi again Christine!

Yes Art & Lutherie are okay, but there are bad examples of the same guitar as well as good. I tried them and passed, went for another boring-but-beautiful Takamine when in a bind, last year. But it was a good investment, re-sold.

BTW, I don't care for the flat finish on many of the Art & Lutherie, or the quality control and set up, though they are one of my personal favorite Godin/Seagull companies! And.... they employ a whole town in Quebec, which is supposed to be a proud group, or so they say?

Anyhow, I usually tell people who ask, that $200 gets a good guitar, nothing less, (unless it's an odds-defying Jasmine, very cool) and that Yamaha are essentially very good. I've have had dozens, and given or sold them, and I've also had their lesser Eterna model, twice, which were superb! We still have my original 1970 model, FG-180 collectible "red label" Yamaha, and my son plays it regularly with a hole in it - must have thought he was Willie Nelson? :shock:

I figured you could be in London, and that's neat! http://directory.londonontariodirect.info/Shopping_Retail/Movies_Music_Instruments/Music_Stores/ But there's not a heck of alot for guitar shops? Pawn Shops are as you say, not always the best, but here's your kijiji http://london.kijiji.ca/f-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-W0QQCatIdZ17 You can try that place in Guelph (nice new Cort), or check out Hamilton. Try a few and you will find one that talks to you, and if you're lucky, tickles the tummy. :D

unless it's an odds-defying Jasmine, very cool

I forgot about them Jasmines....very very good guitars. At around $140 too.

Yeah I have noticed the lack of music shops here, I figured there would be a lot because it's a pretty big city, but guess there not a music city here.I have looked through the kijiji and found a couple that look okay, I found a Jasmine http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Jasmine-Acoustic-Guitar-by-Takamine-W0QQAdIdZ150636148 , and a Cort http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Cort-acoutic-guitar-W0QQAdIdZ142437932 , but it doesn't say what model of Cort. Plus I found the Jasmine model online for $150 new, so I think they are overpricing just a little considering it's been used. I am going to go to the guitar shop here sometime this week I hope, I need a new one now!

Used prices are usually considered to be "or best offer" prices.

And to take this in a different direction.
How badly broken is your old guitar?

Neat-O, I looked at your kijiji posts Christine.

The Cort is immaculate and polished, it may also have a good "broken-in" sound :D , but it is worn. Big grooves in the rosewood fretboard from playing the traditional chords, also means channels or grooves in the lower frets, and maybe some buzz. Now, the grooves in the wood aren't too bad, because there is such as thing as a scalloped fretboard, and they work? But it's not cool if the frets are grooved or flattened. It looks like it, but I'm not positive. Cort is quality, IMO.

The Jasmine with those accessories could be a buy for $150 - $175, their case is worth $75, tuner $30 and, no tax. I had a Jasmine recently and it was excellent, played like many times it's value. But every one is different, the finishes are cheap and it depends on how it has been kept, or they can vary due to inconsistincies off-the-line. Still, it looks good, and not played much. :wink:

But, yes, they are $149 - $199, all prices including case, new in the 'States, plus exchange and shipping. Around $269 new here, plus taxes, no tuner or strap. Still, a student guitar, except it really exceeds expectations as far as I am concerned.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--JSMS33

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Takamine-Jasmine-Series-S33-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=515921&src ="3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=149563236"

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/amazingtone-music/items/item.aspx?itemid=227341

This looks really good. But it's in Tillsonburg. Say $150 - $175?

http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Acoustic-Guitar-Cort-Like-New-W0QQAdIdZ154679397

Now this, still available - looks like a $125 - $150. Could be better than at a Pawn Shop, but the seller would only get $25 there, IMO.

http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Acoustic-Guitar-Yamaha-F210-NEVER-USED-W0QQAdIdZ154578948

Also:

Looks soo sweet!

Or: http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Epiphone-Acustic-Guitar-hardly-used-W0QQAdIdZ152726193

http://london.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-Yamaha-FG300A-Guitar-W0QQAdIdZ152363665

Ought to be enuf? :roll: :lol:

Hey, Costco has 7 guitars under $300, Yamaha and Silvertone, here's a link to a Yamaha starter kit I was so close to buying but found a different one. http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10315099&whse=BCCA&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-CA Fender also has a starter kit under $300, I got the CD-60 (hence my unoriginal name here) for $250 and it came with a hard case instead of a soft case and strings etc. that the starter kit comes with. Obviously not the best guitar but it holds tune and I like it. Good Luck, Cheers'