The things we do for family...

Started by eded, November 01, 2015, 05:49:07 PM

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Hopefully this is the right forum for this...

My niece wants to get a guitar for her fiancĂ© for Xmas.  Of course she asked me for advice.  I asked what the budget was, and she said $200 max, with hopes of being closer to $100.  I don't mind giving advice...  and what is better than an excuse to spend some time in some local shops trying guitars?  But, in these low end guitars, it's a stretch to find something that is playable and sounds like anything.  I expect to do some basic setup stuff on whatever we get.  Hopefully there are some recent trade-ins or some folks looking for some Xmas cash on Craigslist.

Ed

Ed,, about 2 years ago I picked up a Parkwood OM with HSC for $220.00. IT's solid wood top and sides so it can be done close to what you are looking at. It's not a  Larrivee, Martin or other name brand tone wise, but, not bad for what I paid. Good Luck!
Larrivee OM-03MT
Eastman AC322ce
Eastman AC222ce
Eastman PCH3-CO
Art & Luthirie legacy 12 bourbon burst cw qit
Guild D140ce SB
Orangewood Sage Mahogany AE

A lot easier to pickup a playable $200 guitar today than say 10 years ago. Especially pre-owned!
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

I spend a lot of time on Kijiji browsing guitars for sale.  There seems to be lots of nice hardly-played Yamahas on there in your price range.  I think they are pretty good guitars for the money.  Art & Lutherie or Simon & Patrick (both Godin brands) are pretty good too.  (Not the base models with the plywood tops, but the ones with solid spruce or cedar tops and laminated cherry back and sides.)  Sometimes you can find some older Korean-made gems from the 70s/80s such as Yakima.

Good luck with your search.

Kurt
"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Became a Shooting Star when I got my 1st guitar.
Back in '66, I was 13 and that was my fix.
Still shooting for stardom after all this time.
If I never make it, I'll still be fine.


:guitar

Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on November 01, 2015, 07:50:57 PM
A lot easier to pickup a playable $200 guitar today than say 10 years ago. Especially pre-owned!

Yeah, ain't that the truth.

Thanks for the encouragement all (though having been tasked at finding a guitar is firmly on the "first world problem list").   :humour:

Ed

Yep, way more bang for the buck in the used market. A nice spruce top Yamaha or something along those lines should be doable in her budget. 

It's only my opinion but I don't think it's a good idea for a beginner to have a all solid wood guitar, they require much more maintenance.  There are several options with solid tops that play easy and sound great.  I paid about 250 for my Recording King ROS16 several years ago and am very happy playing it all summer when I'm up north and the humidity is up and down like a yo-yo. The better guitars stay in cases at controlled humidity. Before the RK I had a Seagull folk guitar that was also nice. Playability is all about set-up.
Roger


"Live simply so that others may simply live"

I went out today and spent some time at one used only shop and a GC.  At GC, there are several (mostly Yamaha) from $150-$200.  They were all new (and in need of setup, but that was expected)...  nice sounding and (able to be made very) playable.  At the used shop, there was an Epiphone and (dare I say it) an Ovation that were surprisingly nice sounding, at $150 each including case (and both had electronics!)

I have a couple more shops to hit...  and sales will be cropping up between now and holiday time.

I've been out of the guitar market since getting my PV-03.  It's kind of nice having a real reason to stop in guitar shops.

Ed

Don't dismiss the Ovation too quickly. I have a USA one that gets a lot of playing time, along with my Larry's and my near new Martin D-35. The Ovation's tone is very balanced (I only find myself wishing for a little more bass on the low E string), and it projects like crazy - it's LOUD!

Also, as MrLV19E mentioned, a beginner may not be as careful with a more expensive (or all wood) instrument, and Ovations are pretty bullet proof...
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Quote from: Mikeymac on November 02, 2015, 10:25:23 PM
Don't dismiss the Ovation too quickly. I have a USA one that gets a lot of playing time, along with my Larry's and my near new Martin D-35. The Ovation's tone is very balanced (I only find myself wishing for a little more bass on the low E string), and it projects like crazy - it's LOUD!

Also, as MrLV19E mentioned, a beginner may not be as careful with a more expensive (or all wood) instrument, and Ovations are pretty bullet proof...

I appreciate that.  I'm just not sure if it will be the "image" of an acoustic guitar she is looking for.   Hmmm, hopefully that makes sense.

Ed

I was out testing a guitar for my brother, he really wants a Larrivee D-04 Ash (best dread I've ever heard), and tried the Gretsch Jim Dandy for kicks. You know, as much as I love my P-03R, in hindsight, I would have gladly saved hundreds and bought the Jim Dandy instead. It sounded great, wasn't as boxy as my P-03, and was loud and clear. At a shade over $200 CAD, it's a bargain of a guitar and I wouldn't have felt so guilty playing it around a fire.

My two cents.

Quote from: homme de fer on November 04, 2015, 01:09:06 PM
I was out testing a guitar for my brother, he really wants a Larrivee D-04 Ash (best dread I've ever heard), and tried the Gretsch Jim Dandy for kicks. You know, as much as I love my P-03R, in hindsight, I would have gladly saved hundreds and bought the Jim Dandy instead. It sounded great, wasn't as boxy as my P-03, and was loud and clear. At a shade over $200 CAD, it's a bargain of a guitar and I wouldn't have felt so guilty playing it around a fire.

My two cents.
I've had many Larrivee parlor guitars and got to say my old O1 is absolutely not boxy. I'd even say it's got a bigger sound than one of the OO's that I  used to have. It is spruce over mahogany and is sixteen years old, so that may have made the difference.

         To the original question of this thread, my 000 Recording King dirty thirties model is a decent guitar at a low cost. Mine just stays in the case because of all the better guitars around here that I  have to play. But it will go to a grandchild or friend eventually and it has a nice sunburst look to it.

I bought a nice Seagull with hard case on Craigslist for $180.

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