Best plugged in sound in low-cost A/E

[revive]

Originally Posted by fitness1

I would reccomend buying the best 300.00 guitar you can find and putting another K and K in it.......

That's a "Sound" Advice

[ferg]

I was in a very similar situation as you awhile back. I have a Gibson that I had fitted with an LR Baggs M1-A. I love the acoustic tone, but I really didn't want to use it for gigging. I have a certain sentimental attachment, and there were some signs of wear cropping up around the bridge pins.

I had 2 concerns of equal importance: playability and plugged in tone. Like you, I wasn't concerned with the unplugged tone, as I have my Gibson for those purely unplugged times. In terms of ready-to-play, simple, plug-in, electronics, I have always liked Takamine. Also, in my experience, the playability is very good as well.

So, rather than look for a lower-end Tak, I decided to look for something more in the mid-range, but that might be a better deal due to cosmetic flaws. I ended up finding a used Tak EF341SC for under your target price. All of the electronics were good, and it was structurally sound. It had a dime-sized chip in the finish, which is now not nearly as noticeable thanks to a sharpie, and a number of scratches on the back. When I got it, the action was really high and it was difficult to play, but trip to my guitar guy for a $75 setup fixed that, and, now, I'd say the playability as good, if not better than my Gibson.

I am not, nor was I ever thrilled with the black color, however, the quality vs price was too good to ignore based on that alone.

It has a built-in preamp and tuner (and stays in tune really well). So - I guess, ultimately, my advice is to specifically seek out guitars with obvious cosmetic flaws that don't affect the plugged in sound (most won't), as those are what I consider the real bargains for this type of guitar.