looking for low end recs w/ 1.75+ neck, $200 or less

[jim1960]

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

[hammer40]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

You’re going to have to let us know what you end up with.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by hammer40

You’re going to have to let us know what you end up with.

I will. I was asking now so I could keep an eye on the used guitar market for a couple of months. I've only just started teaching this girl and I want to see if her enthusiasm holds up past her basketball season. If she's still coming to school and still into learning to play, I'll get her one of the guitars you guys have recommended.

[pickitPaul]

Recording Kings are quite nice, and more than a few in different body sizes that all meet your requirements. Shpg is free & not too far away (on West Coast)
Most have minor finish blemishes, and still playable.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/zephyr_surp...?_trksid=p3692

[SpiderTrap]

Rarely have I bought Used for fear of something wrong or worn out frets . the DR-100 I believe DOES HAVE a 1.75 NUT I Had one and was alot wider than 1 11/16 . Saw a Yamaha F335 ( NOT THE F325 ) several colors but NUT Width unknown , DR 100s are Loud for Lam ...Dont know about the Yamaha F335 but very reasonable priced . I d be VERY PATIENT and Look around Alot before deciding . Funny thing is ...STRINGS Can make a cheap guitar sound good , or a Great guitar sound Cheap ?? Just the way it is ...

[jim1960]

You guys really helped steer me in a good direction on this and today I found a good deal on an open-box Alvarez AF615E. It's got the 1.75 neck which is going to work well for her, plus it's a cedar top which I think is also a plus because so far she's been a light strummer. And I think the little bit shorter scale probably makes learning a little easier. With a hard shell case it will come in around $300 and a very generous AFGer offered to chip in $100 so my hit is the $200 I was hoping to stay around.

I'm very excited for her because she really doesn't have a lot of positive stuff going on in her life outside of her sports involvement. Her enthusiasm for guitar hasn't waned after a few weeks and she comes every day eager to practice and learn. So far, she has a couple of songs learned, Three Little Birds and Drift Away.

Today I gave her one of those 6 fret neck things to keep in her book bag and practice chord shapes when she has free time. She was very excited about getting that so the new guitar is going to be a real thrill for her.

I'm not going to tell her right away. I'm going to bring it into school for a week and pretend it's one of mine. During that week I'll be able to teach her about humidification and how to change strings. Then at the end of the week I'll put a bow on it and tell her to take it home.

Anyway... thanks again for pointing me in a good direction.

[roylor4]

+1 on the Alvarez stuff. Most of their guitars above the Regent series have a 1.75" nut width, including their "parlors" (really 00 size).

Another brand to look at is Jasmine by Takamine. While they are mostly cheapo laminates and only sound so-so at best, they have a 1.75" nut and usually come out of the box pretty well set up (go & figure??).

I also own the Ibanez AC240 mentioned by Fazool and it is an excellent sounding guitar and not just for the $.

One other brand to look at used is Recording King. It looks like they are switching most of their offerings to 11/16ths but most of their older OM's/000's and smaller have 1.75" or 1 & 7/8ths nut with chunky necks. Very playable with good volume and tone.

Kudos for being one of the good guys too. The world needs more of them.

[ataylor]

The new Yamaha FG800 has what I believe to be a 1.75” nut. It sounds really good. I wish it had been around a few years ago when I helped my little brother get a guitar. Actually, I wish I’d had one starting out myself.

Edit: saw that you found something already. Nice!

[Rmz76]

I think it's a great thing that you are doing for this girl, so kudos to you for taking this on.

I'm assuming that you wish to stay with classical/nylon strings...
Here are two within your budget that are pretty good
Have a look at the

Yamaha CG122MS

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CG122MS

And the Cordoba C3M.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C3MC

Of the two I think that Cordoba sounds great, especially considering the price.

Here's a video Alamo Music put together discussing Classical Guitars for students.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by jim1960

You guys really helped steer me in a good direction on this and today I found a good deal on an open-box Alvarez AF615E.......

Congrats on the acquisition, Jim. You are doing a fine thing for her. Look for an email shortly with some free instructional material.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by jim1960

I'm a high school teacher (until June, then I'll be a retired high school teacher) and I recently started giving guitar lessons to a student who has a history of bad attendance. She plays on the varsity basketball team and that has kept her absences under control for the time being but her m.o. is that as soon as the season ends, her absences shoot up, and she tanks her classes.

A colleague found out that one of her ambitions for a long time has been to learn to play guitar. That teacher came to me and asked if I'd take this on and I agreed. She's a nice girl, absences aside, and I know her home life is less than ideal. I'm friendly with the music director for my district and through him I've procured a cheap classical guitar that the school had laying around for her to take home and leave home. I cleaned it up as best I could, put new strings on it, and bought her a tuner. It's good enough to learn on but it's hardly inspiring. If she keeps up her interest and her attendance, I'd like to upgrade the guitar for her before I finish out in June.

I'm looking for a decent low-end acoustic with a minimum 1.75" nut. The nut size is non-negotiable. She's a big girl (at least 6'2") and has very big hands. Even on the wide classical neck her fingers struggle to find room so I think anything more narrow would be an impediment. I'm okay with new or used. I'd like to keep the damage to $200 or less.

Jim: There are a few Alvarez AD60's on the used GC site. Here is the link. They are a great bang for the buck and the neck is 1.75" Stay away from the AD30 and "R" series as they are okay but definitely beginner guitars.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Alv...rrencyCode=USD

[jim1960]

The Alvarez AF615E was delivered yesterday and I wanted to share my thoughts on this guitar. I'm absolutely impressed by what I was able to get for $183. Musicians Friend had the guitar listed as "blemished" but I've yet to find the blemish. The finish on the sides is a tiny bit rough but a few swipes with some 0000 steel wool would probably smooth it out fine.

More important that the finish, however, is the sound and playablility. The guitar has a gloss cedar top and laminated mahogany back and sides with a satin finish. The tone is crisp and clear. I've heard some low end guitars that sound pretty shrill but this isn't that at all.

Even more impressive than the pleasing tone is the playability. The neck has a satin finish and the shape feels comfortable. Judging just by the feel, I'm guessing they've copied Martin's profile. If it's not exact, it's pretty close. When I ordered, I assumed I'd either be doing some setup work myself or bringing it in for a setup, but the action is nice and low, just how I like it.

A friend's daughter has a Yamaha FG800. I've played that guitar enough times to say that this Alvarez beats it in both tone and playability. The girl I'm teaching is going to be thrilled with this. It will become hers on Feb. 2nd. She's gonna flip.