Is there a better guitar around 200 than the Yamaha FG800?
 

Hi, everyone -

I have a student in one of my history classes up at the school that comes by my room at lunch and plays the beater Seagull S6 guitar I keep up there. All the kids that are in the room love to hear her - she sounds great! Really nice voice, and she strums along. She knows probably 15 songs already.

One day last year, she brought her guitar up to school so I could take a look at it because it didn't play very well. Hers was one of these exactly:

https://i.imgur.com/DTskZJ3m.png

A pink First Act toy. Very short scale. It plays and sounds terrible. It won't stay in tune, neck is a mess. You get the picture. Anyway, she can't afford anything else. I changed the strings - there wasn't much else I could do.

I am thinking of getting her a guitar, and I went to guitar center to check out the cheaper stuff. Sound-wise, the Yamaha FG800 beat out everything in the room (at that Guitar Center, on that day, with my ears).

I'm a teacher, so I'm in nearly the same boat she is, as far as money goes - but she really needs something better to play on than that toy that she has. I can tell that playing brings her joy, and she works really hard at it.

Sorry if this went long - is there anything better than the Yamaha FG800 for the price, or near it? I'm not worried about a case, as I have an older dreadnaught case that I'll give her. What I do worry about is the quality. Is the instrument built well at that price, or do I have to go into the used Seagull territory to get a decent build quality?

Thanks very much!

Probably not, but (and I'm sure I'll get shouted down for saying this), is it really the job of a teacher to make sure that his students own decent guitars? I say this as a retired teacher, both in public schools and institutional settings...

Nope - definitely not my job. But I never thought it was.

As generous a gesture yours is, showing extreme favoritism toward certain students (to the exclusion of others) can have negative consequences...

Maybe that FG800 might be too big of a guitar for her? Yamaha FS800 is similar but smaller body which may be better for a smaller framed person.

From one educator to another, I appreciate your concern. Thanks for the input!

I would say a yamaha is a good bet at that price point. They sound good, play well and also tend to be fairly tough which is a plus for a guitar that isn't likely to be kept in a hard-case, in a humidified room, with no children and pets allowed within 30 feet ;)

I'm sure you don't need this said, but be careful about all this - especially if you are male. A male teacher buying 'expensive' presents for an opposite-sex teenage student, etc etc.. It's sad that the world is the way it is - 50 years ago it would be seen as nothing more than generosity that it is. And make sure the principal knows it's happening so he/she is not blindsided if this does sadly come back to bite you.

A less 'risky' approach might be to buy it for yourself and hand it over as a permanent 'loan' - or maybe even gift it via her parents rather than direct - at least if you give it to 'the family' it takes the "old man, teenage girl" dynamic significantly out of it.

While I don't doubt your intentions for a millisecond, as the parent of two girls, if at that age one came home with a $200 'gift' from a male teacher that no-one else had received, I would be instantly suspicious. Esp if it was brand new vs an old beater/cast-off that had been knocking round the school for years and was being 'retired' anyway. Not that I would go to the school and make trouble based mere suspicion - but some parents would.

I didn’t see that one - looks good! More of a 000 size, eh?

Just dropping a couple possible solutions to the "perception" dilemma ...

1. Would it be possible to have it available as a 'community' guitar, so that students that wanted to could play it?

2. You could present it as a loan and she could be paying you back for it (doesn't matter how quickly; just consistently) - perhaps that would take the gift stigma out of it?

3. As already suggested; buy it for yourself and offer it as a loaner ("I have this extra one just collecting dust, so ... ").

This is very generous of you, and it is really sad that we have to consider these things when all you want to do is get a decent guitar in the hands of someone who would appreciate it.

I suppose it is what it is ...

~ Paul

For that price you'd get a better used guitar, lots to choose from as Ibanez,Takamine,Crafter,Yamaha all have lots of good models at fair prices. Personally I'd go for a used G model Takamine, they sound good and hold tuning well but are not in great demand. A great Yamaha I've owned is the FG461s, not one of the favoured models so better value for money I think.

I can vouch for the G-Series Takamine!

...

I think a Yamaha is an excellent choice and applaud your generosity.

Ibanez AW54

This is a very generous gesture but as others have indicated you should run this by her parents first.

Putting aside the teacher/ student issue, they may not appreciate anyone providing a guitar when they are not in a financial position to do so themselves.

Considering the above, and other comments, can you have a conversation with her parents? Let them know how talented you think she is, and discuss the value of a better guitar for her progress. They may have the means to get her one, and you can recommend a model and/or help with the purchase. If it's beyond their budget, you can buy one, and loan it to her. Along with involving her parents, make sure the principal is onboard with the arrangements.