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#1
05-09-2021, 03:34 PM
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Entry Level Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum and I was wondering if I can have an opinion for a good sounding guitar, well made without breaking the bank. I have been doing a research and I narrowed it down to a few choices based on what I found on the net: Fender GC140SCE Taylor Big Baby Taylor 110e (a little pricey) Yamaha FSX800C Martin X Series DXMAE I would like mainly the Taylor 110e but it is a little over my budget, so I am inclined to the Big Baby. I want a guitar that is well made, sounds good and it has a decent action. I know that maybe I am asking for too much on an entry level guitar, but I want something that will be easy to play and will encourage me to continue playing, I tried a cheaper Yamaha FX335 version and the action was very high and my fingers were in pain. Any other good choices under $400 (used ones) ?, Seagull? anything else? Thanks in advance!!! Last edited by pablitus; 05-09-2021 at 03:40 PM. 
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#2
05-09-2021, 04:09 PM
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Don't dismiss a guitar purely on the basis of the action being too high.
Many new guitars require a set up to lower the action in addition to other modifications to optimise playability. If you like a guitar but the action is a bit high for your personal taste this is easily rectified.
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#4
05-09-2021, 04:15 PM
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I haven’t tracked used prices on them, but the Taylor Academy are nice guitars, not just nice guitars for the money. I had a 12e, and it had a nice, clean, transparent tone through my Genzler Acoustic Array. It cut corners in nonobvious places to be sure, but it had it where it counted. It played well and sounded good.
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Bourgeois Aged Tone Vintage D Gibson CS 1958 Les Paul Std. Reissue Mason-Dixon FE 44 Combo Amp
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#5
05-09-2021, 04:15 PM
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All of those have a solid spruce top ... except the Martin which has an HPL top. At first I was going to comment that all seem to have the thinner 1 11/16-inch nut width until I found out the Martin had that, too; I assumed it was the "standard" 1.75-inch nut width. But t hen I came across the fact it seems to be an all-HPL construction for its top, back and sides.
Personally I'd go for the Yamaha because I am not a fan of the Taylor sound. The Fender? As much as I like Fender electrics I just can't get excited by the company's acoustic line.
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Martin X1-DE Epiphone AJ500MNS Alvarez AD30 Alvarez AD710 Alvarez RD20S Esteban American Legacy Rogue mandolin
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#6
05-09-2021, 04:25 PM
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Quote:
FSX820C ?, it looks like it is made in Canada. Seems to be a good guitar. I am not 100% conviced with the ones made in China, any input on this? Also, how about Alvarez guitars? Thank you all!
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#7
05-09-2021, 04:26 PM
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Quote:
I was looking for a guitar with nice action from factory if possible. Thank you!
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#8
05-09-2021, 04:56 PM
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Quote:
Most acoustics come from the factory with action a bit higher than many prefer. Some players like the higher action and it is much easier to lower it than to raise it. Sanding a bit off the bottom of the saddle is a very simple job that only requires a piece of sandpaper and a flat surface.
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#9
05-09-2021, 06:17 PM
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Quote:
Alvarez gives a lot of bang for the buck, as do Recording King and Seagull. My personal choice would be a Cedar topped Seagull as I prefer the warmth they offer vs. a Spruce topped Taylor. If you want great playability, I don't think you'll do better "out of the box" than a Taylor, especially if you prefer a 1 & 11/16th nut width.
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Roy Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2), Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19
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#10
05-09-2021, 06:19 PM
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Alvarez Artist Series makes excellent starter guitars in your price range. Some of the features people like about them are:
They are solid wood tops Bone nut and saddles 1 3/4” nuts For the money they are well built, sound very good and are well respected in the guitar community. Worth checking out. I started with an Alvarez and one of the biggest selling points for me was the wider 1 3/4” nut which gives your fingers just a little more space. For me that was a great feature. It came down to Yamaha and Alvarez both great guitars. While most higher priced Yamaha’s have the 1 3/4” nut their starter priced guitars have the narrower 1 11/16” nut. While that’s a small difference to many it’s very noticeable and most guitar manufacturers are now producing guitars with the wider nut but it is a personal choice. Good luck!
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Martin GP 35E 2017 Gibson J-45 Standard 2019 Martin OM15 Custom 2019
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#11
05-09-2021, 06:35 PM
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Quote:
A Taylor Academy A10 or A12 with a pickup will be more than your lower end budget, but you get a easy to play guitar that sounds good and will be easy to sell later should you decide to purchase a better instrument. The "corners that Taylor cut" to produce these instruments are really brilliant engineering, and as such they find ways to produce the guitar less expensively AND offer guitars with "upgrade" options like the body arm bevel at no additional cost. I won't name any specific brands, but I've seen too many of the import guitars with bridge lift after a year or two. I've had a few of these over the 55 years I've been playing, so I speak from personal experience. With guitars it's often the case that you get what you pay for.
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#12
05-09-2021, 06:47 PM
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The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none. TC Taylor, DN3--Martin, JC15E--Taylor, M522--etcetera
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#13
05-09-2021, 07:07 PM
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Echoing what roylor4 stated, a Seagull S6 is a great choice and very easy on the budget. And this is coming from someone who loves a lot of Taylors.
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2008 Takamine EG561c 2009 Yamaha CGX171cca 2009 Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Studio EC 2013 Taylor 214 2013 Martin D-17M 2014 Taylor 516e 2014 Taylor GS Mini Hog 2015 Taylor 324e 2015 Taylor 414ce-N 2015 Taylor Custom GA 12 fret 2015 Taylor 612ce 12 fret 2016 Taylor T5 Custom AA koa 2017 Taylor 712ce 12 fret LTD 2018 Taylor K22ce 12 fret LTD AA Koa 2019 Cordoba Master Series Hauser Ltd.
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#14
05-09-2021, 08:03 PM
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Maybe an old MIJ Takamine that's in reasonable shape?
https://reverb.com/item/40132163-tak...odel-1970s-mij https://reverb.com/item/40282255-tak...s-1986-natural I had a seagull s6. it is a good guitar. i played an art and luthrie dreadnaught recently, and thought it had a good sound.
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#15
05-09-2021, 09:17 PM
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Quote:
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Martin D-35 Martin 000-18 Last edited by Birchtop; 05-09-2021 at 10:01 PM.
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