katz
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Post by katz on Nov 23, 2017 19:12:59 GMT
I have only been on here a little while, but I notice that much of the discussions are about high end guitars- which is great, and one day perhaps I can afford one. In the meantime what do folks think are affordable ( sub £400) guitars that are worth buying for the serious music makers?.
I have a Walden dreadnought, solid cedar top over mahogany, lovely, silky warm tones, both bright and deep and rivals a lot of stuff that was four times the price. Its not amped, but with a Rare Earth pup retains its original qaulities. Happy to gig with this, haul it around festivals and pubs, which if I had a Taylor I might not want to do.
Just interested as I am starting to look for a back up.
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Post by oustudent on Nov 23, 2017 19:15:24 GMT
Tony P did a review on $500 guitars recently, worth a watch.
Taylor Mini was final choice
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Post by oustudent on Nov 23, 2017 19:17:18 GMT
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katz
Sore Fingers
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Post by katz on Nov 23, 2017 19:33:09 GMT
I had considered that, but: A) I like the Dreadnought size B) the Es-go is a passive pickup with mixed reviews, so adding a K&K or Rare Earth adds another £150, makes this a £650 axe. C) I really want to spend no more that £400 or £500 including decent pup.
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Post by scorpiodog on Nov 23, 2017 19:43:30 GMT
Hi, Katz. There are loads. These days, there are some amazing bargains to be had.
I have played one or two of the new(ish) Epiphones just over 100 quid and they’re incredible value for money. Then there are several in the Vintage brand that are quite worth buying. I guess the Faiths are a little above your 400 quid threshold. But there are some good Yamaha’s too.
But you are right, we do discuss the expensive ones a lot on here. We are enthusiasts and we do love a bit of pricey wood and wire. A bit like pressing our noses against the toy shop window. But most of us get our jollies from playing, and I must confess that until 10 or 15 years ago, I didn’t have any expensive guitars either. I still enjoyed playing though!
Of course, if you’re talking about 400 quid second hand, you can get some quite remarkable bargains. Whole different ballgame.
I’ve heard good things about Waldens but I’ve never tried any. Maybe I’ll seek them out now to have a try. Any excuse to visit a guitar shop!
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Nov 23, 2017 22:13:08 GMT
The brands I’ve been most impressed by in that price range are Tanglewood and Breedlove’s budget range. I played a £350 Breedlove OM a few years ago that I thought was as good as you’re likely to find for the money - they’d clearly put the money into the sound and setup rather than adding unnecessary decoration. I’m a bit suspicious of budget guitars that are dripping with abalone or fancy wood veneers.
If you’re after a decent amplified sound, Yamaha are worth checking out. Their budget electro-acoustics do a pretty good job for the money.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Nov 23, 2017 22:41:57 GMT
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Nov 23, 2017 22:45:22 GMT
Have to agree, Tanglewood, Yamaha and Faith have great guitars in your price bracket there. I like Faith especially, and if you're after a dreadnought with electronics, the Faith Mars naked version might fit the bill at around £475. My favourite is the Faith Neptune (baby jumbo shape) and if you search used, you could pick one up for less than £300. www.guitar.co.uk/faith-fkre-naked-mars-electro-acoustic-guitar-dreadnought-in-natural
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Post by PistolPete on Nov 24, 2017 0:43:23 GMT
A couple of musicians whose opinion I would trust have told me good things about Blueridge. They are usually in the £500-£700 range but a friend picked one up ex-display for the kind of money you're talking about, or a second hand one would be well within your price range.
I also agree with what others have said Re Yamaha & Epiphone - both makers of some very fine guitars in the sub-£400 category.
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walkingdecay
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Post by walkingdecay on Nov 24, 2017 0:44:34 GMT
There are some excellent instruments in the Vintage range. For instance I have a mahogany V400m that was my go to guitar for songwriting because it liked to sound chords with clarity on every tone. I was also fond of Ibanez acoustics.
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007
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Post by 007 on Nov 24, 2017 8:51:09 GMT
This is a detailed demo of the Tanglewood TW 45 Sundance which I have and is a really versatile guitar.They retail at around £800 now but Reckon a decent one would come in around your price bracket.
I have the all mahogany and paid £450 new after some very hard bargaining. A great guitar for the money.
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on Nov 24, 2017 8:56:48 GMT
Plenty of good advice here, but I think you're all missing the point...
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Post by andyhowell on Nov 24, 2017 9:09:06 GMT
I have always been astonished by Walden guitars! I've played some nice guitars in your price range from a variety of producers. I think you've really got to commit yourself to a day of ambling around music shops — you need to be able to play guitars to find those gems! A day trip to London might not be a bad idea.
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Post by gavdav on Nov 24, 2017 9:51:10 GMT
The recent Sigma J45 copy is supposed to be absolutely superb. I'm also very fond of the Epiphone Zenith roundhole - both list slightly higher but can be had for a street price of around £400
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Post by vikingblues on Nov 24, 2017 23:16:06 GMT
I have 4 steel string acoustics that fall in the £300 to £600 price range. The brands being Vintage (2) and Tanglewood (2). Both of the Tanglewoods won their way into my collection in head to heads testing them out among a good few other possible guitars, some much more expensive. Three of these four cost less than £400 when I bought them during the last 4 years - prices are quite a bit higher now with the crappy exchange rates. One of the Vintage Guitars cost £340 in April 2016 and now it's over £400, often well over.
The two Vintage guitars are both Gordon Giltrap signature models (they have different woods and different sound as a result) and these are as good as any guitar I have tried or owned. Which includes guitars up to £2,600. But I'm not good enough to bring out the best in higher quality guitars, so it's really been a case of finding that point on the graph where quality and ability both peak for me.
But it's so much down to each individual guitar even of the same model. One of my Tanglewoods is a TW73 and I tried another one in a shop a couple of years back - it was nothing like the one I had at home either in sound or feel. So I try to look for a range of a general type of guitar at my budget price to try out rather than concentrating on any specific brands.
Mark
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