please recommend me an acoustic guitar

[Dawns]

hi guys, just started learning guitar i'm thinking of going down and buy an acoustic guitar this weekend. so any idea which model / brand i should look out for? how is maestro, ibanez and takamine? which is better for value within the same price range?
budget is <$250

*PS: i have small hands and short fingers. my middle finger is only 8cm long so which brand/model are more suitable for me?

your help is deeply appreciated!

 

[imkeith]

i doubt handsize would have anything to do with the model or brand your looking for..
but instead you might wanna find a neck to your liking, with that said best is head down to the shop and test it out... anw with 250 i think there are some lower end maestro on offer now.. can check em out..
if not another bang for buck method would be to get a second hand guitar usually you get something better with that kinda money as compared to getting a first hand and of course lastly, use the forum's search function... there's been a ton of that's been askin of entry lvl guitar recommendation.. so read up.. it pays to do your homework

 

[loldude333]

Can we know what kind of tone preferences you have? Eg do you prefer more bassy, full tones without too much top end? You also need to know what shape to pick, like if you're smaller sized, you might prefer an Grand Auditorium to a Jumbo or a dreadnought. You can go to www.taylorguitars.com and click on the features tab. Its a pretty good resource, but do take the info there with a pinch of salt. Lastly, if you don't wanna waste time looking thru all that stuff, go into a shop and try the guitars for yourself. Take note of the 3 things: Does the guitar's size hinder my playing? Does it sound nice to me? Does the neck feel nice to me? If the answer to those questions is no yes and yes respectively, i don't think you can go wrong by buying that guitar. Remember, beauty is in the eye/ear of the beholder, get whatever sounds good and feels good to YOU, not anyone else. You can go to Luthermusic at Peninsula Plaza (www.luthermusic.com). The staff there are extremely friendly, and they'll be more than glad to help you with any queries you might have. Last of all, happy hunting!

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

Takamine is good. I don't really like Ibanez acoustics, and my 2008 Maestro ED-1 is my main acoustic. The setup on them initially is not that great though. The action is slightly higher than what i would've liked (and what was on Davis/Luthers acoustic guitars). Still, once the top opens up, the sound is fantastic. If you can, getting a solid top is more worth the cash. If you want beginner packages, you can consider Fina (at Davis) or Cort (at Luther). From Ranking, some of the J&Ds are hidden jems.

 

[subversion]

*PS: i have small hands and short fingers. my middle finger is only 8cm long so which brand/model are more suitable for me?

contrary to popular belief, there isn't a guitar tailored specifically for a certain finger profile, as we learn & play over time, we adapt accordingly. i'm saying this because we would dismiss ceratin guitar brand names as our fingers aren't adaptable to their products despite them being good-sounding & well-playing.

hope you will consider the relative unknown out there, one being this SWING SM-100 ($199) which is an above-average performer for the money:

 

[Kyokkai]

Get Takamaine...with that budget you have you can get a takamaine guitar at Davis. But if you increased ur budget by a bit(100 bucks?) you can get a maestro guitar package(costs 325 with bag, tuner and picks). Maestro guitars are good even the low end ones. I've got a maestro SD-1 as my first acoustic and though its the cheapest guitar in their line, it sounded great. Takamaines are good too...just giving some suggestion cos takamaine dun really come with any packages. Need buy tuner and bag and stuff urself...in the end still will have to pay arnd 290. You can also get some random brands and their sound mayb better than the famous brands.

 

[ItAcHi]

well..if u can stretch the budget a little, u should consider trying Yamaha FG700MS, it's going for like $299 right now with the Yamaha sales, solid spruce top and real nice playability on it.

 

[bluelime]

Custom acoustic from city music!!!

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Of the three brands you've listed, I'd say Takamine. Maestro is quite pricey, though no doubt they do sound good. So if you're willing to pay a bit, Maestro is also a good choice. Maestro vs Takamine, which you choose, it's up to you to try them out and decide. Both brands have a good reputation here.

I'd rule out Ibanez. In my opinion, not only are they pricey compared with other brands, they just don't sound good anymore.

 

[eieio]

well..if u can stretch the budget a little, u should consider trying Yamaha FG700MS, it's going for like $299 right now with the Yamaha sales, solid spruce top and real nice playability on it.

That's a good price for FGs, I tried the FG75x & FG73x..
I didn't see or maybe I overlooked the FG700 when I was at Yamaha
The cheaper FG73 sounded better to me, maybe it was display set & badly setup?

 

[Apot_red]

Walden, Dreadnaught. 300+...Ranking Sports Bras Basah...I had done a little review http://whitelotus-strings.blogspot.com

 

[Dawns]

thanks, hw do u guys find cort earth mini? is it value for money?

 

[Kyokkai]

I'm not so sure bout Cort but from what I heard from other guitarists, they said its good...my guitar teacher used to own 1(though he's not teaching acoustic) and it sounds great...

 

[smellybellyalis]

Maestro!!! I fell in love with mine the moment i strummed my first chord on it. The sound is really excellent. Sent Shivers down my spine and i've only got the SD-2 which isnt a high end model.

 

[loldude333]

Hmmm.......you're referring to this i presume?: http://www.luthermusic.com/category/guitars_acoustic/cort-earth-mini

Well to be perfectly honest i think you should get a full size guitar (if that can be defined haha). For me, the fullness of the sound of the guitar is very important, and these baby/mini guitars don't provide that. That being said however, i think the earth mini is a good choice, it sounds good for the price, in the mini sort of way.