recommendation for acoustic guitar

[wahwahwah]

I'm finding an acoustic guitar that

1. can produce clear and bright sound
2. is not so thick (the distance between the strings and the back of the guitar - the side where the guitar lies on your tummy)
3. is durable
4. is below $400

Also, are there any other important thing to consider when purchasing acoustic guitar?

Another thing is, please tell me where can I find your recommended guitars, thanks!

 

[VidaK]

Durable? That would depends on how much love you are willing to give your guitar... I expect all of my guitars to last my lifetime

Not so thick...? I think you meant you prefer a shallower depth. Usually people prefer a deeper body... but doesn't matter then. Yamaha APX500s would be sometime that you might consider, but its out of your budget +/- $500.

I guess you should get a Takamine guitar, there are various models that fit your budget. You can get them from Davis guitars or from Beez.

There are many things to look out for when buying a guitar, new or otherwise... do bring along a more experienced friends along to help you out.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Davis Guitar and Swee Lee. Both have a wide range of guitars to choose from, and there're plenty below $400, too. I can't recommend a specific model because what I like may not suit you. So go to those two places and try out several models that fall within your budget.

 

[kernelspy]

I'm finding an acoustic guitar that

1. can produce clear and bright sound
2. is not so thick (the distance between the strings and the back of the guitar - the side where the guitar lies on your tummy)
3. is durable
4. is below $400

Also, are there any other important thing to consider when purchasing acoustic guitar?

Another thing is, please tell me where can I find your recommended guitars, thanks!

All you need is a Yamaha guitar. Fits your budget and sounds totally awesome.

 

[mrekoj]

baby taylor ?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

No offense but if he can get a good full-sized guitar for that budget, why settle for a traveller guitar? $400 can get some good full-sized dreadnoughts. Unless he's looking for a very small guitar to take overseas, I'd say the Baby Taylor isn't worth it... I'd recommend the Grand Auditorium body shape, it's still full-sized but it's slightly smaller and thinner than a dreadnought. Try Crafter guitars at Ranking?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

All you need is a Yamaha guitar. Fits your budget and sounds totally awesome.

Yamaha guitars are great! If he doesn't mind a full-bodied guitar, I'd definitely recommend the F and FG series for his budget. But I don't think Yamaha has thinner-bodied models for below $400...

But these should fit the bill for him:
1. Yamaha APX series
2. Crafter (quite a lot of grand auditorium models)
3. Ovation Celebrity

 

[Heavenscloud]

Bro, try Custom Acoustics at Citymusic. For that price, in fact under 400, you can get a Solid Top guitar with nice abalone rosette. Highly recommend the FG28E, FG27E or the FG52E. All essentially the same, just that the wood used for the back and sides are different. All the above are solid spruce tops. For back and sides, FG28E (solid ovankol), FG27E (mahogany) or the FG86E (rosewood). All below 400.. a bang for the buck!

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Agreed. Saw some Custom Acoustics at City Music, and they looked good. They're really bang-for-buck considering the specifications. You can get a solid-top easily with that budget, and they aren't badly made either (not the best build quality I've seen, but definitely not bad. Try before you buy).

I was also thinking.. I'm small-sized and I've always been using full-sized dreadnoughts (they were uncomfortable at one point but now they feel great), so I think it is a matter of getting used to it. After all, a deeper-bodied guitar will usually have better balance in terms of tone, more projection and generally sound better.