gixasix Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 A friend is looking for an acoustic or electro acoustic guitar for her son. Budget is around £200 maybe slightly more if needed she's open to new or 2nd hand as he's about to start lessons at school. He's 13 so I'm guessing she'll be looking for a full size rather than 3/4. She asked me for suggestions but I really don't have a clue so thought I'd see if anyone on here had some brands or specific models they would recommend we'd really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Adam Black punch well above their weight. https://www.guitar.co.uk/adam-black-s-5-natural-acoustic-guitar?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_amzVk378lRbw81uwWhPnzKI5uC&gclid=CjwKCAjw1NK4BhAwEiwAVUHPUBDnHxsMM3BWVj9vZhpk5i2xy-m6FnISjlKs75CamR1lJl73NN7KaRoCFiMQAvD_BwE In that category there’s also Tanglewood which are also decent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixasix Posted October 20 Author Share Posted October 20 Thank you we'll have a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Used Art et Lutherie. Handmade in Canada in the same place that Godin, Seagull and Simon & Patrick are made, they're a cheaper sister brand of the latter. Don't be put off by the coloured finishes, they use quality wood that isn't cosmetically suitable for the more expensive models but is otherwise excellent, I had a cedar topped dreadnought which was a beautiful guitar. Leave the "et" part out when searching for them btw! One here for £35. I repeat - £35 for a Canadian built acoustic using quality woods: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/509954142060401/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 I agree about Adam Black. I haven't tried the full size guitars, but my daughter has the travel guitar and it's a cracking wee instrument for the money. Its hard to go wrong with a Yamah F-310 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 (edited) Harley Benton Strat Acoustic... £125 cmon' how smart does that look? https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_st_acoustic_black.htm or Bowl Back... from £75 https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_hbo600nt.htm Edited October 20 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH89 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 Yamaha everytime . You won't go wrong 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man.about.Tyne Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 There’s a reason why Yamaha have sold a bazzilion F310 models. Also it has a slightly shorter scale length than usual and a slim neck. Oh, yeah, it’s only £120 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 (edited) Yamaha f310 looks pretty good. My child found the slim neck made a huge difference to getting started Edited October 21 by Geek99 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Rich Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 YAMAHA all day long for me, I recently picked up an APX600 for a little over £200. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 I've had a Vintage V300 for many years and I can't fault it. Solid spruce top and mahogany back, sides and neck. It's gone up a bit since I bought mine but they can still be found for under 200 quid, for example PMT. https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/vintage-v300n-guitar-outfit-natural 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 I've had a Crafter DE6 for nearly 20 years - I tried it out in PMT and it compared favourably with guitars three or four times its price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 22 minutes ago, tauzero said: I've had a Crafter DE6 for nearly 20 years - I tried it out in PMT and it compared favourably with guitars three or four times its price. Word of warning on Crafter - yes they are great guitars. I used to stock them when I had a shop. But they are (or at least were) shipped with high action. The distributor and reps were aware of this and it was done by choice on the basis that it was quite easy to reduce the bridge height, but not so easy to raise it. If the shop doesn't do basic setup work then you'll need to find someone to tweak it for you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 21 Share Posted October 21 On 20/10/2024 at 21:04, gixasix said: A friend is looking for an acoustic or electro acoustic guitar for her son. Budget is around £200 maybe slightly more if needed she's open to new or 2nd hand as he's about to start lessons at school. He's 13 so I'm guessing she'll be looking for a full size rather than 3/4. She asked me for suggestions but I really don't have a clue so thought I'd see if anyone on here had some brands or specific models they would recommend we'd really appreciate it. Check if he has small hands or short fingers relative to his peers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 17 hours ago, Mykesbass said: Word of warning on Crafter - yes they are great guitars. I used to stock them when I had a shop. But they are (or at least were) shipped with high action. The distributor and reps were aware of this and it was done by choice on the basis that it was quite easy to reduce the bridge height, but not so easy to raise it. If the shop doesn't do basic setup work then you'll need to find someone to tweak it for you. Mine was fine - I did buy it from PMT Birmingham and they did have an in-house guitar tech so it's possible it had been adjusted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 @gixasix you don't state your location, but if you're anywhere near Colchester Peach Guitars would be well worth a visit. Their selection is vast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 On 21/10/2024 at 10:45, pete.young said: I've had a Vintage V300 for many years and I can't fault it. Solid spruce top and mahogany back, sides and neck. It's gone up a bit since I bought mine but they can still be found for under 200 quid, for example PMT. https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/vintage-v300n-guitar-outfit-natural Another vote for the Vintage, a surprisingly versatile guitar for the money (cost me less than £100 new when I bought it!). It's now been claimed by my son, but it gets regular use. Best bit of advice with the cheaper, laminate back acoustics, is buy a decent set of wooden pegs. Swapped the plastic ones that the Vintage came with for a set of Rosewood ones. Also, make sure you get one with a solid wood top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixasix Posted October 25 Author Share Posted October 25 Thanks for all the replies we really appreciate the help. We went with him to a couple of shops today. After looking around and sitting holding a few he preferred the slimmer body electro acoustics particularly the single cutaway ones, the Yamaha APX600 was his absolute favourite but it's £299 so a fair bit over budget unless we can find one used. Shame he's so set on that style as there's loads of Yamaha F310 on Facebook marketplace for £50 🤣 So far the search to get the style he wants at a price his mum agrees with has so far turned up a Tanglewood TW4 Winterleaf, an Ibanez AEG50, an Ibanez AEW32 and a Cort (not sure of the model number) all used or the Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-16SCE BK which is new. Has anybody any opinions on these options or any other suggestions for a slim bodied single cut electro acoustic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted Saturday at 06:39 Share Posted Saturday at 06:39 I had one of those tanglewiods as a 12 string, totally adequate though I recall the action being a bit high. So I put a compensated bridge that was sanded down slightly and all was well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixasix Posted Saturday at 20:07 Author Share Posted Saturday at 20:07 13 hours ago, Geek99 said: I had one of those tanglewiods as a 12 string, totally adequate though I recall the action being a bit high. So I put a compensated bridge that was sanded down slightly and all was well Thanks we're going to have a look at it tomorrow as it seems to be the closest one that he likes the look of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted Saturday at 21:51 Share Posted Saturday at 21:51 Compensated bridge came from AliExpress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obrienp Posted Sunday at 09:28 Share Posted Sunday at 09:28 A compensated bridge saddle will help with the intonation and there are masses on fleaBay. Just make sure you get one that is close enough to the width and thickness of the OEM, otherwise it’s a lot of work with sandpaper to get it to fit. It needs to be snug in the slot to improve transfer of vibrations to the top. If it is an electro acoustic, with an under saddle piezo pickup, a loose saddle can cause uneven string balance amplified and it needs to be flat on the bottom to exert an even pressure on the pickup. Material wise bone or Tusq will provide better tone than the cheaper plastic ones. It’s worth the extra, especially if you change the bridge pins. Go for harder wood (rosewood or ebony), or bone/Tusq pins for the improved tone. Some people rate brass but it sounds a bit harsh to my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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