Acoustic Guitar String Height 1St Fret For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

I purchase this guitar last week Monday and it arrived on Friday. This was an upgrade from my Yamaha FG800 and I must say that as much as I have loved my FG800 the FG830 just blows it away.

I have owned a Martin, Fender, Taylor and Teton. Of all my guitars I have fallen hard for the Yamaha Brand. The FG830 is very easy to play and sounds great right out of the box. The action is lower than the FG800 and the sound is amazing.

My recommendation to a new player or seasoned player is Buy this amazing guitar!Todd Ladwig

I was familiar with the Yamaha FG730 and its' favorable reviews as an excellent value solid top guitar. I also tried out an FG730 at a local retailer and found it to be comfortable to play, with a decent and full acoustic tone. I would have purchased the FG730 had I not read about the newly released FG830 … similar in design to the FG730 with the added enhancement of scalloped bracing. I decided to order an FG830, based on what I believed would be an improved tone versus the FG 730 (enhanced bass). My instincts were good. The tone and playability of this guitar exceeded my expectations, and I find myself picking this guitar quite often to play and practice, in spite of having several Martin and Taylor guitars on hand in their cases. The Yamaha doesn't sound or play as well as those other higher end acoustics, but I am pleasantly satisfied overall. This is an excellent beginner's guitar, and not so bad as a backup guitar in a crunch.karby55

Rogue Starter Guitar. Bottom line: NOT for beginners, requires too much set-up work and the strings feel very harsh on the fingers. I really tried to make it work. I was warned against buying cheap, but I thought I wanted something I could learn on, that I wouldn't be intimidated by, and eventually donate somewhere. But it was not playable out of the box. At first the tuning was awful. I figured out why they include an Allen wrench, and eventually put on my big-girl shoes and adjusted the truss rod. There are no instructions included with this guitar, so here's a clue: the access panel is in the front of the head stock, and you need to open the rhomboid black panel to access it. It was difficult to turn, but I adjusted it and made it sound a bit better, even though I was afraid of breaking it. However – the D-String tuning peg turned out to be totally defective, the screw threads were not lined up. How can I learn what it's supposed to sound like if it never sounds right? We are still in the middle of Covid-19, and I was unable to bring it back to Guitar Center for repair or replacement for weeks, so I tried to work with it and continued my self-guided lessons. As soon as the shop opened to walk-in customers, I returned it. I will not be replacing it with this model. It did serve its purpose in a way, I researched the guitar parts and repair, and took it upon myself to try to fix the issues, so now I am not intimidated by a guitar.J-net

Sorry, I hate to write negative reviews but… in what world are these the same guitars? From the picture, the Red Burst guitar looked like a dark mahogany color. Instead it's a bright red with a black edge. I'm sure that's some people's style, but not mine. It also won't stay in tune, and it's a pain to retune it every day I pick it up. I picked this guitar because I'm just starting to learn and didn't want to sink too much money into something I don't stick with. I'm not sure if I want to spend the extra money to upgrade to a better guitar, but I at least plan on taking it into the nearest guitar center store and see if I can exchange it for another color. Even that will be a pain, since I'll have to take it on the train and I don't have a case for it yet. I just wish the pictures were more accurate to the product!Rachel

Bought for my ten year daughter. Action is insane for such a affordable price. Sounds good. Beautiful color. My guitars were too big for her. This one fits just really get. Love that the scale is normal still. Allowing for a great transition. When it's time to upgrade.Nick

Bought this LH Fender because I wanted an acoustic. Overall the sound is good with the right strings. Within 3 weeks of purchase I had to have the neck adjusted and frets filed because they were inset too high. The sound overall is bright and vibrant. Had a couple times playing where the sound was not the best. Overall, it's a solid entry level guitar. Could be better but could be far worse.Phil

Overall: While this has a decent tone, it's not going to improve with age as the top is a laminated top–not solid spruce.Moreover, since this is a guitar targeting the beginning student, I mark it down because the setup is NOT conducive to the beginner. The action needs to be lowered and the Fender branded DuraTone strings it came from the factory with feel more like a medium gauge than a light gauge. I have a 12-string Yamaha that is easier to play than this.But to give it some props–the price includes a hardshell case–something no other guitar in this price range offers. And the abalone rosette is a nice cosmetic touch.The tuning machines turn smoothly and it does hold a tune very well.And for those who object to Chinese-made guitars, this was made in Indonesia.David

Generally, it is a great guitar. Many of you would expect a low volume for a mahogany top, back and side guitar. However, it's dreadnought style compensates for this and thus you will have a warm mellow toned guitar whilst still having plenty of volume. The guitar looks a lot better in real life than on the photos you may see on the internet. Contrary to the CD60S spruce top (built in Indonesia), this guitar is manufactured in China. The tone difference between CD60S spruce top and this one is small as the spruce top also has mahogany back and sides. This guitar however is one with great overtones. Being a novice, it is a great starting guitar. My only complaint is that the nut and saddle are plastic. The nut, in particular, causes the guitar to be in need of tuning every 2 or 3 days. However, this disadvantage is very manageable and if you prefer, you can spend a tiny bit of money to replace the nut with a bone nut at a guitar shop. If you webchat with a guitar center rep they might be able to give you a discount to cut the cost of this guitar to the price level of the cheapest possible for a major manufacturer's acoustic guitar.Dan the Beginner

D'addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze guitar strings are very good. I have played this strings for years. D'addario is a very trusted brand among guitar players. They are always consistent great sound and playability. They are comfortable on the fingers and they last a good while. The longevity of strings all depends on how much and how often you play. Phosphor Bronze have a warm smooth tone. If you are looking for great sounding strings look no farther than D'addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze strings.Travis

I have used various D'Addario strings since the early 80s. I was 'aware' of them in the 70s but I typically used Fender strings on electrics and Martin on acoustics. I have always maintained that D'Addario strings are cheap, plentiful, and get the job done. The argument could be made that there are better strings out there ("boutique" strings) but D'Addarios are available in any music store and they are consistently good. I think I only had one or two sets where the unwound strings were nasty…. they looked 'kinked' and didn't sound right. One or two sets out of how many hundreds of sets?? As to these particular strings, I have a 1947 Gibson L-5 and it just feels more 'right' with caveman strings. I'm not one of those 30s rhythm players that go runka chunka all day long, I play it like any other guitar, and it begs for heavy strings. D'Addario has them available….not everyone does, ya know. I'm happy with the company's products, across the board.ksdaddy

After allowing the guitar few weeks to adjust and giving it a good set up including new strings and a neck adjustment (tightening the rod), Conditioning the fret board and a good polish, The guitar is easy to play and has great sound for an inexpensive guitar. I like the So Cal green color others may not as it is a vintage vibe. Tuners are price point but even price point tuners these days are decent. A little sticking from the nut, I think I can lightly file that out and add some nut sauce. The fret ends were not too sharp but I conditioned them to a nice smooth finish useing 500 grit sponge. Very little cost to make improvements and the guitar is fun to play. The sustain is probably the biggest suprise and I am satified to practice with this guitar every day. Very pleased for the cost. Good value.Bruce P.

This guitar has a decent sound for the price. A good starter guitar for someone who hasn't played in a long time. The first unit I was sent had a small issue. BCP's customer service was super friendly and took care of the problem right away. I would recommend this instrument if you are looking to learn to play.JW P.

My first guitar. I love it with its color and good quality also the good deal. Thank you BCP. You're the best as always. I'm no doubt and very happy when buying from you. Good deal, good quality, careful packing, timely delivery and perfect customer service maybe the description of you. Once again, thank youHang N.

Although the guitar was a little smaller than expected, it has a lovely tone, easy action strings and my daughter is 9 and has only been learning a couple of months, is thrilled with it. My son, who is 21 and has played guitar for many years thinks it is great – good tone and would be a great, rather small guitar for travelling.jjmml-2008

Having benefited from Yamaha’s value for money I purchased the JR1 for my Grandson to learn on. I was surprised how close it was to my own guitar’s sound. I enjoyed playing it myself. I also bought a cheaper small guitar for my younger grandson. It did not compare. Small size. Good bright sound. Quality materials and finish.Tim E.

It is a great tool to use to get your instruments to be dialed in and sounding their best. This ruler/gauge is easy to handle, use and see. This is the one you see on all the best Yutube videos. Know your numbers and save your gas money and fees for buying gear! Glad I checked it out because I live 50 miles from the nearest music store. AMS ships quickly and packaged your stuff so it will get there in perfect shape.GreggB

This is the 3rd action gauge I've purchased, after returning the first two because they were inaccurate. This gauge is accurate and feels solid. My only gripe is what appears to be a typo on the back of the gauge, 'guitar' is spelt 'giutar' three times. The measurements are also etched into the steel, unlike the other gauges where they were printed on. 10 seems steep for a bit it steel with some measurements etched into it, but after trying to cheap out and getting a faulty gauge twice I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this.axdx9x

I have a couple of these d'Addario gauges and they are accurate and easy to use. Some of the cheaper brands that you find on the internet often have rulers that do not line up with the edges or the printed lines are not clear or straight. I've never had problems with d'Addario.Ken

I was very excited to see and play a highly reviewed 12 string that costs pennies compared to my 12 string Takamine, Yamaha and Ibanez. Once I got through the box I saw the guitar had the look of some cheap pressed wood. The sound was as weak as a cup of Finnish coffee. The darn thing couldn't stay in tune to save mine or its life. How this guitar gets rated so highly MUST be a result of fake reviewers OR I simply got the ONE Rogue 12 string that seemed to be made by the Fisher-Price Company. This is NOT a musical instrument. It IS an instrument to make noise with. My edition was not worthy of the effort one has to put forward to learn and play guitar. One must have to have an instrument meet the musician at least half-way. With this "musical" instrument, you have to cross the block, pick the guitar up and fight against it to produce close to a tone that sounds musical. Best to buy a used good name 12 string guitar. Or save your pennies and get a Takamine or Yamaha. The latter will be excellent and cost in the $350 range. But a Yamaha will play forever and stay in tune. I recommend my Yamaha over my ash Ibanez. The former just has a fuller tone. If possible save for the Takamine which is on another guitar plane altogether. But don't buy a guitar based on price and/or name. I've discovered many of the friends I play with can't tell if their singing and/or playing is in tune!!. And yet, they own $5,000 MARTIN GUITARS!! Haha. Quite simply a waste of money. Be like me buying a red-green "masterpiece" oil painting, as I'm red-green color blind. But I DO have a good ear and this Rogue of a guitar is worthy of no one's money or effort. M.F. has many more-though more expensive-options that will bring the performer YEARS if not DECADES of playing happiness. Only misery lies in a 12 string Rogue guitar. Avoid.muskoxmike

Purchased this around December hoping to get my kids into it. As usually happens, it ended up being much more of a display use. I would imagine it was picked up about 12 times max total. It sat on display being ignored primarily. Still, by mid-June (in under 6 months) the bridge has warped and started to detach from the main guitar. I noticed this as I walked past it. The glue did not hold. Surprise though, because you can't just pull up a website for Rogue. I called Guitar Center for help to contact the manufacturer as this should be covered under their warranty. Guitar cCenter took my information and said they would forward it to their "contact" for the company and I should receive a response in 3-5 business days. It's been a few weeks now and I'm not impressed. No one called me back, they wouldn't simply give me an 800 number to call to handle it myself, and I still have no solution and no idea who to contact in order to make a claim on the manufacturer warranty. I am more than disappointed with Guitar Center's negligence to truly stand behind a beginner product they seem to offer a great deal of.Amanda V.

I'm so impressed by my RD 90. I think some reviewers are hesitant to give it the praise it deserves because it is an inexpensive guitar. I did a little work to lower the action and now it is perfect. Humidity and temperature changes cause it to need occasional tuning, no different that my other two acoustics. It has a full, rich tone. It plays easily. It makes me feel like I got a real bargain; I don't know how they turn a profit at this price.Charles

👎 👎👎 This was a gift for my husband. I thought he could take it with him to kill time in the car or use to chill and easily practice playing guitar in bed or wherever he is. – Nope I also thought worst case scenario my 12 yr old son could practice his cords on it without having to bring his guitar around with him. – Nope You can't do anything with it because there is no way to strum it. There are no strings to strum! Just a plastic molded plate that looks like strings. Even if if you try strumming the neck (the portion that does have strings), it makes no sound either, so you don't really know if you are making the cord correctly if it's for practice purposes. The videos on YouTube make it seem like people are really enjoying jamming on it and as though the onlookers are actually enjoying as well – but you would get just as much pleasure out of picking up a broom to pretend to jam on. I got more musical practice and enjoyment out of those card sized mini electric pianos back in the 90's that you could get at the 99Cent store. Buyer BewareHildagilda

I'm a beginner and want to practice every day. I travel often for business and I bring my PocketStrings with me so I can practice my finger placement since I do not bring my guitar along. I'm surprised how many bad reviews are posted. This is only for practice – no sound. After only a few days of use, I'm already seeing an improvement! I highly recommend!David

This would be better if the cover locked in place when you are playing. Since it doesn't, every time you try to slide up the neck the cover starts to close. So if you want to just play simple chords to work your calouses, great. but any other use is really limited by the closing cover. Also the string adjustment is poorly crafted. It is designed to be changed from the exterior with an Allen wrench, but the quality is so poor the holes don't line up. So you have to use a screw driver to open the cover to make the adjustments. Anybody try traveling on an airline with a screwdriver lately? Yeah. Thats a problem.Vrotate

Had other parlour guitars but always thought they didn't sound to good but I like the look and quality of the Taylor. So easy to play and the built-in tuner and electrics magic. Trouble is the grandson has taken a fancy to it and he's only just started playing so I might not have it for to long. Overall love it.Dave L.

I bought it because I had an injury to my right arm which left me with limited range of motion and unable to use my standard size Ovation. The Baby Taylor is easy to play and sounds good amplified, but acoustically it is easy to play it too hard. In addition mine gives me a harsh resonance when I play an open D. It turns out that the resonance is also present on notes simply near the D. (Its not fret buzz.) It is much less noticeable when amplified, don't know why. Other people don't notice it and tell me that the guitar has a wonderful sound. I played a Big Baby Taylor and loved it, but it's bigger and therefore less portable and easy for me to play. Perhaps the unwanted resonance is unique to my guitar. I haven't tried to get it looked at by a luthier yet. Perhaps another small guitar, like the Martin, would be better. Don't know. I'm pretty much satisfied with it because it is small and very light and portable which fits my need. It's pretty, nice workmanship, good tuner and electronics.Ed

Lovely sound and tone – a real pleasure to play. Nice looking guitar. Can't fault it at all: Looks great sounds great. So easy to pick up and have a strum anywhere: out and about, on the stairs, on the sofa wouldn't surprise me if I play it on the toilet one day, actually, maybe not! Good gigbag too – light and easy to carry – I can even ride my bike with it on my back no problems at all. Riding off to the forest with my guitar now is easy and just makes it what it's all about enjoying playing music in your favourite places.Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

Very nice playing guitar, sits right next to my Gibson LP and my Fender Stratocaster!!!! Plug it in to my Marshal amp and it will play and sound just great . I do think this was well worth every penny spent!!!! Best Regards Stevestepeye-0

I have 6 Other Guitars and have been playing for a number of years. The build quality is Okay but One Thing about the construction is the Machine Head mounting location for the "D" String and the "G" String are situated in such a way that the Strings run really Close to the Adjacent String. The Sound is also Very Bright and Lacks Warmth in Tone even with the Tone Control all the way Down. Having said that it has a Good Action but the Fretboard was really Dry. Not a Bad guitar for the Money.Mark K.

I love this guitar. It's such a joy to play and the tones are wonderful. The acoustic alone sounds fantastic, but the electric feature works awesome and the built in tuner is great! I am also impressed that the guitar came with two batteries, one of which was already installed. I am thankful to have my new guitar. To get the quality of a Fender guitar at this affordable price is a great way for me to get serious with my playing while I enjoy learning on it.michapicar

I purchased this guitar for my 11 year old daughter. I wanted to find a quality instrument that is smaller in size, easy to play, and stays in tune. I have owned other Yamaha guitars before, and they are a great guitar for the price. The Yamaha FG JR1 did not disappoint! The guitar is easy to play, stays in tune and it sounds pretty good for a small guitar. The strings do feel a little heavy for a beginner. I would definitely recommend changing the strings to a lighter gauge for a beginning player. I recommend the Ernie Ball Earthwood Silk and Steel Extra Soft 10-50. They’re a great string for tender young fingers.Jimmy

I bought the Yamaha JR2 for my daughter as a Christmas present and I was surprised. I didn't expect it to be that good because of its price but WOW!!! The resonance is unbelievable given that it's not made from solid wood and the neck is so comfortable, perfect for kids who are learning. This is my third guitar from Better Music and they never disappoint me. The guitars are well set up and the packaging is unbelievable every time. It just shows how much they value their customers and that's why I keep coming back. I don't usually leave reviews but I appreciate what these guys are doing. Keep up the good work!Marvin B.

I bought this on the 7th birthday of one of my twin girl. I was on a tight budget of around $100 and then I thought to speak to one of the representatives at SamAsh. After having a talk with him I was convinced to get a good guitar to start even though I have to stretch my budget. Since my family is a newbie in musical instruments i am happy that my girl is interested in learning music. She is very happy and we are thinking to take her to few lessons. It's well-made and offers a good tone. Great buy!!Preeti

Overall: Played one 10 or so years ago but didn’t get because of other obligations. Never forgot how it played and sounded! Finally got one and it is a truly excellent guitar. I have a Gibson CJ165EC, which I love, and the 000-15M is a totally different sound, which I wanted. Needed some Martin jangle! Out of the box fantastic. The mahogany tone is unmistakable and rich! Neck is a thin Martin neck, which I’m fine with. I’ve been playing for 53+ years so I kinda know what I’m talking about. Putting in a Fishman rate earth soundhole pickup and this will be my busking guitar! Really happy with the guitar and with zZounds. Delivery was fast and purchase was flawless. Highly recommend both the Martin 000-15M and zZounds!!Reverend

I ordered this online after discussing the purchase with Sam Ash Staff, it was in short supply, they scouted all Sam Ash Stores, they found one and it arrived two weeks early just after christmas. My wife loves it! It's her 2nd Martin Guitar and this one is her prize instrument. The staff at our local store were really helpful both with the Order process and preparing the the guitar upon arrival at the store. I asked about the 1st year instrument maintenance option and they were able to update our purchase to include that. The guitar sounds great, my wife loves playing it even though she is a novice. Totally satisfied with the instrument and the staff that helped obtain it. Thanks guys.Britinusa

I have wanted a triple-aught mahogany guitar. I preferred the Guild D20 dread to the Martin D15, but was open-minded about which 000 brand. Didn't like videos on Taylor and Alvarez all hog orchestra models and was very impressed with the Martin videos. So ordered this. Was also a big fan of Kenneth Pattengale and I'm With Her who use the 00-15 model. Let the box sit half a day. Upon opening it I was greeted by this amazing scent. The guitar came set up with low action, slightly detuned. The bridge and fretboard appeared to be stained morado (a very hard and valid wood, harder than rosewood but not quite as much as ebony). Tuners are Grover Statites. They are firm and perhaps a little too sensitive to sometimes dial in. The body was a gorgeous chocolate with amber-orange highlights. The guitar was immaculate. Martin Lifespan 2.0 PB 12-54 strings. It sounded really nice with the ebony pins which were fit absolutely perfectly. However, I had already purchased Blisstime unbleached bone pins which fit perfectly too. I got even more sustain and a more melodic tone, along with greater volume. This improved the strumming tone immensely. May switch to nickel-bronze 12-56 strings, but I will wait for now. The guitar is super-light and weird to hold after dreads. The tone is dark (as expected) but ringing. There is the hog compression, but I was amazed how great this sounded brand new. I did humidity it overnight. Intonation was spot on. The frets were dressed wonderfully with no protruding ends. No truss rod wrench, nor polishing cloth like with my DSS-17. The case had a small ding in the tolex which I was able to bond into place cleanly and disguise. The case is very nice, but without built-in humidification like my Guild. The tone is beautifully even and not bass-heavy like the D15. The treble keeps up with the expected mids. The end pin was not pushed in all the way by me as it was very tight. May opt to have that professionally assessed. I don't gig, so a pickup is not for me. I did get a tortoise pickguard. This is definitely a keeper which I will pamper.Tom

These are great strings be not for everyone. They are different in that they aid the upper register of vocals. I've put them on a 00-27 and a J 200; tow very different guitars. The affect is magical for those musicians who want a harp-like tone from their steel strung axe. They have an interesting configuration. From e to E; 12, 16,12,16, 23 W, 30 W. The result is crisp, clear highs and rich lows. These strings are different, but wonderful.goeller2006

I have tried countless strings over the years, and these John Pearse strings are fantastic! You name it, I've tried it. Everything from D'Addario, Elixer, Martin, Gibson, DR, Cleartone and even Dean Markley. Cheap and expensive, I have tried them. All I can say is that these are the best acoustic strings I have tried to date. I just went from a set of Elixers (which I thought were expensive, but good) to these, and these strings won out hands down. As soon as I installed these, my guitar absolutely came ALIVE! It was almost like night and day. Everything was better! Immediately what I noticed was the added volume and projection I was getting, but most of all, it was the tone that absolutely sold me on these. With these strings I heard more woodiness, percussive body, clarity, string to string definition, harmonic overtones, and resonance than any other acoustic strings I have heard to date. The top end also opened up and became even more tactile and transparent. These strings are just more organic, yet highly defined and less sterile than anything else I have heard, and they also have a very balanced output from string to string that is excellent. In no small measure, these strings have been a bit of a revelation. These strings are also very smooth, and I also noticed less finger noise between fretting notes and bar chords as well. However, regarding that smoothness, I also noticed something interesting as well. Just try to follow me with this: These are the first set of John Pearse strings I have ever installed, so I don't know if this is a "one off", but as smooth as they are, I also noticed that the unwound strings have an ever so slightly uneven and wavy finish to them in spots when you shine them in the light. I don't mention this as a negative IN ANY WAY, but just purely as an observation. Besides, I could care less because they sound so darn amazing. Anyway, my point of mentioning this (and this is based purely on conjecture), is I wonder if the barely perceptible finish inconsistencies contribute to the overall tonality of these strings? TBH, I have never seen strings that had this kind of "inconsistency" to their finish before, and I am wondering if this has anything to do with the great tonality of these strings? All the other strings I have bought over the years have been extremely smooth and consistent in their diameter and finish. Again, I don't mention this as a negative in any way because you never feel this while playing in the least. The only time I noticed it was when I looked at them under direct light. These strings sound fantastic, and obviously their specific alloy and construction plays a great part to their sound, but on the other hand, I have never seen strings with this kind of finish before, and yet I have also never been so excited about a set of strings before either. There has to be something to it. The only other thing I can mention is that these strings also have excellent string life as well. I have had these on my acoustic after about a month and a half of use, and they still sound fantastic! Anyway, all I can say is that I have tried A LOT of strings, and these ones are the standouts by far. Buy with confidence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Peace. 🙂Eywa Dude

Had a pesky b and e string on short scale 000. Solution was it wanted more tension to ring true. The 13 and 18 did it; short scale so they play like lighter strings! The 22w g is awesome, the rest balance nicely. 52 is lite for E but not much of a sacrifice; drop D tuning still do-able. SO HAPPYJohn

This is an inexpensive, decent-quality, full-size classical style of guitar that's aimed at getting more people to play guitar by addressing the more frequent complaints as to why they don't – hurt fingers from no callouses or too small hands or hand fatigue or arthritis or injuries, etc. Steel-string acoustic guitars require a level of hand and fingertip pain for a fair amount of time before any gains are noticed. That's probably why so many people become turned off to playing them. Epiphone shrewdly addressed that with this series of easy-to-play guitars. This is not a classical guitar that's designed for use by professional musicians, on stage or for learning serious classical styles but rather a full-size guitar that encourages more people to learn to play one or for guitarists to just have fun with sitting on the couch, songwriting, learning new songs, etc. And, given its low price, few if any tears might be shed should it one day get lost, stolen or damaged. The 1.75" width nut gives fingers – short, weak, thick or hurt – a bit more room to maneuver on the lower portion of the neck without the unwanted rubbing of adjacent strings and the lower tension strings it comes strung with make fretting clean sounds much easier without hard pressing, squeaks or buzz. This additional room is helpful for learning finger-picking, too. The two strap buttons, although not typical of a classical guitar, are a nice feature as they add greater flexibility for the guitarist as to how he or she prefers to play it. The sound is clean, I'd say very good, and although I'm surely no classical guitarist, this PRO-1 is what it is and what it was designed to be – an easy to hold, easy to play, affordable guitar that should encourage more people to play in spite of hand size, age, injury, physical limitations, etc. While there are many 3/4 size classical guitars out there that also offer easier playing, this Epiphone PRO-1 is a full size model that does the same at a great price.Old guy with a new guitar

When shopping for a first guitar for your child (or yourself) it's confusing. The sales staff will usually direct you to the solid top Yamaha FG or FS series. Tone and quality wise, those are great guitars but they also come out of the box in need of a good setup to be playable up the neck. With the PRO-1 line, Epiphone has worked hard to deliver a reasonable factory setup on one of their most inexpensive models. I can not overstate the benefit this brings to the player! A few other things that stand out for this price range: We also get NuBone nut and saddle on all pro-1 models (this is the material Taylor and other top of the line builders use on their models). The NuBone nut makes a big difference in tone. Also it's a short scale which I think makes it easier to play, the neck is a slip D profile which makes it easy to get your hand around. Tuners at 18:1 ratio not 14:1, that's a first for a guitar in this price range and you get a humidifier and free lessons. If you play the least expensive PRO-1 model against anything in the budget acoustic room at Guitar Center (for those floor plans that separate budget from high end) you notice it's easier to play than anything else…. There is a solid-top version that comes with electronics if you must have a solid top, the truth is having a solid top is overrated on most budget guitars. All solid wood construction does sound different, but when you mix a solid top with the laminated back and sides, it's just hit and miss. If you stick with playing your first guitar won't be your last, and you're more likely to keep playing if you have an instrument that sounds good that is also very easy to play. For that the PRO-1 is your best bet right now.Jeremy

For the price this is a very nice sounding and playing guitar. I have owned higher end acoustic guitars in the past, and just needed something to do some occasional acoustic recording and playing when friends came by. It isn't quite up to the Takamine that I had (but it was also well over 10x the price of this one!), but it sounds great! I did swap out the strings, but that's to be expected. Overall, it is a good looking and nice playing/sounding guitar for a very, very reasonable price.Dave

Seems to do the job as the colour of the cloth after you wipe it down suggests. Not a massive fan of the smell personally. Nice little tin to store it in and should last a long time. The cloth provided does fray and leave little bits on the strings every now and then. I expect the cloth won’t last as long as the main product. Not sure yet how much it lengthens the life of strings and whether it pays for itself through that (I expect not) but it’s nice to know that the strings are being maintained.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I've been using fast Fret for as long as I can remember. A quick wipe after every gig and the strings soud better and last a lot longer. Before I started using it I would break a string maybe every gig (and always had to have a spare guitar ready) but once I started using Fast Fret I was getting more like 6 gigs out of a set of strings. So it pays for itself quite quickly, and lasts a very long time. It is worth noting though, that it is essentially just mineral oil and is not really magic formula. You can buy mineral oil cheaply on eBay (search for chopping board oil) and that's the same stuff. But what makes Fast Fret worth it is the applicator – it prevents you from putting too much on and having a load to wipe off again. It also helps look after your fretboard too, as most lemon oil fingerboard cleaners/conditioners are just made of mineral oil too – there are no lemons in lemon oil 🙂 Anyway, I would recommend it – buy with confidence! Jim Jim's Guitar Workshop, Leeds UKjimcroisdale

I have been using Fast-Fret for decades on ALL of my stringed instruments and it is the ONLY string treatment I will use. I have found that applying Fast-Fret after EVERY use of my guitars, banjos and mandolin can prolong string life for more than twelve months. As an experiment some years ago, I left a set of Fast-Fret maintained stings on one of my guitars to see how long they would remain in good playable condition, and they lasted for more than three years. I'm not saying strings should be kept on an instrument that long as the wire will become tired and lose brightness and tone over time, even when kept clean and corrosion free. But I regularly keep strings on instruments for up to 12 months because Fast-Fret can extend string life for a very long time… If applied thoroughly and religiously to your strings after using your instrument. Experience has taught us that Corrosion and dirt are the enemies of metal strings. This because, the oily salts & acid from contact with fingers and hands is the Number One cause of Premature String Death. Finally, I have to say I love the new design of Fast-Fret. It's new plastic end cap and metal can packaging significantly extends the life of the product.Groovintheblues

The guitar came within week, and I LOVE it! It's a great beginner guitar because it has an awesome sound but for a good price! Also I think the wood on the guitar is beautiful! All around great purchaseBob the builder

This guitar is nice! It stays tuned after using the turning pegs. I don't love the the plastic covers over the tuning parts. Also, this is all plastic… We had a First Act guitar 5 yrs ago that was all wooden. This looks wooden though…guinevere

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas so she hasn’t got it yet but I know she will absolutely love i!! Very well made also so I am really happy with it!!Bwhite

this thing is garbage. plastic strings. plastic feel to the neck. plastic feel to the body. whilst turning a tuning peg just to tighten a string, the string popped off the tuning peg. moved to the B string, same thing. i had no delusions that this was some master piece i would consider a steal, mind you. but i did hope to at least move away from the crappy fake guitars for infants and in some way hand my 5 year old a cheaper starter guitar to plant the seeds of a lifelong hobby. this is not the one. go to Guitar Center and fork out $100 and get 1/4 or 1/2 size guitar if you are serious. this is just a waste of money and time. what a sad disappointmentJ

Overall: My Jim Dandy parlor guitar arrived today. I just got home from a week long trip for work exhausted and thought well I will just unbox my new guitar and try it out in the morning. Six hours later lol I still didn't want to put it down. This guitar has a great tone for blues. The set up was dead on and it plays so easy. I never expected it to play so good and sound so sweet for this price! Check out the videos on you tube so you can hear the unique tone of this guitar and if it's for you I highly recommend it!Gunner

Overall: First off I could not believe how fast my order arrived to my door! Litteraly next day delivery and I only paid for standard shipping. Awesome!. Now about this guitar… At first glance I was a little unsure about how it would sound and play as it looks like a 150$ guitar…. Tuned it a half step down ( as I do on all of mygitars), and gave it some blues runs… I couldnt believe my ears and or fingers!! This thing is killer! Not one fret buzzed right out of the box and the intonation was spot on! It comes with an allen key to adjust the truss rod but I have not yet bothered with a set up because it plays so smoothely the way it is!. This baby tunes nicely and the machine heads feel tight and solid. I highly recomend this guitar to anyone interested in a parlor size accoustic. Buy it! You will not be sorry!Adam

I recently took delivery of an open box "condition level 2" Schecter Orleans Stage Acoustic/electric guitar from MF. I can't find a ding, a nick or a scratch anywhere on it. The only negative I can find are a few rust spots on the strings. Even the action if set very good. I cannot imagine what the person who returned this guitar was looking for that they had to return this one? In my time I've owned and played a Martin D18, Taylor Grand Pacific, Larrivee L-03 and over a half dozen other of various brands and prices. This mid price half-a-grand guitar hangs with and in some cases surpasses the big dogs from the big names! The vampyre red is a very beautiful, deep red. And it great flame on the maple back. Size is GA and very comfortable. Upper fret access is good too. The guitar sounds great with good projection acoustically, and is even better plugged into a Yamaha TRC desk-top amp. I was concerned with the maple back & sides making it too bright, but the tones are really just perfect. Nice lows, mids & trebles across the spectrum. And the best part is the neck. I don't have big, meaty hands and with this one some of the chords I've struggled with and also some barre chords come easy! EASY! I have a Schecter electric and it's a keeper…I just didn't even know Schecter built acoustics but I do now and can't wait to try the Orleans Studio w/ the cedar top or maybe the 7 & 12 string Stage models. Bottom line, I can't see how anyone would not be fully impressed with this fine instrument.AK-J

For the price this guitar sounds amazing. The neck and action come perfect right out of the box. Its super comfortable to play. It looks great too. At the price this guitar is amazing! I recommend some DR Veritas strings. The one down side although super minor is the strap button on the button is also the input jack, my first acoustic electric idk if this is standard. But it makes putting a strap lock on super hard and annoying. Schecter is known for their amazing electric guitars but i can assure this acoustic is well worth the money and an amazing instrument.Matt C.