Best Baritone Acoustic Guitar (2024 Update)

I am an intermediate player. I was looking for a parlor guitar in part due to the guitar lessons on Active Melody, where the instructor, Brian, uses a similar model, which sounds fantastic. I bought a "scratch and dent" to save some money, but it is verydifficult to see the blemishes. MF described the cosmetic blems perfectly, but they were much more minor than I expected. My wife could not find them. The set up was perfect right out of the box. I put on new strings when it arrived, and have not put the guitar down since (about a week ago). I use it mainly for finger picking, and it sounds great. It is amazing to be able to purchase such a beautiful instrument for so little. I have several more-expensive guitars, including a 15-year old Martin D16GT and a newer Seagull S6, but I am drawn to this Alverez's warm sound and projection. It is also easier to play than the Martin. I had a bit of trouble finding a case that fits, but eventually bought the Luna LLFP. It much more sturdy and padded than the standard gig bag, and the guitar fits nicely. It is also much lighter than a hard shell, and about half the price. (But the case also arrived with a nasty chemical smell inside, but I guess this will fade.) In summary, I am very happy with the Alverez AP70, and I would highly happily recommend it to my friends. I wish I had this one when I was just starting out.rabbitt

Bought this model to get back to playing after a bad accident stopped me playing at a time when I owned a seriously expensive guitar. Didn’t want to spend too much in case I couldn’t get back into playing but I can’t praise this guitar too highly. The tone is outstanding and it’s playability is second to none. The guitar is set up perfectly, no need to have it set up at your expense as with a lot of guitars out there. The build quality is superb and as it sits it the stand encourages you to get it off and play it. This model belies the price you pay because in my opinion it it a 400 to 500 pound guitar in all respects. It is delivered ‘mummified’ in bubble wrap to ensure safe passage and was delivered as promised. Can’t thank PMT enough for their advice. Great people to deal with. Need to get back to playing now.Mal H.

I wanted a small, inexpensive guitar that sounded good and played well. I pick up and play a guitar every night while I watch TV. The Takemine dreadnaught I was primarily using was carelessly broken and unremarkable. After reading about this AP70 and listening to Alvarez promotional and YouTube videos, I decided to buy this. It seemed like the thing to do, especially because of the low price and apparent sound quality; it seemed like the best value. It was on back order and wasn't supposed to ship until Feb 9, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received it on Feb 2. It was packed well and mostly in tune already. The construction quality is fantastic, and the sound was pretty good, but not as good as I expected. One of the other disappointments was that it wouldn't stay in tune and the intonation seemed off. After close inspection it seemed that there were not enough wraps of string around the tuners, the quality of the strings used were sub-par and more of a medium than a light gauge, making it difficult and frustrating to play. I immediately replaced the factory strings with Elixer bronze 80/20 nanoweb strings and that made all the difference in the sound, intonation, stability and playability. It's now an enjoyable instrument to play and a great value, in my opinion.The Deeski

I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING ACOUSTIC BARITONE GUITARS FOR A WHILE AND THEN FOUND THIS IRRESISTIBLY PRICED ALVAREZ ABT 60 SHADOWBURST INSTRUMENT FROM GC. UPON ARRIVAL IN A VERY WELL PACKAGED BOX , MY INITIAL IMPRESSION WAS THAT THIS WAS A VERY WELL CONSTRUCTED , BEAUTIFUL INSTRUMENT, ESPECIALLY TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ITS SALE PRICE BELOW $ 250. THE SET UP WAS VERY GOOD AND DID NOT REQUIRE ANY ADJUSTMENT. TUNED AS IT SHOULD BE FROM B TO B , THIS GUITAR IS MAGICAL. IN THE LOWER REGISTERS, THE TONE IS DEEP, DARK AND CLEAR AND CHORDS STRUMMED OR FLAT/FINGERPICKED CREATE A HAUNTING BEAUTIFUL SOUND. IT MADE ME RETHINK THE WAY I PLAYED OLD SONGS AND PAY MORE ATTENTION TO CREATING A BASS LINE ALONG WITH THE MELODY. INSTANT DUO. ONCE I STARTED EXPERIMENTING WITH ALTERNATE TUNINGS , IT WAS HARD TO PUT DOWN. THIS GUITAR INSPIRES YOU TO REDISCOVER SONGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAT YOU MAY NEVER HAVE THOUGHT WERE POSSIBLE. IT HAS ITS OWN LANE . IF YOU ARE A GUITAR PLAYER, YOU HAVE TO TREAT YOURSELF TO HAVING ONE OF THESE INSTRUMENTS. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.GUITARDOC

I wanted an acoustic-electric baritone for some acoustic gigs coming up and saw this was on sale for a price I could not pass up. I also know that Alvarez is a quality brand. I saw a demo video and noticed that the sound seemed a little thin but as I would be electrifying it it wouldn't matter. The bad news is that the pickup is quite lame. If I want to use this live, I will have to invest in a better pickup. Also the notes are not consistent. The second string seems quieter than all the others. The tuners could be better. They seem cheap with a low gear ratio but the guitar does stay in tune reasonably well. Overall I am satisfied. It feels like a solid guitar, the action is reasonable and the intonation is perfect.Most Cowbell Guy

Having never played a baritone guitar before, I am truly amazed at the great sound and play-ability of this guitar. Some reviews on YouTube complain about the electronics are poor, while they are vary basic they work just fine in carrying the signal to the amplifier. I am very happy with this great guitar it is already boosting my creativity!Nicholas

This guitar sits on its stand in my Music room always ready for a quick play. I love the rich deep tone that this guitar puts out. Stays in tune and sounds great! Baritone guitars are few and far between and most cheap baritones just dont cut it. This one is the exception. You wont find a better Baritone at this price point!John

I've owned the Alvarez, the Ibanez and a Taylor GT-8. What you usually get with the cheaper baritones is muddiness and in the case of the Alvarez, mine had a funky neck and fret job. I wasn't expecting this to be so nice at this price. But having bought a Guild D-55 and F512 recently, I've become somewhat of a Guild convert. This guitar makes me even more so. Nicely made, straight neck, tunes well and the intonation is almost right on. Just a shade off at the 14th fret, but I think I can work that out. Balanced tone with a nice cohesive sound that you usually get with more expensive guitars. In the low ranges this had a really nice distinct sound, instead of the mud I had with both the Ibanez and Alvarez. The Taylor was great but it was too much of an investment for a specialty guitar like this. If you are thinking of toying with a baritone, this is a great option. The electronics sound good as well on this. It would work well on stage and the unpluggedl tone would work well for recording. All in all a really nice guitar at a very reasonable price, as guitars go these days.Lenny

I just took delivery of my Guild Baritone, and I already love it! It came well set-up right out of the box – though a couple of the string pegs did need to be pushed in all the way prior to tuning. It has a beautiful, deep sound that carries well when unplugged. I can't wait to try it out plugged in!Jason

Sound: Gentle guitar. Needs light touch or it will muddle up on deepest strings. Features: Love the clear pick guard. It is pictured here with a black pick guard I think, but on the Alvarez site with clear. So glad mine came with a clear guard. Ease of Use: Very playable. Will need a bit more hand strength. Will need to learn how to transpose on the fly to play with other musicians. Not a problem. Quality: Extremely well made. Most impressed. Like the lack of fret dots on the fretboard. Very simple clean lines. Value: Very much worth the $1400. I suspect the laminate version at $400 is also well made. Manufacturer Support: Incredible. Immediate response from Tom. Most impressed. The Wow Factor: Just adds a different tonal aspect to my mostly solo playing. Overall: Very impressed with this guitar and zZounds. Guitar: I have 3 Taylors so high quality is expected. For $1400 I think this in an incredible value. The sound is great. The workmanship and finish is perfect. The tuners may be better than what is on my Taylors. Incredibly smooth. The neck is perfect. The saddle may be 1/32" too high for me, but I will adjust this after the guitar settles in a bit. I find that it needs to be played gently or the sound just muddles a bit, thus lowering the saddle will help my playing style. I contacted Alvarez a couple of times with questions and Tom was immediate and accurate in his response. The only drawback, and maybe not really a drawback, is that the case is very lightly made. For me, carrying it occasionally to a buddy's house to play, this is a plus. My Taylor cases are very. very heavy. For someone needing protection when touring this case might be a bit light. Highly recommend this guitar. A great buy for the price for sure. Would do it again.Ron

I have the Chinese ABT 60, love it. Mahogany. Thought the Japanese YB70 Rosewood might be a nice pairing–different flavors/sound. Makes it nice when a guest comes over to offer them a baritone. No muss no fuss transposing. While that is a good skill to work on with the baritone. The YB is an 1 11/16ths nut. The ABT 1 12/16th. Otherwise they play very similar, sound just a little different. I tune standard baritone B to B. Puts many songs effortlessly in my vocal register with the fine tuning option of capoing as many as 4 frets and still being below E to E standard. When capoed at the fifth fret in E-E they both sound good and you can think in the key others are playing. While the baritone sustain is cool, it is the support and ease of singing that draws me to the baritone. Very happy with my reasonably priced Yairi. Both were made much more enjoyable with a good technician setup.Beau

Beautiful tone. Unique guitar. Had some initial issues with the set up but this was quickly resolved by PMT team in a professional and timely manner. All great.Nikki E.

Beautiful tone. Unique guitar. Had some initial issues with the set up but this was quickly resolved by PMT team in a professional and timely manner. All great.Nikki E.

I told my wife of 46 years that I fell in love all over again…not only with her…but with my new Alvarez ABT60E! (BTW…I love living in the garage now! Just kidding! HA!) I was able to play one of these a few weeks ago and after playing, decided to purchase one of my own….one of the best purchases I have made in my 50+ years of performing, recording and of buying and playing guitars! SWEET, mellow sounds both acoustically and electric that can't be described! Love it in live performance and the studio! Thanks!Country Boy

Overall: I decided on the ABT60E after looking at every Baritone acoustic I could find. It seemed to have all the features I wanted and the price was very reasonable. I was concerned that the specs on the zZounds website were not the same as the Alvarez website, which showed some up-dated features on this model that I wanted. (LR Baggs Pickup, 1 3/4" nut). I placed the order and was approved for the "pay as you play" financing, which really helps ease the burden of buying a new instrument. The guitar arrived in two days! Everything on the guitar was perfect out of the box! I was relieved see it did have all of the up-dated features as shown on Alvarez's website. The build quality on the guitar is outstanding for a guitar in this price range! The gloss finish on the solid Sitka top is flawless, the satin finish on the B/S is a smooth as can be. The bound neck and fret work are super-smooth, and set-up is perfect, nice and low with no fret out's or buzz. Neck angle is perfect, and the neck is straight. Intonation is spot-on! As for tone, it is very full and rich with lot's of low-end and mids. The size of the guitar is a bit daunting at first, and the 27.5" scale neck along with 16-70 baritone strings take some getting used to for sure! The ONLY complaint I have with this guitar is that I hear some buzzing inside the guitar on some of the low note overtones. I can't quite place where they are coming from, but I suspect the electronics. This is annoying but doesn't affect the amplified sound at all, just when played acoustically. I'll have to take it to my luthier to fix if I can't solve it myself. zZounds did a great job on this order! This is my second purchase from zZounds, and I am sure there will be more. I also ordered the Gator Jumbo Hardshell case zZounds recommended and had it shipped in it. ( I never ship an acoustic guitar without being in a hard case). The Gator case is very nice, good, tight fit and seems well made. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase and would highly recommend this ABT60E to anyone looking to add a little "depth" to their guitar bench for not a lot of money. I really had a hard time putting it down, it's a lot of fun to play! This guitar is a great value! Thanks zZounds!Mike

I've been playing guitar for almost 15 years and I was looking for something different. I read up on the Alvarez baritone and saw on many sites that users were more than impressed with it, so I waited patiently for my store to order a unit. I took it off the rack, dropped to one knee, positioned it on my leg and gave it a strum. I froze momentarily and then uttered : I'll take it. It literally is that good. My friend, a pro musician playing on a $4500 Taylor 600 series had exactly the same reaction after I strummed the guitar once. It has a super deep, rich sound, well manufactured – a real beauty. I read on several sites that this guitar was "perfect right out of the box". I have to say that once I tuned the strings on std baritone tuning it was … well, a little bit unplayable really. I suppose due to the very high string tension the neck was taking some heavy strain and I noticed that the saddle was pretty high as well. Taking this one for a decent setup is a must for sure. Also, the salesmen didn't really have any idea which case would go with this big boy, but luckily I read up that the Gator Jumbo case worked well, and sure enough it was a perfect fit. For the price this is a joke – it's worth much more.Kiepa

I told my wife of 46 years that I fell in love all over again…not only with her…but with my new Alvarez ABT60E! (BTW…I love living in the garage now! Just kidding! HA!) I was able to play one of these a few weeks ago and after playing, decided to purchase one of my own….one of the best purchases I have made in my 50+ years of performing, recording and of buying and playing guitars! SWEET, mellow sounds both acoustically and electric that can't be described! Love it in live performance and the studio! Thanks!Country Boy

Overall: I decided on the ABT60E after looking at every Baritone acoustic I could find. It seemed to have all the features I wanted and the price was very reasonable. I was concerned that the specs on the zZounds website were not the same as the Alvarez website, which showed some up-dated features on this model that I wanted. (LR Baggs Pickup, 1 3/4" nut). I placed the order and was approved for the "pay as you play" financing, which really helps ease the burden of buying a new instrument. The guitar arrived in two days! Everything on the guitar was perfect out of the box! I was relieved see it did have all of the up-dated features as shown on Alvarez's website. The build quality on the guitar is outstanding for a guitar in this price range! The gloss finish on the solid Sitka top is flawless, the satin finish on the B/S is a smooth as can be. The bound neck and fret work are super-smooth, and set-up is perfect, nice and low with no fret out's or buzz. Neck angle is perfect, and the neck is straight. Intonation is spot-on! As for tone, it is very full and rich with lot's of low-end and mids. The size of the guitar is a bit daunting at first, and the 27.5" scale neck along with 16-70 baritone strings take some getting used to for sure! The ONLY complaint I have with this guitar is that I hear some buzzing inside the guitar on some of the low note overtones. I can't quite place where they are coming from, but I suspect the electronics. This is annoying but doesn't affect the amplified sound at all, just when played acoustically. I'll have to take it to my luthier to fix if I can't solve it myself. zZounds did a great job on this order! This is my second purchase from zZounds, and I am sure there will be more. I also ordered the Gator Jumbo Hardshell case zZounds recommended and had it shipped in it. ( I never ship an acoustic guitar without being in a hard case). The Gator case is very nice, good, tight fit and seems well made. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase and would highly recommend this ABT60E to anyone looking to add a little "depth" to their guitar bench for not a lot of money. I really had a hard time putting it down, it's a lot of fun to play! This guitar is a great value! Thanks zZounds!Mike

I've been playing guitar for almost 15 years and I was looking for something different. I read up on the Alvarez baritone and saw on many sites that users were more than impressed with it, so I waited patiently for my store to order a unit. I took it off the rack, dropped to one knee, positioned it on my leg and gave it a strum. I froze momentarily and then uttered : I'll take it. It literally is that good. My friend, a pro musician playing on a $4500 Taylor 600 series had exactly the same reaction after I strummed the guitar once. It has a super deep, rich sound, well manufactured – a real beauty. I read on several sites that this guitar was "perfect right out of the box". I have to say that once I tuned the strings on std baritone tuning it was … well, a little bit unplayable really. I suppose due to the very high string tension the neck was taking some heavy strain and I noticed that the saddle was pretty high as well. Taking this one for a decent setup is a must for sure. Also, the salesmen didn't really have any idea which case would go with this big boy, but luckily I read up that the Gator Jumbo case worked well, and sure enough it was a perfect fit. For the price this is a joke – it's worth much more.Kiepa

Loved the guitar from the first minute I played it. Sounds great, feels great to play. Being a baritone it has a deeper, rich tone compared to standard tuning. The action is great. I can't find any fault as yet, hope I never do.jhoala73

never thought would buy a baritone am not a metal player but this is so different such a great sound, sonically unlike anything else i have played i love itReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I like Alvarez instruments. This one is a total disappointment. The first one arrived with four cracks on the tone board. There was no sign of damage on the delivery boxes, so it must been affected by the weather or other things. The finish was dull. The very reason I chose this instrument was the reason for which I sent it back. Advertised as having a solid spruce top, it turned out to be a very cheaply put together piece of wood. It was not book matched, just a solid piece with all the flaws of the wood very obvious. The sound was cheap. I sent the first one back and received another just to make sure it was a fluke. It was not. The second arrived before the first was picked up so I had a chance to compare. The second had a crack ready to start on the top and obvious other weak points that would crack soon if there was any stress at all. Oddly enough the second unbroken instrument did not sound as good as the first broken one. It may work for you, but it was useless to me. Both were sent back.CaballoRojo

I was looking for a travel guitar to take along with me for easy practice. I didn’t expect much from this when I bought it, and was fully ready to return it if it didn’t suit my needs or meet my standards. I was pleasantly surprised. It sounds REALLY good for its size and the price. It’s chime-y and projects well. I ordered from Amazon when this model was still available through them. Now, about a year later, I’m seeing that many retailers are no longer carrying. If you can get your hands on one, it’s worth it. My biggest complaint is the fret sprout that it came with. Not sure if it was shoddy craftsmanship or if it happened as a result of sitting in a warehouse for who knows how long. I filed the frets down a bit as it was uncomfortable to play with all the sprouting. It’s fine now. I would humidify the hell out of it when you first get it, as it helped with mine.Rachel

Had to return twice because of buzzing and ended up buying a different uke somewhere else. Aside the buzzing, the uke had a nice warm sound and was surprisingly loud. Too bad I had to return.Uncle Bus

I bought this guitar to check out a budget friendly offering from Yamaha. I have to say I was not disappointed! Excellent tone and volume, the top really resonates. The guitar was really well setup right out of the box. It needed about 3/4 of a clockwise truss rod adjustment, no prob. Other than that it didn't need any fret dressing whatsoever. That's really impressive for a Chinese guitar. Heck even one of my Mexican Martins needed fret dressing out of the box! Also intonation was spot on and this also is important in your guitar. Very impressed with this guitar, intermediate/advanced feel but priced at a beginner budget. You won't regret picking one up, I assure you!Big Bone Murphy

There is a point of quality when an instrument reaches when it stops being seen as "better or worse" but rather just a different flavor. This Yamaha has reached that point. You can play it alongside a guitar costing 5x more and it stands up well. Yamaha is also one of those rare companies with a long history of top quality across all kinds of products, and guitars are an area Yamaha knows well. This is just a beautiful guitar through and throughout. You can get beautiful uncompromisingly great studio recordings with this guitar. Hitting the low strings hard with strumming gives a nice deep and rich tone. Also, the hardware / tuners are nice.Scott

I've owned many acoustics over the years, MANY, and this Yamaha is one of the best sounding I've ever owned. Went to GC just to check out a few lower end acoustics to pick up for jamming on, and tried almost every one in the room. Picked this one up last just before I was ready to leave, and immediately was blown away by the sound and playability, brought a couple friends to listen and tell me which one they thought sounded the best, and hands down this won over all of them. It has the tone and warmth of a Martin D34, which I have owned a few, and it plays like a dream. The neck is so sliky smooth, easy to fly up and down with no effort. It has amazing sustain and beautiful tone, I fell in love with it and just couldn't put it down. I didn't expect a guitar of this price range to sound as good as it does, got it home and I couldn't put it down. Played for 4 hours straight, and even after trying to put it down to go to bed at 1am I found myself playing a for a few more minutes before I could actually go to sleep. Love this Yamaha more than any guitar I've bought in the last decade. The best thing about it is, It gave me the desire to pick up playing guitar again, after hardly touching any of my other guitars for almost a year it's the one I want to play more than all of them. Great guitar, wouldn't hesitate to buy another in a different color, if you want something that you won't be able to put down this baby has the sound and feel your looking for.Johnny D

I didn't have high hopes for a guitar in this price point, but it has had rave reviews so I ordered one. When I unboxed it after about 5 hours, the very first thing that I noticed was the build quality. The neck set is absolutely perfect and the guitar is very nicely playable right out of the box. The finish on this guitar is superb. It is a Plain Jane but it's pleasing to the eye as a solid, well built guitar. It tuned up well and I played a couple of sets on it, and after one retune, it sang out quite nicely. The only change I will make to this guitar is changing the nut and the bridge to bone, since the plastic polymer just doesn't sustain like this guitar is capable of doing. The additional 50 dollar investment is well worth it, I would be comfortable playing this guitar anywhere, it's well worth the money, and it's easy to see why the reviews have been so good on it.Taylor W.

I’m impressed by the build and sound quality of this acoustic guitar! Easy to tune and play. I used to play on a Taylor GS mini (Koa) but couldn’t bring it with me when I moved to the UK. I was thinking about buying the same model here but they’re quite expensive and paying for international shipping to bring mine from my home country wouldn’t be cheaper as well. That’s when I saw online reviews of this Yamaha FG800 and decided to give it a shot. PMT shopping experience was very smooth and the delivery was very fast – next day. Couldn’t be happier! Now I have something to play after 6 months after moving. And it’s a good quality guitar.Victor T.

This Yamaha instrument is well made. Especially for the price point of just under $200.00. I have purchased many Yamaha acoustics over the years and this guitar will not disappoint. No cosmetic flaws on this instrument, with a nice finish and worth checking out. I have been playing for over 40 years and am now retired, and I rate this guitar at 9.5 out of ten. Perfect for my finger style playing. Very full sounding board and visually appealing. Truss adjustment was made to tighten the action a bit to my personal preferred. The frets could use some polishing, as do most of acoustics at this price. I had purchased an identical instrument not too long ago and it also was a gem right out of the box, and decided to keep only one. Very comparable to an Ibanez Artwood instrument. I highly rate this Yamaha and it is definitely worth a look👍CHRISTOPHER

. Now let me set the scene… I am a guitar lover (I can even play a little too) and a quality professional so My expectations are somewhat higher than most looking at this product. An absolutely beautiful instrument, this is my second SA360 and although they are no longer. Made in Japan, be assured they have not lost any of the build quality or attention to detail. The guitar was really well set up, is great to play, feels good in the hand and sounds the bee’s knee’s. If you are looking to start out in guitar playing get yourself an Ibanez Gio to start as a first upgrade from that, then the SA series is where you want to be at.Timbo

For what it is – a very cheap, small, travel guitar, this is great. You'll need a strap as it doesn't sit high enough on your leg to be comfortable to play. Also – the action was high, but a bit of adjusting with a belt sander on the saddle and that came down well. The scale length is short, but plays OK – takes a bit of getting used to from my full-sized acoustics. Putting a capo on it and making chords further up the neck is tight, but OK. Sound is very good for a travel guitar of this size. This would be a great kids guitar or even for an adult beginner. I did put 11s on it – sounds a bit weaker, but is fine, and that's what I use on my other acoustics. I had a washburn rover before – this is better, though not as small, but worth the extra size, I think. I have a GS Mini, which is much better, but a good bit larger, and much more expensive. Tuner works good, haven't tried plugging it in yet. Bought this for the boat – seems pretty sturdy.Alexander

I bought this guitar because I have chronic pain and am a small lady and found that even smaller acoustic guitars are too big and bulky and unplayable. I like to play high up on the neck so wanted a cutaway and occasionally perform so having an electro-acoustic version means it ticks all the boxes. When play acoustically it does sound really tinny, there's not getting away from that. It also tends to be unbalanced toward the neck end, so I need a strap to keep it in place. But it is much more playable for practice and I am almost managing to play bar chords again. Not chance on a normal size guitar. It has a full fret board just smaller but not too small.Michelle S.

I ordered this for my pastors wife who wanted to learn a new instrument. She is tiny ( less that 5 ' tall) and a full size guitar would not fit her body type. I was shocked when the guitar came in. The photos on line do not do the finish justice. I was even more shocked when I played it. Most student guitars in this price point have horrible action. The set up on this from the factory was great. It was very easy to play and the sound was extremely good for a thin body acoustic . Then we plugged it in. I could not believe the sound quality of the electronics in this guitar. On Sunday, I pulled out after church and let the music team take turns with it. Everyone that played it raved about every aspect of this little guitar. The instrument also came with a quality gig bag. The material was thick, padding was good, the zippers and hardware appeared to by sturdy. Even more importantly, she loved the guitar. I highly recommend that you consider this one for your beginner or intermediate guitar student. Both Children and small adults should be pleased with this one.Greg H.

The Córdoba GK Studio Negra is a rare gem among acoustic classical guitars. Once you hold it and hear the incredible tones it offers your ears, you not want to put it down. Pure ear candy that plays like soft golden butter as you easily slide your fingers on the fretboard and bend the strings. After playing many other acoustic and classical guitars over the years as a professional musician, the GK Studio Negra was ‘the one’ I’d been searching for. It just feels good and the woods are so well balanced not only in tones but beautifully designed. It’s truly a work of art and has much character. The value is unbelievable for what you get because this remarkable guitar plays and has the appearance of one three times it’s cost. There’s no other way to say it except that you will fall in love with it. I did. For classical, jazz, folk or blues it’s a wonderful companion on or off the stage plugged in or not. With dynamic rich low end and gorgeous sustain, you will be inspired to play this versatile guitar for many years. The Córdoba GK Studio Negra is a graceful friend that you will cherish.KH singer songwriter and produce

This was my upgrade from a Lucero 150se and what a difference it made. In terms of playability there's no comparison, the Cordoba is superior in every way. Start with the tuners/nut which are perfectly smooth allowing you to make small adjustments even on steel strings. Playing the Cordoba is simply easier and there were things I could not do well on the Lucero due to the thickness of the wood neck. Mind you I'm not talking about the nut width which is 50mm on both, I'm talking the actual thickness of the wood neck itself below the fret board. The slimmer profile of the Cordoba meant reaching certain chords easier, changing chords faster, and giving my hands the ability to put pressure when needed. The factory strings on the Cordoba appear to be superior as well although I would still upgrade them if you can afford it; the steel strings on the Lucero wore out at about 85hrs. No fret noise of any kind on the Cordoba (so long as you play the chord right) whereas on the Lucero I would get buzzing on frets 5 & 6 from both 5th and 4th strings with anything other than light strumming, even with perfect finger placement. The sound of the Cordoba is more sharp, crisp, and clear than the Lucero. My only con is that the shallower body does create a slightly more "twangy" sound than I'm used to but its a negligible difference I quickly settled with in exchange for the other qualities. You get what you pay for. This is a very solid guitar for the price. I would recommend nothing less for serious beginners.Joe T

This guitar is great. I've had no real qualms with it so far, albeit I've only had it since April 1st. I used to play about a decade ago, but life happened and I stopped playing consistently. I bought a Jasmine S34-C about a month back to start up playing again, but it didn't revitalize my love for guitar quite like this one did. I had only played an acoustic before up until I picked up this GK Studio. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. The ebony/gold tuning keys look very refined and the guitars "negra" or black style looks sooooo good. The contrast between the lighter and darker colors does a lot for me. The sound(for me) is just right. Not too soft, but not excessively punchy. I am not someone to perform at gigs as I've only ever played at home, but this guitar definitely has made me want to give it my all and try new things! When things finally get back to 100% here in the states I'll be giving this guitar a shot at a few spots. I've seen a few reviews online that suggest that this is a great gig guitar as well and has a great sound when plugged in so I can't wait to try that out even more so! The only (minor)thing I can think of that I would call a "con" is the Fishman tuner built onto the side of the guitar. I have not had a chance to test out the different options when it is plugged into an amp, but the on-hand guitar tuner setting can be a bit fidgety at times. Its not anything severe as I usually just tune by ear, but I personally only use it for a guide to get back to standard when I'm done messing about with other alt. tunings. I wouldn't say it docks a star from this review, but its just something to look out for if anyone is wondering about it.Ruben S

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

Guitar works great and so do the electric components of the guitar (the tuner and volume). Would recommend. The guitar i received is a right-handed guitar.Michael

I bought this guitar from a local shop strictly as a worship instrument for Sunday mornings. It absolutely destroyed every other guitar at the music shop +/- 500 in either direction. I still hold that it is likely the best guitar in its price range for the quality of its construction and sound quality. There is virtually not a single flaw this instrument possesses… But can we talk about the electronics? The guitar is super odd… I mean, if you are odd too, it is probably your dream guitar. It has a poor-man's tone wood amp build in. When you turn it on, it runs 90's sounding special effects out the soundhole, which is pretty cool. Here is the problem, the controls are super minimal. So minimal that you can't tell whether this bad boy is on or off. We found out the hard way that when this guitar is plugged in, the battery is always draining, even when the sound system is off. This is not atypical, but it gets weirder. The guitar won't turn off when plugged in, but sometimes needs to be turned on (?) when the batteries are dying. There is no indicator to tell you when it is running low on power, so you might find out on stage halfway through Glorious Day. There is actually no indicator for anything electric on this guitar, except for a sliding piece of plastic that sits under the dials that might be useful if it didn't look like you were supposed to cut it out and throw it away. The whole control setup is just annoying and unnecessarily vague. Long story short, with an electronics upgrade, this guitar would be unbeatable. It has more power than it deserves, almost like the guys a Yamaha are professionally sound-profiling the tops, which is something you would expect only on guitars above the 2000 range.Benjo

Where to start with this… Out of the box, once tuned the guitar feels like a quality product. The fitted Elixir strings (I'm guessing a 0.12 brass or bronze set) give the guitar a very bright, clear tone, exactly what I wanted. It is a bright sounding instrument, so others may want to experiment with other string sets. The action is good and low, although compared to the guitar I was playing the fretboard is very flat, not much of a camber at all, a minor complaint which may not apply to everyone and I got used to it quickly. The neck itself is comfortable with a slightly matte finish which I find aids playability, somehow. The design is conservative with small inlays and a transparent scratchplate; I may replace the scratchplate with something more interesting one day but not while it's so new. All in all, a great, solid instrument for its price bracket. Oh yeah, it's also got this on board soucery which applies reverb and chorus through the body of the guitar. These effects are awesome but their real benefit is to make you want to play for longer, simply because you sound better. These effects also apply to the line out; this is also a fully-fledged electro-acoustic. The only drawback here is that the preamp lacks any kind of equaliser, but who cares about that when any amp or sound desk has these functions? That all makes this guitar an all-rounder. A solid acoustic instrument with on board tricks for busking or practicing (your buddies will be jealous if you're having an unplugged jam on the beach, too) as well as being the electro-acoustic you want if you're gigging. I swear, I am not being paid by Yamaha. Check it out on YouTube – some great demos of this guitar on there.Adam W.

I bought this guitar for my grandson as he was interested in playing. He found other interests and It sat in his closet for about a year and a half. I have a very nice Alveraz accoustic guitar I've been playing for about 20 yrs. now paid about 500 plus with the case. Long story short, I was looking for a camp fire type guitar and asked to use his. The neck was out of alignment so i took both my alveraz and this ibenaz to my guitar lutheran for neck adjustments and new strings when I picked it up he could not believe this was a cheap guitar and said I would probably like this better than the Alveraz. This is now my go to guitar for practice. It sounds Great and after the minor adjustments the to the neck which you would do time to time anyway, the DiAddario bronze 11's the action is spot on. I can live with the frets being a little rough. If it bothers you file it down a little.Intermediate Player

I received this JamPack as a gift from my dad for my 14th birthday in 2004. 9 years later, I still play this guitar almost every day. I learned on it, progressed to "better, more expensive" acoustics which eventually were sold, and have hung onto this cheap Ibanez. My example has press-in tuners, which is my only real gripe. These may be upgraded to bolt-in tuners someday, but i'm in no rush. The guitar holds tune for weeks (really), and holds intonation and a setup forever (I set it up once, when I first learned how to work on my own guitars somewhere around 2008. It's still holding that setup perfectly). The build is very solid, the tone is perfectly passable, especially considering what was paid, and I've had a very hard time justifying higher priced guitars because of just how much I enjoy my cheap Ibanez.MattyBegsBassist

I've had this guitar for about 10 years now. It was my very first guitar, way back when I was first starting out. This guitar isn't high quality, but for the price you should know that. Everything about this guitar is decent- the sound, the look, the finish. It gets the job done, and will be a great guitar for you if you're just starting out. The main gripe I have with it is reliability. I've treated mine very well besides a few dents and some fading on the finish near the fretboard, but the sound just faded. Maybe it's because I have much better quality guitars now but it just doesn't sound right to me anymore and I basically just keep it for the memories. The frets buzz now, too. But you'll get that on just about any starter pack guitar. It doesn't last in quality but honestly it's not made to. It's made so you'll learn on it for a few years, then graduate to a much higher quality guitar if you're committed. And honestly it does that job very, very well.Christina4242