Best Guitar For 400 Dollars (2024 Update)

For the price it is exceptional value. Beautiful looking musical instrument. For me there are just two reservations. 1. There is no built tuner. 2. The pick up doesn’t work with my Xvive U2 wireless system. I have another electro acoustic, also with Fishman electronics, which does work with the Xvive U2 wireless system so I was sort of expecting this would to. Apart from that it is jewel of a guitar and punches well above its price tag.

Overall: All I can say is I am really glad I bought this guitar. I am not going to go into a three page novel reviewing it. I will say this is my second Taylor. My first is a 416ce-R….I purchased a couple of years ago which I love playing, and enjoy thoroughly. That being said I love this GS Mahogany Mini more. For a fraction of the cost you have an awesome guitar here that plays incredibly. Bought a SKB hard case to protect it. The case that came with it is nice, but not for air travel. I just can't stop playing this mini. Great sound, playability, quality and beautiful. Glad I bought this guitar. No regrets!

This guitar is warm and rich sounding. The playability is incredible and feels amazing in the hands. It looks like it is worth more than what it is. Taylor took the care and attention to this line of guitars as it does with its higher end models. I used to have a 614ce and this mini is on par with the way it feels. Obviously not as loud as the 614ce or as pretty, but the care in craftsmanship is the same. Not that the guitar is pretty though. I love this guitar and could not put it down. Sweetwater also did an excellent job on inspecting and packaging this guitar to make sure it sounds perfect when it arrives in my hands.

When you want a Les Paul you’ll want a real Les Paul so that’s a Gibson and not a single cut guitar by any onther manufacturer that has its looks changed because it may not look like a Gibson Les Paul. Furthermore: the Gibson Les Paul since its inception in the ‘50’s has always been and will be THE benchmark. Period. This Gibson Les Paul Classic is a gorgeous, great guitar and very competetively priced too. For your tone you really do not need an AAA flame top; many of the best sounding ‘vintage’ Les Pauls are plaintops. And when you do not want one of the ‘burst’ versions that just do not quite meet the looks of the old ones, this Translucent Red is the way to go.. you’ll be buying a guitar that reminisces of George Harrison’s ‘Lucy’ and Dicky Betts’s ‘Redtop’ without having to fork out Custom Shop money. You’ll also get 4 push-pull pots that effectively give you all the inspiring tonal options (including the ‘Peter Green’ out of phase tone) you’d find in a Custom Shop Jimmy Page # 2 (read the spec sheets) but again without having to pay the Custom Shop Price. Between 1990 and 2008 there was also a ‘Les Paul Classic’ too but the ‘Classic’ version on sale these days has little to do with that previous ‘Classic 1960’. The Burstbucker pick ups are supposed to adhere to the specifications Seth Lover intended and that Gibson was applying to the 1961 P.A.F. / Patent Number Pickups. And indeed the Burstbuckers are clear, brilliant, a bit ‘bright’ and not ‘woolly’ or ‘fatty’. More a bit like the P90 ‘without hum’ it was designed to be but then a little more powerful, without the screaming harshness of some ceramic pickups Gibson used in the past. The Grover tuners – although I prefer the looks of the Kluson keystones – are also ‘60’s-modifications’ and I must say they have a wonderfull ‘solid’ mechanically feeling action. The crown inlays in the fretboard are a perfect fit (unlike some others where gaps were obvioulsy filled up with glue or something) and the fret bindings have been finished properly (in the past I’ve seen that done less scrupulously..). The Classic also sports the ‘modern’ larger strap holders so it is not imperative to fit straplock systems right away… Any drawbacks? Some people might scare back at the weight: it comes in at 4.25 kilo’s and the Slim Taper neck profile (also a ‘60’s’ characteristic) has to be your thing. Minor detail: upon arrival the fretboard was very dry but all it needed was some luscious application of Axe Wax and now the fretboard has the same nice even chocolate brown hue as my Gibson 2019 Firebird. When you are on the search for ‘a’ Les Paul, at least try the Les Paul Classic as well. I have sold two M.I.J. Tokai LoveRocks (a 2002 and a 2003) to fund the purchase of the Gibson Les Paul Classic; that was a gamble but I was right in doing so; the Les Paul Classic really pleases me a lot more. And a note I must add: mine came perfectly set up by one of the guitar techs of Music Store; thank you! Even the intonation was spot on !

Been looking for a nice explorer for a while and once I saw this model some time ago, I fell in love with this amazing guitar. I was for a while very, very doubtful due to the complicated and demanding Floyd Rose bridge I never had before. A couple of good tutorials on the system were enough to take this fear away. After a thorough check, the guitar is a dream, works perfectly and love it so far. No scratches nor color changes on the mat neck and back, veneer looks pristine, and mechanics work just fine, lovely Gibson Pup sound with split coils and the fret-board looks great, 12th fret’s spaceship inlay aside which is also a very nice touch there. No challenges with neck profile, just a bit of a welcomed change to a thinner neck from my husky Les Paul ones I have. This is a really nice and balanced guitar! Ok, it's on the slightly heavier side but very manageable still. As mentioned earlier, It’s my first Floyd Rose guitar and surprisingly, I managed to adjust it to perfect balance and tuning on my first try in less than an hour with the help of some wood wedges to block back of the springs with, that I made during that estimated time, and of course a ton of online tutorials the weeks prior. Next step is changing to Paradigm Ernie Ball 11s half a step down and adjusting float again….but this will have to wait a bit and maybe a fourth spring will be in order, we will see. If doubting on Floyd Rose, trust me, I am really not a technical person but this was a piece of cake, once you understand the basics and foremost, make a nice wedge, rest is just a walk in the park. It also comes with a case which is always a plus for getting it home in the best possible condition though I would have preferred a hard case or actual guitar contour shaped foam on the included case, to make it extra safe. and not moving whist transporting For those Brendan small fans out there, it is even more of a desirable item. For those not following his work, still a really nice guitar and a steal for what you get. This guitar will make you happy no matter if you know artist or not Last but not least, there is a shop that actually checks guitars before shipping and that is Music Store….Big, big thanks for making sure I got the guitar I wanted and expected. Big thanks to the entire team!

Been looking for a nice explorer for a while and once I saw this model some time ago, I fell in love with this amazing guitar. I was for a while very, very doubtful due to the complicated and demanding Floyd Rose bridge I never had before. A couple of good tutorials on the system were enough to take this fear away. After a thorough check, the guitar is a dream, works perfectly and love it so far. No scratches nor color changes on the mat neck and back, veneer looks pristine, and mechanics work just fine, lovely Gibson Pup sound with split coils and the fret-board looks great, 12th fret’s spaceship inlay aside which is also a very nice touch there. No challenges with neck profile, just a bit of a welcomed change to a thinner neck from my husky Les Paul ones I have. This is a really nice and balanced guitar! Ok, it's on the slightly heavier side but very manageable still. As mentioned earlier, It’s my first Floyd Rose guitar and surprisingly, I managed to adjust it to perfect balance and tuning on my first try in less than an hour with the help of some wood wedges to block back of the springs with, that I made during that estimated time, and of course a ton of online tutorials the weeks prior. Next step is changing to Paradigm Ernie Ball 11s half a step down and adjusting float again….but this will have to wait a bit and maybe a fourth spring will be in order, we will see. If doubting on Floyd Rose, trust me, I am really not a technical person but this was a piece of cake, once you understand the basics and foremost, make a nice wedge, rest is just a walk in the park. It also comes with a case which is always a plus for getting it home in the best possible condition though I would have preferred a hard case or actual guitar contour shaped foam on the included case, to make it extra safe. and not moving whist transporting For those Brendan small fans out there, it is even more of a desirable item. For those not following his work, still a really nice guitar and a steal for what you get. This guitar will make you happy no matter if you know artist or not Last but not least, there is a shop that actually checks guitars before shipping and that is Music Store….Big, big thanks for making sure I got the guitar I wanted and expected. Big thanks to the entire team!

I love this guitar. I initially wanted an amp, The same model as my first amp, a gift from my parents that I regretfully sold.I placed an order with guitar center and within a few days they called to ask if I would accept a demo model. I told them I really wanted a new one. A few more days passed and my amp was at the store, I picked it up and sure enough it was used, thrown upside down in a box and missing the foot switch. They told me they would get me a new one, but they couldn't and I ended up getting my money back. I was discouraged and ended up spending half the money on something else and never got the amp. I decided I would buy an acoustic with the rest of the money and I had heard good things about the Taylor GS mini. I didn't know where to order from and decided to try Sweetwater. This was the best move I have made. I received a text message right after I ordered, then an email with pictures of my guitar and it showed up the very next day… in tune! This guitar sounds amazing. It also came with a little bag of candy. I was so happy with Sweetwater that I placed another order the day my guitar arrived for a strap and a new cable for my electric guitar. I could have drove 10 minutes to guitar center but I am done with them and now will only order from Sweetwater. The customer service is the best. This is how you treat your customers! I look forward to getting more gear from you guys. Thank you!

I have been wanting to get my own Taylor GS Mini since I first heard one, and when I saw the rosewood back and sides model, I knew I had to act. It wasn't in the budget at the time, but I was so anxious to have one that I called AMS, and man, am I glad I did! My sales associate Enrique made it SO easy for me to obtain this lovely instrument that I simply had to do it. First, the guitar itself: I've never owned a parlor guitar before, and wasn't exactly sure it would be suitable sonically, but man, the sound of this instrument just Blows.My.Mind! Every note of every string rings out as well as or better than any acoustic I've ever played, including several guitars costing three and four times as much. And the tone is simply astounding: huge,rich, bell-like clarity up and down the entire sonic spectrum, and the sustain is simply unbelievable. The setup was very much to my liking and suits my playing style perfectly, and the craftsmanship is second to none. I waited for several weeks before writing this because I wanted to play it for awhile before giving my opinion, and I love it more each and every time I pick it up. I'm not a luthier, but I am a finish carpenter with considerable woodworking experience, having worked in wood for more than forty years now, and I have yet to spot a single flaw anywhere on this guitar. Not only that, but every time I pick it up, I end up playing for much longer than I had intended, so it's good that I am retired! It's just such a joy to play that it really will become a time thief if you're not careful, but that's the kind of problem I think we all want in our gear. I own nine other guitars, mostly electrics, but this has become my go-to baby, because of its breathtaking tone and articulation. I just can't say enough about how glad I am to've made this purchase, and if you are thinking about getting one, think no more! This beautiful and apparently flawless work of art would be a great bargain at twice the price, and for what AMS is selling them for, you would be crazy not to get one. Call Enrique today and prepare to be blown away!

Bought this guitar for my daughter for Christmas. I got a gs mini koa plus for my present, and I honestly can't decide with one I like better. The rosewood back and sides on this guitar are stunning. The Sitka top sounds great, especially considering the size. I cant say enough good things about the gs mini.

Look, I have played guitar over 50 years. I bought this to have a guitar to play around the camp fire or just drag around. I had Sweetwater set it up before it shipped. Got this thing and was completely blown away! With the set up it plays better than my Ovation Elite. Great guitar and great sound not to mention the service from Greg and the guys at Sweetwater. Perfect set up, awesome customer service. For the price, there is no way you can go wrong with this guitar – just make sure you get it set up properly!!!

Much more than a starter guitar. Put a set of Elixir strings on this, a minor tweak of the action and away you go. Plays like an electric sounds full-bodied like a Dreadnought should. Full range of sound from base mid and treble. Mic it or I use a Dean Markley pick up for amplifier. A gorgeous sound and play sensitivity to a myriad of different styles. I have more expensive acoustic guitars. But believe it or not this one sounds better and plays better than all of them. I purchased the ebony all black model. It has a very nice look on stage. But my thing is not how an instrument looks but rather on the playability and the tonal quality. A wonderful steal for the price. I'm telling you if you purchase this guitar for practice recording or performance you will not be disappointed. And at this price point you can get one for next to the couch, one for the studio, one for the camping trip, one for the beach, and one for the stage. And still not spend as much as ONE Taylor.

Been looking for a nice explorer for a while and once I saw this model some time ago, I fell in love with this amazing guitar. I was for a while very, very doubtful due to the complicated and demanding Floyd Rose bridge I never had before. A couple of good tutorials on the system were enough to take this fear away. After a thorough check, the guitar is a dream, works perfectly and love it so far. No scratches nor color changes on the mat neck and back, veneer looks pristine, and mechanics work just fine, lovely Gibson Pup sound with split coils and the fret-board looks great, 12th fret’s spaceship inlay aside which is also a very nice touch there. No challenges with neck profile, just a bit of a welcomed change to a thinner neck from my husky Les Paul ones I have. This is a really nice and balanced guitar! Ok, it's on the slightly heavier side but very manageable still. As mentioned earlier, It’s my first Floyd Rose guitar and surprisingly, I managed to adjust it to perfect balance and tuning on my first try in less than an hour with the help of some wood wedges to block back of the springs with, that I made during that estimated time, and of course a ton of online tutorials the weeks prior. Next step is changing to Paradigm Ernie Ball 11s half a step down and adjusting float again….but this will have to wait a bit and maybe a fourth spring will be in order, we will see. If doubting on Floyd Rose, trust me, I am really not a technical person but this was a piece of cake, once you understand the basics and foremost, make a nice wedge, rest is just a walk in the park. It also comes with a case which is always a plus for getting it home in the best possible condition though I would have preferred a hard case or actual guitar contour shaped foam on the included case, to make it extra safe. and not moving whist transporting For those Brendan small fans out there, it is even more of a desirable item. For those not following his work, still a really nice guitar and a steal for what you get. This guitar will make you happy no matter if you know artist or not Last but not least, there is a shop that actually checks guitars before shipping and that is Music Store….Big, big thanks for making sure I got the guitar I wanted and expected. Big thanks to the entire team!

After seeing some videos about this guitar and reading many reviews, I realised that it was a very good quality for the price!! This guitar is absolutely amazing, smooth, beautiful and the sound is truly beautiful, even better than I expected! I'm very satisfied! I live in Madeira Island and the product came relatively fast, for what I was very happy too!

I understand this is a 99 USD guitar and you are doing your best to keep the price low to make it affordable to many but…two issues I have noticed from the get go. A minor issue is related to the frets edges which were sharp, I played it a bit to realize it had scratched my hand in a way that I'm still waiting for those scratches to heal, in the meantime I have used a file to smooth the edges, so that can be considered fixed, would be great if you could take care of smoothen it before shipping, the first impression is always the most important and believe me those edges impress, negatively. The major issue are the tuners, very low quality and don't keep the tune, in my particular case the G tuner didn't work as expected and most of the tuners are not precise at all, I bought the Grover 6-in-line mini rotomatics for 60 USD, I hope that'll fix it. FYI, I bought this to experiment with a GK-3 installation so I'm using it for my Frankenstein tests. Best regards.

I normally am apprehensive on any discount guitar simply because the "standard" is usually considerably more. And that in some ways still holds true. But if you want to play and you don't have hundreds to drop on an entry level guitar, this one exceeds expectations. Bought for my son to start learning and he loves it. He wanted a red Strat and being 6 I didn't want to buy a pricey unit to start. This was the cheapest guitar on the website and I am still smiling at the choice. It feels solid, neck allows for good fret progression and allows for smooth transition. One thing I am very impressed with is that it holds tuning. Very rare in this price point. It could use finishing touches like tightening screws on the pick ups and smoother fret wires, but nothing to deny it's value and favorable playability. For the price it still wins the day. If I had extra money I would try their Telecaster version for myself, that is how impressed I am. Keep improving the product, you're on the right track to introduce more people to music. Thank you Glarry for the better than expected guitar. You made my kids day.

I like the exceptionally light weight (that's why I bought this guitar), and tones from middle and neck pickup are nice. Problems include: sharp ends of the frets need to be filed down, fret heights are uneven so the frets need dressing (i.e., sanding) to avoid buzzing with strings at a reasonable height, bridge pickup is exceptionally harsh (I replaced it), neck is far too thick unless you have enormous hands (I wear large size men's gloves), and nut grooves bind strings and prevent proper tuning (some grooves need enlargement). In comparison, of these problems, the $100 strat from Monoprice has only an excessively thick neck. In sum, this guitar is not completely finished and has a very thick neck. If you will finish it yourself and replace the bridge pickup–and you have very large hands or can plane and sand the neck thinner–this guitar is a reasonable purchase and is worth 3 stars. Otherwise, this is no substitute for a finished guitar and is worth 1 star. I spent 15 minutes sanding the frets, 1.5 hrs planing and refinishing the neck, a half hour replacing the bridge pickup (I already had a good replacement), and 10 minutes adjusting the nut grooves. All that remains is fixing the sharp fret ends.

The sound is slightly less dense than my Yamaha acoustic which sounds nice on most songs. The in built tuner is more than adequate and sounds great connected to the amp. The colour is beautiful and the weight is light. I would recommend, especially for the price

I've had the guitar for almost a month now & decided to do the review after I had it for a while. Quality control on this guitar was not very good. There was a chip by the 22nd fret near the upper horn that was overlooked because it has the final coating sprayed over it. There is also a scratch on the headstock at the G string tuner, it looks like someone overtightened the nut & scrated the headstock with a nut driver. Plus there is some black paint that ran into the binding on the top part of the headstock. Also there is a nick/scratch on the pickguard right below the neck pickup. The guitar plays well, and it looks good except for the imperfections I expalined earlier. I took pictures of what I complained in case someone at AMS would like to see them. I'm not sure of the return policy for guitars or if this could be returned for another guitar of the same kind I have. In the end the playability has met expectations but the quality control was far below expectations. If a representative has any questions about my review or if they want to see the pics I took, please let me know.