Best Inexpensive Acoustic Guitar (2024 Update)

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

This 79 buck guitar was the biggest surprise ever! I really didn't expect much, and was having second thoughts after I placed the order. I bought the sunburst version on a SDOTD as a total impulse buy. I have several expensive acoustics, and I don't need a cheap guitar. But I have to say, this is a really nice instrument. The fit and finish is above average, with relatively smooth fret ends and a huge sound. The tuners, however inexpensive, work as intended and stay in tune. The sunburst finish is lovely, with only one small thumbnail scratch. The neck joint is well done, and the neck has a comfortable full feeling. Epiphone has improved the "E" symbol on the pickguard, it is made into the plastic, and not glued on and wanting to fall off like on the older Epiphones. The rosette appears to be painted on, but it looks good regardless. The bridge (rosewood) is solidly attached to the top, with no lifting or gaps. The body has a white plastic binding front and back that is well executed. The rosewood fretboard is attractive with nice grain. And the sound! This guitar has a huge, loud sound for a laminate guitar. Tomorrow I plan to replace the original strings with some quality mediums, which can only make it sound even better. One odd feature is a false truss rod cover, held in place with three wood screws. There is nothing under it! The access to the truss rod is inside the sound hole. I did have to remove some glue from around the truss rod adjusting nut inside the guitar. Quite frankly, the quality and sound of the Epiphone just blows me away! If I had to sell all of my other acoustics and only keep this one, I would be content. It's that good!JimmyJ

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

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 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 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 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

At first I was going to say it's a great guitar for the price, but that really doesn't do this thing justice. It's just a great guitar. It has a great sound, it feels good in your hands, it's easy to hold and to play. I can't fault this guitar at all. The action was a bit high out of the box, but the tech at Guitar Center gave it a great set-up and now it's very easy to play. I'm planning to give this one to my daughter, but I would happily keep this myself. I have only been playing guitar for a few weeks, but even I can make this thing sound good!Todd

There is a place in my project studio for FS800: 48 years ago I sold Yamaha Guitars and found them excellent. When the group "America" presented a acoustic sound (Horse with No Name; Ventura Highway; Tin Man . . . et al) the solid rhythms of Yamaha solid top guitars proved Ideal. Through the years I have experimented with various genres as a singer songwriter; now a days I have returned to folk and "heavy on" acoustic guitar sounds. To complement my more expensive guitars I needed something that could deliver the solid rhythms I fondly recall. Now the Yamaha FS800 excels for finger styles as well: I layer tracks this guitar is a breeze to play and its character naturally stands out in the mix. I cannot see a beginner or a more advanced guitarist going wrong with The Yamaha FS800. JHajarhill

Perfect couch and campfire guitar. Sustains and project very well with a surprisingly round warm sound. Gorgeous burst finish much nicer in person. String spacing is slightly narrower than standard, make note. Bridge saddle needed to be shaved down for lower action. Neck and frets were perfect otherwise. Tuning very stable. A set of 11-52 will be next string change. Love playing this thing, and exploring alternate tunings! It seems Yamaha's reputation is true.Greg

I got mine a few weeks ago and just started learning how to play. The sound of the guitar does sound great as is and I was able to get it in tune easily. The guitar itself is amazing quality. The wood finish looks beautiful and near perfect, not one imperfection that I can see. The spruce top looks great too. The edges are finished in black accents to match the bridge pins giving it a nice touch. The neck is perfectly straight and the frets are smooth on the edges as I move my hand into different positions up and down the neck. The quality of wood appears to be nice as well. It seems to stay in tune reasonably well since I don't have any other guitar to compare it to. Recently it survived the 7.8 earthquake in Ecuador and is now my lucky guitar. I am very happy with the purchase and look forward to many years of use.sa_ecuador

I am rating this product two stars simply because of the accessories that comes with the guitar. 1st I would have liked a bit more instruction on how to use the tuner. It would have been helpful to know where to put it on the guitar. The book that comes with it does not offer any information about how to actually use the tuner. (I now know that it goes on the head of the guitar thanks to YouTube.) 2nd I'm not a fan of how the Guitar for Dummies is written (personal preference) and 3rd the guitar case is way cheap. The zipper broke after only 3 days. I would suggest that if you planned on carrying your guitar around, like for instance back and forth to lessons, that you order another carrying case because this one is unreliable. Now about the guitar itself, I really like it. I am new to playing the guitar and I wanted an inexpensive guitar to start off with just in case I lay it down to never pick it up again. I would only recommend this product to a friend for the guitar itself. Accessories that came with it totally sucks. Oh and by the way it also came with an allen wrench that I don't have the slightest clue what I'm supposed to do with it. Oh I forgot to mention that I broke a string on the first day but I believe that was due to the lack of instructions that came with the tuner. News flash you are selling this bundle based off the For Dummies series; so why assume that the people who are buying this bundle knows how to tune a guitar.Alekskya

The guitar is not setup. I am new with zero experience in guitars. When i went to misic class, my teacher said that it needed a setup as tunes are not coming up correctly. Cost to do the setup and correction is more than the price of the guitar. Unfortunately i joined music class after the return dates had passed, so unable to return now.Kartik

A great guitar for a beginner. The action is good, the intonation is good, and it has a good sound that will keep beginning guitar players playing. Because of the price, it is also good for more experienced guitar players to use as your not afraid of what happens to it guitar.alyd7618

As a beginner, I like the feel, the sound and the look. I have since purchased a Classic CG122MCH from Skip's Music, Elk Grove, CA. I need to register. It's very nice as well!Slammer

This was my beginner guitar and it was decent enough. A humidifier is very important if you want to keep this guitar in good shape. The action tends to slip up around the 12 fret after a while, which is very annoying especially when you're trying to play blues. If you're REALLY into Dylan, this guitar is an ok choice to start with but for anybody else, I highly suggest you get either an electric starter kit or just another company. Yamaha is great at making a lot of things but if you're serious you should buy from a company that knows guitars and nothing more, nothing less.Monterey Purple

This is a great little guitar! I have had several travel guitars including the Martin and Taylor versions and I think this beats them hands down. You can’t find a better travel guitar especially for the price. This is the third one I’ve purchased as I’ve given them away and moved them on— people appreciate them very fast. I do recommend using a little pillow wrote a tale so you’re are mangoes are the same as for a regular size guitar Makes it much easier to play any small guitar.I do recommend using a little pillow or rolled up small towel so your arm angles are the same as for any regular size guitar. This makes it much easier to play any small guitar. Very lightweight. One came with perfect action, but the other two I had to do a truss rod adjustment to get the optimal action which can be very good. The adjustment was simple. Orangewood customer service is excellent .Thomas B.

Not just for the money, its just a nice guitar! So my packaging had a few issues, it looked like it had gotten hung up on a fork lift tyne and dragged across the floor, I was nervous about opening it. But it was very well packed, not even a blemish. Everything I ordered was there, the guitar itself coming from California to South Alabama, undoubtedly passed through abrupt temperature and humidity changes, yet it was almost in tune out of the box. So much so, that I could tell that it had been tuned properly, and the QC person rolled the heads back about a half, or maybe 3 quarters of a turn just to relieve stress from the rod and neck. The E. Ball strings are pretty nice, feels like standard Bronze Phosphorus strings. I wiped them down with a clean cloth, and no dust or anything whatsoever came from them. I had no loose bindings, no sharp fret wires hanging over, and the ride height is perfect. Its almost unbelievable to get such a nice guitar for what I paid. The gig bag is certainly not the worst one I've ever seen, its padded nicely and has the backpack straps which I like. I hope that you guys never change your core business model, of offering the add-on accessory pack separately, which in my open leaves more room for nicer details like good strings, and real bone. And also allows you to offer slightly higher quality accessories. Very nicely done. I understand that now that you're up and running good, I hope that you still offer a guitar like the Rey at that low price point, for those who may be like I was growing up, and just couldn't afford a decent guitar. They always sounded like crap, couldn't tune them…and for a couple decades I just gave up. I'm back into it again, thanks to this guitar, I'm going to be upgrading soon, but I will probably always hang on to this one…I like it that much. Thanks guys, no complaints from me…God Bless you all, – Jeff Andrews, Mobile AL.Jeffery A.

I really like guitars from Orangewood’s “Playa” collection including my mahogany Dana mini guitar. (I also own a mahogany Rey guitar and have examined a friend’s Victoria guitar.) I will outline my recommendation reasons below, but also will attempt to temper any unrealistic expectations. Size: The diminutive Dana guitar is IMHO a great instrument for hauling around outside the home or playing where space is tight such as on the couch, or at a desk or table, where larger instruments might more readily bump into things or make playing cramped. The shorter scale length might be helpful for those with small hands, but isn’t *that* much different from longer-scale instruments to make going back and forth a big problem. Sound: A small guitar won’t have the deep, resonant tone of a larger instrument no matter how much you pay. That said, after being used for a while, the Dana “plays in” nicely — the tone getting better than out of the box. It’s voice is completely loud enough and resonant enough to satisfy reasonable expectations. Materials & construction: The bracing and general construction seem to be good. Mine is a very handsome, rich honey-chocolate brown with contrasting off-white binding. The laminated materials are a good economical choice but also don’t sacrifice much sound quality. I think this is due to the clever design of these “Playa” instruments, which seem to have thin top, back and sides as well as light bracing and a thin finish; these things together, I think, make for louder, more resonant tone. A key benefit to the laminated wood of the guitar body is that it’s less sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature. I play my laminated guitars much more frequently because they are not so “fussy” — though I do nonetheless humidify them in the winter months. The light construction may benefit from lighter strings. I prefer electric-like playability, so I restring my guitars with 10-46 strings. This makes the instrument more player friendly and may also help the guitar to last by reducing string tension. The tuners are adequate, but have turning ratios that just require slow sneaking up on perfect pitches. Set up: Of the three “Playa”-collection guitars that I’ve examined in detail, NONE arrived set up to the standards of professional guitar technicians. I believe that Orangewood way oversells the “professional” set up on their “Playa”-collection guitars. However, my Dana arrived about a year later than the others, and was the best set up of the three. This guitar arrived at my doorstep with the neck having extreme forward bow. This was not just due to string tension. The double-action truss rod was actually adjusted to increase the neck relief, which was excessive to say the least. I had to tighten the truss-rod adjustment just to get to neutral tension engagement, then continue tightening to get the neck relief to an appropriate setting of about .006”. The set up required no additional adjustment. This was a big improvement over the other “Playa” guitars I’ve examined, which required both nut and saddle tweaking. I am a guitar-tech hobbyist, so I have the tools and knowledge to check out and set up acoustic guitars. My Dana had a fingerboard that was not straight from the factory. I know this because despite the slight waviness of the fingerboard when straightened as much as possible by truss-rod adjustment, the frets are surprisingly level — though they obviously vary considerably in height to compensate for the wavy fingerboard. But let me be realistic. To be able to sell a guitar at these prices, some corners will be cut when compared to the manufacture of guitars that cost five or ten or more times the price. This also applies to guitar set up, which may be the most time-consuming, and therefore expensive, single aspect of guitar creation. So, of course, the set ups on these economy guitars will be less than perfect. (Okay, that said, Orangewood might please stop way overselling their “professional” set ups done in the USA.) So my general recommendation regarding set up on these “Playa”-collection instruments is, upon delivery, to pay a good luthier/technician to check them over to assess keeping or returning, and, if a keeper, have him or her set them up for your level of play or personal preferences (that is, if you aren’t qualified to do it yourself). And that brings up my final, important set-up point, which is that the truss rod's purpose is to compensate against string tension. Action is properly adjusted at the nut and saddle. Bottom line: I have the Orangewood guitars because they are a good value, they sound good, they don’t require obsessive attention to humidity or temperature, and can be fun to play both for a beginner and a more experienced guitar player. The Dana fulfilled my final requirements, which were a guitar that travels more easily and doesn’t require quite so much space to play.Doug H.

I've purchased several guitars from Adorama because the prices are good and so is their selection in the new and used category. Also purchased several from Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, Reverb as well as other locations. I say this because I am volunteering my opinion. Been playing guitars off and on since the age of 10, now 67. My 20's to mid 30's I played daily, often 6 or more hours a day. Started a family, the need to work was exchanged for playing. Years went by with barely a note played. Retired for 6 years, back into the guitar mode. In fact, all 22 of them. Kids are gone, built a room dedicated for music only. Learned to set up, adapting them to my style of playing. Your thinking, what's with the long introduction. Because my story is not that unusual, I believe many of you can relate and have the same passion as I do for guitars. Besides, they are pretty cool to look at and collect. My first thought when reviewing the ad I figure another quickly produced cheap out the door instrument with terrible action, cheap hardware and dull sounding. So I passed up the ad. I later took a second look, a closer look and the pros are what lent me the initiative to purchase. Pros: a. It possess a NuBoneXB nut and saddle, wow, impressive for an instrument at this price. b. Techwood fingerboard are more durable, less prone to cracking and drying out. c. Deck is solid mahogany which is superior over veneered ply for sound and appearance which comes on the more expensive guitars. d. D?Addario? EXP16? coated strings I haven't seen come on guitars near this price range. e. The C-shape neck is comfortable to play. I prefer the slim C neck, quicker play. f. The design of the head stock allowing the tuners a more direct access to be inline with the strings eliminates the need for string trees and a more direct tuning. Very stylish also. g. The Dreadnought body does give it a fuller sound given the wood and finish make a difference as well. h. I do like the open pore finish but it's more acceptable to humidity changes. I keep my music room average of 71 degrees and humidity around 45 which is perfect for acoustic guitars. i. The guitar is extremely light, makes for strap playing easy to endure for longer periods of time. j. Has a nice white body band wrap that helps bring out the mahogany color. k. The guitar is fitted very well together like the more expensive brands. m. Came packaged decent. Cons: a. Sealed 15:1 ratio, sealed-gear tuners are basic average, my preference is at least an 18:1 locking tuners for finer tuning. b. Guitar is extremely light. Meaning much thinner wood then normal. Easier to damage and warping. c. Not a guitar I would think to often take outside it's normal environment, fear of poking a hole in it or causing damage to it's skin. d. The fret ends are a bit edgy but then again, look at the price. Easy fix. e. Frets are a little narrower and not as tall as on the more expensive guitars. Gives it an electric lower action neck feel though. Overall: I am very pleased with the Boroughs B30D guitar. Played well right out of the box which is very unusual for a guitar in this price range. I compared it to my Taylor 114ce and the Breedlove Discovery Concert MHCE and give it the same rating of a 4 star. Here's why: ?For the Price? this guitar looks just as good and as expensive as the other two. The Breedlove pays better then the Taylor and Boroughs, but the Boroughs plays better then the Taylor, ?Action and over all feel wise.? The Boroughs is also $670 cheaper then the Taylor. That's a huge difference. Yes the Taylor has Fishman electronics, but one can add a Fishman to the Boroughs for under $150 as well. With the D?Addario? EXP16? strings, the Boroughs sings loudly and the tone is to me very rich, deep base, clear with a surprising long sustain and presents a quick attack time. I haven't tried another type of strings yet. My preference has always been the Martian MA540 SP or the Martian Marques. But I think I'll certainly will give the D?Addario? EXP16? a try on my other acoustics, very impressed with their sound. One can buy 5 of the Boroughs compared to the Breedlove and Taylor and really enjoy the playability, full body sound and use of comfort without much difference in noticeably with the sound, action or body fit. Can hang the Boroughs around the neck much longer also. Take it from me, I am very picky about what I play, but what I can afford comes first. Buy this guitar, you will not be disappointed unless I happen to get a rare well built instrument right off the production line. I'm looking forward to trying the Boroughs B30ACENT Auditorium Acoustic Electric Guitar next. On fixed income now, so it'll be a while before getting hold of one of those. If your looking or just want an extra guitar to play, ?Buy This Guitar!? I mean it, you won't be disappointed!simon

A fine, good looking guitar that sounds every bit as good as it looks. The Fender feel is right there and the tone. The design has been adhered to rigidly, this is transferred over to the player , it blends into the body. Then of course, the price, I would have willingly paid a lot more than the Fender price for a guitar that was up to the Fender standard . Unbeatable.footballer10sweeper

Sounds great and does everything it needs to! Ticks all the boxes for me as I’m just starting out as a guartarist… thoroughly recommend for anybody starting out, although consider whether you want an amp or not first, this version doesn’t have an audio output…Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I bought this guitar for my wife to learn how to play and it is perfect. I have been a Fender devotee my whole life and could not believe the great value for money this guitar was. Manny's allowed for a trouble free purchase, I can recommend them for both price and service!Greg

Got this from Guitar Center Cerritos. Priscilla and the tech provided excellent customer service. The guitar required no setup, great sound, and yes it's perfect for me. I i recommend it and the Cerritos store.Pancho M

I bought this as a present for my daughter, it's her first guitar and the 3/4 size fits her perfectly without compromising on the sound. Excellent quality from Fender, would highly recommend.Christine C.

Cost is cheap hence your not going to get a quality built instrument in return. The company cheapens out on everything: Wood, pickups, tuners, wires, knobs etc. Save your money and just buy a made in USA Gibson which will 10 lifetimes longer than this throw away junk. Not worth it!ENGlishJELLo

Awesome it contains everything that I needed for my guitar Only 1 issue How do you tune it? Some advice or buying a book to help in that area would be good I looked it up on google.Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

I am really enjoying the guitar. I have only had it for one day and it's found its place in our home. Great guitar for begginer to intermediate players.Pattyb

The guitar itself is quite nicely built, but the app, which is supposed to help your kids learn the chords etc. is demoralizingly bad. It's hard to explain to a 5 year old why, after following the daily items (tune your guitar, practice some chords etc.) they don't get the points for completion. As a software engineer, I fail to see why it's okay to leave this basic functionality broken. Furthermore, the app appears to be abandonware. I see no updates or fixes. The 'Games' section has been 'coming soon' for months. The app should be removed from the site as a selling point, since it is basically broken. Just be aware when you buy this guitar, the app is not going to work.Ben

My 6 year old really loves the thing. She strums it and goes to it often without prompt. She can’t really get her fingers down onto the fretboard to play a chord, but she knows that those cards are instructions. She carries them around and tries playing them with the guitar on a flat surface. She also still doesn’t have a great sense of the guitar as an instrument, that’s to be taken care of, and not banged around like a toy. I think by the time she’s 8, this thing will be perfect for her. If you guys made something a little more towards the toddler end of the spectrum, I’d pick it up in a heartbeat. I understand and greatly appreciate that you’ve scaled down a real electric guitar. Phenomenal concept. Greatly happy with it. If there was something a little more durable, and a little easier for little fingers to hold the notes, I’d pick that up for sure. Great idea, great product, pretty nice app.James C.

Bought a Loog mini for my 9y old. He seems to like Guitar and I can play a bit , but whenever we tried on my Ovation he got very frustrated. Heard about the Loog 3 string and it made sense to me. Well my some loves it!! He’s learned the basic chords now because hit little hand can actually get around the fret board and he is so excited! As I’d dad, I’m I admit – this is a really well made guitar and I love messing with it !!John S.

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.

Guitar is ok for the price; however, I was expecting the strings to last longer than 2 days before breaking. Even the extra ones that came with the bundle broke as I was putting them on. I had to buy better ones and had a professional put them on to make sure they were adjusted correctly. Additionally, the small tuner's battery was dead out of the box so I had to get a new one. Again, I guess you get what you get for the price. On a positive note, the guitar looks nice, the small amps is super convenient, and everything arrived fast and together in one box.Luis L.

The guitar did not have the black scratch panel that is shown in the Sunburst guitar. Also, when my son opened the gift guitar, the black bag was covered in a white mold/mildew. It was delivered one week before his birthday and kept in a dry room, and opened for the first time on his birthday. The guitar seems ok, I will know more when someone with some guitar knowledge checks it out for me. It may be going back to the store. The pictures show exactly what the bag looked like minutes after the gift was opened. Looks rough, 2 stars are for the fact that the guitar was not moldy.Kacee

Great sounding and playing guitar, I replaced the synthetic saddle for bone, original was to tapered on the high E new saddle took care of that. Buy the epiphone or roadrunner jumbo case, nothing else fits, make sure if the guitar comes straight from the factory you use a humidifier in your case for at least 6 months. Especially in colorado. Then if you leave it out without a humidifier that you dont have forcrd Heat or air conditioning vents close to the guitar. This guitar has great projection.Kenny

After purchasing this guitar from American Musical Supply, I was really nervous awaiting its arrival because this was actually my first time purchasing an instrument online. I’m used to going inside music shops and trying out different gear and playing guitars before I buy them so I know that what I’m taking home with me already feels comfortable and right in my hands. This guitar in particular, however, is not a style that is normally kept stocked in the stores for customers to test drive before they purchase. Similar models are available in stores near me but I think anyone who has ever wanted this particular model from Epiphone knows that they have heard and felt the beautiful sound that projects from this big guitar and I am here to tell you that my “leap of faith” online purchase was nothing more than a huge win in my book! This guitar looks, sounds and plays just as I expected it would with much more to offer once it’s actually in your hands! I’m personally a country/blues guy so this guitar definitely fits right up that alley in my opinion. It feels so solid in your hands and the tone is just plain awesome! The Jumbo body allows the sounds inside the guitar to reverberate through your body as it’s pressed against you before making its way through the sound hole where it flourishes into that awesome deep, thick sound. From the factory the guitar is set up beautifully and very playable right out of the box. Quality parts, quality wood and quality electronics as expected from Epiphone and very well executed in this model. Definitely worth every penny for the undecided guitarist but hey, don’t take just my word for it! Pick up this awesome guitar from Epiphone through these good folks here at American Musical and set yourself up with one of their payment plans if that interests you! It’s an awesome way to be able to get the gear you need and the gear you’ve been wanting without breaking the bank right on the spot! Excellent Job by Epiphone once again and an excellent job by American Musical for supplying it at an awesome price and providing sweet payment options for your customers and future consumers!Billy

I once owned a Gibson J15, that I bought from Guitar Center, and I loved it, but I always wanted a J200, I just could never afford one. Well, I ended up having to sell my J15 to pay rent one month, and I ended up having some extra money from it, and thought why not give the Epi a try? It's closer to the Guitar I always wanted anyways. I was blown away. It has all the high end stylings of a Gibson J200, maybe even more if you consider the built in tuner and cutaway features for about 3000$ less. Well, unfortunately I only owned it for about a week before my car broke down and I had to return my Epi to pay for the repairs. I've regretted it ever since. I would have rather donated blood 50 times than have returned that guitar. (Fortunately I just got my tax return and repurchased it, and it seems like it sounds even better than before). As I was saying, it stacks up against s Gibson guitar nicely, the shadow preamp isn't as nice as any LR Baggs system but it will certainly give you lots of usable sounds. I think this is the best guitar in the 500$ price range and I'm disappointed in Guitar Center for not carrying it in store. I'm a firm believer in the fact that having a guitar you like, you like the looks of, you like the feel of, will make you a better guitarist, and that's what this beautiful, fat boy jumbo acoustic has done for me. I actually like mine so much I decided to put some money into it for upgrades, and I haven't been disappointed. I stuck some Grover Keystone tuners on it in gold of course ( had them on my Epi Les Paul before and thought would look cool so I just swapped them), some Martin ebony bridge pins, and some D'Addario EXPs and this thing sounds unreal now. So, if you're reading this because you're unsure as to whether you should buy this guitar or not, yes, you should absolutely buy this guitar and never look back.Anonymous

I’ve been playing a Taylor 310 for 25 years and was looking for something smaller and lighter to transport. Having read a lot of reviews and listened to the videos I thought I would try the GS Mini Koa and see what all the fuzz was about. This guitar sounds amazing! The Koa gives it a depth AND sparkle that you don’t expect from a small guitar. I keep asking myself does it lack depth compared to my dreadnought, technically it does but actually I don’t miss it because the sound is so full. The volume too is quite exceptional, I tend to strum a lot with a pick and don’t mind digging in hard….. this guitar just sings under those circumstances. It get’s louder and louder without noticeably going out of tune. At the other end there is such clarity and sustain that quiet finger picking also sounds great. You can easily hear a single note melody within a chord. Are there any downsides? Well if you have big hands then the reduced neck length may feel too cramped…. For me this is actually more comfortable than a full size neck but you wouldn’t want it any smaller. In summary I’m blown away, just amazing.David

Wow… what a stunner! Opening the case for the first time was quite an experience. This is a seriously beautiful guitar with beautiful craftsmanship. As a beginner with small hands (even for a lady) I have found acoustic guitars in the past to be very uncomfortable to play, the size of the body, the width of the neck, the high action, and after struggling with a Lorenzo Flame Series for the past year I decided enough was enough, electrics aren't almost impossible to play so why should I have to struggle with acoustic? I did some research and everything was pointing me towards the Taylor GS Mini-E series. Holding this guitar in my hands for the first time felt like a revelation. It felt like Taylor had made a guitar specifically for me – wearing a strap the body fits easily under my arm and my fingers just know exactly where they're meant to go. The sound of the guitar is rich and vibrant with a bright top tone – quite a feat in a parlour size guitar. After watching reviews it seems that this is due to the Koa body. The guitar also comes with soft, well-padded case that feels like it'll protect well from bumps and bruises whilst travelling. It has some nice shoulder straps so it feels like you're wearing a large (but light!) backpack. The best thing about this guitar though is that it's such a joy to hold and play that I can't put it down; my playing ability has increased so much in the past few weeks since buying it. As a beginner I absolutely recommend this guitar as an introduction to acoustic guitars. If you're a beginner and you've been playing an electric for while but want to get into playing acoustic, try out a Taylor GS Mini-e – it might be the one for you.Laura K.

This is a great little guitar! I have had several travel guitars including the Martin and Taylor versions and I think this beats them hands down. You can’t find a better travel guitar especially for the price. This is the third one I’ve purchased as I’ve given them away and moved them on— people appreciate them very fast. I do recommend using a little pillow wrote a tale so you’re are mangoes are the same as for a regular size guitar Makes it much easier to play any small guitar.I do recommend using a little pillow or rolled up small towel so your arm angles are the same as for any regular size guitar. This makes it much easier to play any small guitar. Very lightweight. One came with perfect action, but the other two I had to do a truss rod adjustment to get the optimal action which can be very good. The adjustment was simple. Orangewood customer service is excellent .Thomas B.

Not just for the money, its just a nice guitar! So my packaging had a few issues, it looked like it had gotten hung up on a fork lift tyne and dragged across the floor, I was nervous about opening it. But it was very well packed, not even a blemish. Everything I ordered was there, the guitar itself coming from California to South Alabama, undoubtedly passed through abrupt temperature and humidity changes, yet it was almost in tune out of the box. So much so, that I could tell that it had been tuned properly, and the QC person rolled the heads back about a half, or maybe 3 quarters of a turn just to relieve stress from the rod and neck. The E. Ball strings are pretty nice, feels like standard Bronze Phosphorus strings. I wiped them down with a clean cloth, and no dust or anything whatsoever came from them. I had no loose bindings, no sharp fret wires hanging over, and the ride height is perfect. Its almost unbelievable to get such a nice guitar for what I paid. The gig bag is certainly not the worst one I've ever seen, its padded nicely and has the backpack straps which I like. I hope that you guys never change your core business model, of offering the add-on accessory pack separately, which in my open leaves more room for nicer details like good strings, and real bone. And also allows you to offer slightly higher quality accessories. Very nicely done. I understand that now that you're up and running good, I hope that you still offer a guitar like the Rey at that low price point, for those who may be like I was growing up, and just couldn't afford a decent guitar. They always sounded like crap, couldn't tune them…and for a couple decades I just gave up. I'm back into it again, thanks to this guitar, I'm going to be upgrading soon, but I will probably always hang on to this one…I like it that much. Thanks guys, no complaints from me…God Bless you all, – Jeff Andrews, Mobile AL.Jeffery A.

I really like guitars from Orangewood’s “Playa” collection including my mahogany Dana mini guitar. (I also own a mahogany Rey guitar and have examined a friend’s Victoria guitar.) I will outline my recommendation reasons below, but also will attempt to temper any unrealistic expectations. Size: The diminutive Dana guitar is IMHO a great instrument for hauling around outside the home or playing where space is tight such as on the couch, or at a desk or table, where larger instruments might more readily bump into things or make playing cramped. The shorter scale length might be helpful for those with small hands, but isn’t *that* much different from longer-scale instruments to make going back and forth a big problem. Sound: A small guitar won’t have the deep, resonant tone of a larger instrument no matter how much you pay. That said, after being used for a while, the Dana “plays in” nicely — the tone getting better than out of the box. It’s voice is completely loud enough and resonant enough to satisfy reasonable expectations. Materials & construction: The bracing and general construction seem to be good. Mine is a very handsome, rich honey-chocolate brown with contrasting off-white binding. The laminated materials are a good economical choice but also don’t sacrifice much sound quality. I think this is due to the clever design of these “Playa” instruments, which seem to have thin top, back and sides as well as light bracing and a thin finish; these things together, I think, make for louder, more resonant tone. A key benefit to the laminated wood of the guitar body is that it’s less sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature. I play my laminated guitars much more frequently because they are not so “fussy” — though I do nonetheless humidify them in the winter months. The light construction may benefit from lighter strings. I prefer electric-like playability, so I restring my guitars with 10-46 strings. This makes the instrument more player friendly and may also help the guitar to last by reducing string tension. The tuners are adequate, but have turning ratios that just require slow sneaking up on perfect pitches. Set up: Of the three “Playa”-collection guitars that I’ve examined in detail, NONE arrived set up to the standards of professional guitar technicians. I believe that Orangewood way oversells the “professional” set up on their “Playa”-collection guitars. However, my Dana arrived about a year later than the others, and was the best set up of the three. This guitar arrived at my doorstep with the neck having extreme forward bow. This was not just due to string tension. The double-action truss rod was actually adjusted to increase the neck relief, which was excessive to say the least. I had to tighten the truss-rod adjustment just to get to neutral tension engagement, then continue tightening to get the neck relief to an appropriate setting of about .006”. The set up required no additional adjustment. This was a big improvement over the other “Playa” guitars I’ve examined, which required both nut and saddle tweaking. I am a guitar-tech hobbyist, so I have the tools and knowledge to check out and set up acoustic guitars. My Dana had a fingerboard that was not straight from the factory. I know this because despite the slight waviness of the fingerboard when straightened as much as possible by truss-rod adjustment, the frets are surprisingly level — though they obviously vary considerably in height to compensate for the wavy fingerboard. But let me be realistic. To be able to sell a guitar at these prices, some corners will be cut when compared to the manufacture of guitars that cost five or ten or more times the price. This also applies to guitar set up, which may be the most time-consuming, and therefore expensive, single aspect of guitar creation. So, of course, the set ups on these economy guitars will be less than perfect. (Okay, that said, Orangewood might please stop way overselling their “professional” set ups done in the USA.) So my general recommendation regarding set up on these “Playa”-collection instruments is, upon delivery, to pay a good luthier/technician to check them over to assess keeping or returning, and, if a keeper, have him or her set them up for your level of play or personal preferences (that is, if you aren’t qualified to do it yourself). And that brings up my final, important set-up point, which is that the truss rod's purpose is to compensate against string tension. Action is properly adjusted at the nut and saddle. Bottom line: I have the Orangewood guitars because they are a good value, they sound good, they don’t require obsessive attention to humidity or temperature, and can be fun to play both for a beginner and a more experienced guitar player. The Dana fulfilled my final requirements, which were a guitar that travels more easily and doesn’t require quite so much space to play.Doug H.