Dreadnought Acoustic Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

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

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

After trying to use a no-drilling-required pickup on my dreadnought and getting obnoxious buzzing noises, I saw one of these on the wall at my local Guitar Center. I liked the feel, and was really surprised at the sound when I tried it through a PA. I saw one in their Used section online and got it for a giveaway price. Like another reviewer said, this thing plays like an electric; a soft-V neck with great action. Big secret: Whether you pay $250 or $3,000, acoustic-electric guitars all sound about the same through a PA. So why bankrupt yourself? I'm going to open mics and playing next to people with very high-dollar guitars and sound just as good! Yamaha is also far and away my favorite brand of acoustic; I have five. Now, this thing DOES have a few finish flaws you don't see on my Yamaha FG730s guitars, like one speck under the finish and a drip on the upper bout. However this is their absolute entry-level electric acoustic so I guess they train new guys on this line, and for how well it plays and sounds, and the price I paid, I have no complaints. Thank you, sir, may I have another!Art's Tunes

Bad – This guitar came without the usual Yamaha Factory Box and Accessories (truss rod, inspection tag, instructions). It looked like it was 'reboxed' by Guitar Center to fulfill Musician's Friend's order. And it shipped from a Guitar Center store rather than a warehouse. This happens way too often with Musician's friend, and they never seem to label the guitar as 'open box' or 'used.' Although the guitar was re-packed with lots of bubble wrap, the guitar was obviously damaged at the store. There were cracks on the top and side of the guitar. That probably explains why Guitar Center repackaged the guitar-the original shipping box from Yamaha would have been an obvious clue to the damaged guitar. Good-All Yamaha guitars go through a quality control process. And when I purchase them from other retailers, they all come with the proper accessories and inspection tags and are factory-packaged in the sealed Yamaha boxes. So, just make sure you are getting a new product, not a showroom or return-recycle when you order a Yamaha product from Musician's friend. Ugly-This guitar has a laminate top and the tonal balance of the guitar isn't top notch. Plugged in for performance or recording *and* when just played unplugged you can hear the difference between a Yamaha laminate vs solid top acoustic. I would recommend going for the solid top. I'm not sure if the Musician's friend website clearly specifies this is a laminate top guitar. Okay, if you get a new one with the inspection tags and truss rod tool, it's good for learning guitar or campfire use, where you might get caught in a rainstorm or you might be gifting a guitar and aren't sure how it will be taken care of. Moving up to the Yamaha solid top guitars, you are going to be happier in the long run, if you are a serious guitarist. I recommend trying this guitar out in a retail store, to make sure you get one fresh from the factory with the inspection tags and barcode on the factory box to prove it.Seasoned Musician

Exceptional guitar for the money. I went into to guitar center for the fgx800c but it wasn't in stock. Came across this one and was satisfied with the sound. It plays well, sounds great, and won't break the bank. I do wish it had an onboard tuner though. Highly recommend!Richard

Look, just wanted to reply to some reviews that say this guitar sounds well…..thin. Duh, yes its not a jumbo acoustic or even a regular body acoustic. Its a thinline acoustic so it sounds just like what it is. Ive played several thinline guitars and they all sound…well…thin. That doesnt mean its cheaply made or a bad sounding guitar. It has its own sound. If you want a deep bass, then buy a jumbo or regular acoustic. I like the easy neck movement. The chords sound fine and this guitar doesnt require anymore tuning than any other in this price range. I tried ten guitars at guitar center including more expensive brands like fender, mitchell, yamaha and others and this was the only one under 400 dollars that stayed in tune from an E chord to a C chord. I bought it because Ive owned Ibanez before and never regretted it. To each his own but keep in mind a thinline guitar is not going to have a deep rich sound, but, I record my bass along with it so it sounds fine. It is what it is…a nice thinline acoustic-electric guitar.Kjmmusician

I had been playing a very old and very nice acoustic at church for night service, and didn't want to subject it to the rigors of live playing on a regular basis. After some research, it came down to purchasing a Talman or a Stratacoustic. I went with the Talman due to the price, and Ibanez's reputation. When the guitar arrived, I was a little apprehensive as the neck felt awesome, but the setup was awful. The strings were heavy gauge, and were set way too high. After some work shaving down the bridge, changing to light strings, and adjusting the truss rod, this baby plays great! I love that the electronics are really easy to use, and it was made to plug in. The sound when you are practicing unplugged isn't as full or rich as you get with a full sized acoustic, but this guitar wasn't made for that – it was made to be plugged in. I was able to eliminate having to use pedals to get the proper volume and EQ, which makes the live rig way easier to set up and tear down. I play it through a Line 6 spider II 75 watt head running through a Marshall 4×12 cabinet. The spider's clean channel is great for acoustic as it does not color the tone, and the Marshall is plenty loud for a church sanctuary. Overall, I am quite happy with the Talman, even though I had to put in some extra work to get it the way I like my guitars. It is a steal at the price if you have the skills and are willing to play with the setup.Stratbuilder

There are hundreds of reviews on this guitar, of course some good and some bad. The good reviews (4-5 stars) far out number the rest. Although I’ve read some really, really bad ones. I suppose every guitar maker churns out a turd on occasion when mass producing affordable beginner (read inexpensive) guitars.
I can only tell you about my particular guitar.
It is fantastic, it’s beautiful, sounds amazing (plugged in and acoustic), plays amazingly well, stays in tune, the tuners are smooth and work as you would expect on a much more expensive guitar. The neck is perfect, the action is great (Martin MA540 Authentic Acoustic Light strings 0.054-0.012). I haven’t a single complaint I can’t say whether the quality has gone up or down in the last few years. Mine is an earlier production model about 10 years old. They’re relatively common , You can find a nice used one locally in most cities for under $150. That way you can play and give it a thorough inspection before you buy it. Check your local Guitar Center, try it, return it if you don’t like it, my bet is you will love it.Larry Daniels

I usually don't leave negative reviews. This guitar is beautiful, it sounds amazing. However, I just can't believe that guitar center would let this be shipped. The neck seems fine but every fret divider is razor sharp. It's so uncomfortable that I have quit playing it. Living in a small town it's very expensive to return stuff, so I guess it will just sit for now. To guitar centers credit, I have shopped there for many years and never been disappointed. But gee guys, why wouldn't you be checking this stuff? If I picked it off your wall I would never buy it unless you fixed it for me. Sorry but this sucksJohn

Tried out two of these at the local store looking for a first guitar for my son. Both sounded pretty good for the price point, but both had problems with the neck and really terrible frets. Terrible like not safe for children or unsuspecting adults – they both had sharp edges sticking out the whole length of the neck. Between that, some minor string buzz, a crazy high 9th fret on one, and iffy intonation on the other, it just didn't seem worth getting either of them. What's the point of getting a low priced guitar if you have to spend $100+ getting it worked over to make it playable? I suspect that the neck binding makes it difficult for the factory to really get the frets properly dressed and still pass cosmetic inspection. It may be I just had the bad luck to find the two worst examples of this model in the same store, but I suggest you move up notch in price range and you will be happier with what you get.triple.ratrider

I had a cheap 12 string guitar for about almost two years. I had been playing corridos during this time. However, I had played guitar for several years. Mainly rock and other stuff. Well, after I got it, I could play all the solos I couldn't really play clean. I guess the other guitar really was bad, or this one is great. Funny thing, I had a really good player tell me to not buy this model but the more expensive one. Well, I'm glad I decided to go with this one. This guitar sounds great and it's extremely easy to play. The guitar stays in tune fairly well for a 12 string guitar. The action is low. I haven't tried it the electronics aside from the tuner which works fairly well compared to my snark. I do have a Taylor and Martin guitar, and the tone on this guitar is pretty clean.Juan

This Guitar plays like a dream, sounds great no matter if it is plugged in or not, stays in tune and looks great. This is a great price for a guitar of this quality, but thanks to another dealers daily deal and Guitar Center's price matching, it was even better. I was able to get this out of layaway for $240 less. I am very happy with this guitar. I have not played in a band for a while, but getting back into practice and plan to start back with some solo acoustic gigs. Having this awesome new guitar is surely an inspiration to help me want to practice more.Kip

Outstanding value in this Ibanez guitar. First off, it's beautiful to look at it. Blue or the black, you can't go wrong. They are both attractive (I bought the black one). Neck is smooth as butter. Sounds great plugged into my little Blackstar amp and just as good unplugged. The gear seems like something you'd find on a higher priced guitar. The tuners and EQ are top notch. Really couldn't be happier with the guitar, the price and the service from AMS. They promised 2 day shipping and they delivered.Eric

Overall: Great for playing in the living room, I've strummed pretty hard on this and it can take it. Everything works great on it. Stays in tune good. Frets probably need filed like everyone else is saying but I'm very happy with it.Joe

Sound: I changed the settings as I always do when purchasing a guitar, and if course had to retune until the string memory was suffice. I haven't had to retune it since (after 3 weeks … Of course some minor tuning was needed). The eq helped get more low end that I desired. Features: I like the truss rod feature, I changed the tuners to some more appealing Gibson deluxe tuners. The frets needed a little filing but minor tweaks and adjustments are almost always necessary to obtain desired playability. Most (inexperienced) People want straight out of the box perfection, I suggest bringing any new guitar to someone that knows what they're doing and tell them what you want. My brother worked for Gibson custom shop as a guitar tech and let me know that most companies rely on quantity and not so much perfecting every guitar as everyone's idea of perfect is different. Overall: Tweek it or let someone that knows what they're doing tweek it … That includes all guitar purchasesMark

Great for the price. It is a good idea to change the strings right away though. The guitar is playable from the get go however I did some adjustment on the rod to make it perfect. Its design allow for easy reach of the highest notes close to the body and the tuners and the electronics are good enough for a beginner to intermediate player. It comes with an entry level amp that outputs strong and high volume it is small but powerful enough for practicing indoors. All in all a great package for the money. I got this jewel from SamAsh for my daughter and cannot be happier. Hope this comments help you on your decision to buy. Cheers, JB from Coconut Creek.JESUS

This is a great guitar! I would honestly recommend it to relatively anyone. It has a great feel to it that would be exceptional for young players, but also has a good sound that's great for those more experienced. Anytime I let someone play this guitar, they ask so many questions because they love it so much. They're always super surprised to learn the price. Definitely worth the purchase if you're thinking about it.Brittany Colvin

A bought the Epiphone PR-4E LE in vintage sunburst for a good price as the SDOTD. I have been playing for over 40 years semi professionally and I own a number of higher end acoustics but I wanted to purchase a "beater" that I could break out at a party and not have to worry about one of my intoxicated friends bumping or scratching it. This guitar seemed to fit the bill. The reason I gave it three stars is that although the fit and finish seemed very good, this is supposedly a student level/beginners guitar and the action that it arrived with would be difficult and frustrating for anyone to learn on. I do my own luthier work and I had to spend about two hours to cut the nut, take some relief off of the neck and shave the bridge down to get it to play well. I do not know if my experience with this acoustic is an exception but at this price point I doubt it. With that said it is a nice beginner guitar with a nice build quality, it sounds surprisingly full and rich and if yours arrive like mine I would strongly suggest taking it to your local trusted luthier and spend the extra cash to have it set up properly and have the action lowered. Now mine plays wonderfully and is fun to play. If I didn't have to do all the work to get it playing properly I would have easily given this guitar 4 stars but at this price point I kind of expected thatG-Man

I had a cheap 12 string guitar for about almost two years. I had been playing corridos during this time. However, I had played guitar for several years. Mainly rock and other stuff. Well, after I got it, I could play all the solos I couldn't really play clean. I guess the other guitar really was bad, or this one is great. Funny thing, I had a really good player tell me to not buy this model but the more expensive one. Well, I'm glad I decided to go with this one. This guitar sounds great and it's extremely easy to play. The guitar stays in tune fairly well for a 12 string guitar. The action is low. I haven't tried it the electronics aside from the tuner which works fairly well compared to my snark. I do have a Taylor and Martin guitar, and the tone on this guitar is pretty clean.Juan

This Guitar plays like a dream, sounds great no matter if it is plugged in or not, stays in tune and looks great. This is a great price for a guitar of this quality, but thanks to another dealers daily deal and Guitar Center's price matching, it was even better. I was able to get this out of layaway for $240 less. I am very happy with this guitar. I have not played in a band for a while, but getting back into practice and plan to start back with some solo acoustic gigs. Having this awesome new guitar is surely an inspiration to help me want to practice more.Kip

Got this to downsize from dreadnought and I am extremely pleased. Specs on MF, M&A, GF, all say dreadnought on body type, it's a triple-o concert. Found the correct specs on Fender, which would make sense because they are the manufacturers. Medium strings sound better than light (in my opinion). Great buy and well constructed! My first all solid guitar & I would buy again! Fenders are economical and good quality! It's got really good sound and Fingerstyle sounds amazing! My arm does not fall asleep, from blood circulation being cut off, like it did with the dreadnought! If you are looking to learn Fingerstyle, or play Fingerstyle, and are looking for a comfortable guitar this is it! Also would recommend it for electric players who might be looking to play an acoustic!Guitarist

On my previous review I forgot to mention that the bridge pin, for the low E string, had a split towards the end and half way up on the side. I had taken the strings off to do a detailed cleaning and seen the split. Thankfully it came with one spare so I could finish my work and none of the other pins had any splits. Glued the split one, with wood glue, and have another spare! Guess it can be expected for a wooden bridge pin to split like that as it has the pressure of the string pulling against it. Had seen a video on YouTube that a guy bought a second hand one (Fender pm-3) and had the same issue. Note to anybody who buys a guitar with wooden bridge pins, check them after buying before it has a chance to break and fly out while you're playing! Other than that I am totally satisfied with the guitar and it's constructed very well!Guitarist

I am an old guy that has been playing a long time. I wanted a quality acoustic electric that would not set me back $3,000. I really liked the guitar. However, at owning the guitar just over a month the guitar was developing fret buzz around the 10th fret or so. It got worse. I took it back to Guitar Center thinking it needed a truss rod adjustment. I was told the guitar was developing a bulge in the fret board that would need major repairs. In doing some research it appears the mahogany used in the neck is not of good quality.Christopher

First of all, this is a gorgeous guitar. It looks just great. It has a big, rich sound even moreso than other larger bodied guitars I've seen. The tuner works great. I love playing it. A few minor issues. First, I find the action high, & the bridge is not adjustable. 2nd, the complaints others have offered about the fret edges being VERY rough are entirely true: you can practically leave your hand bloody, I'm sure, if you play long enough, just from being roughed up by the fret edges. I'll try filing them down & refinishing them, as some have suggested. Finally, you'll want to get rid of the strings & go with a lighter gauge, partly to alleviate the high action issue. I'd get this guitar again. I think it is a $500 – $600 guitar lurking for only a little more than half that price. But before recommending it to a friend, I'd point out these couple issues.DET

Poor quality control! Neck is a mess with all of the fret ends protruding and sharp. One fret is noticeably higher causing all kinds of issues. Inside edge of the sound hole is poorly finished and some of the ribs look rough, like they weren't sanded smooth. This one's going back!Bill

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

I purchased this G90 series Takamine hoping it would approach the quality of the Takamine Pro Series Models. I had played several Pro Series Models and they were a little too expensive for me at this time. I was hoping the G90 series might come close. I was excited about the promotional savings Musician's Friend extended and decided to take a chance. The guitar arrived and I felt the finish was very nice. In checking the frets, I found many were not finished and had sharp edges. They were also "low frets" and although that might be okay in some instances, the high action would make playing harder for a beginer and tedious for a seasoned pro. The action could not be easily lowered as the internal pickup system was attached to the bridge and, would require a technician pro to cut down the bridge. I will add a positive…the neck was perfectly straight and required no adjustment. Musicians friend understood and, without question, accepted the return. I am pleased with their service and will deal with them again. Takamine has a good reputation and I feel, if you are a pro…stick with the pro-series. Anything less will be a disappointment.CJK

I have only been playing guitar for about a year and a half. I have had this guitar for 9 months. I think the sound is very full and rich. It does have a small amount of fret buzz. I am a small woman, so the size is a little large and cumbersome. I like it overall. I have a smaller guitar now but the sound is not as good as this one. A friend who also plays was impressed with the sound of it also.Allie

Earlier today, UPS dropped off my Tak GD30NAT, deluxe dreadnought guitar case, and three sets of extra D'Addario strings. All are in perfect order and condition. And just like the other review, it was ready to play right out of the box. I need to do a wee bit of tuning, but I expected that. What sold me on this guitar was that it was a Tak, the price was an absolute steal for the superb quality and sound (someone at Guitar Center was asleep at the wheel on this one, but don't tell anyone), and a couple reviews on YouTube. Go get yours before that person wakes up. Come on, go. They won't last at this price.Don

I did a lot of research before purchasing, and found a YouTube review that provided a lot of good information. I am more than happy with this guitar! It has a lovely rich tone and sounds fabulous with a brass slide (and I'm a total noob, so obviously credit goes to the instrument and not the player).Stacy

I bought it for my sister but she hasn't had a chance to use it because FedEx took so long to deliver it. She did love the guitar!Stephen C.

Product is great. Price was good. However not happy about it shipped. It was supposed to be a gift and everything on the outside of the package gave away what was in there. Down to the color of the product as well. Do better with how you package your shipments.Genevieve W.

Having relatively recently started learning guitar on an electric stratocaster-style guitar this was a great transition to the acoustic segment. The thinner body makes it much more comfortable to play than say a dreadnought and the neck is comfortable to transition too, yet the guitar doesn't seem to sacrifice as much sound as you'd expect from a thinner guitar. The finish of the guitar is that of a more expensive guitar for example the rosewood finger board. On arrival I actually thought the guitar looked better than the pictures on the website suggest but do note that because of the finish it is prone to showing finger marks which would need cleaning time to time. I would highly recommend this guitar.Richard P.

After suffering a permanent back injury I could no longer play my elictric guitar as it was too heavy or my acoustic electric guitar because it felt like it was twice it's normal size because I could no longer find a comfortable position for myself to play it. I bought a keyboard thinking that I could still play music. Afterv two weeks of playing around with the keyboard I gave up pllaying. Then I saw on the internet one night an advertisement for a 3/4 size Yamaha acoustic electric guitar guitar with a slimline bosy which looked like a nice guitar so I checked out males and females playing it and sounded very nice so I bought one. Man am I'm so glad I did. I got the sunburst like this one on sale. I was excited as l took it out of the box and went straight to my mancave and started playing it. It was perfecty in tune and for a guitar of this size it's got such a beautiful tone playing ACOUSTIC. So I plugged it in and it's as good as it sounded on YouTube. As an 67 yesr old man who started playing guitar when I was 16 years old, this is a beauty. I recommend this guitar to beginners, anyone with small hands and even people who want a good guitar to take with them without taking up much space in your car. Yep, it's a beaty.Deano

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

If you're looking for the best acoustics, best pre amp, best build quality and everything you look for in a guitar this is the one. The acoustics are the best i've heard in any 12 string and would purchase this guitar over and over again. This is a very good guitar for all your uses. Very comfortable and has great resonation.This is my favorite guitar in my collection.alex

I typically play steel string acoustics. I wanted a quality nylon string guitar without the wide flat neck of a standard classical guitar. This is it. Extremely well made with quality woods (no laminates) that has a great sound (both amplified and unplugged). It does not have a large body and projection is somewhat limited when playing unplugged but has incredible sound both amplified and not amplified. Can be played quietly when everyone else has gone to sleep, or can flood the house with music if they're awake. The action and intonation on this guitar was fabulous right out of the box and I didn't have to make any setup adjustments. This is an awesome guitar and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nylon string acoustic.John

In 1981 I had three guitars, two of them acoustics, and one of those was an Ovation Country Artist–a nylon-string guitar with a 14 fret, comparatively narrow neck. It was my first good guitar, but when I left for grad school, I kept only a Martin OO-18, and sold the Ovation. In the 30 years since, I have been trying to find a replacement, I tried various Ibanez and Yamaha guitars, but they didn't have what it took. Then, a couple of months ago, needing a brain break, I left work and took myself to the acoustic room at Sam Ash. There was another guy in there playing, so I looked for a quiet instrument, and took this one down off the wall. Immediately, I knew that it was special. The clarity of the tone, and the richness of the bass, it was all there. The other guy liked the sound too, and soon we were jamming and telling stories. Both of us tried other neoclassical guitars, and agreed that this one was best. I loved the guitar at first note, but when I looked at the price tag, I knew I could never own it. So I bought (online) a similar guitar, but it lacked the feel and sound of this one. My wife heard me playing, asked what I thought about the similar guitar I'd bought, and I explained that it wasn't the same. Then she told me to buy this one. So I did, And I have been playing it daily since then. The OO-18 is still with me and still gets some time, but right now my fingers itch to play and hear this one. Did it replace my long-gone Country Artist? Not exactly–this Takamine is significantly superiod to the Country Artist in all respects. Even if I don't play it plugged in 🙂Andy M_S

I play locally for hire as a solo acoustic guitar / vocalist. My primary guitar is a Martin GPCP Aura. I purchased the Martin SC 13E in hopes of finding a guitar with better action and playability. My first reaction to the 13E was really nice and it did play with less effort / strength than my GPCP. The first issue I noticed was string buzz on the 1st and 2nd strings. It wasn't awful but noticeable. I played the guitar that weekend at two shows. I was still noticing the buzz. So, I started the set-up investigation. The neck relief, the slight bow forward that a guitar neck needs, looked really good, maybe could use a bit more to help with the string buzz. This is an easy truss rod adjustment; however, I didn't change the truss rod setting. The next thing I looked at was the distance of the string height, above the 12th fret. My thought was I would try to lower this slightly if I decided to keep the guitar. The next weekend I got the guitar out at home before getting ready for my show that evening, to run through a new song I was planning to do at hat nights show. I took the SC13E out of the bag and the 1st and 2nd strings were touching the guitar at the 20th fret. I thought the saddle had somehow pushed down lower into the bridge…. I exchanged that guitar for another SC1E. GC person was easy to work with and got the exchange handled quickly. About 3-4 days I had my second SC13E in my hands. It also had the same string buzz, even though the neck relief and action looked good. I played a couple of shows with this guitar and then I started noticing the buzz getting worse. If you are still reading, the reward is at hand. lol I have decided that the problem with this guitar, and probably the other guitar, is the neck angle is off. I will explain why I think it is off and explain how you can check your guitar. I have watched hundreds of youtube videos trying to learn how to set-up and care for my instruments. I have watched neck adjustment videos put out by fender, for their strat guitars, because I wanted to know how to adjust my Acoustasonic Strat. But what I am getting ready to sell you, I have discovered on my own and may not be accurate, but here it goes. If I put a capo, or hold the strings down with my hand. on the 12th fret, there is a space between the strings and the frets above the 12th fret. A pretty wide gap at the 20th fret. On the SC13E the strings are almost touching and the 1st string is touching. Wa La I believe that neck angle is off. I think it was off on both guitars. So check yours before missing your return date. If you check your guitar and it has this problem, don't totally freak out. The SC13E has an adjustable neck angle, so it can be made perfect. If you find what I described above, I suggest contacting Martin Guitar and GC. Another thing to be aware of, the three Martin guitars I have owned had the nut groves cut too narrow. I took my GPCP to an excellent luthier. He filed the width and depth to correct specifications and filed down my frets (I had two that where high) Both of the SC13E guitars needed to have the nuts filed. If you are trying to tune your guitar by making a very slight turn to get it just right and the string doesn't increase pitch and then jumps to a sharp pitch, the string is probably pinching in the nut grove. Both SC13E's were boogers to tune for that reason. One of them broke the B string while tuning up from dropping the pitch. I am returning my second SC13E tomorrow and I think I am going to give it a rest for awhile. Maybe look for something different. FYI: I love my Martin GPCP Aura, unfortunately they discontinued that model. The sound I get from the Fishman Aura electronics is the best I have heard. PS: part of the reason the SC13E plays easier is they use a lighter gauge string. I put a set of the MA535T Martin Lifespan strings on mt GPCP and even with the truss rod loose, the strings don't pull on the neck hard enough to give me the neck relief that is needed. The SC13E is a beautiful guitar to look at and the electronics onboard sound very nice. I learned, I'm not a big fan of having the controls inside the sound hole. A little awkward to get to while strumming and the phase reverse switch is way back from the opening. If you like using the hole covers to fight feedback, I'm pretty sure you would be out of luck. I think this price range of acoustic guitar should come with a hard case. I gave this guitar a 2 rating because it has potential BUT i do think both of these guitars suffered from poor quality control. My luthier could have made both of these guitars sing beautifully but I refuse to buy a new guitar and send it for repairs, even if the repairs are set-up issues. A new guitar on the north side of a thousand dollars should show up playing without string buzzing and the strings close enough to the neck that you hand doesn't feel like you just hung from the monkey bars during an entire recess.Dale

This is a beautiful instrument with a stunning full acoustic sound despite the deep cut away and relatively small body size. The amazing design allows for unlimited access to the upper frets and the whole instrument feels very comfortable to play. I wanted an acoustic guitar with the accessibility of an electric and this new design from C.F.Martin delivers that in droves without ever loosing it's acoustic personality and sound. I own a super jumbo acoustic made by another company but the SC13e makes it sound dull and lifeless even before it is plugged in. The SC13e has that familiar Martin sound which is full and beautiful. The fishman pickup will then allow that sound to be delivered to anywhere from a gig in a noisy pub to full stadium if required. What a stunning instrument!Reviewed by Kenny's Music custom

Overall: So I know this isn’t zZounds fault, it’s epiphones. But I got the guitar originally, not setup had someHorrible buzz vibration that was not normal even for a non setup guitar. Cracking at the nut, micro dents in the body at the saddle. But it had the e sonic 2 shadow pickup system which was absolutely stellar. Sent it in for a return and received a much better condition guitar but with fishman pickup system. Epiphone is now outfitting these guitars with the bare bones basic ass fishing presys system. It’s not even the presys + which is 200 dollars. This pickup is like 60 bucks. I have previous recordings with my e sonic and have tried to emulate it with this presys and it just doesn’t compare. Great guitar but the downgrade in pickup grinds my gears. My advice is to buy the e sonic 2 system or presys + system and swap them out. You’ll then have a much better sound and recording quality when plugged in. zZounds was great on the return process however. Will continue to be a customer.Joshua

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