Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Acoustic Guitar Black Ruby For Sale (2024 Update)

I bought this guitar from Musicians Friend almost two years ago. First of all, I love the way it looks. The mahogany body and the skulls on fretboard are awesome. It looks amazing hanging on the wall with my other guitars. But with guitars, sound is most important. The sound it makes when unplugged is very unique. This is because of it's smaller size. The top face of this guitar is roughly the same size as my other acoustics, but the sides are an entire inch shorter. This makes it easier to transport and hold, but changes the sound. Yet it is still about the same loudness as my other acoustics. If the unplugged sound was always like that it would be fine, but the wiring inside the body is not done well, and it makes noises. The plug connecting the wires from the jack/battery to the tuner/knobs often comes just loose enough to allow it to rattle inside the body when you are playing. It only takes a second to reach into the soundhole and put it back in place, and it only will happen once a week or so, but I would never want to play live with this guitar for fear of it happening in the middle of a performance. Now there is the issue of playing while plugged in. The guitar has built in volume, bass, middle, and treble knobs, which is great, but they cause problems due to the poor quality pickup. The higher you turn up the volume knob, the more static you get, but if you turn it down, it is too quiet. The higher you turn up you turn up the bass the more feedback you get, and the higher you turn up the middle and treble the more of this annoying humming sound you get, but if you turn these knobs down you lose all your tone and the guitar sounds dull and boring. To achieve the best sound I just put all the knobs around the halfway point. Even if you do this, depending on how loud you want your amp, you have to be a specific distance away from your amp or else you will get the most horrendous sounding feedback (it's comparable to holding a mic right in front of the same amp its plugged into). If your amp is on the quiet side, you need to be about 5 ft. away, if it's kind of in the middle you need to be about 10 ft. away, and if it's loud you have to be almost 20 ft. away from your amp. The other thing I would like to address is the guitar's playability. Due to its smaller body and thinner neck than most other acoustics, it is very easy and comfortable to hold. However, the action is so high to the point where it is difficult to play certain songs, but that can be fixed by filing down the saddle. Oh, and for some reason the bridge on mine is slowly starting to come off, it's just the edges now, but I fear it will get worse. Under close inspection, it appears that hardly any glue was used. This is probably just a defect and not all are like this. I will simply glue the bridge back on should it come off completely. To sum it up: If you permanently fix the wires in place, and lower the action, this would be an amazing acoustic guitar; one that would be (for the price) deserving of 5 stars. As an electric it would need a much better pickup, and that would require addition money to replace (if you even can, I haven't checked), so as an electric instrument, I would give it 2 stars. But it does sound alright through an amp if you carefully set your tone and stand back. Overall I'd say it's a decent guitar, so I'll give it 3/5 stars.Duftite

I bought this guitar for my boyfriend for Christmas, & he loves this guitar. It's a lot better than the acoustic that he bought himself on Amazon & now that He has this guitar He's debating wheather he wants to keep the Amazon guitar or not. This is a great guitar! He does have a few complaints about it. It's a little too quiet, the frets are smaller than what He's used to, because He mainly plays electrics with either medium jumbo or jumbo frets. The only other thing that He wishes it had is a cut out for the higher frets. All in all he thinks this is a great guitar & it sounds & plays great. The action is low, the neck isn't too thick, so if you have small hands, you should still be able to play it. All in all this is a good guitar & if you are looking @ acoustics then he implores you to consider this guitar, He has yet to find a Fender that He don't like.Piano/Guitar Man

So its my birthday and as a leftie on a budget I wanted to get a cool new guitar since I hadn't bought a new w one in 15 years.So I gave myself 2 weeks before my Birthday to make my purchase. I heard of musicians friend from a friend when I was looking for a Ovation (which I've always wanted). So I see this guitar and think man thats cool. So I ordered it but when it came in the Fishman electronics were different. So I called Fender and they said the electronics I received were from the 2010 model and since then they had upgraded to better sliders and a large electronic box instead of the tiny tuner knobs for bass mid treble… So I called and the rep was cool and said return it and w'ell get another one out and I'll have my guys at the warehouse open the box to be sure it has the right electronics before we ship it. So I spend my time going to the UPS store on my only break. Musicians friend sends me my guitar. Open the box. WOW… Same guitar same electronics.. No follow through. This is not how you do business. Called and was told first rep didnt do his job right and too bad too sad basically. I just wanted the guitar they had pictured. That Musicians Friend showed they were selling… Could they not make sure the product they had pictured is the product they were selling? Yeah-I know- big cry baby- but sometimes you dont get alot of pleasures in life and my pleasure was looking forward to a new instrument. My lifes been tough this past few years with the economy. I'm working over 100 hours a week 7 days a week for 2 1/2 years- so yeah – I'm disappointed and frustrated.Ousso2112

This is a phenomenal instrument for its price. It looks, plays, feels, and sounds like a far more expensive guitar it is worth every cent. After getting this guitar I simply don't find any of my other acoustic guitars to be on par with this one. Playing this is effortless the size is perfect the best thing about this guitar though is that it produces an amazing warm tone that is surprisingly Loud for its size. Lastly the woods, hardware and electronics on the hellcat are amazing quality and again this thing looks, sounds, and feels like a guitar that cost a couple thousand dollars not 450. Can't recommend it enough it is my daily acoustic guitar now.Daniel Boutchyard

So far, so good. The guitar was shipped to me and arrived in pristine condition. It's gorgeous to look at and the sound is just what I wanted. Very warm and resonant. I'm not a small person, but I wanted something a bit more compact to get my arms around and learn on but didn't want anything too bright sounding. This fits the bill perfect for me. I did want to say, I was looking for a guitar that was made in the USA, and while Guitar Center has its country of origin as USA, this was manufactured in China. If that is important to you, you may want to keep searching.Rebecca D

I did a bunch of research on acoustic electric guitars priced around $500 or less and landed on the Hellcat. Three reasons to buy. First, the construction and materials that are built into this guitar punch well above the price tag. Solid mahogany top, mahogany sides and back; scalloped bracing and fishman electronics. Most guitars with that lineup are going to cost you substantially more $. The fretboard and saddle are walnut, but that doesn't bother me in the least nor does it effect the sound. The nut and saddle are plastic, and over time maybe I will upgrade. Second reason, is the sound. With all mahogany this guitar has a very warm tone. If you're looking for more of a bell-like tone, this is NOT the guitar for you. To me this is a very bluesy, folk sounding guitar. Third is the size. This is a small body concert guitar. Pick one up and give it a feel. You will either love or hate the small body. I like it… fun, easy to play and very portable. The last reason that will either draw you to the guitar or push you away is the aesthetic. The hellcat and skull inlays are not for everyone. I think they are fun.John

Good sound and feel, especially for the price. I honestly really enjoyed playing this guitar. However, it is quite disappointing that the craftsmanship was lacking, since I always took great care with handling it, and the bridge snapped in half. I was using it very often, so it may be best for beginners or for only periodic use.Nick

I bought this guitar because it was the cheapest acoustic in the store and I wasn't sure I'd stick with playing. I have had so much fun with it a year later I feel compelled to write a review! This guitar looks, feels, and sounds great, and mine rarely needs a tune-up despite regular use. Folks are saying the action is too high but I haven't noticed (and as a newbie maybe that's helped me build finger strength more quickly, who knows.) The only con I can think of is the sound is a tiny bit thin, but for a casual player like myself, that's no big issue. Anyway, I love this guitar and would absolutely recommend it for newbies/casual players. This is a great value instrument!Nomi

I have always had trouble with guitars. My hands are small and not very strong, so I've never had good luck trying to get good, consistent sound out of a guitar. It's just been too frustrating for me to continue. I also have a hard time feeling comfortable with the size and shape of most guitars I've tried. I've got limited funds to invest in an instrument and I wanted to make sure it was going to be an instrument that would let me play the things I wanted to play, and give me the range I was looking for. I've looked at banjos, classical guitars, and even junior guitars. But I always came back to the acoustic guitar in terms of sound and range. So when this guitar went on sale, I took the plunge and placed the order (after watching numerous video reviews, of course). I couldn't be happier! This is a gorgeous guitar that feels great, and it doesn't take much pressure at all to get a beautiful sound from it. It is wonderfully constructed. I had mine shipped to the store, which may have protected it. Either way, I didn't experience any of the construction issues I read in some of the other reviews, but also I was confident in the purchase guarantee of Guitar Center, and I knew I would have received a replacement if anything was wrong. It's definitely why I purchase through Guitar Center. Now I'm so excited about playing this guitar that I practice twice a day because it's so much fun and it sounds so great. As a new player, I simply couldn't be happier about this purchase. The onboard tuner makes it very easy to tune quickly. When I first tuned it, I used my Super Snark tuner to check the accuracy and they both matched exactly. I also purchased the Fender 20 watt amp and plugged it in. Wow! What a fun set-up! This is definitely a purchase I will treasure forever.Kristin

This is a phenomenal instrument for its price. It looks, plays, feels, and sounds like a far more expensive guitar it is worth every cent. After getting this guitar I simply don't find any of my other acoustic guitars to be on par with this one. Playing this is effortless the size is perfect the best thing about this guitar though is that it produces an amazing warm tone that is surprisingly Loud for its size. Lastly the woods, hardware and electronics on the hellcat are amazing quality and again this thing looks, sounds, and feels like a guitar that cost a couple thousand dollars not 450. Can't recommend it enough it is my daily acoustic guitar now.Daniel Boutchyard

So far, so good. The guitar was shipped to me and arrived in pristine condition. It's gorgeous to look at and the sound is just what I wanted. Very warm and resonant. I'm not a small person, but I wanted something a bit more compact to get my arms around and learn on but didn't want anything too bright sounding. This fits the bill perfect for me. I did want to say, I was looking for a guitar that was made in the USA, and while Guitar Center has its country of origin as USA, this was manufactured in China. If that is important to you, you may want to keep searching.Rebecca D

I did a bunch of research on acoustic electric guitars priced around $500 or less and landed on the Hellcat. Three reasons to buy. First, the construction and materials that are built into this guitar punch well above the price tag. Solid mahogany top, mahogany sides and back; scalloped bracing and fishman electronics. Most guitars with that lineup are going to cost you substantially more $. The fretboard and saddle are walnut, but that doesn't bother me in the least nor does it effect the sound. The nut and saddle are plastic, and over time maybe I will upgrade. Second reason, is the sound. With all mahogany this guitar has a very warm tone. If you're looking for more of a bell-like tone, this is NOT the guitar for you. To me this is a very bluesy, folk sounding guitar. Third is the size. This is a small body concert guitar. Pick one up and give it a feel. You will either love or hate the small body. I like it… fun, easy to play and very portable. The last reason that will either draw you to the guitar or push you away is the aesthetic. The hellcat and skull inlays are not for everyone. I think they are fun.John

This is a phenomenal instrument for its price. It looks, plays, feels, and sounds like a far more expensive guitar it is worth every cent. After getting this guitar I simply don't find any of my other acoustic guitars to be on par with this one. Playing this is effortless the size is perfect the best thing about this guitar though is that it produces an amazing warm tone that is surprisingly Loud for its size. Lastly the woods, hardware and electronics on the hellcat are amazing quality and again this thing looks, sounds, and feels like a guitar that cost a couple thousand dollars not 450. Can't recommend it enough it is my daily acoustic guitar now.Daniel Boutchyard

So far, so good. The guitar was shipped to me and arrived in pristine condition. It's gorgeous to look at and the sound is just what I wanted. Very warm and resonant. I'm not a small person, but I wanted something a bit more compact to get my arms around and learn on but didn't want anything too bright sounding. This fits the bill perfect for me. I did want to say, I was looking for a guitar that was made in the USA, and while Guitar Center has its country of origin as USA, this was manufactured in China. If that is important to you, you may want to keep searching.Rebecca D

I did a bunch of research on acoustic electric guitars priced around $500 or less and landed on the Hellcat. Three reasons to buy. First, the construction and materials that are built into this guitar punch well above the price tag. Solid mahogany top, mahogany sides and back; scalloped bracing and fishman electronics. Most guitars with that lineup are going to cost you substantially more $. The fretboard and saddle are walnut, but that doesn't bother me in the least nor does it effect the sound. The nut and saddle are plastic, and over time maybe I will upgrade. Second reason, is the sound. With all mahogany this guitar has a very warm tone. If you're looking for more of a bell-like tone, this is NOT the guitar for you. To me this is a very bluesy, folk sounding guitar. Third is the size. This is a small body concert guitar. Pick one up and give it a feel. You will either love or hate the small body. I like it… fun, easy to play and very portable. The last reason that will either draw you to the guitar or push you away is the aesthetic. The hellcat and skull inlays are not for everyone. I think they are fun.John

I bought this guitar from Musicians Friend almost two years ago. First of all, I love the way it looks. The mahogany body and the skulls on fretboard are awesome. It looks amazing hanging on the wall with my other guitars. But with guitars, sound is most important. The sound it makes when unplugged is very unique. This is because of it's smaller size. The top face of this guitar is roughly the same size as my other acoustics, but the sides are an entire inch shorter. This makes it easier to transport and hold, but changes the sound. Yet it is still about the same loudness as my other acoustics. If the unplugged sound was always like that it would be fine, but the wiring inside the body is not done well, and it makes noises. The plug connecting the wires from the jack/battery to the tuner/knobs often comes just loose enough to allow it to rattle inside the body when you are playing. It only takes a second to reach into the soundhole and put it back in place, and it only will happen once a week or so, but I would never want to play live with this guitar for fear of it happening in the middle of a performance. Now there is the issue of playing while plugged in. The guitar has built in volume, bass, middle, and treble knobs, which is great, but they cause problems due to the poor quality pickup. The higher you turn up the volume knob, the more static you get, but if you turn it down, it is too quiet. The higher you turn up you turn up the bass the more feedback you get, and the higher you turn up the middle and treble the more of this annoying humming sound you get, but if you turn these knobs down you lose all your tone and the guitar sounds dull and boring. To achieve the best sound I just put all the knobs around the halfway point. Even if you do this, depending on how loud you want your amp, you have to be a specific distance away from your amp or else you will get the most horrendous sounding feedback (it's comparable to holding a mic right in front of the same amp its plugged into). If your amp is on the quiet side, you need to be about 5 ft. away, if it's kind of in the middle you need to be about 10 ft. away, and if it's loud you have to be almost 20 ft. away from your amp. The other thing I would like to address is the guitar's playability. Due to its smaller body and thinner neck than most other acoustics, it is very easy and comfortable to hold. However, the action is so high to the point where it is difficult to play certain songs, but that can be fixed by filing down the saddle. Oh, and for some reason the bridge on mine is slowly starting to come off, it's just the edges now, but I fear it will get worse. Under close inspection, it appears that hardly any glue was used. This is probably just a defect and not all are like this. I will simply glue the bridge back on should it come off completely. To sum it up: If you permanently fix the wires in place, and lower the action, this would be an amazing acoustic guitar; one that would be (for the price) deserving of 5 stars. As an electric it would need a much better pickup, and that would require addition money to replace (if you even can, I haven't checked), so as an electric instrument, I would give it 2 stars. But it does sound alright through an amp if you carefully set your tone and stand back. Overall I'd say it's a decent guitar, so I'll give it 3/5 stars.Duftite

I bought this guitar for my boyfriend for Christmas, & he loves this guitar. It's a lot better than the acoustic that he bought himself on Amazon & now that He has this guitar He's debating wheather he wants to keep the Amazon guitar or not. This is a great guitar! He does have a few complaints about it. It's a little too quiet, the frets are smaller than what He's used to, because He mainly plays electrics with either medium jumbo or jumbo frets. The only other thing that He wishes it had is a cut out for the higher frets. All in all he thinks this is a great guitar & it sounds & plays great. The action is low, the neck isn't too thick, so if you have small hands, you should still be able to play it. All in all this is a good guitar & if you are looking @ acoustics then he implores you to consider this guitar, He has yet to find a Fender that He don't like.Piano/Guitar Man

So its my birthday and as a leftie on a budget I wanted to get a cool new guitar since I hadn't bought a new w one in 15 years.So I gave myself 2 weeks before my Birthday to make my purchase. I heard of musicians friend from a friend when I was looking for a Ovation (which I've always wanted). So I see this guitar and think man thats cool. So I ordered it but when it came in the Fishman electronics were different. So I called Fender and they said the electronics I received were from the 2010 model and since then they had upgraded to better sliders and a large electronic box instead of the tiny tuner knobs for bass mid treble… So I called and the rep was cool and said return it and w'ell get another one out and I'll have my guys at the warehouse open the box to be sure it has the right electronics before we ship it. So I spend my time going to the UPS store on my only break. Musicians friend sends me my guitar. Open the box. WOW… Same guitar same electronics.. No follow through. This is not how you do business. Called and was told first rep didnt do his job right and too bad too sad basically. I just wanted the guitar they had pictured. That Musicians Friend showed they were selling… Could they not make sure the product they had pictured is the product they were selling? Yeah-I know- big cry baby- but sometimes you dont get alot of pleasures in life and my pleasure was looking forward to a new instrument. My lifes been tough this past few years with the economy. I'm working over 100 hours a week 7 days a week for 2 1/2 years- so yeah – I'm disappointed and frustrated.Ousso2112

I honestly don't have a lot of negative things to say about this guitar. It's sound is beautiful, it's perfect for jamming and relaxing, and so on. It does need tuning regularly, but so does every instrument. I don't feel the need to dock stars for a natural thing.J

I bought this guitar as an impulse buy. The natural, flame top really caught my eye. Strummed a few chords and bought it on the spot. The smaller, concert style body has a slightly thinner, trebly tone, which I really like. It's very comfortable to play, neck feels great. I record with it often and am very happy with the tone. It has a built in tuner, which is a nice addition. The built in pickup is ok, but I prefer to mic it up when I record with it. Mi only complaint is the tuning machines are kind of junky. They aren't very smooth. But when you finally get it tuned, it stays. Overall, I really like it. Like I said, it was an impulse buy. I have 12 other Electrics, acoustics, and basses, and this little acoustic is one of my favorites!Mike

Looks and sounds beautiful. First acoustic I've ever bought that came playable right out of the box. Too many at this price point have such a high bridge there's about half an inch between the string and the 15th and onward frets. Not this one. Would recommend to everyone, beginner or experienced.Joseph

I love this little guitar. I bought mine from the GC store. I have Taylor GS mini for my RV, but it's still too big and too loud in a small rv with others. I saw the Traveller guitars and thought I'd go to a GC and try it out. I'm too new at this so got the GC sales person to play so I could hear the difference using a big amp. The ones with the pickups were hot and a little bitey for me as I only really play acoustic. The Piezo pickup acoustic sounded mellow and it was on the guitarathon sale for 100 dollars off. That tipped it for me. It's small, extremely light and when unplugged, extremely quite quiet. It's so small, I'm finding that I pick up this one more than the regular guitars. Bear in mind, it's not acoustic or electric, so it's not going to sound like anything else. I bought a headphone amp and also use a regular amp when I can be loud. When practicing unplugged at night, it's loud enough for me, but nobody else can hear it. Also, I've found that if I press it tightly to my side, the lower notes reverberate in my chest. With the acoustic pickup there is no tone or volume controls, so everything has to be done through the amp. I'm getting used to that. With no body and only the wire bottom, it takes a little time before it begins to feel normal. The only negative is if I don't hit the notes perfect, I can get some fret buzz. All in all, it's so different from any other guitar, I would suggest trying it in person first. You will either love it or hate it. And remember it's a small travel guitar you can also use regularly. Play it both amplified and unplugged and see if you think it will work for you.Mike

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

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

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

Great intermediate acoustic. Thinner, lightweight body that makes it very comfortable. Neck design more like an electric with rolled fingerboard edges and smooth frets. Cutaway enables a surprising amount of high end fret access. Piezo amplifier is really deep and rich sounding. Colours and design features convey nice 1950s vibe: well made and very good finish. Action a little high, but badly so, just that it could be lower – but a set up would rectify this. Overall a fear guitar at a superb price and inspiring to look at and play.Chazz

This Fender guitar is awesome. Out of the box it is almost perfectly set up. The intonation is off just by a little bit and only with 2 or 3 strings. The sound seems a little washed while playing chords, but single notes are loud and clear. All the frets have edge treatment, nice and smooth. The synthetic bone used for the nut and bridge are way better than plastic, allowing for a long sustain. The guitar could use better tuning keys, but the guitar stays in tune good enough. Over all my guitar was built well, and I'm glad it sounds good, too. I would recommend this guitar for all beginner guitar players because of the sound quality, and anyone else who don't have the money for their dream guitar.Tim

The pick guard is just a cheap adhesive sticker thingy and it was already damaged and peeling off when I opened the box. Not a great first impression. But I chose to take it off completely and thankfully, the glossy finish that's all over the body of this guitar is also underneath the pick guard, so it doesn't look too bad at all and I can always replace it if I want to. The "champagne" color looks champagne in the right light, but appears khaki or even greenish the rest of the time. I do love the shape though. It's smaller, lighter, and sleeker than most guitars I've handled, awesome for a more petite person like me. I'm 5 feet tall and 90lbs, so a lot of guitars have been too bulky and awkward for me. In that respect, the Newporter has made me a better player since you naturally do better when you're more comfortable. I also love the neck/head with the electric style shape and inline strings. I like the strings it came with a lot. It didn't come properly tuned, but that was a quick fix, especially since the tuner works so nicely. The sound is surprisingly rich. Great volume, especially with a pick. Overall, it's a really nice option at a really nice price, I just wish the quality control was better. Getting a new instrument with peeling parts is really disappointing, feels like I got it used or something 🙁 but if you're lucky and get a unit that is perfectly intact, you'll love this rich, beautiful, comfortable guitar. But if you can afford to spend about double, then I would suggest you do that so you won't be gambling with the quality as much.Trudy G

This guitar model virtually always features in the number one or number two spot of all rankings for 'The Best Guitars to Learn On', usually along with one or two other models from the Taylor brand and I can entirely understand why. Specifically, it exceptionally well constructed, with a great tone, and no quirks that make it anything other than just a great pleasure to play either at home on one's own or out in sessions. If you are learning the guitar, it would be difficult to think of any better model on which to do it, given these qualities, and the added benedfit is that it is of such a high standard that you can use it all the way through your musical life, as it equally valid for professional performances.Simon W.

This is my first guitar. I am just beginning to learn. I had a sales associate play a number of different acoustic guitars and I also sat an held and played 1-2 chords with various guitars. This guitar sounded the best in the price range and was by far the most comfortable to play!Troy

First off, some people don't know the real characteristics of a Guild 12 string. And, no, they aren't ALL supposed to be deep….The wood determines the sound. Denser wood, deeper sound…lighter wood, brighter the sound…I bought one after playing MANY 12 strings. Including Taylor, Martin, Takamine….and this one was my favorite. Frets easy, sound is bright yet full, loud, and just a great guitar. As for the electronics..ehh..not the best…but…I am running a LR Baggs acoustic preamp pedal and it brings the guitars natural sound. I turn up the bottom just a bit…sounds amazing…LOVE THIS GUITAR…and it's beautiful to boot….Jamie

I ran into one of these in a guitar store and was immediately impressed compared to the other 12-strings in the acoustic room. It's not a Guild 512, but it has a good, solid sound and nice neck. I was concerned about the tuners, but they seem to work fine and stay in tune and they are the same as on the deluxe Westerly models. My guitar showed up with a detached soundhole control. I almost sent it back, but I liked the sound of the guitar enough that I just decided to reattach the soundhole control with some double sided tape. We'll see how that holds up, but I wasn't impressed with the original glue job. Otherwise, nice guitar. A 12-string has so much going on sonically, that I don't think I need a more expensive model to get good sound. The pickup sounds nice, too. I also like the satin finish. Good guitar. Very good guitar for the price.Victor

This is the worst guitar for the money I have ever purchased. My brother took sick just before it was delivered. I never got a chance to check this guitar before the time expires. Where should I start. To say this guitar's flyncey is an understatement. The neck is very uneven! The body is so thin even at its great size it cannot give a deep tone. The head of this guitar is heavier than the whole guitar. I see positive reviews on this guitar and I wonder which cartoon characters are posting them or if they are even real. The sound system is is pathetic! It does not matter which amplifier or PA system I play it through it is totally inadequate. And it is incapable of being used in any type of venue through any type of sound system. Why put it in there at all. Guild should be ashamed of itself!!!!! If you are looking for a quality guitar at a reasonable price that plays well! THIS ISN'T IT!Jake

Overall: So, I have owned this guitar for several months now. It is without a doubt a very good sounding guitar, it's up there with my Gibson's and Martins. Strumming or finger picking it just sounds amazing. I did not love the string spacing, so I replaced the nut with a bit wider spacing for my style of playing. The whole point about me taking the plunge on this guitar was that it was all solid woods, ebony fingerboard and bridge, and one of Yamahas absolute best acoustics available. I have no regrets buying this guitar at all. My friends are amazed at the beauty and sound of this very well-built guitar. The electronics do a good job plugged into the PA for playing live, and it will amaze you how good it sounds unplugged all by itself. I never thought I would buy anything but Martin or Gibson's…. this changed my mind completely. if you're thinking about one of these just buy one!! My honest opinion is the price will go up on these as the solid woods and craftsmanship are stunning.Michael

I’ve had my A3M for three years now. I still look at mahogany wood grain in awe. This guitar has a nice rounded tone that can compete with Taylor and Martin guitars made from mahogany. Plugged into an acoustic amp sounds even better. I notice the price point has increased $100 (not sure of due to inflation) which shows that it is a respected instrument. I spent months spinning around for a acoustic guitar and I was truly pleased with the Yamaha A3M. I think it can keep up with Martin and Taylor on stage as a reliable gig machine.bryan nuñez

I have a number of acoustic type guitars – both steel and nylon strung. When playing these I rarely strum – it's a finger style combination of rock, flamenco, folk, blues and jazz ( a real mixture). The first thing I did was to change the strings (D'Addario Silk & Steel). As a result this little Fender beauty has turned into an excellent parlour guitar: it's responsive, lovely to play and remarkably loud for its size. Build quality is good and the sound projects well. If you're a chord strummer, I wouldn't suggest that the Sonoran is for you – but it responds superbly to finger style playing. It's subtle and responsive. For the money, it's very, very good. And of course, it's very, very easy to lug around. Love it!Gillian B.

Pretty nice sounding instrument! Way less money than most solid wood, small bodied shorter scale guitars, & stacks up decently against “higher end” offerings. As a traditionalist, the onboard electronics were an annoying detraction, but in practice the pickup system sounds far more natural than I was expecting. And as a couch/practice guitar, having a tuner on the instrument is handy, I’ll grudgingly admit. If I were the type to plug in an acoustic on stage, I’d get good use out of these features. There are a few other general things that caught my attention, listed in no particular order. The dynamic range is an interesting departure from typical full scale acoustics. It’s quieter when finger picked softly, but as loud or louder when dug into with a pick. Definitely doesn’t sound small when played with authority, & generally has great resonance. I’ve yet to try lighter strings, but with 12 gauge phosphor bronze, it doesn’t feel too slinky or incredibly different than a longer scale length acoustic. I do find it a tad more comfortable, but not a night & day difference. The only lesser aspect is mostly down to the stock setup. Action was a little on the high side, & the G# fret under the low E string was a little high, so G chords buzzed on that string. This doesn’t detract from my over all impression, as I’m imagining most folks buying a decent instrument will end up setting it up & leveling fretwork to taste. All in all, mine’s a very nice acoustic guitar by any measure, & its sound punches way above its weight class in terms of cost. I dig it.WJJ

This Fender guitar is awesome. Out of the box it is almost perfectly set up. The intonation is off just by a little bit and only with 2 or 3 strings. The sound seems a little washed while playing chords, but single notes are loud and clear. All the frets have edge treatment, nice and smooth. The synthetic bone used for the nut and bridge are way better than plastic, allowing for a long sustain. The guitar could use better tuning keys, but the guitar stays in tune good enough. Over all my guitar was built well, and I'm glad it sounds good, too. I would recommend this guitar for all beginner guitar players because of the sound quality, and anyone else who don't have the money for their dream guitar.Tim

Let me start by saying this – I will never go anywhere else for our guitar needs other than SamAsh Music. The reason? I work at a Title I school just south of Cincinnati in a little town called Dayton, Kentucky. When disaster struck and our guitars were damaged due to a heating issue in the building, SamAsh stepped up and saved the day! They gave us a GREAT deal on brand new FA-115 Dreadnaught Guitar Packs. We were able to purchase an entire class set, and it wouldn't have been possible without their generosity! These guitars are significantly better than the recent Honer brands we were using. The attack of the notes is crisp, the resonance is fantastic, and its incredibly easy and smooth to maneuver on. My students were ecstatic when they came back from Winter break! Thank you Fender, and thank you SamAsh music for making many young musicians happy, and eager to play the guitar!NONE

This guitar is great. I upgraded my rogue starter guitar and this one sounds so much better. They gave me extra strings and a case. The strings are much closer to the fret and there is a notable quality difference from the previous starter guitar that I got. I think this is well worth it! Sam Ash was also great. They did a really good job and I am glad I purchased from them. They happen to give me extra picks!Grace

Exactly what I was looking for and my sales person was extremely helpful and not pushy. He tried to analyze what me needs were and once he did he focused on it and even though he did up sale me on a tuner, he wasn't pushy on upsalesDenny

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

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

I purchased this instrument on a whim. I figured it would spend it's time in the back seat of my truck. I had the itch to buy something new and this guitar was a cheap way to scratch it. I've been impressed with it. It is small and lightweight. It stays in tune well(for a nylon acoustic)and sounds pretty good. I've found myself in bed falling asleep with it on my chest. I've enjoyed it that much. Does it compare to an upper end instrument? No,of course not. Then again I wouldn't dare fall asleep playing one of those either. If you are looking for someting smaller for yourself or a student that you are not afraid to abuse this is by far worth the money.Sean488

You might need to shave some off the bottom of the nut, but otherwise this is a great guitar for a small beginner; well made and sounds good for its price and size.soulmath

Used to mess around with my brother's acoustic guitar many, many years ago. Decided to renew my interest but wanted a smaller (3/4) size acoustic with nylon strings, as I have small hands. After much research, chose the Fender MC-1. Was pleasantly surprised at the lovely, mellow sound which is what I wanted. Would highly recommend.Eli's Mom

I bought this guitar for a beginner and was concerned about the action on it as i remember the trouble i had learning barre chords all those years ago. I contacted Tom at Richtone and he assured me that he would see that the warehouse set the guitar low and boy did he keep his word. Since passing the guitar on i have tried it out and its a dream to play deep rich tone and it looks and sounds like a much more expensive model i am really impressed with it and the service i received,boing444

I have owned this Guitar for almost 2 years and I was very impressed with the finish on this Guitar the moment I took it out of the box. The gig bag and other accessories that come with this Guitar make it an exceptional value. I knew Nothing about Guitars when I bought it and All of my seasoned Guitar playing friends have played it and everyone has commented how nice it plays and sounds. I couldn't be happier. The tuner that came with it bit the dust within a few months and was really finicky when tuning the A string but I went and got the SNARK tuner and its been awesome.Pete

a lot of brands come with these starter kits that offer most of the accessories required to start playing..but its Ibanez that I chose because of its brand value and good reviews. the product was delivered within a few days and was packed well. The package also includes an electronic tuner for fast and accurate tuning, a gig bag, a guitar strap and a pouch for accessories. the guitar itself which obviously is the main product offers excellent value for money and has a great tone and feel which has kept me playing it for a few hours daily as I enjoy practicing on it.Varun R.

My 10 year old grandson wanted to learn to play guitar so I ordered this for Christmas. He was so excited. He said it looks great and even looks like an expensive guitar! Just the little I heard him play, it sounds good. Good size. Thanks for making my young guy happy!!nanac