Left Handed Cutaway Acoustic Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

I have several Ibanez-acoustic electric guitars, including other AEG models, as well as Taylor and Martin acoustic-electrics. I find the Ibanez AEG series to be solid, well built, and attractive workhorse guitars, great for gigging and recording or just playing. I got this particular AEG20 VV because I had never seen one quite like it — the patterning on the soundboard is strikingly dramatic and quite beautiful, very much a one-of-a-kind instrument. The "VV" stands for 'vintage violin'. It has a small finish flaw on the back, a bit of cloudiness, but the rest of the guitar more than makes up for that. The Fishman preamp is great, with controls for bass, mid, and treble, and an onboard tuner. I have used my other Ibanez AEGs to record on two albums now, and am now working on a new album, which this guitar is sure to be on.cspex

When I picked this up in the store and started playing it, iI immediately loved the neck! Easy to play and well balanced. Sounds great alone but even better plugged into a Fishman Amp. Great Sound! I use this on my weekend acoustic gigs and no problems at all. For the Money think it's a great deal! On board electronic (fishman) works fine. I would like to see more choice of colors or tops. Otherwise, this is a solid guitar and fun to play.Cully

It has a great feel on the strings and frets. It has a great finish. My instructor was impressed with the look, feel and sound. My only problem was the cost. I'm a lefty so it's hard finding a good guitar for a decent price. I would have expected it to cost less than the common right handed model. Other than that I fully recommend this guitar to anyone.JamieSelah

I had been looking to get back into the guitar after a long hiatus. I didn't want to jump in the deep end with something expensive at the start, but still wanted something decent to play with, after some research decided upon the CC-60S. The guitar does exactly what all the reviews say it does for beginner learning. It feels comfortable, sounds great and isn't as tough when navigating the frets with chords and notes. PMT delivered the CC quickly, was securely packaged and I've found no defects. Would recommend anyone thinking of learning the guitar to purchase this from PMT.John O.

My guitar does not have any obvious defects in it's construction, which is more then I can say for some other guitars around this price point. The lightweight strings it came with make it easy to play for an acoustic. Sounds pretty good to me. Even smells nice, faintly like cut hardwood.SEAN

I like this guitar very much. It sounds beautiful, it looks beautiful and it plays well. The action on the guitar was a bit too high(0.012" on the 1st E string above the 12th fret). I had to adjust a truss rod a little anyway(instructions are provided with a tool included). It lowered the action a little(to 0.010"). Still not enough, so I will have to remove some saddle with sanding paper-a simple task, down to 0.007"-0.008". Eventually I want to replace a saddle, nut and pins with a natural bone and a new set of phosphor bronze strings, which will notably improve the sound…I can barely wait. A cost of these parts is affordable and well worth it for this beautiful guitar. For somebody who is new to these tasks, there are videos on You Tube that show you how to do all that correctly and it's a fun challenge. TWO TIPS: 1) There is a plastic film cover over the sound hole. It will leave some adhesive around the sound hole, when you remove it. Don't get frustrated by it. It gets easily removed by using Naphtha-a safe dissolver used by professionals, that won't damage guitar's finish, if used correctly-sparingly on a piece of cloth. 2) A pickguard is covered with a transparent film. Don't bother removing the red sticker, just remove the whole film along with it. Hope it helps…best wishes.dusamajstorovi_0

I’m a 54 yr old,pro player & guitar instructor, I’m always interested in budget guitars to suggest to students. I’ve found some feel cheap,or play horribly. This brand is quite the opposite, it has a solid feel, low action, rich bass and sparkling tone. I know those terms are tossed around a lot,listen to the demos on YT, this guitar sparkles like a nice acoustic should. The finish feels wonderful,it came with everything,a tuner, strap, extra strings,and a gig bag. The kit even came with a battery and a wrench to adjust the height of the action. The wrench works well, Ashthorpe has videos showing how to use it, The ELECTRONICS are what makes this instrument much better than the other budget acoustics on Amazon, It has a strong, rich equalizer onboard,u can do or subtract treble, or bass..or midrange..or the super high frequency string noises can be lowered or raised w the presence control. It has a volume control and a battery tester with LED right onboard. This electronics and preamp package is what you’d expect on guitars $300 or higher..It’s not Fishman or a famous brand, but it may as well be, it feels the same. I’ve owned over a hundred guitars, probably closer to 200 and I’ve never seen an acoustic electric with this kind of tone, feel and quality electronics in this price range..ever, if this guitar had no electronics,and was not electric-acoustic at all..it would still sell like crazy at this price. It’s almost hard to believe you get SO much for your hundred bucks. I have had acoustics where the case alone cost more than this guitar. Buy this model if you are considering a few different ones.. the thinline Ashthorpe makes is a smaller body, good for small hands, petite ladies or teens.. but the full size dreadnaught has the rich,thick bass u can feel in your body. The tone is better than the thinline,but a dread body can be big for some smaller people. The thinline was small and comfy,little more sparkly and less bass, but this model has the tone. And the way they laser etched the logo on the navy blue headstock is classy,it gives the whole guitar the expensive,modern vibe I go through guitars fast, I buy, sell, trade.and give some away to students…and I only wind up w the ones I LOVE. And I still have my Ashthorpe Dreadnaught Blue burst,it was a gift from my parents,.and has special meaning to me, Just buy this one,thank me later! forget the budget brands u see on Amazon..Ashthorpe users all leave great reviews, and for good reason.. the customer service is top notch too, a nice lady named Jennifer took great care of me when I had inquiries,and replied to my emails the same day, super quickly.Kevin G.(.I.

I purchased the guitar to play bottle neck slide on . Right out of the box it was easy to set up . Tuned up no issues. Nice action height , and really good sound . I would highly recommend the guitar . A real bargain for the money .Kevin

I’ve been a guitar instructor over 30 years, I’m a pro player with album credits on Warner, Gergen and more.. I’m 54 and playing since I’m 12 I own two Ashthorpe acoustics, this one in a dark butterscotch finish,and a full size dread in blue burst, The thinline has that tone like one of the smaller bodied guitars..bright,sparkly and up front. The body is not as thick as a big acoustic like my dreadnaught, but it is a full scale length adults acoustic.. they just made the body thinner for smaller folks to feel more comfy, The electronic package is superb,get it for that alone,you can plug in delays and effects, phase shifter and compressors, reverbs.. use the PA system or a small amp and play coffee house gigs, without the trouble of putting another Micah the guitar. The EQD section and the onboard controls are well made, useful and the eq points are musical and just right. It’s amazing how intuitive these designers were, they got just about everything right… the feel, the neck, the tone, the electronics..the finish.. it came with a strong gig bag ,not padded but rainproof and strong, like the nylon Tents and backpacks are made from..also a good electric tuner that works nicely,a cable,picks, a strap,extra strings..everything good quality and usable for a pro..maybe investing in a set of more expensive strings will help, the sets they provided sounded ok.but I’m guessing some high end strings would improve sound too,(Martin,Diaddario,Ernie Ball..etc) If u want something light and comfy, yet adult scale length with a pro feel and gorgeous woodwork, they’re out there.. but in this price range? There’s nothing available with the electronics package like this.. It’s so much fun playing with effects through an amp, this company is really awesome,they have instructional videos on YouTube and the customer service was polite,efficient and very pleasant.Kevin G.(.I.

This guitar sounds Amazon, incredibly easy and fun to play. I called to order this and spoke to Jeremy, he took great care of me, hooked me up with a discount and was incredibly helpful.David

The guitar is aesthetically pleasant, the action is comfortable, the intonation is great, and awsome playability. Not to mention that the sound is great acoustically and amplified. It has a three-band equalizer and a built-in tuner. It's a great product for its cost.xdelgadillo7

This is a well made, nice sounding guitar. Lefty instruments aren't as prolific as righties in general and more esoteric styles like 12-strings are even less likely to be in a shop. Having an inexpensive yet good sounding instrument like this is a relatively economical way to try it out. My guitar instructor is very impressed with how it sounds, especially for 3 c-notes below a grand. Pros: Good fit/finish, decent pickup built in (battery included), electronic tuner built in, comfortable neck width, projects well Cons: No case, arrived already close to in tune (should ship with loose strings to prevent warpage)Jeff

well made surprisingly the back maple is pretty it sounds like my Cole Clark almost lol I bought a left handed 1500 dollar Cole Clark and didnt like leaving it leaning up against my chair so i bought this beater and its nice i like it. I started my left handed journey. The quality card was stamped 2009 so i guess it was sitting for awhile in the wharehouse all the better.wg

I wanted to surprise my husband with a guitar for our one year wedding anniversary. I had no clue about guitars, did a lot of research and that's when I came across the Sawtooth brand while looking for a decent and reasonably priced guitar. This guitar is beautiful and well built. For that price it is a bargain. The details and design were not skimped on. It is solid, sturdy and has a rich look and feel to it. I gave 4 stars because while Walmart has the item listed as a 6 string guitar, it is actually a 12 string. I have contacted Wal-Mart about this issue and after reordering the item for a 3rd time, I finally gave up because it does not appear to be available in a 6 string even though that is currently the only option showing on the website. They kept sending me a 12 string. They have assured me every time I reordered that the issue has been fixed but clearly that is not the case. My husband will just have to learn how to play the 12 string, he loves the guitar that much! By the way, it sounds amazing. You won't be disappointed, just be prepared to get a 12 string and not a 6 string.Karen

The sound, tone, and look are better than everything I wanted out of this guitar. The tuner is so helpful and I love the shape and volume knobs so i don't have to change my amps voume. The metal strings look beautiful when under the sun. All around an amazing guitar.Gabriel

I was very excited to see and play a highly reviewed 12 string that costs pennies compared to my 12 string Takamine, Yamaha and Ibanez. Once I got through the box I saw the guitar had the look of some cheap pressed wood. The sound was as weak as a cup of Finnish coffee. The darn thing couldn't stay in tune to save mine or its life. How this guitar gets rated so highly MUST be a result of fake reviewers OR I simply got the ONE Rogue 12 string that seemed to be made by the Fisher-Price Company. This is NOT a musical instrument. It IS an instrument to make noise with. My edition was not worthy of the effort one has to put forward to learn and play guitar. One must have to have an instrument meet the musician at least half-way. With this "musical" instrument, you have to cross the block, pick the guitar up and fight against it to produce close to a tone that sounds musical. Best to buy a used good name 12 string guitar. Or save your pennies and get a Takamine or Yamaha. The latter will be excellent and cost in the $350 range. But a Yamaha will play forever and stay in tune. I recommend my Yamaha over my ash Ibanez. The former just has a fuller tone. If possible save for the Takamine which is on another guitar plane altogether. But don't buy a guitar based on price and/or name. I've discovered many of the friends I play with can't tell if their singing and/or playing is in tune!!. And yet, they own $5,000 MARTIN GUITARS!! Haha. Quite simply a waste of money. Be like me buying a red-green "masterpiece" oil painting, as I'm red-green color blind. But I DO have a good ear and this Rogue of a guitar is worthy of no one's money or effort. M.F. has many more-though more expensive-options that will bring the performer YEARS if not DECADES of playing happiness. Only misery lies in a 12 string Rogue guitar. Avoid.muskoxmike

Purchased this around December hoping to get my kids into it. As usually happens, it ended up being much more of a display use. I would imagine it was picked up about 12 times max total. It sat on display being ignored primarily. Still, by mid-June (in under 6 months) the bridge has warped and started to detach from the main guitar. I noticed this as I walked past it. The glue did not hold. Surprise though, because you can't just pull up a website for Rogue. I called Guitar Center for help to contact the manufacturer as this should be covered under their warranty. Guitar cCenter took my information and said they would forward it to their "contact" for the company and I should receive a response in 3-5 business days. It's been a few weeks now and I'm not impressed. No one called me back, they wouldn't simply give me an 800 number to call to handle it myself, and I still have no solution and no idea who to contact in order to make a claim on the manufacturer warranty. I am more than disappointed with Guitar Center's negligence to truly stand behind a beginner product they seem to offer a great deal of.Amanda V.

I'm so impressed by my RD 90. I think some reviewers are hesitant to give it the praise it deserves because it is an inexpensive guitar. I did a little work to lower the action and now it is perfect. Humidity and temperature changes cause it to need occasional tuning, no different that my other two acoustics. It has a full, rich tone. It plays easily. It makes me feel like I got a real bargain; I don't know how they turn a profit at this price.Charles

I love the color and the shape and how light it is. It's perfect for beginners and for those who aren't beginners. It has a beautiful sound and you can't go bad with this guitar. I would definitely be ordering another one smaller for my daughter who is turning 9. I can't express how amazing this guitar is.LatinaGoddess

The guitar is great, being just slightly heavy. However, it does not, at least it didn't for me, include picks. It sounds fine, although I haven't tested it with an amplifier. If you are on the fence, I recommend it. It's a guitar. It's not super special.TheZman

Nice product. Pleasantly surprised with how nice this guitar locks. Cant say much for the quality because I dont know anything about guitars quite yet but Im hoping to use this is my first learner! But so far looks great and sounds nice when strumming.waterbearcycles

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

I was nervous ordering a guitar I hadn't put my hands on however I am quite pleased with my new guitar. The only regret I have was not purchasing the live version. I was tempted to return it and grab the live one but since receiving this one, I have been playing it at least 3-4 hours every day and it just feels too good to part with. I kept the original strings on for the first week and a half. It sang nicely right out of the box, aside from it being a tad out of tune (which was expected and easily fixed). I did put some Elixir strings on (Phosphor Bronze w NANOWEB Coating) however I didn't like the sound it produced and ended up replacing that with a new set of Ernie Ball strings (Medium Light Earthwood Phosphor Bronze) and it sounds amazing now. 10/10 This guitar was just going to be a place holder until I purchased a Taylor GS Mini-e Koa (I'm still learning guitar, so that was going to be a "when I get good" present to myself) but at this point, it's no longer a goal. The look, feel and sound of the Oliver Jr makes me want to play and keeps me playing.Drew B.

..So it's been two weeks now since I received my new Oliver Jr Mahogany Live from Orangewood Guitars. I wanted to spend some time getting acquainted with it before I just fired off my opinions of it fresh out of the box. I am an old guy who has been playing/performing for decades but retired from live gigging in 2015 and pretty much just put away all of my "stuff." However, as a guitar player, I have always admired acoustic fingerstyle players and now have decided I want to try tackling that style more seriously. I thought the best way to start this journey would be on a 3/4 size shorter scale or "parlor" size guitar which I've always thought were pretty cool anyway, and on a model that wasn't going to break the bank..ie., I didn't want to spend more than three hundred bucks! So I researched several guitars in the size and price range I wanted and found the old saying "you get what you pay for" to be very much alive and well. After trying the Yamaha F Series offerings, the Fender C-100, the Gretsch Jim Dandy, an Ibanez PN12E, an Epiphone, and some others.. I didn't like any of them! So it looked like I was just gonna have to drop big bucks on a Taylor or a Martin or something like that in that price range to get any satisfaction. Before doing that though, I decided to take a chance on the Oliver Jr. Mahogany, of which I had seen several reviews on You Tube, etc., etc. I figured if I didn't like it I could send it back. Well, guess what? I'm keeping it! It looks great, I love the size, it sounds very good for a small guitar, even better than I thought it would, and after a tweak or two of the truss rod it plays great. Of course the Ernie Ball "medium light" strings were killing my fingers for the first week or so but I decided to leave them on to see I could get used to them which I eventually did and they seem fine now. I'll probably go to a lighter gauge when the time comes but for now I'm just gonna stick with the factory issue strings which Orangewood recommends. So while the Orangewood is not a Martin, Taylor, Zager, etc.,in my opinion, you cannot get a better value at a great price on a quality instrument than this Oliver Jr provides. I'm glad I gave Orangewood a shot and I'm definitely a satisfied customer. Sorry for the long review!Dan M.

I have taught guitar for 15 years to students of all ages. This guitar has revolutionized how younger players can get up and running very quickly due to the amazing playability, solid tuning, and wonderful sound of this instrument. If you are a parent thinking of. getting your child started on guitar this is hands down the best quality for the price point. Too many times I have had parents spend money on instruments that look good, but are cheaply made, tough to play, and never hold tune….which only frustrated the student as well as myself. I only recently came across this company and directed two of my students to purchase this guitar and they are now up and running faster than any of my other students. Even barre chords are.a breeze. I now only recommend this guitar to parents looking to start their child on guitar. It is worth every penny.Marshall M.

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

My daughter bought this for me a couple years ago because I spend a lot of time on my butt with chronic back pain. Once I adjusted to it's larger size easily can lay down playing it. I'm 56 years old and been playing guitar since I was12. Let me tell you the beautiful tone that comes out of this instrument rivals instruments 5 times the price. I put a set of electric 9's on it so I can bend the strings and it's country and blues heaven. I love this axe! She's a looker too. Real easy on the eyes.Antonio

I haven't played in a few years but the pandemic had me searching for something to get my mind off working crazy hours. There would be few guitars I'd buy sight unseen but I rolled the dice because I'd played Martin's first backpacking incarnation and was familiar with their quality. This little guitar wouldn't disappoint! It is a smaller scale but my fingers fit on the fret board and it's easy to just leave out and pick up when you need it. The sound is really good for the size and it's easy to strum or pick. It was exactly what I was looking for but a little more. I honestly didn't expect to be this happy with how much guitar I got for the price. If you need something to stick by the desk or play by the fire, this is a good optionBob

I played a friend's dreadnaught sized Martin and fell in love. I already owned two other guitars at the time (Samick and a Fender Redondo Player acoustic) and I didn't want to spend the money in a Martin at this time. This happened to pop up as a stupid deal of the day and so I bought. I wasn't sure about the laminate at first, but it feels and plays like a well made guitar. It sounds bright and it is a tone I enjoy hearing. If someone had given me advice as a new player I would have wished they told me about this guitar. It is concert size so it is a little smaller than a dreadnaught. It is easier for me to practice barring chords and doesn't feel as awkward on my body as my dreadnaught. I love both guitars, but I definitely still use this one as I advance as a player. I noodle on it when I am watching tv, take it when I go way for the weekend, and bring it to play for my friends. This is a fantastic guitar and I can proudly say I own a Martin :).RockstarAsh

Once I let the guitar acclimate to my home, this guitar sounded phenomenal. It's a solid warm tone, across the strings and up the fret. mine didn't need a setup it was perfect out of the box. I didn't adjust anything, though I did change the strings. The case is OK, but the sound from my Fender is so warm and sweet and it not flat at all, I couldn't put it down for the first couple weeks, the action was easy, and the neck was great, I actually sold my Eastman as It was IMO inferior to my Fender and forced to re-evaluate my collection. I might add bone pins just to see if it enhances the highs a little but no changes needed out of the case. I love this guitar.Charles

I purchased this Guitar as part of Andertons Black Friday Deal. It even comes with a Case! First Impressions of this items were incredibly Positive. The neck feels very slim and comes in a satin finish which is my preferred feel. The Action on my model came set up reasonably low to medium for my tastes. As primarily a Single Cut Electric Guitar player i felt immedeately at home. Due to its small size it doesn't have a very pronounced low end but it still has a very full sound, albeit much brighter than a traditional dreadnought western guitar. The built in electronics include a Tuner and Fishman pickup. I so far only tried the pickups with my electric guitar amp which naturally colours the tone but it still sounded quite nice on a squaky clean setting.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

A. I sent it back. B. They could have had a winner, but they just didn't. Why? the neck is sized for children who's parents aren't likely to spend this much for what was supposed to be a traveller for the general population. The design was pretty cool but they really didn't do it any favors with the lackluster matte milky satin finish, and I like satin finishes a lot, just not this one and not on this guitar. The top is super thin so it was very resonant, but still very thin a marginally voiced. Lot of sustain though, not well balanced at all. I guess to put it in perspective, I've played numerous mini guitars all a fraction the cost of this model and they were all around more pleasing and had tone to eat this one alive. They all had the same nut width, but you could play them and happily, that was not so for me with this one, was very cramped and like holding a small flattened pipe. Lots of buzzing, very low saddle but still medium (higher than ideal action) all that is code for "poor neck angle". Was glad to see this one go and wait for the right mini guitar. wish the guitar was as good as the case. I really wanted to like this one, but didn't really like anything about it but the sustain and purfling.th

Love the J-45 but also have historically owned Rosewood guitars so this combination was a perfect fit for me. It's got a big full sound, good lows, nice highs. The onboard pickup is better than I expected and when played through an acoustic amp, the low end and fullness of the sound was insanely good. The guitar has a beautiful finish and some nice added touches above the standard J-45. You can't go wrong with a J-45 regardless but if you want something a little different from the standard in terms of sound and looks, I would take a serious look at this one. I couldn't be happier with this one.Randall K

I really wanted an electric J-45. The G 45 seemed to fit the bill. I've owned many Gibsons since the 70's, including a '63 J45 adjustable bridge and a '64 L5 CES. But they've gotten so expensive that new ones are basically out of my reach. I know Gibson fit, finish and quality and I have to say this guitar falls a little short, even at a grand. I own several acoustic electrics that I use as gigging workhorses. I ran across 3 major issues with the G45 Studio. The G string tuning key responded poorly and required nearly 1/2 a turn in either direction to change string pitch. The offset bridge for high E and B strings raised a flag for me since all my other acoustic electrics have a straight bridge. I could not get the guitar to be reasonably tuned no matter how many cents I tried to compensate either way. If I played an E it would be in, then a D, the D would be noticeably out. I am very experienced in compromised tuning, but it was irreconcilable with this guitar. Lastly, the sound. When I plugged the guitar in to the P.A. there was barely any sound coming out. My other acoustics are consistent in volume when plugged in. I loosened the strings, lifted the bridge and found small pieces of wood left that had pinched and left dents in the pickup wire compromising the contact of pressure of the bridge downward. So the sound was uneven,even after I blew out the wood chips. I would consider buying the guitar again if I could test play it through an amplifier before purchasing, but I won't pay full price for a demonstrator model that has already been played by numerous people and the guitar stores I have visited had no new ones out of the box. The included case makes this a steal. But with the quality control for this model you take a chance. I played the guitar for approximately 30 hours before returning.Rikenrocker

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 purchased this guitar last year after seeing it in the "Open Box" listings. The photos were not clear but it was freight damaged in several places on the top and sides. BIG cracks. MF sold it me at cost. My guitar tech repaired the cracks which took a couple of weeks but didn't charge much for the repairs. When I finally played it after it was set up it was AMAZING. Even at the regular price point it's a steal. Blows Martins right off the stage. If buying it, like any other instrument, it needs to be professionally set up for it to play right and sound good. My tech found no other issues other than the freight damage. He agrees with me that it's an amazing instrument. If need be I would buy another without any hesitation.Sid

I plat solo with vocals in concerts, at church both solo and with a band, at sing-alongs, song-writing, jamming, Just about everywhere with and without amplification and sound modelling. I live in Pennsylvania quite near to a famous well established major acoustic guitar manufacturer. Most of my friends own guitars of that brand. But when they play my Artwood guitars they look at their CFMs with a jaundiced eye. Compared to their "auditorium" size X models my grand concert size Artwoods are equal to and in most cases superior to theirs. Both have solid sitka spruce tops chrome tuners and Fishman electronics. Mine have rosewood fretboards and bridges; theirs are made out of black plasticized paper materials called richlite and coriian. Mine have bone nuts and saddles and theirs have plastic ones. Mine have laminated mahogany WOOD back and sides; theirs have some kind of synthetic laminate material (Formica perhaps?). Mine have black and ivory perfling with mock tortoise shell bindings; theirs are unbound. Theirs were made in Mexico, where making quality stringed instruments is a 500 year long tradition; mine were made in China where quality stringed instruments have been made continuously for over three thousand years. Their guitars play well and sound good. Mine play and sound even better and cost hundreds less. QUESTION: Why pay extra Benjamins just for a name?Cat

I am a beginner (able to play only a few chords at this point). I find this guitar fairly easy to play. The neck feels good in the hand and the matte finish makes it easy to slide the fretting on the neck. The craftsmanship is very good. My only complaint is that one side of the back on my guitar is noticeably darker than the other (which is why I deducted one star). The finish looks and feels almost like smoothly sanded raw wood. Don't buy this guitar if you are wanting something flashy. Overall, I think it is a good value.Dennis