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My friend is wanting to buy an acoustic guitar and has been asking me questions, which is silly cos I know nothing about guitars. I know lots of you guys do tho so, wondering if anyone could impart some advice on what would be a good buy?
-He's just learning so not looking for anything really pricey - around £200/£250 would be good.
-He's seen a Cort (?). I've never heard of them. Any good? It's 100 Earth model apparently.
-Where's the best place locally to buy? He went to Cookes by default I've heard there are better places.
My friend is wanting to buy an acoustic guitar and has been asking me questions, which is silly cos I know nothing about guitars. I know lots of you guys do tho so, wondering if anyone could impart some advice on what would be a good buy?
-He's just learning so not looking for anything really pricey - around £200/£250 would be good.
-He's seen a Cort (?). I've never heard of them. Any good? It's 100 Earth model apparently.
-Where's the best place locally to buy? He went to Cookes by default I've heard there are better places.
Any advice appreciated. Cheers!
The cort gear is all pretty solid and well built, its nothing amazing but more than good enough for a beginner.
Personally, go to PMT, the prices will be much better as they buy in a lot more stock.
Joined: Mar 11, 2009 Posts: 112 Location: Wymondham
I think i'd personally pick up something second hand on ebay - nothing too beaten up, but enough to make a saving - take it to your local tech & have it setup.
Most budget acoustics are pretty nastily setup & if your friend is a beginner, it really wont help.
Alternatively, take timmysofts advice & go to the store - find one comfortable enough to play.
Cheers Timmy - I'll advise PMT. Thats the one at Anglia Square isn't it?
Daz - yeah he's looked on E-bay but the thing is, knowing very little about guitars he doesn't know whats good and what isn't. Also the the fact you can't try it before buying isn't great.
He's looking to buy soon as poss, been hunting at the w/e which is why he was questioning me.
Joined: Mar 11, 2009 Posts: 112 Location: Wymondham
Thats' fair 'uff - in that case - a store is probably most ideal - I havent been round them in a while but PMT on anglia square is likely your best bet (at least I remember it being the biggest one)
that being the case, here are some things to check:
#1 nut action (probably the most important playability part on an acoustic & even more so for a beginner who'l be starting with open chords etc etc)
-hold the string at the 3rd fret, check the gap above the 1st fret (you can tap on the string - knocking it on top of the 1st fret to hear the sound) the smaller the gap, the easier it will be to play - if the string has no space above the 1st fret, it's too low - avoid the guitar entirely.
#2 neck angle (some acoustics will be dovetail jointed & neck angle adjustments are very skilled jobs - if there are problems, avoid at all costs)
-without a straightedge on hand, this wont be easy to check but for arguements sake - look at the gap above the the 12th fret - if it's high, you want to see a large amount of saddle remaining - if it's low, you want to see a small/medium amount of saddle material remaining.
#3 bridge strength + pins
-if you have a small piece of paper on hand, try to slide it under the bridge - if you can fit it udnerneath the bridge, avoid this guitar - the bridge is loose & on an acoustic, this make cause severe problems.
#3 condition
-make some checks over the guitar, you want to see loose frets, cracks & scratches, anything that may have warped - try to get into goo natural sunlight (regular electrical lights dont show off scratches too well)
use this to bargain, it's not illegal to haggle, maybe you can get some money off or hint at having a free/reduced case will seal the deal, heh.
#4 bridge plate condition (probably one of the most important things to check on second hand guitars in particular)
-unfortunately this wont be easy for you do check, take a mirror (ideally telescopic) & put it through the soundhole, look at the point the strings go through the bridge.
You want to see the ball ends sitting on the bridge pad neatly, with no wear marks or damage to the bridge pad, no loose & free hanging ball ends/wraps & strings.
Joined: Feb 16, 2005 Posts: 5203 Location: Norwich
The Applause Ovation is meant to be alright and I think retails under 200. Also, keep an eye out for Tanglewood, I find that they make very good guitars for the money.
Daz - have passed the checklist onto my mate. He says thanks very much. I'll make sure he uses it!
Scott - yeah I've heard Tanglewood are pretty good. We had a little walkabout at lunchtime and saw a few - they were nice but a little on the expensive side. We'll keep looking though and will check out the Ovation too.
Also, on our walk, we found a Crafter D8N at a pretty good price (around £230 - online for £224 but thats before postage etc.). Again though, never heard of Crafter. Anyone know if they're any good? It sounded pretty nice. _________________ www.myspace.com/dirtylittlehabitrock
Joined: Apr 19, 2005 Posts: 5794 Location: At the bottom of the garden, amongst the birds and the bees
Acoustics are largely a law unto themselves - brand names mean very little, the only thing that matters it that they sound good (as you can't really change how they sound). If the strings rattle a bit etc. there's things you can do to sort it out, but if they sound thin and nasal you're stuck. I've got a beat up old Encore at my parents that by rights should be a total dog and plays terribly, but it sounds great.
Cort acoustics are fantastic value for money - they never get stunning, but their cheaper stuff is always right up there with the best, and the build quality is brilliant. Same with Tanglewood, though they seem to be getting more expensive recently (I've been checking their basses, and some of them have gone up like £80-100 since Christmas).
Crafter I'm not a fan of, but if it sounded good it sounded good.
Ovation are okay - there seems to be lots of them around, but I wasn't a fan when I was looking for an acoustic. Seems like their bowlbacks are the most popular, and I'm not a fan of that sound.
Personally, I play a Yamaha - I never would have thought it'd be what I went for, but a) it's shallow bodied which suits me, and b) it just sounded better than everything else on the day.
The other thing is make sure he takes someone with a good ear with him when he tries them out - what you hear when you play an acoustic is a VICIOUS LIE (because part of what you 'hear' is actually transmitted through your body straight to your head); you need someone out in front of it to tell you how it really sounds.
Cheers for that Steve! We did try a Yamaha. Not sure which model but it was nice and blue. Sounded a bit tinny though so weren't keen.
The Cort did have a nice sound and seemed very sturdy - it was nearly the winner. He went for the Crafter in the end though. It didn't seem quite so well made as the Cort but it sounded really full and bright. If, as you say, sound is everything then I think the right decision was made.
Joined: Apr 19, 2005 Posts: 5794 Location: At the bottom of the garden, amongst the birds and the bees
Yeah man, obviously it needs to be built well etc., though even if it plays a bit rubbish you can do things to sort it out - but like I said there's essentially nothing you can do to improve the sound - no pickups or wiring to replace, not much you can do to the bridge...
So if you (well, he) like the sound of it, it plays reasonably and it's in the right price range, you can't really go wrong.
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