Guitars under £350 recommendations

Subject: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: GUEST,tunesmith
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 03:30 PM

I need a 6 string acoustic. I'll be using it for fingerstyle and pick playing - standard and altered tunings, and I would like it to be fairly loud. Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Ed.
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 03:34 PM

Go to decent guitar shop, play everything within your price range, and buy the one you like the best...

Simple, really.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Justa Picker
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 03:45 PM

You might want to have a look at a similar thread posted on another forum.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 03:53 PM

Funnily enough I just happen to have a 6 string accustic for sale for £349.99;-)

One careful owner, full MOT. Honest, Gov, it's a bargain...

:D

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: GUEST,larkrise_ranter
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 04:00 PM

Ed's advice is correct. However, Simon and Patrick do a good guitar for this sort of money (S&P6). They come with either cherry or mahogany body and sides (as laminate) and a cedar or spruce top and also with or without cut-away. The cedar top is likely to have a warmer sound but I can't comment on what difference the body makes. The guitar does not have a hard lacquer finish and does mark easily - mine show a lot of scars from hard gigging.

A final however! Ed is completely right. Go to a good shop that has a good range and plenty of each model to try, there can be a big difference in both sound and the way they play, even for for the same model, so take your time.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 05:53 PM

When you've done that, if you have a reliable guitar tech to hand, then go to ebay and get the guitar for about a third of the shop price, but do (yes really do) be very very careful about checking the details before bidding, and collecting if possible so if it turns out to be matchwood you can put your cash back in your pocket and depart in haste.

If you don't like what you get you can probably set it up and sell it for almost (or more than) what you paid for it, and then start again.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: kendall
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 07:24 PM

What Ed said. Give Larrivee a good look over.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Grab
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 07:26 PM

Richard, the problem with that is that on Ebay you've got no idea what the instrument sounds like. Even expensive instruments are variable, and low-end ones are even more so. The one in the shop could be an absolute corker, but it could be the only good one produced by that company all year. Equally, the Ebay one could be the one real dud produced, which someone else has bought all unsuspecting and is now desperately trying to shift onto another mug.

As Ed says, just check your local music shop. I found two stunning guitars, one six-string (£250) and one twelve (£375), in the main music shop in Cambridge. The six was by a company "Norman" which I'd never heard of before. Probably laminated back and sides for the price, but good quality if so, and sounded cracking - whoever buys that is getting a seriously good deal. Given what you're wanting to do, you know a good instrument from a bad'un, and there's so many makers of low-end guitars that it's probably best to just try some.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: GUEST,Chris Newman
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 07:41 PM

I bought my son a Simon & Patrick last year - £265 and extremely decent instrument. Good setup - easy to play - and thoroughly OK sound. I thought it was great...

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 07:56 PM

Norman, Simon & Patrick, and Art & Lutherie are all made by Lasido and I can't tell much difference in them other than the name stenciled on the headstock. They also make Seagull and Godin guitars.

BTW, I know that import duties make US-made instruments rather pricey in the UK. Are the Canadian-made ones not subject to the same? If so, since Jean Larivee has moved his production to California, are his guitars still Canadian products or US-made?

Bruce

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Ross
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 05:44 AM

Yamaha are great in that price range

Mine was under £ 300, is quite noisy & twangs & fingerpick wells

I wouldn't sell mine for £ 500.00

Even though I'm in a mental asylum

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: GUEST,guest mick
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 07:10 AM

I'd recomend a yamaha too , mine sounds great for fingerstyle picking and strumming down to the twelfth fret . I've been playing guitar for many years and have no fear of crowds , but put me in a guitar shop and for some reason my fingers turn to jelly.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: s6k
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 07:10 AM

i got a Washburn D-10 for £180 and it has a very nice tone.

But seeing as you have the extra cash, maybe you should look at brand named guitars, like Yamaha, Tanglewood, Fender, etc

Then you know you cant go wrong

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 07:16 AM

Just been to Maartin Allcock's web site and he's raving about Crafters.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 12:50 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: clansfolk
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 01:29 PM

If you can get a secondhand Martin D.15 you'll be very pleased a plain guitar but lovely tone and plenty of volume.... £350 might just get you one but you might be willing to go a little higher once played.

I have been recently impressed with the crafter range of Martin 12 fret copies - look lovely and are great for picking and volume with being tweve fretted dreadnoughts..Crafter - have a look at the TA series


Also have a look at Garrison.. you can get some VERY good deals on these at the moment and they stand up well against amost mid-range guitars

If you are looking Now - this looks like a good January sale!

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: Willie-O
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 03:29 PM

Canadian-made guitars are subject to EU tariffs, far as I know...since we don't have a free trade agreement with the Auld Country. It's interesting to hear that S & P's and Normans seem to be common in the UK.

Within North America, instruments made in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are supposed to be exempt from duties when traded between those countries. Which is a huge reason for LaSiDo's success--they are in southern Quebec and you can spit into the U.S. from their location.

W-O

Subject: RE: Guitars under £350 recommendations
From: clansfolk
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 03:40 PM

Garrison are also widely available here in the UK and Ireland where I presume the prospective buyer to be from (£350.00)

I bought my first S&P here about 8/9 years ago when they were not well known and VERY cheap, nice guitars for there money.