Fender Acoustic Guitar

[Jules]

Does anyone know where I can get one fairly cheap?

I'm strapped for cash, but desperately want a good acoustic guitar, (amazingly haven't gotten around to getting one yet).

They've got em' on Youtube but upwards from like 80 pounds. I'm afraid even that's out of my range.

40-50 would do.

Doesn't even have to be Fender, just one that isn't utter shit.

Will I even get one that isn't utter shit for the specified price range?

[thelevellers]

You thinking of nylon or steel sting? I'm guessing steel, in which case I would advise searching eBay with another browser window open on the reviews section of harmony central. This way if you find something that looks too good to be true then you can see if it is, in fact, too good to be true... Usually I would have a quick eBaying myself at this point, but I've been eBaying stuff for lots of people recently and am quite bored of it now! lol...

Good luck, I'm sure you can find a reasonable guitar for that price in the second hand market (ooh, try looking in local charity shops, you never know...)

Rohan

[Steve]

Go to your local music emporium. Where you can pick up an accoustic guitar for that price. The one I have is an Encore which cost 40 quid. It plays very well, and sounds OK.

[Jules]

Are Boston Guitars any good?

[Steve]

With any guitar, you need to try it before you buy it. If you are not confident of trying it yourself, get somebody to try it for you. You really need to sit down with it and play it for a while. That way, you get the 'feel' of it. Not every guitar will feel comfortable to you. The plethora of cheap guitars coming from China has pushed the price right down. And I have tried some excellent guitars in this price range! In fact! I am going with a mate (next week) who wants to buy an accoustic guitar himself. His budget is the same as yours, but he wants my opinion on the guitar before he decides!

[Jules]

Cool. I'll go down to the local music shop then, and have a look.

[roxhythe]

Yes, Jules, go down to the music store. The only way to buy a guitar (my opinion) is to play the heck out of a lot of them first.

I was curious why you mentioned Fender. Is there a particular reason why it needed to be *that* kind of acoustic guitar? I mean, Fender does have a reputation for generally good quality control, and the brand name helps the re-sale value if you're into that sort of thing, but if you're after something to keep and play, the only operative considerations (my opinion, again) are what it feels like and what it sounds like. If you don't really care who made it, you could find yourself a real gem.

Joe

[Jules]

Does this guitar look worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Eastwood-LA125-Acous...1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm fairly uneducated - all I know is the black one looks alright, it's steel stringed and I can afford it.

Is there anything about this guitar that should mean I wouldn't want to buy it?

If not, I might just go for it - I'm desperate to get one.

[thelevellers]

I'm afraid the only way to find out about that guitar is to buy it and see... It could go either way, but realistically it will (probably) not be great. However, it might be good enough for you to play on and get to a stage where you NEED a better guitar, or if it's not going to be your primary instrument, and not used for recording, it will probably be fine.

That said I would advise checking out local shops, you would (hopefully) be surprised at the prices... I was last time I looked! That way you KNOW that your money is well spent, even if it does end up being somewhat more...

[Steve]

Rohan is right. You can't go by the looks of it. You would be better advised to go to your local music shop and try out a few guitars. Go into here. It's at 36 Trongate, Glasgow. I'd rather play a few at this price and pick one I liked than get one sight unseen for a few quid less.

[Jules]

I'm afraid the only way to find out about that guitar is to buy it and see... It could go either way, but realistically it will (probably) not be great. However, it might be good enough for you to play on and get to a stage where you NEED a better guitar, or if it's not going to be your primary instrument, and not used for recording, it will probably be fine.

That said I would advise checking out local shops, you would (hopefully) be surprised at the prices... I was last time I looked! That way you KNOW that your money is well spent, even if it does end up being somewhat more...

I know you really can't go by sight alone - but why would that guitar be bad?

Based on the stats, I didn't think it looked too bad?

[Nightwolf]

I know you really can't go by sight alone - but why would that guitar be bad?

[thelevellers]

Simply put it would necessarily be bad, but going by the price you certainly wouldn't expect it to be, because good quality equipment costs money 90% of the time. While you might get lucky and find a bargain somewhere and get a guitar for that price, you would have to play it a bit to ensure the quality, because until you spend £100+ you can't assume good quality. Even if you do spend £100 or more you might find you dislike some thing about the guitar, as they come in all shapes and sizes - the action might be too high/low, the tone might not be what you want, etc.

Basically we're saying go for it if you really want, but don't expect it to be any good! If you want to make sure your money is well spent go into a shop and try a few out, you might even find the same brand in a shop, in which case you would be able to give one a try and then end up getting it of eBay anyway! (incidentally, the link you sent is from a shop, so don't worry about 'missing' the guitar on ebay, they'll have more, or someone else will...)

Good luck

[Jules]

Cool.

I'll try and earn a little more money and have a look around town.

[Nick]

There was an article in one of the guitar magazines which had suggestions on cheaper acoustics - unfortunately I can't find which one.

I would try out one of these in a shop - Yamaha F310 - and if you like it I would think it would at least be ok. I have an old Yamaha FG180 that I bought in about 1972 which is still fine. The new ones I don't know a lot about but it is a big selling guitar and at £68-£80 youcan't go to far wrong.

[Steve]

I have an Encore w255 which only cost 50 quid. It's OK. Not the best guitar in the world and I did set it up myself, which might be beyond the capacity of an inexperienced guitarist. As a matter of interest, and to show you that you need to 'play' a guitar, not just buy it for the looks! Here are some reviews of the guitar I bought! They vary greatly! clickety!