Concert Sized Guitars Up to £400

guitarjack66 · April 2022

Looking for recommendations for a Concert sized guitar up to about £400,which is currently around 550 US or 700 Australian or 475 Euro. I find a Parlour a bit too small and a Dreadnought and OM just a touch too big so Concert seems the obvious choice. Must have at least a 43mm nut width and probably a C shaped neck,certainly not flat. I'm sure somebody will extol the virtues of Yamaha,and quite rightly,but I've found their necks a bit difficult to get on with on the ones I have tried both Electric and Acoustic.
Anyway,fire away ladies and gents and I don't discount used guitars although I am always worried about private sellers like most other guitar buyers.

bertie · April 2022

OM is roughly (and there's a lot of cross-over and different views) a Grand Auditorium (*14 in Taylor size), 000 is roughly GC and 00 a Concert (*12 in Taylor)

sometimes the difference ISNT just body size but the fret join of the neck/body and/or body depth.

ALSO smaller guitar doesnt necessarily equate to less ££, sometimes quite the opposite - "good value" 000 and smaller are harder to find

Im slightly surprised you find an OM too big (which ones have you played - if only for reference) as OM's are far more "easy" to find than 000 and certainly 00

guitarjack66 · April 2022

bertie said:

OM is roughly (and there's a lot of cross-over and different views) a Grand Auditorium (*14 in Taylor size), 000 is roughly GC and 00 a Concert (*12 in Taylor)

sometimes the difference ISNT just body size but the fret join of the neck/body and/or body depth.

ALSO smaller guitar doesnt necessarily equate to less ££, sometimes quite the opposite - "good value" 000 and smaller are harder to find

Im slightly surprised you find an OM too big (which ones have you played - if only for reference) as OM's are far more "easy" to find than 000 and certainly 00

I have just bought a Sigma OM or GM or whatever it's official title is and its only just smaller than a dreadnought. I have problems with the lower bout just being a bit too chunky.

WBT2079 · April 2022

I had a similar problem. Had a dreadnought for 21 years but hadn’t played it for approx 5-6 years as it started to feel uncomfortable. After much deliberation over sentimentality I sold it. Also tried a parlour and didn’t like it for being too small. Last year I bought a Yamaha AC3R all solidwood concert shape/size guitar and it is a really lovely guitar. It feels comfortable and rings out. It is far better than I thought it would be. Although above your budget at £749, they do a laminated version the AC1R which can be found new at £499 with a bit of shopping around. The only difference from the AC3R i believe is that it is laminate back and sides instead of solid.

TheMadMick · April 2022

If we're going to bust the budget, then the PRS SE A40E or T450E on GuitarGuitar is a very nice concert size with a lovely neck and a wonderful sound. But it's a bit over budget. Otherwise there are lots of lovely Yamahas out there 2nd hand.

Evan · April 2022

I recently bought an Alvarez Delta 00/TSB from Andertons which cost me 280 quid. It measures about 14.5 inches lower bout. Anyway, It’s a really nice guitar, sounds bigger and is more versatile than I expected. The neck is a soft V, which I find quite comfortable, maybe a bit chunky for some as the nut is 44.5mm. The top is solid Sitka, back and sides laminated mahogany.

Tannin · April 2022

Nice of you to do the currency translation for me Jack.

Sadly, I have very little relevant experience and can't really recommend anything. Over the last few years I've played quite a few guitars in the £1000- £3000 range (and bought more of them than I can justify on any rational basis), but just taken casual looks at a few that were cheaper than that or more expensive than that.

All that said, I think we need to be clearer on what it is that you are looking for. "Concert", "OM", "000" ... these terms (and a dozen others) get used by different people to mean different things. As Bertie says, there is also the body depth factor, plus the location of the bridge (which is a function of the placement of the neck-body join). Oh, and scale length, of course.

Tell us more about your problems with the lower bout of the Sigma. Do you think it is the depth? The width? Or the location of the bridge?

guitarjack66 · April 2022

Tannin said:

Nice of you to do the currency translation for me Jack. Sadly, I have very little relevant experience and can't really recommend anything. Over the last few years I've played quite a few guitars in the £1000- £3000 range (and bought more of them than I can justify on any rational basis), but just taken casual looks at a few that were cheaper than that or more expensive than that.

All that said, I think we need to be clearer on what it is that you are looking for. "Concert", "OM", "000" ... these terms (and a dozen others) get used by different people to mean different things. As Bertie says, there is also the body depth factor, plus the location of the bridge (which is a function of the placement of the neck-body join). Oh, and scale length, of course.

Tell us more about your problems with the lower bout of the Sigma. Do you think it is the depth? The width? Or the location of the bridge?

To be honest I've never noticed bridge placement,it tends to come down to the lower half of the guitar body just being too wide. My daily player has been a jumbo for most of my 2+ years of playing and I have to play it in a classical position as it is just too big to sit on my right leg(I'm a right handed player) as I cant view the fretboard without it almost being played like a pedal steel(an exaggeration of course but I think you understand as players.) I just think a Parlour is that bit too small also as I had a 3/4 sized Yamaha and it felt just way too small. I also tried a Sigma travel style at my local guitar shop and that sounded lovely but was again a bit too small. I had a Takamine and I think it was around a 000 and it was ok size wise but I just never got on with it sound wise. It was a Korean made G Series but it always sounded a bit dead,even with several string changes.

bertie · April 2022

before you dismiss OM ish as being a little large - try a Taylor GS Mini (yes I cant believe I recommended a Taylor either)

they are really easy/comfortable players and you might find it "Ok"

guitarjack66 · April 2022

bertie said:

before you dismiss OM ish as being a little large - try a Taylor GS Mini (yes I cant believe I recommended a Taylor either)

they are really easy/comfortable players and you might find it "Ok"

OK. I will put that on my list. The only thing that puts me off is the 'mini' part of the name. I assumed it was a travel guitar?

Mellish · April 2022

The Taylor GS Mini is often overlooked. I tried one in PMT Manchester about 5 years ago. I didn't expect a small guitar to be that loud. Super neck profile, too. Definitely worth a try

BigPaulie · April 2022

Yamaha LS6.

bertie · April 2022

guitarjack66 said:

bertie said:

before you dismiss OM ish as being a little large - try a Taylor GS Mini (yes I cant believe I recommended a Taylor either)

they are really easy/comfortable players and you might find it "Ok"

OK. I will put that on my list. The only thing that puts me off is the 'mini' part of the name. I assumed it was a travel guitar?

its about OM sized

Shadow · April 2022

bertie said:

guitarjack66 said:

bertie said:

before you dismiss OM ish as being a little large - try a Taylor GS Mini (yes I cant believe I recommended a Taylor either)

they are really easy/comfortable players and you might find it "Ok"

OK. I will put that on my list. The only thing that puts me off is the 'mini' part of the name. I assumed it was a travel guitar?

its about OM sized

Scale length is 23.5 inches though.

bertie · April 2022

Shadow said:
Scale length is 23.5 inches though.

wow, didn't know it was so short....................

guitarjack66 · April 2022

bertie said:

Shadow said:
Scale length is 23.5 inches though.
wow, didn't know it was so short....................

I've heard that a few times before!

thermionic · April 2022

Mellish said:

The Taylor GS Mini is often overlooked. I tried one in PMT Manchester about 5 years ago. I didn't expect a small guitar to be that loud. Super neck profile, too. Definitely worth a try

My GS Mini is the acoustic that gets played most often in my house now. The size makes it so playable you just pick it up all the time and it sounds very good indeed. I don’t see the short scale as a drawback, except maybe when I’m playing capoed at the fifth fret or something.

Mellish · April 2022

@thermionic ; - I didn't notice a problem with the short scale either. OK, it won't appeal to all but no guitar does. The GS Mini is a good little guitar for the money IMO

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Concert Sized Guitars Up to £400

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