Looking for some advice on an acoustic to buy around £500

ElectricNoodle · July 2015

Hey,

Thought I'd make a post and ask for some advice, I'm basically looking to buy an acoustic for under or around £500.

I'm currently using an £80 Gear4Music Semi-Acoustic which has served me well enough for the last few years, but I'm looking for an upgrade!

I've already been looking at the Little Martin and the Taylor GS Mini, and the general opinion seems to be that the GS Mini is better? The only concern I have is I'd like quite a full/deep sounding guitar this time around!

I'm also open to any other brands, as well as full size acoustics, but I feel a bit clueless looking as I mainly know about electric guitars!

So what would you recommend at my price point? I like the idea of Mahogany or Koa, as I've heard they give a richer sound. I've also heard Tanglewood as a brand is good value for money!

Cheers for any help!

mellowsun · July 2015

There are so many guitars around that price point, the best advice would be to play some.

Tanglewoods are very good, but you also have Faith, Freshman, Simon & Patrick, etc, etc.

Get in touch with Richard's Guitar http://rguitars.co.uk he'll sort you out.

crunchman · July 2015

Martin X Series.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/itemlist/category/57-x-series.html

The purists don't like them because of the HPL back and sides, and Stratobond neck but they sound excellent.

I have an OOOX1AE. Most shops in the UK have it at £539. You are probably in haggling range of £500. I've played guitars at more than double the price that don't sound as good. It's not as good as my HD28V but at around 20% of the price new it's a lot closer than it has any right to be.

There are dreadnoughts in the series if you want something bigger.

BigLicks67 · July 2015

Yamaha LL16M ARE.

Second hand you could probably pick up a Larrivee D02 (£650.00 new)

djspecialist · July 2015

I have a Tanglewood electro-acoustic (solid cedar top, mahogany back) in the classifieds:

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/47001/fs-ft-tanglewood-tw45nsb-electro-acoustic

Gru · July 2015

crunchman;721785" said:
Martin X Series.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/guitars/itemlist/category/57-x-series.html

The purists don't like them because of the HPL back and sides, and Stratobond neck but they sound excellent.

I have an OOOX1AE. Most shops in the UK have it at £539. You are probably in haggling range of £500. I've played guitars at more than double the price that don't sound as

good. It's not as good as my HD28V but at around 20% of the price new

it's a lot closer than it has any right to be.

There are dreadnoughts in the series if you want something bigger.

I agree with the Martin X series.

I have a OMXAE and although this version is all HPL, I love the smooth balanced sound it produces. Great guitars.

My local shop has a Martin DCPA5 for £500 due to an upcoming refurb, it is apparently marked, but a lot of guitar for the money.

Gru · July 2015

ElectricNoodle;47109" said:
Hey,

Thought I'd make a post and ask for some advice, I'm basically looking to buy an acoustic for under or around £500. !

So what would you recommend at my price point? I like the idea of Mahogany or Koa, as I've heard they give a richer sound. I've also heard Tanglewood as a brand is good value for money!

Cheers for any help!

If you like the Idea of Mahogany, the Sigma OOOM-15 is fantastic.

About £240 new, solid top, Grover tuners (better than the ones on my Martin).

SimonRF · August 2015

We fleetingly had some Aria 501 and 511s in last year which seemed excellent value. They're bang on the £500 price point (at the time included the hard case I think), all solid mahogany and spruce.

http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/acoustic/aria-511-597213

olafgarten · August 2015

Seagull also have some nice guitars at that price, played a few, they seem good. I think your best bet is to go to a big guitar store, and just play everything.

ElectricNoodle · August 2015

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this!!!

So many options!!! Haha Thank you!

As usual, I come here thinking I have a few options... and leave with 10 more! haha But that's exactly why I asked! So thanks! Will spend the back end of this week and the weekend checking out the different options!

Have actually just recently started full time work after being a student for 5 years... so free time isn't something I have much of at the moment! haha

axisus · August 2015

I'd get a secondhand Takamine. Great guitars. My oldest instrument is a Takamine acoustic, I think it was about £300 new back in the early 80s and it's a guitar I would never part with.

Howdy, Stranger!

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Looking for some advice on an acoustic to buy around £500

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