Who makes the best acoustic guitar?

United States
February 19, 2008 2:54am CST
I am interested in buying an acoustic guitar. I hear that Taylor and Martins are good. Are there any others that I should look into? Would eBay be a good choice to buy from or a local store like guitar center?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@musicman6 (2407)
• United States
20 Feb 08
I think Gibson's are the best! Martin's are real good also! I think the best buys you are going to find, other than local, are on musiciansfriend.com! They have all brands on there, and they have good prices!
@musicman6 (2407)
• United States
21 Feb 08
Those guitars right there play just as good as the Gibson's and the Martin's! I can't afford them either! I have a $65 Hohner, that my ex-wife gave me, and I have a miniature acoustic, that I paid $15 for, and they keep me playing until I can get rich here on myLot and buy a high priced one!(lol,lol,lol)! At one time I had a lot of ;money, and I had all those guitars, but now I'm back down at the bottom again for now!
• United States
21 Feb 08
Thanks for the comment Musicman6. I have two very cheap guitars because I have a wife and 3 kids and one on the way...to support. My wife don't work with the exception of a few cleaning jobs. The guitars I have are a Stratocaster copy I got from an Ebay pawn shop for $100 and an Epiphone acoustic which is worth about 50 dollars and I have had for many years.
1 person likes this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
19 Feb 08
It really depends on what you are looking for. Some people want a guitar with a smaller neck, others like wider necks. You might like a certain body type more than another body type. And even good guitar makers might have a bad guitar in there somewhere, so if you can, try playing the guitar first instead of just saying that since you know the brand is good, the guitar must be good. That said, it does work to buy instruments online. I bought my guitar online and I really love it. It's a classical guitar though, so that wouldn't help you. If you've never looked at guitars before though, you might want to at least go somewhere first where you can try out different styles of guitars before you purchase one. I usually end up buying from the music store though if I take up too much of their time asking questions and trying out things, because I know how horrible it is to work a commission job only to have people ask you tons of questions and then never buy from you anyway.
• United States
21 Feb 08
Thanks Pigglies...I have small hands so I would like a smaller neck. That is a really good point. I don't play classical because that requires a lot of skill that I just don't have...but I do admire. I just love the guitar picking of Tommy Emmanuel, maybe not classical but just great. Sorry for the digression. I will test here locally first then maybe if a great deal comes up I will buy online.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
21 Feb 08
I know a couple people with small hands that prefer the Ovation guitars for their small necks. You might want to have a look at those.
@pitstop (14044)
• Australia
10 May 08
A Fender would be a good choice. About buying it on ebay - never buy a guitar there! As far as a guitar goes its better to play one yourself before you choose it. Spend a few days experimenting if you are serious about it and have the time!
@MagicGuy (157)
• United States
21 Feb 08
It really depends on what you're looking for. If you have some experience with guitars, try looking here. www.projectguitar.com
• United States
22 Feb 08
Thanks MagicGuy...I will check out projectguitar.com now.
• Canada
19 Feb 08
Firstly, you might consider stopping by a music store that carries a range of different accoustic guitars and with some sales assistance, try a few different makes and styles of guitars. This way you can find a guitar best suited to your needs before purchasing one online that may be a style of accoustic that you find difficult to play. As far as brand names, consider an Ovation round back. It is a nice, light accoustic that fits comfortably against your body, is capable of beautiful sound quality and is an all around good quality guitar. Eric Clapton is among the noteworthy Ovation players. Be sure to do a bit of testing before purchasing any guitar.
• United States
21 Feb 08
Thanks granite_butterfly. I have a Guitar Center Store not too far from my home and some family owned music shops.I have played the guitars at guitar center many times before I was in the market for a new guitar. Now I have to really think about which guitar is the best for me to buy. In the past I would just test out the expensive guitars for the fun of it...knowing I couldn't buy them. I owned an Ovation years ago and loved the tone. The only thing that drives me crazy with Ovation is that it slides when you play it sitting down because of the round plastic back. But it is a great sounding guitar at a good price if that is not an issue...but it is for me. I think you are right, I should test a guitar before buying it. The only exception may be a name brand at a fantastic price...well just maybe.
@flurbl (60)
• United States
5 Apr 08
I have an Epiphone 12 string and an Epiphone 6 string guitar, and I love them both. For the price you can't beat the quality. The 6 string was only about $300, and it was well worth the money. Personally I like the feel of Epiphones and Gibsons, however everyone has their own style that they like. I would suggest going to a guitar shop and trying out as many acoustics as you can, not paying attention to what brand they are or how much they are. Narrow it down to a few that you like and then narrow those down by your price range. You may find that you like a brand that most people either don't know of or as a majority don't care for. My advice would be to go for the one you like, despite the brand and what other people say, because you're the one playing it so it should be what you're comfortable with. However, some guitars are known to be cheap and break often so you should a sales associate at the guitar shop, they're usually more than happy to help.
• United States
6 Apr 08
I have an Epiphone acoustic and love it. I have had it for many years. One of the tuning machines broke when I changed the string. Somehow the brass gear got out of alignment and stripped out. They only sell the tuning machines as sets at guitar center. I figured....well if I'm going to spend maybe $80.00 then just add a couple hundred more and get a new guitar....So I did. I bought a new acoustic Yamaha FG700S for $200. I did play many guitars at guitar center and loved the Martins and Taylors...but they are expensive and out of my price range. Then I played the Yamaha and loved it...I had to look for the tag to find out how much it cost. When I saw $200 I thought they accidentally put the wrong price on it because it sounded like the $1000 Martins I was playing. It turns out the price was correct and I bought it. I found out later that it is so cheap because it is made in China. I don't know if being made in China is a bad thing...but I love how this guitar plays.
@rackback (121)
• United States
27 Feb 08
Ebay or online is not the way to go. Taylor, Martin, Takamine, Guild, Ovation, Gibson are all well known brands. But there are countless other manufacturers that make equally great guitars for the same price. One of my favorites right now is Wechter. Not to be bossy, but I think the way to do it is 1) go to the music store 2)play buttloads of guitars 3)decide which one you like 4)play every one of that model they have in the store 5) pick which one is the winner. You might think the music store would hate me for all that trouble, but actually it's the opposite (i think, if not they hide it well). Nowadays, if I come in for a new strap or cord or picks they just give me the stuff. Maybe they're afraid I'll try all the picks out before choosing, hehehe. But I think it's because they appreciate my consistent business.