Hey,

I am an intermediate electric player but a beginner acoustic player. Also i would easily buy a second hand electric but not acoustic yet as i have not the experience in what to look for and the best brands

I have no budget but i would say around $300-500 USD i guess

The idea of a 'cutaway' seems good but unsure if it makes any difference to a standard one

Years ago i played a Monterey and could not belive how much more difficult it was than an electric and i also dislike some acoustics that are very wide and bulky. Not sure if that is a standard problem.

What i really need is something deep sounding and not so difficult to play.

any ideas would be good.

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Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster '09
Modified Fender Champ600
Honer Special20 Harmonica

im also keeping an eye out for a new acoustic, but im trying to find something less obvious than the big brands.

i dont know how much stuff sells for in Oz, Taylors entry level guitars are very nice. i say entry level, dont get it in your head that they're cheap crap. they'd probably be better than lots of brands best offerings. i gotta be honest, id probably buy the bottom rung taylor over ANY fender acoustic.

size wise, i dont think you'll find a huge range in size width wise. gibsons super jumbo sized guitars are pretty big though. generally though, from what ive found, theres no huge difference in most acoustics. brand wise, my personal favourites, for my 'average' budget are seagull and yamaha. yamaha acoustics are a thing of beauty, and i got very lucky with a 12 string seagull that blew me away soon as i strummed it, so i had to buy it.

with your budget, id be looking at yamahas, seagulls, epiphones maybe. its all i have experience with. i think with acoustics its even MORE important that you play the one you want first, than it is with electrics.

There are so many nice ones!

http://www.dreamguitars.com/sold-guitar ... om45_2007/

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

hi , check out the yamaha apx range , i've had one for around 20 years , great to play and the sound is sensational , hth , cheers
Alan

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Don't know if they carry these in Australia but Seagull and their sister company Simon & Patrick make high quality acoustics in your price range. These are terrific Canadian-made guitars.

Here's another thought, partucluarly if you don't like the big body acoustics and the difference in feel compared to an electric. The Fender Telecoustic (details in the Products section http://www.fender.com/en-CA/products/st ... elecoustic ).

Small-body acoustic/electric with a neck that plays like an electric. You won't, however, get that deep sound compared to a Dreadnought or Folk acoustic but it is easier to play.

They have a strat version as well.

Anything made by the Godin (pronounced Go Dan) company will be medium to excellent quality but with entry level pricing. Out of all of their various brand names my preference runs to the Seagull line. If I was in the market for a $400 acoustic I wouldn't even look at any other brand. I'd just go straight to Seagull. You get a whole lot of bang for your buck. They may not be the prettiest guitars out there but they are built straight and strong, they're properly finished and they sound good and play well.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I like Ovation acoustic guitars. They aren't as thick as other acoustics, so that's nice. The only thing that is somewhat problematic is the round back, so it takes some time to get used to.

I'm going to pitch in, and suggest the Taylor Big Baby. The slightly smaller size makes it really comfortable, in my opinion. It doesn't look like a toy though - still bigger than or roughly equal to a lot of "full size" guitars, but it's slightly smaller than a standard dreadnought. Don't let that put you off. The sound is awesome, although can be a bit light for finger picking, depending how you play-although I'm a classical guitarist mainly, others may find it louder picked. The build quality, as you would expect from Taylor, is excellent. It lacks a cutaway or electrics, if you really want electrics then look elsewhere But I don't find the lack of cutaway hindering, the neck body joint is at the 14th fret anyway, how much higher do you want to play on an acoustic?

Very recommended! Try one out

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"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

If you find acoustics difficult to play because of the neck size maybe you should at least try out a Stratacoustic or Telecoustic they have Strat and Tele necks respectively hence are very easy on the hands.Their tone is a bit thin compared to Dreadnaughts but when amplified they sound fabulous-especially the Stratacoustic.

The Epiphone John Lennon EJ-160-E is a wonderful acoustic/electric guitar for sound and feel-the neck is not as chunky as most and with .010-.046 strings with a wound G they are incredibly easy on the hands.I have one and I`ll never part with it,it has a beautiful well balanced tone and it also has great sound projection.

Yamaha also makes great acoustic guitars and they have a unique pleasing sound so that neither the bass,treble or mids are too dominant but are perfectly balanced but still the guitars are a bit on the mellow side as opposed to bright as some big bodied Gibsons are.The Yamaha necks are among the most comfortable of all acoustic guitars.

All of these guitars are well within your price range.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I agree the Yamaha APX series would be a good place to start looking. Takamine guitars are usually a pretty good value, too.

Strat0Blues:

As many will tell you, the Yamahas are great bang for your bucks. I owned a Yahama FG04LTD that I really miss (gave it away to a deserving kid for Xmas). The Seagull S6 is probably the best bet in your price range. I don't think I have ever heard anyone talk negatively about the Seagulls.

The problem that I think that you are going to run into is that you want something with a deep sounding voice (which in my opinion are dreadnought style guitars) but being an electric player you want something easy to play (smaller body like the Grand Auditorium or smaller). I was like you. I played electrics for years. After playing electric for years, the acoustic felt too big and uncomfortable for me BUT I can tell you if you stick it out, very soon it won't be so bad.

I tried a guitar that I liked a couple of days ago that is slightly out of your price range (new) but that you can probably find used that you may be very happy with and that is the Taylor 214. Without a cutaway it has a relatively nice voice and it pretty easy on the fingers.

FLAME SUIT ON (BUT PLEASE DON'T FLAME ME)

I personally would stay way from the Ibanez acoustics. While their electrics are great, their acoustics sound to me more like a toy guitar when they are unplugged. They look great but I don't like the sound.

FLAME SUIT OFF

Good luck with whatever guitar that you choose. When you find one that suits you, try and spend a week or two exclusively with that acoustic guitar and leave the electrics alone. It may be a little frustrating at first but you will quickly adapt to it and be happy.

Seconded!

Someone brought one over for me to set up for them, and I was rather surprised at just how good it sounded for the money. A friend came over while it was in, gave it a play, and went out and bought one shortly after.

Tanglewood are making some absolute belters now, too - they've come a long way in recent years, and are normally my first choice for cheaper acoustic recommendations. I use a TW73 parlour myself for occasional sessions, as it records absurdly well.

That was a complete impulse buy - I was in a shop waiting for the assistant to bring out a PRS I wanted to look at, and idly picked a few notes on the little Tanglewood while I was waiting. Couldn't put the damn thing down, and walked out with both, much to the disappointment of my wallet!

Agreed! I have had a borrowed Seagull around for a couple of months now and it's a beautiful playing and sounding instrument! It's got a cutaway (which I think is kind of useless,) but it's a player that's for sure!

Cheers,
Gridlok

Yeah I know. That round back feels so weird! That's one of the things I like about my Strat is the contour it has. Just feels right!

Gridlok