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Yes, I noticed that too. Perhaps the writer could have clarified and mentioned 'Classical guitar' or 'Nylon string guitar' as what he meant. Most 'acoustic gu

Yes, I noticed that too. Perhaps the writer could have clarified and mentioned 'Classical guitar' or 'Nylon string guitar' as what he meant. Most 'acoustic guitars' are steel stringed, and have a MUCH heavier gauge than electric guitars, thus making it more difficult for a beginner to fret notes and chords. But look at any entry level (sub $200) guitar and the biggest problems aren't going to be the type of strings, but rather the height of the action (distance from the strings to the fretboard), uneven frets or warped necks - all of which would even make a pro player curse and struggle. Which is why whenever a parent or friend approaches me to ask what guitar they should buy their kids, I always say to avoid the really cheap ones and go for the mid range ones, which usually have markedly better build quality. That way also, when little Johnny or Susie decides guitar is not for them, there is better resale value in a mid range guitar.

jdietrich 10y ago
>But look at any entry level (sub $200) guitar and the biggest problems aren't going to be the type of strings, but rather the height of the action (distance from the strings to the fretboard), uneven frets or warped necks - all of which would even make a pro player curse and struggle. The situation has improved drastically in recent years. The no-brand department store guitars are still awful, but there are plenty of perfectly playable guitars at the ~$200 mark. Chinese-made guitars used to be unplayable junk, but they're now producing excellent instruments in the $200-$1000 range, matching or even surpassing Korean guitars.
- cyberferret 10y ago
  Agreed. Asian made guitars nowadays are a several orders of magnitude better than they were a couple of decades ago. I guess what I was trying to say is that the chances of a finding a decent sounding guitar at the $150 mark is still a hit or miss affair. But at $300+ they seem to be consistent, and quite playable 'out of the box'.
  - jdietrich 10y ago
    Also agreed - that extra ~$100 buys you a lot of consistency and quality. It has to be said that the defects you do see on low-end guitars are increasingly cosmetic and superficial; I don't see very many warped necks these days, but I do see a lot of bad finishes and sharp fret ends. Some brands are far better than others in this respect - I've seen a fair number of unplayable Squiers and Epiphones, but I don't think I've ever seen a genuinely bad Yamaha Pacifica.

jdietrich 10y ago

>But look at any entry level (sub $200) guitar and the biggest problems aren't going to be the type of strings, but rather the height of the action (distance from the strings to the fretboard), uneven frets or warped necks - all of which would even make a pro player curse and struggle. The situation has improved drastically in recent years. The no-brand department store guitars are still awful, but there are plenty of perfectly playable guitars at the ~$200 mark. Chinese-made guitars used to be unplayable junk, but they're now producing excellent instruments in the $200-$1000 range, matching or even surpassing Korean guitars.

cyberferret 10y ago
Agreed. Asian made guitars nowadays are a several orders of magnitude better than they were a couple of decades ago. I guess what I was trying to say is that the chances of a finding a decent sounding guitar at the $150 mark is still a hit or miss affair. But at $300+ they seem to be consistent, and quite playable 'out of the box'.
- jdietrich 10y ago
  Also agreed - that extra ~$100 buys you a lot of consistency and quality. It has to be said that the defects you do see on low-end guitars are increasingly cosmetic and superficial; I don't see very many warped necks these days, but I do see a lot of bad finishes and sharp fret ends. Some brands are far better than others in this respect - I've seen a fair number of unplayable Squiers and Epiphones, but I don't think I've ever seen a genuinely bad Yamaha Pacifica.