Yamahas, Taylors, Guilds, RKs, Martins… 12 stringed guitars, something for every taste and every budget.
Recently I helped a customer who came to Jamorama asking what would be the best guitar for him; a beginner looking for a decent sounding guitar with a good craft quality.
While looking for some good information, I found on a great post on musicradar.com reviewing the top 8 “best mid-range acoustic guitars”, ranging in price from $700 – $1,600.
I thought I’d share some of my findings here.
Musicradar chose these guitars based on the following characteristics:
1. Reviewed guitars.
Every guitar in this guide was reviewed within the last three years and has got a minimum of a 4.5 star rating. Which basically means that their build quality, sound, playability and value for money are not in question at their relative price points.
2.Scale length.
A guitar’s scale length is important because it has a direct effect on the tension of the strings and therefore how the instrument feels to play: the longer the scale length, the higher the tension of the strings for a given pitch. In terms of tone, all things being equal (which they rarely are!) a longer-scale-length guitar will tend to have more pronounced string separation and clarity to single notes; compare a Martin 000-28 with an OM-21 for example. To measure a scale length, measure from the inside edge of the nut to the centre of the 12th fret, then double it.
3. Nut widths.
They quoted the nut widths for every guitar, as it’s a significant factor in playability. To the right are common widths in both metric and imperial sizes – different makers use different units. You’ll be amazed how different a millimetre or two across the nut can feel!
4. A note on prices.
The quoted prices are the manufacturers’ suggested retail prices, correct at the time of the original review. Some official SRPs will have gone up slightly, while many advertised/web prices from retailers will be lower.
