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buying a Fender Acoustic guitar

buying a Fender Acoustic guitar
« on: March 25, 2011, 03:52:02 PM »
hi
want to buy one of these guitars for my husband as a surprise. he plays with a band and this is something that he's always had his eye on. as i dont play the guitar (would love to, iv tried, but just cant manage it!) im looking for a bit of advice. iv searched in google and a few positive results have come up but im wondering is there different types of this guitar or is it just the one? http://www.twenga.co.uk/dir-Leisure-Hobbies,Guitars,Acoustic-guitar-1239i want to make sure i get him the one he wants as i know he wont change it thinking it will hurt my feelings. thanks in advance !

eb2

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buying a Fender Acoustic guitar
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2011, 04:37:33 PM »
Fender has made many different lines of acoustic guitars over the years, and some are very nice instruments.  Some are not very good at all, and the only reason you see them in used shops is because they say "Fender" on them.  If they were anything else they would have been tossed in the trash.  The new ones are pretty decent utility grade guitars.  They imported a line from Japan in the early 70s that were copies of Martins and they are very good.  They made several lines of Chinese and other Asian origin imports over the last 20 years that really vary in quality.  They made their own in the 60s that were very unique, and found a lot of favor with Country music pros as they were bright, loud and tough as nails.  Traditional acoustic players did not accept them though.  And they had some US-made acoustics that they did not make themselves, and those are pretty low end.

So without knowing what your husband actually wants, it is really risky to say.  What you are trying to avoid is what you will probably get unless you get an exact idea of what he wants.  Or you could take him to a shop as a surprise and let him pick it.
boom

VOXguy

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buying a Fender Acoustic guitar
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2011, 04:01:22 PM »
In the USA Taylor is probably the most respected name in the higher volume makers of acoustic guitars; they do not have any very inexpensive guitars made in China or Indonesia.  I have found them consisently good to excellent; but Taylor prices start at about US $700.00.  Taylors are easy to sell quickly and hold their value; they just don not appreciate much over time.  I have several of these.

Martin is a very good name and the name sells well, but you can buy a cheap Martin guitar made in Mexico for US $200 or less, and they have some made in India and Indonesia that are even cheaper and of lower quality. Martin's are also easy to sell and you can often sell these guitars for more than they are worth; the real problem with Martins is not paying too much for one. I have several of these.

I have a Fender 12 string acoustic/electric (JC-12e I believe) that I bought for US $275 with a Freedom hard case.  It has an excellent acoustic sound and one extremely important benefit (to me) in a 12 string - it has premium tuners that stay in tune.   I seriuosly doubt it will ever be worth much more as in the USA the Fender name means low quality on an acoustic guitar, with the possible exception of the Kingman line of acoustics with exotic woods made in the USA in the early 1970s.

There are some exceptionally well made low volume "boutique" acoustic guitars, but they are very expensive and depreciate more rapidly than a new car (and they are extremely hard to sell).

My final piece of advice is that no two acoustic guitars are the same and to me less than 5% of even the best brands of acoustics are "good ones" that sound good, feel right, play easily and seem to resonate with your body.  Thus, one needs to play an acoustic before buying.

Give your husband a gift certificate.

Gary at Ozarkridgeguitars

 

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