Looking to get a relative an acoustic electric guitar for Christmas. Any recommendations? I'm not really sure where to set my budget though. Maybe $275 max?
I've got a Fender Stratacousitc that I'm happy with. I paid about $300 for it. Not bad quality for the price.
you can buy like a $200 taylor, mabye used, and buy one of the amp inputs (around $80) and have a store install it. I had it done on my taylor 110 and it sounds great. musiciansfriend.com is a good site.
I never heard of musiciansfriend.com so I can't speak to that. But a good website to check out is also www.guitarcenter.com I think many musicians don't like guitarcenter because they feel its too corporate. like the Man is trying to bring them down. People also say its more expensive than it should be, but honestly they match the lowest price so if you find something out there, they'll meet it. Whether you want to buy from them or not, the website can inform you what is good. The website is pretty easy to navigate and you can search based on price-range, and then sort by another category such as ratings/reviews, or best sellers, etc. Also, I think guitarcenter.com gets more viewers so you are much more likely to get more reviews from other guitarists commenting on whether the guitar is good or not. I don't know how well musiciansfriend offers these searching features. You can start here for acoustic-electrics, and navigate as you wish. I bought both of my guitars from guitarcenter, my electric online (because I couldn't find the color at any guitar store) and another at a guitarcenter store. You can always find a coupon if you google "guitarcenter coupon." I got mine 10% off, I just barely missed the expiration for a 15% coupon. I bet they would have more coupons available for christmas holidays coming up. http://www.retailmenot.com/view/guitarcenter.com Right now, if you type in "turkey" as a coupon code, you'll get 10% off. But its only online buys so you won't be able to try out the sound or feel yourself. However, if you find the guitar you want at a store, then you can easily find it on guitarcenter.com and get a coupon. It seems 10% is the minimum always offered, and shipping is usually free. http://www.guitarcenter.com/6-String-Acoustic-Electric-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar.gc WHENEVER YOU GO TO A STORE, be careful that these punks aren't trying to sell you something you don't need, or talk up a guitar that is more expensive than the one you were thinking of. Its not just guitar center, but EVERY music store does this. I was lucky to get some helpful, informative people at the guitar center store but there were also punks mixed in whenever I'd visit. They may say that the other, more expensive guitar has a better sound, or easier to make a chord with... it'll probably be very tough to judge because you don't know much. If they realize you don't know much about these things, then they'll run all over you. It'll probably help if you don't wear anything that could be considered nice clothes. I once went in with a polo and they laid the "used car salesman" bit pretty thick. (it wasn't guitar center though) That's why I always check reviews of a guitar at guitarcenter.com, on top of what the store clerk tells me. But now I'm at the point where I know more of what I want to look for. Never rely on just one piece of information. I guess its kinda like finding a car you want to buy. Have fun.
