Acoustic Guitar For Beginner

Hi All, I am not a complete beginner, more of an 'advanced' beginner (whether that really makes any difference), and am looking to pick up an acoustic guitar in the next week or so. $300 is about as high as I want to go and I have noticed that Yamaha and Takamine seem to be somewhat popular for guitars in that price range. Does anyone have any recommendations? I am not tied to any specific manufacturer, I just want a well built, nice sounding acoustic to play with at home.

Additionally, does the cutaway style change the sound any? I like the thought of having easier access to the higher frets, not to mention I find them quite aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks!

I don't think the cutaway has much of an affect on the sound, not so much as the size of the guitar, particularly the thickness of the body... the whole "try before you buy" thing is always the best way to go; you'll find a lot of subtle to not-so-subtle differences from guitar to guitar.

There's a couple of guitars I would steer you towards. One is the Taylor Mini:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/gs-mini/

I haven't tried it, but its gotten rave reviews, even some of the instructors here have tried it and really liked it.

The other is this one by Martin:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DCX1E/

I've tried the Martin DCX1E. First, let me warn you that even though its a wood top, its other parts (back, neck, and fretboard) are made of composite materials... but don't let that put you off... it looks and feels great, it didn't require dropping an exotic tree in the Amazon Rain forest to build, and its not as susceptible to fluctuations in moisture and temperature as pure wood guitars. This thing sounded amazing, and that was after trying a lot of guitars, some really expensive ones too. The built in pick-up sounded great as well. Its more than double your price range ($699) but well worth it. At $300 you're probably going to buy a guitar that will be a compromise in both sound and quality, and you may want to up grade again in the not so far future. I think the Martin is a guitar that would do you for a life-time. I have a rare, hand-made 100% wood guitar worth about $2000, and the Martin sounded as good as it, if not better. I will probably get one myself eventually.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I actually ended up picking up a Yamaha FG735S It was slightly over my price range but with a coupon, it was just right, not to mention it sounds and looks beautiful

Hey, nice choice... you can't go wrong with Yamaha! What are you working on right now? I'm trying to learn Cil Chais with Lisa:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1155

seems like a nice tune, though a bit tricky to learn because its not really a fingerpicking "pattern"...

just working through the core learning (fundamentals) lessons at the moment, I have taken classes in the past but figure this would be a good chance to start from scratch. I am hoping to finish this up soon and move onto Lisa's finger-picking lessons.

Originally Posted by: cstieve I am hoping to finish this up soon and move onto Lisa's finger-picking lessons.

In that case, this would be perfect for you:
http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35742

You don't have to wait to start on the finger-picking lessons... they start very basic, and you'll spend time just learning right hand picking patterns that really have nothing to do with theory or chord memorization... I went through her whole finger-picking series, and it was great... I also did it while I was practicing lead guitar as well. Take the plunge man! Could be a nice shinny new capo in it for you! ;)