1) Yamaha APX600, 2) FS800 or 3) Fender CD-60SCE?

I am 50 years old, and have small hands. I am a beginner.[br]I have a Yamaha F310. But I want to buy a acoustic that will be easier to play with my small hands, e.g. smaller body, low action, slimmer neck, shorter scale length, and good neck angle, etc.[br]I don’t think I want to buy a ¾ guitar, but I am not sure. But for now I want to see if I can get a smaller full-size acoustic guitar. [br]I have an amp so if I can plug it in that would be nice, but this is not essential; playability is far more important. I can’t spend more than £350 at this stage.[br]I am mainly interested in playing cords and finger picking. [br]Only a hobby, will only play at home on the couch or outside in the garden.[br] [br]I live far away from any big guitar shop to test them out, I will have to buy online.[br] [br]I have done some research and it seems that one of the following will fit my needs: [br]1) Yamaha APX600, 2) FS800 / 820 / 830 or 3) Fender CD-60SCE.[br] [br]Which one of these will you advise? Or do you recommend a different guitar?[br] [br]Many thanks.

I have a Yamaha APX500III and I love it! I've used it a ton. It's my go-to guitar for figuring out random stuff. I actually prefer the small acoustic body because it's easy to grab and use in front of my computer. Less chance of banging it on things in here, and very comfortable to play. It's almost like just having an electric guitar (and of course it has a direct out and built-in tuner which is a life-saver).

The tone is not what you'd usually get out of a regular-sized acoustic body, but it totally works for me! And I actually love direct piezo acoustic sounds for recording.

Not familiar with the others.

-Carl.

Originally Posted by: Carl King

I have a Yamaha APX500III and I love it! I've used it a ton. It's my go-to guitar for figuring out random stuff. I actually prefer the small acoustic body because it's easy to grab and use in front of my computer. Less chance of banging it on things in here, and very comfortable to play. It's almost like just having an electric guitar (and of course it has a direct out and built-in tuner which is a life-saver).

The tone is not what you'd usually get out of a regular-sized acoustic body, but it totally works for me! And I actually love direct piezo acoustic sounds for recording.

Not familiar with the others.

-Carl.

Thank you Carl, that is very helpful!

All are good choices. Consider the Yamaha jr, too. It's a 3/4 scale but comfy to play and sounds big and full for its size. If I did not already own a 3/4 guitar, I would have purchased it. [br][br]

All three seem to fit your needs/wants

Originally Posted by: Ossewa

I have done some research and it seems that one of the following will fit my needs: [br]1) Yamaha APX600, 2) FS800 / 820 / 830 or 3) Fender CD-60SCE.

Albeit proportional, I have smaller hands and fingers. I've owned and played my own APX600 since December 2017 and would buy the same again [u]if it was to be my only acoustic guitar[/u]. I currently own and play four different acoustics including a Concert sized full body and Dreadnought sized full body. That said, I'm predominantly electric focused, so when mandatory, an acoustic friendly to that electric to acoustic immediate transition works best for me. e.g."Kiss Me" It's superb for both playing chords including barre chords, individual note melody (outro & bridge in this particular song, but any solo) or finger picking.

Be aware the APX600 has the same body size, but numerous technical changes evolved from its predecessor the APX500III. Most prominent of these are tighter string spacing and reduced scale length, both great for smaller hands, not so good for sausage fingers. A tight 10mm in the APX600 vs 11mm in the APX500III.

[br]With the right strings, APX600 acoustic tone is good, and acoustic volume adequate for home or small venue. I like the absence of boom, preferring intrinsic treble to base characteristics. Brightness can be altered with string selection. But it's an e-acoustic, so amplified tone is an 'how long is a piece of string' variable. Bottom line. Yamaha's onboard System 65 pre-amp & SRT piezo pickup gets the job done.

The slim cutaway body and size of the APX600 is a perfect fit [u]for me[/u]. Might be for you. That's the aspect I dislike most about any Dreadnought whatever brand, whether it be Yamaha's F310, Fender's CD-60SCE.

Yamaha's APX600 is as suitable for the experienced player as it is for a beginner. Great unit, incredible value for money, a Yamaha instrument hallmark.

[br]All the best. GL with whichever brand or guitar you eventually decide to go with.