Acoustic Guitar Holiday Shopping Advice

Many people are hoping to buy something special for their loved ones on the holidays. An excellent (and popular) choice is a new guitar. But while it's an incredibly thoughtful gesture, that brand new instrument frequently ends up stuffed in a closet or under the bed. Because what many well-meaning holiday shoppers don't realize (particularly if they don't play the guitar themselves) is that the difference between a good guitar and a terrible guitar is enormous, and can be the difference between an instrument that can bring a lifetime of enjoyment, or one that just takes up space in the garage. Fortunately, you don't have break the bank in order to find a good guitar. But you do need to know what to look for, and what to avoid. Hopefully, this guide will help you find the best guitar for your budget, so you can deliver that perfect holiday gift.

Where to Start

Odds are that if you're thinking of buying a guitar for someone, that someone has given you some hints that have steered you in this direction. But there are a lot of differences among guitars, so the more information you have about what your recipient is specifically interested in, the better your chances are of buying that perfect holiday gift. So, here are some important things to consider:

• Looking to gig or looking to learn? - If your recipient has never picked up an instrument, it's going to be a while before they're going to be ready to plug into an amp and start hitting the open mic nights. So, if they're not going to need to amplify the guitar anytime soon, don't spend the extra money on buying a guitar that's already equipped with electronics. Let's assume you have a $300 budget or so. With electronics, you'll only be getting a guitar worth about $200 since about $100 of that will be paying for the installed pickup. So, forego the electronics (if you don't absolutely need them) and pick out $300 worth of guitar. 
• On a somewhat related note, many people are enamored with the idea of a guitar with a cutaway. It looks cool, yes, but very few people actually move far enough down the fretboard to really need access to those lower frets. But people have these visions of standing on the stage, shredding through a solo, and they just must have that cutaway. If they really don't need it and can be convinced they don't, they'll be better off. Insisting on a cutaway drastically reduces their options (particularly in the sub $300 range) and the brands that do tend to offer cutaways are brands that tend to be more about style than substance.
• The size of the player - The most common guitar size in the $300 and under range is the dreadnought, which is a big guitar, particularly for a smaller-size player. The dreadnought does produce a lot of volume, and is great for standing and performing, but can be somewhat uncomfortable to play when sitting for long periods of time, even for bigger players. So, just as with the electronics issue, if this is going to be a guitar for someone whose going to be primarily sitting on the couch playing the guitar, or someone who is of smaller stature, then you may want to consider a guitar with a smaller body type. Depending on the guitar brand, smaller guitars are frequently referred to as folk guitars, or orchestra models, or OMs. There are also guitars that are quite a bit smaller called parlor guitars. And for children, there are 3/4 size guitars, or even travel guitars. The Baby Taylor and Little Martin are both great, affordable options in the smaller-size guitar category. See the image below to get a better understanding of the different acoustic guitar sizes and shapes.
  

  

  Acoustic Guitar Body Types

• Color preferences - This, unfortunately, should be of no importance to the recipient but frequently does make a difference. Hopefully, it won't matter because it drastically limits your options, and you will likely have to settle for a lesser-quality instrument. So, if the person who'll be receiving the guitar has made their color preferences known, my advice is to do your best to dissuade them from wanting that shiny black, red or blue guitar, because they'll end up getting a much nicer guitar if they can live with the look of natural wood. If you can't tear them away from a painted guitar, follow the suggestions below to get one that's still going to be a quality instrument.

The Important Details

Solid Top

Regardless of your budget, there is always one thing that I recommend above all else: Find a guitar with a solid top. Many people don't realize that acoustic guitars don't all have solid wood tops. In fact, in sub-$200 price range, most guitars don't. While the guitar specs will say that the top is "spruce" or even "select spruce", all that means is that the guitar's top is made of plywood with a thin spruce veneer. The advantage of a plywood top is that it's durable, and cheap. The disadvantage is that plywood doesn't have the sonic qualities of a solid wood top. The top, also known as the soundboard, is responsible for shaping much of the guitar's sound, so when it is made of plywood, the sound that comes from the guitar will sound somewhat flat and dull. Whereas, a solid wood top will produce a much richer, satisfying sound. The other thing is that the sound from a solid wood top will improve with age. People refer to this as the top "opening up". A plywood top will not do this no matter how long you own it.

The Action

For inexpensive guitars, it is not uncommon for the action of the guitar to be off. The "action" refers to the distance of the strings from the fretboard. So, the action can either be too high or too low. When it's too high, the strings sit higher off the fretboard than they should be, which makes it extremely hard to fret (push down the strings on the fretboard), particularly for beginners. Action that's too high will destroy any beginner's interest in playing the guitar, because it will hurt their fingers to play, and the difficulty in fretting will prevent the player from being able to get the notes to ring out clearly. If the action is too low, it will cause the guitar to buzz when you play it. Fortunately, in both cases, this is an easy adjustment that can be made by the repair person at your local guitar shop. This is a reason why it's a good idea to buy the guitar at a local shop so you can address these kinds of issues before you bring it home, but if you do buy the guitar online, you can always get these issues addressed after you receive it, if you need to.

Possible Issues

There are a number of other things to check out that may not be immediately evident, but can often be a sign of the guitar's build quality and potential durability. Things to check:

• Bridge - Sometimes, when the guitar ships from the factory, changes in humidity and temperature can cause the bridge to lift. The easiest way to check is if you can slide a piece of paper underneath the bridge. If you can, it's a sign the bridge is lifting. If this is happening on a brand new guitar, you should probably return/exchange it.
• Frets - It's not uncommon for the frets on inexpensive guitars to be a little bit rough on the edges and not properly rounded. That is certainly not a deal-breaker, though. If you do find that they're a little rough on the edges, and if it's an issue for you, it can be easily resolved by a repair person at a local guitar store. Another issue that is fairly uncommon, but can happen, is for the frets to be improperly seated, which means that they haven't been placed correctly in the slot that holds the fret, or that the slot wasn't properly carved to fit the fret. If that's the case, it can cause some playing issues and is, again, easily resolved buy a guitar repair person. Though it could certainly warrant a return/exchange if you're so inclined.
• Neck angle - Sometimes the angle of the neck can be a little off, causing the action to be too high or too low. If your guitar came with a truss rod tool, you could potentially make this adjustment yourself, but in my opinion, it's worth taking it in to a professional so they can assess the proper way to address this issue.

All of these things should be addressed in the guitar's final setup before it ever gets to you and are generally fairly uncommon. Most of the time, the guitar is properly set up and ready to play, and you will never have to worry about any of the issues I've raised here. But in the event something is amiss, these are some of the more common issues to check.

Good Holiday Guitar Choices

Let's assume you're working with a budget in the ballpark of $300. These are some I'd choose depending on the recipient:

For a child - As I mentioned above, the Little Martin and Baby Taylor are both great choices. They're smaller-bodied guitars with solid wood tops. Both Martin and Taylor are known for producing consistently good instruments, and these are no exception.

For someone of smaller stature - There are a number of good options, and the deals are outstanding this week because of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These are the best of the ones I came across:

• Blueridge BR-43 Contemporary 000 Guitar - $369 - Blueridge makes outstanding guitars for the money. Not a lot of people are familiar with the brand, but I'm consistently impressed with Blueridge guitars. The 000 body size is comfortable for players of smaller stature (or even larger stature) yet it's large enough to produce a nice, full sound.
• Recording King RO-10 Classic Series All Solid 000-Style - $350 - An amazing price for an all-solid wood guitar. And Recording King tends to produce consistently good guitars. If you're firm on $300, Recording King has a number of options that are $299.99. They aren't all-solid wood, but they do have solid tops and are still great choices.
• Alvarez Artist Series AP70 Parlor Guitar, Natural/Gloss Finish - $319 - As I mentioned above, the Parlor is a small body guitar that's ideal for kids are for those with a fairly small frame. Or for those who just like the portability of a little guitar. It is bigger, however, than the Baby Taylor and Little Martin, so it's a nice step up for those who don't want something as petite as the BT and LM, but for whom the 000 is a bit too bit. It's a fun size guitar, and this is a good option. Word of caution, however. The slotted headstock looks cool, but stringing it up can be a little bit tricky. But not so much so that it would prevent me from buying one.

If they must have color - As I mentioned above, I'd always try to steer people away from getting that shiny black guitar, but I know that some people just can't be convinced otherwise. So, for those who must have a painted guitar, here are some pretty good options:

• Recording King Classic Series I Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar (Rosewood, Black Finish) - $234 - Like other Recording Kings, it's got a solid top and is a great option for someone looking for a black guitar.
• Yamaha FG720S Oriental Blue Burst Acoustic Guitar Bundle with Yamaha Hard Case, DVD, Picks, Strap, Strings, Pick Card, and Polishing Cloth - $299 - A good deal on a blue guitar with accessories. The FG720 has a solid spruce top, and Yamaha's FG line is known for pretty consistent quality. There's also a red one, if that's your recipient's color of choice.

What's the Best Bang for the Buck? - OK, so you don't care about the size, the color, you don't need electronics, or a cutaway. You just want to get the best possible guitar for your money. Fantastic. Of course,  opinions will vary, but I'll let you know what I would buy at prices ranging from $200 - $400:

• Best guitar for $400 - Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar - I own this guitar and have for years. Despite the fact that I've got guitars that cost ten times as much, I still pick up the Seagull from time to time, because it's that good. Since it's a dreadnought, it can project. But the solid cedar top delivers incredible warmth in its sound. It's a great guitar.
• Best guitar for $350 - Recording King RO-10 Classic Series All Solid 000-Style Acoustic Guitar - I mentioned this one above. An incredible deal for an all-solid wood guitar. I wouldn't hesitate to make this purchase.
• Best guitar for $300 - Great Divide SGM-28-G Orchestra Acoustic Guitar - This is the sale price for this guitar, and Amazon says there's just one of these left in stock. It's a very good deal at $300, but I would probably not choose this one at its list price of $560. Not to say it's not good, it is. It's a great guitar for $290. 
• Best guitar for $250 - Takamine G Series G340SC Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Natural - Again, another sale price, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better guitar for this price.
• Best guitar for $200 - Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar - Consistently good. There's a reason why you find so many good reviews of these guitars. For $199, there's none better.

I hope this helps you find the best guitar for your budget. If you're wondering about some brands that I didn't mention but are in this price range, you can check out my guide to acoustic guitar brands and whether that brand you're wondering about is a good option or not. And if you have questions or comments, let me know. I'll do my best to help. Good luck, and happy holidays!