Recommend a steel string accoustic smaller than a dread

[Pieman]

With my IRS refund, I hope to have some dough to buy a budget priced steel string.. Would replace my old lifeless/too big Ibanez.

Budget $500-600, but definitely under a grand.

I don't need a cutaway or electronics

Mostly for flat picking and some finger picking

Would probably be used by my smallish 13 year old daughter when she is not on piano or FaceBook.

Looks like Takamine and Breedlove are they big two in this price range. Are there Taylors or Larrivees in this price range.? GP gave Revival Accoustic the Editors Pick last year in a bdget shoot-out. Maybe I'll just drive over to Elderly in Lansing when I am in Detroit.

On another point, there seems to be more accoustic/electrics at this price point than pure accoustics. To my ears, when plugged in, they usually sound like they are strung with rubber bands. Does the electronica take away from the natural sound unplugged?

Maybe I need to find an accoustic guitar board but I trust this board. Thanks

[LostArt]

you need to look at the tak gs series

[JGale]

1980s Yamaha OM body.

Edited to add: I have a Revival. In a word: FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Outside your range me thinky.

[Uncle Thor's Hamer]

I'm going to recommend a used mid-depth Ovation. My daughter got her Ovation 1778 Red Flame when she was about 14. The Ovation neck is slim like an electric guitar, and easy to play. The round back makes the body feel smaller than a square wooden box. Ovation makes some very traditional looking center hole natural wood finish models, or funky looking models that appeal to the younger crowd.

The 1778T, known as the Elite T, is the best bang for the buck. They come in an industrial textured top finish in flat black, a deep rusty red, or more rarely in silver. The regular 1778LX is a super nice guitar with a high gloss finish. The GC178LX is the same guitar with a slightly different trim. The 6778LX is a slightly lesser bling model than the 1778LX. The 1777LX is the traditional center sound hole version equivalent of the 1778LX. All of these guitars could be found in very nice condition in your price range.

All of these models are cutaway and have electronics, which you could consider a bonus.

The new production of Ovation guitars are either expensive USA made or they are Asian made. The TX and AX are the Asian made with some changes that would be considered cost reducing and less desirable in my opinion.

Check with Alpep at Lostartvintage, he posted above. He may have something used in inventory that would fit the bill. If you are looking for new, I have no suggestions in your price range.

Here's a picture of my daughter with her 1778-RF and her friend with a GC178LX in gloss black.

[Pieman]

[ I have a Revival. In a word: FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Outside your range me thinky.

You migt be thinking of Breedlove Revivals and those are too rich for me. Here's the one from GP

http://www.revivalacoustics.com/gp0609_gea...undup_pg106.pdf

[JohnnyB]

The 1778T, known as the Elite T, is the best bang for the buck. They come in an industrial textured top finish in flat black, a deep rusty red, or more rarely in silver. The regular 1778LX is a super nice guitar with a high gloss finish. The GC178LX is the same guitar with a slightly different trim. The 6778LX is a slightly lesser bling model than the 1778LX. The 1777LX is the traditional center sound hole version equivalent of the 1778LX. All of these guitars could be found in very nice condition in your price range.

+1 on the Elite T. About 5 years ago the Elite T was made in USA and could be had for $700-800. About that time Pesocaster was in the market for an acoustic and he tried dozens of acoustics in all price ranges. He generally wasn't fond of Ovations and didn't want to like the Elite T, but after the dust settled, he found that it stood alone in its price range, and a noticeably better guitar would cost $2500. He bought the Elite T and he liked it so much that a year later his wife surprised him with a 12-string version for his birthday.

The ironic thing is that the Elite T is the most synthetic-looking Ovation while sounding the woodiest. I really wish they made a bass guitar version. And they are as slick to play as an electric.

[Jimbilly]

Peso's Elite is super cool.

And like Alpep said, take a look at Takamine, I always really like those, plugged in or not.

My '76 Takamine F307S (copy of a Martin 00-18) would be perfect, but it's not for sale, -sorry, but one of those should be in your price range as well, but hard to find.

A Taylor Big-Baby would be great, those seem to be about $300 used, one of those should be really easy to find too. Yeah, for something you can easily track down, a used Taylor Big-baby should be just right.

[Teh]

Another bang for the buck is the Blueridge line. Built by Saga in China, these are surprisingly good sounding guitars for the money. You can get a 000 size Mahogany/Spruce for around $350-$400 with basic case. No electronics, but the tone and action are quite acceptable.

As for Taylor, the 100 & 200 series are under a grand. Laminated back & sides, solid sitka top and piezo UST pickup. You can go full dread (110 or 210) or Grand Auditorium (114 or 214). Great sounding guitars. Of course, there's always the Big Baby which is a 7/8 size dread but no pickup.

As for Larrivee, I don't think they've gotten into the low end market yet...

[SteveB]

check out Seagull/La Petrie as well in that price range. I think those have quite a bit of bang for the buck. When I was looking for a classical I compared multiple copies of the same model Seagull both with and without electronics and I thought that the electronics package did seem to affect the resonance of the guitars a little, but with acoustics there is so much variation between even the same exact model that its hard to tell how much effect was really due to the package.

[FunkyE9th]

+1 on Seagulls/La Patrie, but as far as I know, LaPatrie only makes classicals, so that probably won't help given you are looking for steel strings. Simon and Patrick is also worth looking at.

Seagull and Simon and Patrick make folk and parlor sized guitars. I actually wouldn't mind having one of their parlor sized guitars.

[JGale]

[ I have a Revival. In a word: FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Outside your range me thinky.

You migt be thinking of Breedlove Revivals and those are too rich for me. Here's the one from GP

http://www.revivalacoustics.com/gp0609_gea...undup_pg106.pdf

Interesting. I wonder where to find them? Thx.

[JohnnyB]

I have a Revival. In a word: FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Outside your range me thinky.

You might be thinking of Breedlove Revivals and those are too rich for me. Here's the one from GP

http://www.revivalacoustics.com/gp0609_gea...undup_pg106.pdf

Interesting. I wonder where to find them? Thx.

Oh, I dunno.