Guitar Reviews

Are you interested in purchasing a new guitar? If so, you can go to your local music store and select several that look great and give them a try. If you are a little reserved about your playing, you might kindly ask one of the salespeople or an off-duty guitar teacher to play it so you can listen. This is all well and good, but unless you are really convicted in knowing what you are looking for, you can be talked into something that does not necessarily fit the bill for you.

Be sure to do your own research first, before you do any thing. We will be providing articles on what to look for in an acoustical guitar, whether you are a beginner or you are looking for a great solid wood small shop production guitar.

The reviews provided here are based on a test guitar that we actually had for a while to test or did a thorough critique of it in the local music shops. Just a word of advice here. Most of the good quality guitars like the median to higher priced Martin’s and Taylor’s play good right out of the box (most of the time). Many of the lower priced instruments do not, and they need some attention to the action to play correctly or even minor truss rod adjustments. Good quality music stores and small privately owned guitar shops will make these adjustments to these guitars before they put them on display. Many do not however.

The reviews here will rate the following on a scale of 1 to 10

Features

This can be everything from type of wood used for the tops, backs and sides, neck wood, type of neck, type of tuning machines, nut and saddle materials, quality of strings it is shipped with, case type, if any, finish type, bracing type and quality, bridge type and much more.

Action

This is all about playability. Does the instrument play well. Does it play easily without any buzzing or rattling? How does it play down the neck?. How are the harmonics? Does it stay in tune very well during playing? How is the quality of the string installation at the nut? Is the Saddle compensated?

Tone

Tone can be very subjective, but a poor sounding guitar is usually poor to everyone and a great sounding guitar is one that makes you get tingles when to play it. Does the tone hold up down the neck or does it loose its sustain as you go upward? Do harmonics sound loud and clear?

Overall Impression

Depending on the level of guitar you are looking at, would you get a smile on your face every time you pick this guitar up to play? If not, it may not be for you. The rating is weighted on a beginner to intermediate to advanced instrument. In other words it is not fair to rate a great beginner guitar against a great advanced instrument. Of course, there is no comparison. The rating is based on comparisons to guitars in similar price categories.

Warranty

This rating is becoming a bit redundant, as most quality oriented guitar makers have fantastic warranties for their guitars. One common element that they all have is they do not cover abuse, and that means a lot more than backing over your guitar with your car. It can mean the guitar is exposed to extreme hot or cold conditions or extreme humidity swings. They won’t cover that, nor should they. Be sure to read our section on Guitar Care for tips and equipment to keep your guitar in prime playing condition.