That was a great back to back comparison at the end. That Yamaha sounded good, but I would go for the Eastman E1D. Props to your editor and for the graphics. 10/10 for video build quality! 🔥👍
The E1d should have got 10 for value. The Ibanez stood out tonally for me. Yamaha never fail to impress. A class act.The less said about epiphone the better!
Thanks Just ordered a Yamaha FG830 so I was pleased to see that you like this one.Very interesting video,it's disappointing to think that retailers can ship out guitars so poorly setup like the Epiphone.
That was probably the most subjective and honest evaluation of guitars I think could be made. Very good job gentleman. Keep on smiling. Oh, to me the winner was the Ibanez.
Awesome video - very objective and a great resource for new players! Just a couple of corrections on the Yamaha - the 830 does in fact have rosewood back and sides (the 800 is okoume/nato) and all the FG8xx series guitars have scalloped bracing, which definitely helps with the tone and overall value at that price point . But again, great video and amazing channel!
My first guitar at the age of 8 was ten dollars from a five and dime store near our farm in southwestern Pennsylvania. It was something akin to a cement block glued to a two by four with strings. The action was so high it made my fingers bleed for the better part of my first year playing but it did help me create some massive callouses on my left fretting hand fingers. I played this all the way to high school when my music teacher loaned me a nice “real” guitar to borrow for my junior and senior years in guitar classes there. If I had the chance to own any of these guitars when I first started to play I would have felt blessed by heaven with the least of this pack (except for the Epiphone)! That said, I remember my terrible first guitar with nostalgia. Now I own a bunch of great guitars. My two favorite go to guitars are my Collings 01-T and my twenty year old Tacoma C1C Chief. I have a guitar student who came to me playing/owning a poor quality guitar I shall not name sold to her parents who could afford nothing else by an unscrupulous big box store salesman. She is 11 years old and is currently my only student. She has obvious natural talent and a sweet nature so after teaching her for one year, with her parents permission, I gave her my Martin 00M-15 which I’ve owned for a year or so. It’s a great guitar and she’s tall for eleven years old with long strong fingers so I knew she could play it and oh my, she sure did. She’s had it for three months now and her learning has skyrocketed. I could have kept this guitar but at 69 years old with more guitars than I actually need it felt right to pass it on to her. Even at eleven she tells me she wants to become the best guitar player in the world. I think she has a shot at it with great encouraging parents and a strong and steady willingness and patience toward learning. We retired her crap guitar and she might just achieve her goal. Great channel you guys. My student and I watched this video together after our recent lesson.
I love everything you shared in your comment. A longtime instrumentalist since early childhood, I was beyond fortunate to have the teachers like be invested in cultivating & growing my sincere thirst to excel in whatever instrument I was learning. Teachers and people like you should be highly regarded and celebrated 😎. Thank you for your commitment to your student. I look forward to hearing her style of play 💕
I noticed many guitar comparisons do not include a washburne for some reason, they are beautifully built, mother of pearl inlays, solid tops, and within this price range and sound amazing, please look into adding a washburne for your next beginner guitar comparisons.🤠👍
Eastman E1D is pretty nice! Sound is very good. This is a great mid range guitar. A lot of the better sounding guitars are a little stiff....drives the top better. I was more impressed by the AW54 Ibanez. Great tone and pretty articulate. Yamaha has been nailing the sound on the low to mid range guitars.....well, chinese made....you better play it before you buy it! Anything goes with chinese made guitars. Can be major problems. I bought a 187.00+ tax new Yamaha FS800....neck was better then most 5k Martins. amazing! Can tune down a whole step and it doesn't buzz. Plays with zero relief. Moral of the story. Play many to find one....play it before you buy it or make sure you can get 100% of your money back for a dog...including shipping!
It's hard to believe the Yamaha FG830 playability/setup was ranked almost as bad as the Fender. And FYI, the Yamaha FG830 DOES have scalloped bracing and Rosewood back and sides. 🤷♂ 🤨
I am glad learning how to fly planes isn't the same as learning how to play guitar. Imagine learning on a cheap inferior plane as you would on a cheap inferior guitar. The philosophy that a beginner doesn't need a competently designed and constructed musical instrument is highly questionable. The moral: beginner musical instruments must meet a standard that provides for the eventual quality performance of the student/performer.
I just lucked out and found a Breedlove Discovery Concert MH for $150 & I snagged it up. I’ve only had it a week, but as a beginner I have to say it beats anything I’ve had so far & I’ve traded quite a few under $500 guitars. Likes are fairly subjective, but I find myself liking the warmth of mahogany.
I lucked out when I bought my first guitar. I got a Breedlove Signature Organic Concerto on sale for $399. It is an all solid wood guitar and it has a torrefied solid Spruce top. Looks and sounds beautiful at a beginner guitar price. It was regularly priced at $649.
A little tip for watchers interested in the Ibanez aw54-the Mitchell t331 from guitar center or musician’s friend is just as good sounding of a guitar(if not better) for less money. The Yamaha fg830 is hard to beat under $400. The Eastman e1d is hard to beat under $600. You guys should try the Alvarez md60bg as it’s a great guitar for $659.
We've gotten the Alvarez suggested a couple of times, we must have missed it in our search. 😅 We'll look into grabbing one of those for maybe another comparison! Thanks for the suggestions!
I have both and I agree on tone the Mitchell is great The problem is their quality control is awful. If you pick up 10 Mitchell guitars at GC half of them fret out completely at the 12th fret. I had to throw out my 331 after less than a year. It was fine when I bought it. After a few months you couldn't play a bar chord at even the 5th fret.
Good job, guys! I'm a little surprised that Alvarez had no representation, as they make a number of well-received guitars at that price point. Eastman (solid wood), Breedlove, and Yamaha passed the ear test.
I have a few Alvarez guitars, everybody I know, tells me that for the money they produce, I agree. I wish I took care of them more. I have a few electrics too, but just can't make them sound the way i want. I know, this is an acoustic video. but my Peavey Predator I bought for $99 is the best buy I have ever made guitar-wise!
At 59:02 Jeremy stated that the Yamaha doesn't have scallop bracing. According to the Yamaha spec sheet is does say scallop bracing. Also, the back and sides are Rosewood, not whatever you guys eluded to earlier in the video.
One thing that makes the Breedlove stand out from all other guitars I have tried in its price point is its electronics. The Breedlove sounds exactly the same plugged in as unplugged except louder.
From a build quality and repair standpoint, what I see on my busy repair bench the most is Epiphone, however there's probably more Epis out there b/c GC pushes them. The 3 best on this list (seen on my bench anyways) are Martin, Taylor and Yamaha. Ibanez and Fenders are in the middle of this pack with more issues or questionable sound quality. Surprised not to see Seagull on this list. We've only seen enough Eastman's to say they are a decent quality instrument. The reason why so many guitars come through with high action is it covers up poor fretwork (un-level frets). The Plek machine, that all these guitars have their fretwork done on, is only as good as their programming and maintenance allow. Lately, fretwork from many major guitar manufacturers has been really atrocious, so be aware that high factory action hides this (and makes you not want to play it as much). On many of these guitars, once the action is lowered you quickly find out that you need a fret dressing and good pro set-up as well, so factor that in to your decision-making process. Also, it should be said that what you want to look for in a brand new acoustic that you are considering is excellent factory action (out of the box) with approximately 3/16" saddle height protruding from the bridge before anyone adjust the action for the first time. Since string height is primarily adjusted by removing material from the bottom of the saddle, having approximately 3/16" of saddle protruding from the bridge will allow a fare amount of action lowering adjustability over the years of the guitar's life as the string tension along with climactic conditions inevitably pull up on the top and neck to make the action higher. No one ever checks the truss rod to see if it works properly, as many of them are not very effective, but if you can check it before you purchase the guitar or have it checked by a luthier or tech within your return policy, that's a smart idea too. Can't tell you how many people I have to give bad news to because none of this was checked on a guitar they've now grown fond of.
I bought a couple of Alvarez guitars for a couple of young people just learning how to play. Out of all the guitars I played, those Alvarez OM's wiped the floor with all of the other guitars in that price range. Yamaha is awesome as well. To be fair, there were no Eastmans in that shop.
I played a cedar topped Breedlove Discovery Conertina a while back, and was blown away by the sound for the money. They're fantastic, or at least the one I played was. Very warm and sweet sounding. It's probably my personal top guitar under $500. For under $600 though, I think the Eastman E1 or E2 series is the best. I'd probably spring for the E1SS. I haven't played one, but there is a great demo of one on RU-vid and it sounds amazing.
Breedlove and the solid wood Eastman were the standouts of the pack, I think I like the Breedlove the best, I think it would record really well, but I fell the Eastman would do a fine job too.
Great Video guys...IMO the GS Mini deserves a better rating...maybe my smaller stature (5'7" small hands) is my personal bias :) Was very surprised with the Breedlove Discovery being near the top ..thankyou for the info.
I got a CD-60 from a certain canadian retailer who always includes a free thorough setup. He had to level some of the frets but it came out playing AWESOME. If you can get that built into the purchase, it's a no-brainer.
Seems wrong to mark a smaller down only because it doesn’t sound like, or as loud as, a dread. Been playing since 1957, mainly acoustics, and never cared for the size or bass heavy boomy sound of dreads. I would have given it higher marks for that as well as the smaller body size being far more comfortable to play. Particularly so for a beginner or a younger player. I would have given it higher scores for that. Not everyone needs the volume of a dread unless they are playing in a bluegrass band and competing with banjos, fiddles, etc.
My Yamaha FG800 I put a K&K mini pickup and had it professionally setup and it is my goto guitar for busking. It sounds great with scalloped bracing and solid top and the laminate backing handles the weather and I don't have to worry about it getting stolen more than I would if I had an expensive guitar. Yamaha has a great history of quality musical instruments, and I bought this one for under $300, new!
I love the Eastman e1s’ and the Yamaha! Was very very impressed by the Ibanez and the Breedlove too! For years I have recommended Yamaha and Eastman to my beginner students. Quite literally I have about eight students currently Who own Eastman pch or e1 guitars in varying shapes and sizes. Truly hard to beat in my humble opinion. Up here in Canada there’s another brand called Segal who build some truly fantastic guitars around this price point as well. I echo the sentiments of another commentor who said that dreadnaughts May not be the Best option for all beginners. I’ve turned quite a few people towards The OM body shape for their first acoustic for comfort reasons, because I truly want them to enjoy picking up their guitar for long periods of time. Of course this depends on the persons size/stature and all that. This was a great great video guys!
By the way, it's "Seagull", (like the bird), and I've owned three over the years. Great guitar, but I have met more than a few who just couldn't get past the shape of the headstock! It takes a while but it does finally grow on you! Seagull was kind of the early evolution of the Eastman in my observations. I just ordered an Eastman to install a HyVibe system in it. We'll see how compatible the combination is.
I'm 6'1" and I still feel like a dread is big. And I've been that size and playing them since Jr high so 45 years.really digging the smaller bodies now.
My daughter has a Taylor Big Baby. It was around $350 when we bought it, but I think they run around $500 now. But you get a solid spruce top, ebony bridge and fretboard, layered back and sides, Nubone nut, and nice gig bag. They are good starter guitars, but they have a short scale and a bolt on neck. It's a very plain jane guitar with no binding, but it's easy to play and it sounds very good. They come with Elixars, which help make them easy to play. I didn't know about Eastman at the time or I would probably bought an Eastman. Especially since they [the Big Baby] cost $500 now. For just a little more you can get an Eastman E1D which has solid back and sides.
that’s why i got the Yamaha FGX800c over most brands i whent with Yamaha but iam getting a Fender Cd60sBlk i got a Fender CB60 Bass mabey later when i get more money i’ll buy a high end guitar like a Martin -D28
I got a Yamaha fg830 myself earlier this year as a beater…after a a little adjustment and adding a k&k pure mini…I can’t call it a beater anymore..put some XS 12g strings on it..I love it…hard to beat at that price range.
The AW54 is a lot cheaper than the other models over here in Germany - seems the best value here for sure. Buying it for 230€ like right now. I also liked the tone of it most of the presented guitars. Win-win for me.
Great review, really enjoyed that but can't believe there isn't an Alvarez in the line up. My top three would be Eastman E1OM, Alvarez MF60OM and Yamaha FG830
This was a really informative and well-balanced review. I know that you got these off of Google reviews and comments, but I think the GS mini was just not in the league with these other "big bodied" guitars. I have a GS mini so I know what to expect out of it. The Epiphone was very unfortunate. I think they make a pretty good beginner guitar most of the time. I hope you let the on-line retailer know that this one should NEVER have been shipped like that. After watching this and thinking about sound, looks, fit and finish, I think I would be buying the Yamaha. Dollar for dollar seemed to be the best value.
Thanks for the feedback! In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have included the GS Mini, but hey Google did list it! The Yamaha was totally a winner in this comparison!
given the price range of the other guitars, I think you should've used fenders cd140 sce instead of the cd60. I got mine with a hard case for about $400.00 direct from fender. I think the difference in quality and tone is under estimated.
Have you guys reviewed the Yamaha Transacoustics? I believe they start at around this price range and I would be verrrrry interested in hearing your opinion on how they stack up to the ten guitars you've tested here. Thanks!
I've personally never owned an acoustic and have been in the market to buy one. Unfortunately I'm poor so what is known as the "cheap" range of acoustics is where I'm looking. (250 to 350 dollar range). As such, I've pretty much all but settled on purchasing the Yamaha FG830. I like how it looks and the slight upgrade from the 800 and 820 seems worth the investment. So, I'm saving my pennies as we speak then the 830 will be mine. :)
the yamahas are the best budget options in my opinion. i have the fs800 and it sounds amazing. no reason to buy a countertop guitar just because it says martin on it, dont believe the hype
I just played an FS800 at GC and was shocked at how good it sounded. Nice sustain and very pretty tone. Not sure how the 820 or 830 could be that much better for the extra $120.
First, AFIK, the Yamaha 800 series does have scalloped braces. Second the 800 series isn't necessarily a beginner's guitar. It's kind of designed for non-professional musicians who play for their own enjoyment and perhaps friends... maybe even non or low paid gigs. It's a guitar that someone could grow old with. If I had a dollar for everyone I know that has an old Yamaha in the closet, that they occasionally play, I'd be pretty well off. It's the kind of guitar you can trade up from, but not a guitar that you have to trade up from like some of the other's on your list. Think of it this way, if you were playing a professional gig and your guitar got broken and someone handed you that Yamaha 830, I'll bet you could finish the show without most of the audience noticing.
My mind is boggled by the Yamaha value. I have to take your word on all the sound qualities, tone, balance, loudness, You have to be "there" to judge those. My own sampling of these sound wise has been; Yamaha and Eastman tied for top; Fender, Martin, Epiphone and Taylor, no thanks and I haven't been able to sample the Breedlove yet. Around here we can get a top quality setup for $85 CAN ($62USD) so adding that to the cost on each I would say value wise Yamaha, then Eastman solid (since the cost is 2x the Yamaha. Either way if I was 7 again and I got either one I would be out of mind happy.
First time buyer, I had all intentions of buying the Yamaha 830 it felt solid, very impressed with the build quality. While I was there I picked up about 10 to 15 guitars, a couple of them twice. I had never heard of Takamine and I really didn't want a red guitar, felt like friends or people who knew how to play would frown upon it but WOW!!! The Takamine GD30CE sounded and felt so comfortable to me. It was $599 they price matched an online price and I got it $499 after researching Takamine I guess it's been around awhile lol
Great comparison. Thanks. One thing I'd mention, availability for left handers. Not all the reviewed guitars are available in lh models. I've been playing about a year now. I have two of the reviewed guitars. The Fender and the Martin. The Fender is easy to play, but as mentioned, limited in tone. The Martin is much better sounding. Though as an old guy, 66, learning to play the narrower nut of the Fender fits me better. Arthritis and old injuries limit my dexterity. Makers like Martin who offer most all models in lefty models are appreciated. Again, great video overall. Considering a Yamaha, though the fg820, available in a left hand version. Want a better sounding dred than the Fender with a 1 11/16" nut width. Take care
@@richardharding9975 yea, but also at the end of day it’s 399 yamaha lh and 179 for fender lh. As a beginner ill pick fender, it looks better to me, easier on the right hand and this review gives a much worse rating than other ones out there, some even calling the fender having more of a classic sound. Hurts that I can’t get yamaha for same price of rh, I’ll just go with fender. Was really torn between these two. If yamaha didn’t exist id have been a happy fella lol
My favorite is the solid wood Eastman E1D. I love their Les Paul style guitars,. with a one piece solid maple cap. I don't believe that I'll ever buy a Gibson Les Paul again. Eastman has converted me! Gibson is over priced. Maybe it's because labor is not cheap in America, but they do have foreign built models that are still way up there in price. Good video.
WRT The Epiphone: I bought a new Gibson L-00 Sunburst from a large music store and a $300 insurance policy. It sounded WORSE than that Hummingbird. It took so long to arrive, they wouldn't take it back and wouldn't pay for correcting the problems even with the insurance. Truly a waste of money. Never again. Buy from someone trustworthy like the Acoustic Shoppe.
Excellent review. I was pleasantly surprised to watch it, as I just ordered my first guitar this week, the Ibanez AW54OPN (lefty). Now I need to learn how to play it … 😅
The Breedlove and Eastman sound shockingly good.....But for the price of some Martin cases, I'll take the Yamaha. You guys get a 10/10 for guitar store RU-vid content.
I absolutely hate the concept of a "beginners" guitar. Always buy the very best guitar you can, even if you dump it a month later. Thats life, the school fees you pay. The chance that you will carry on after finally getting Fmaj under wraps is at least 50% better
Their opinions of the Taylor GS Mini run counter to the views of millions of people including myself who firmly believe that it's an excellent guitar for both beginners and seasoned players. And the gig bag is far superior to any on this list.
Apropos of the hideous Epiphone… Coincidence? I don’t think so. “NASHVILLE, TN (May 2, 2023) - Gibson Brands, Inc., the world’s most iconic guitar brand, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Cesar Gueikian, Gibson’s brand president, as president and interim chief executive officer, effective immediately. Gueikian succeeds James “JC” Curleigh, Gibson’s president and chief executive officer since November 2018, who will depart the company and step down as a director”... 😅
That Ibanez sound so beauty warm smoth sounding on every frequence all way real high up Im a educated sound enginere back in the days and now listnen with real god reference headphones Im also a collector of real god vintage acoustic guitars I some got nice Sigma Sg7 1974 Dove Martin coroporation stamped imported and orderd by Levin sweden Also the real god sounding Sigma Sg9 1979 by Martin Corporation stamped imported of Levin sweden. And a Ibanez F310 Bk 1980 and newer Fender cd 140cse all mahogny and a Taylor big baby 2011.
I am left handed, so guitar buying is a problem. But my first acoustic guitar was a Yamaha, bought it off of Amazon. One great guitar$360.00 and even though I have a Martin, I hate it, have a Taylor K26ce and a Cordoba nylon string now, my second most played acoustic, is my Yamaha.
Im in Australia and was looking for a 3/4 or travel size guitar to carry around with me on the go. When I played the Ibanez AW54JR the tone is what won me over. I Couldn't find anything that could compete that wasnt double to tripple the price. The neck is thinner than the full size as well obviously making it easier to handel. Its a win for me and I absolutely would recommend for a kid or anyone looking for a cheaper travel size guitar.
Bought the same guitar, 15/16 size of a full size guitar... The tone has matured over 2 years of light playing... Surprisingly, it is one of my favourite too...
Im shocked the Epiphone Hummingbird got such low scores As someone who purchased one. It did need a slight action adjustment but once it was setup with Elixir strings it plays and sounds great (Mine arrived completely playable). In my experience the brand new Humming Birds tend to really open up a ton in the first 10 or so hours of playing and continue to sound better and better with time. At $450 you get solid mahogany back sides and neck with a spruce top and a decent Fishman Piezo Its is just really unfortunate your example arrived in the condition it did that is completely unacceptable for any retailer. In my opinion you recieved a terrible example of good guitar.
With the GS Mini, if you can find a spruce top version with the ebony fretboard, absolutely rich sounding! My son has the spruce top version and my daughter in law has the mahogany top version. So I've played both and much prefer the spruce top version!!
You could tell when the Yamaha come out it was like "well we really didn't want to review this" truth is Yamaha probably would have had 5 out of 10 contenders in this test. And taken out the top 5. There's a reason there the best selling guitars in the world. And I wasn't surprised to find out later The Acoustic Shoppe doesn't sell them. I've played all the big brands and some guitars 5x the price and they didn't impress me! (I'm in no way connected to Yamaha but I do ride there dirt bike's and even they tune better than 90% of these guitars)
I'm adding an Orangewood Morgan Natural Burst Live for 2023. $265 but sold out into 2024. A bit modern cutaway. It's got a Fishman pickup, solid mahogany top with layered sapele mahogany sides/bottom, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard/bridge, bone nut/saddle, scalloped x bracing and a well-padded gig bag. Name brand strings. Because you've only spent 265, you can add a Fishman Loudbox Mini combo for $350 and still be in 1st buy territory.
I love what yall are doing. I really like Eastman. I know alot of dealers don't like Orangewood because it's a direct to consumer but I would love to see what yalls thoughts were on them especially compared to Eastman.
Honestly, we actually haven’t come across any to play them & don’t have an opinion on them yet. Maybe we’ll see one in the wild & get a chance to check them out!
Highest frequency of commercials of any RU-vid video I've watched. Two thumbs down. I like these guys and they're very talented but this video is unwatchable due to the frequent interruptions.
Interesting comparison. Yamahas always rate high. I have been a fan of breedlove but not a fan in more recent years. I do recall playi g my 1st e1d. It was a cannon and put it on my short list. I like ibanez but those cheaper aw54 did not play well for me at all. Screamed cheap at me. But the higher end +$100 small body ibby opn mahog models are also very impressive.
gs mini is my first guitar. been playing just under a month I bought it because to me it has an amazing tone I think like 8 or 9 I don't like the sound of any dreadnought I ever heard . and is very comfortable for me but I'm only 5 ft 9 I'm not a tall guy. to me it's perfect for the price
I know this video is about guitars and I do play the guitar but the guy in the flower pattern shirt sounds so much like Charlie from It's always sunny it's uncanny
I am a brand new learner of guitar, bought one years ago but injured hand twice and it sat. Ibanez AW200 pre China . Wished I had something like this back then . Dial up Internet when I purchased it.
I owned an epiphone hummingbird pro...it was the most souless guitar that I have ever played. That being said, I've played the new inspired by Gibson series and it was one of the best guitars for the price.
This video popped up in my suggestions not even an hour after I arrived home with my newly acquired Academy 10. There weren't a lot of options and it just felt good in my hands.
i agree and that’s too bad. There are a lot of online reviews to show Epiphones to be quality guitars and excellent value. I paid under $300 for my epiphone and i m very happy with it.
If new guitarists had seen the guitars we could get hold of in the UK in the 50s they would think all these guitars were perfection. Correction, not the Epiphone. In fact this sample was about close to a 50s acoustic.
