5 comments about Washburn RO10 Steel-String Travel Acoustic Guitar.

1. Quite a lot of fun, this little guy is light and airy and plays as such. The carrying case and extras (strap, picts) make this an easy purchase for someone who would like to take a guitar on little trips. Easy to tune and easy to play right out of the box, but don't expect a big sound. While I'd recommend the electric Traveler guitar for better play and sound for a small travel guitar, you're going to pay triple what this Rover will cost after buying an effects filter and cables and mini-amp.
   
   So for cost and purpose, this is a good purchase.



2. It seems that several reviews mention the "tinny sound" and that it's "hard to hold." Well yeah, I guess to a certain extent I'd have to agree with both of those statements but really people, this is a travel guitar. It's meant to be backpacked across Europe or into the woods camping. You don't want to lug your $1500 Martin into places like that so you make compromises. Compromise #1: Somewhat "thinner sound"..goes with the thinner body. Agreed. Compromise #2: "tinny sound", see compromise #1. Agreed.
   Overall bottom line is that if you want a very well made instrument that has quite acceptable sound that you can easily take into some hard to get to places, this little rover would be hard to beat. Sling this baby over your back and rock on.



3. My 17-year-old son thinks this guitar is awesome. He travels a good deal, to visit his girlfriend who lives in another state, and he also camps out with his Boy Scout troop in all kinds of weather. The guitar has held up nicely, even with rough treatment. The backpack/case is substantial, but the whole thing is still lightweight. He mentioned the tinny sound that some other reviewers mentioned, but also said that it's not as bad in front of the guitar as it is for the player. He is a member of a Christian Rock band, and he uses it for practice when they don't take time to set up all the electrics and gear. Based on how much he's used it, just since Christmas, I think it is well worth the price, a great value.



4. I really love this thing! I love to sit and strum in the evenings at home, but I expecially love to sit and strum when I get a break from work. Packing my full-size guitar into the minivan, with luggage, two kids, and a wife, is just tough. This little thing alleviates that problem. I can take this thing to the beach, to the mountains, or wahtever. I can sit on the balcony, or by the pool, and not have to worry so much about handling my big standard acoustic. It sounds really good thogh. You obviously lose a little bass because of the smaller body, but it still sounds great.



5. The neck on this guitar is extremely playable. I love its feel and good action more than my Guild or Martin dreadnaught-sized acoustic guitars.
   
   The sound is tinny and small, but that is to be expected from anything with such a tiny body. It fits the bill for something totally portable.
   
   As other reviewers have said, it doesn't sit on your leg easily. That's because the neck is heavier than the body - not because it is a heavy neck (it isn't) but because the body is so light and has a smooth, almost tear-drop shape. But you just put the strap (included) on it and it stays up just fine.
   
   One reviewer on another site (zzsounds) said it smelled like "an acre of used cat litter in a chemical dump." I would not describe the smell that way, but it is clearly a disgreeable odor. Luckily, it is not a very strong odor. You have to be playing the guitar to smell it. It won't fill the room with the awful odor. After 5 days it has dissipated a little bit (or maybe I'm getting used to it) - maybe it's down 30% lower than when it arrived. Still objectionable, it is probably the smell of the lacquer they used. Not a sweet 'solvent' laquer smell - it's more of a roachy and burnt or rotting carcas-like smell. I hope it dissipates more over the next month - I'd hate to have to return this beauty. Hey Washburn - is there any other lacquer you can use? Will this nasty smell dissipate eventually? Is there anything I can do to accelerate the dissipation or outgassing and get this guitar to smell less?
   
   If you don't care about smells like this, and you want a travel guitar, this is the way to go. If you are sensitive to odors, you'd better try it out first to see if the odor is acceptable to you or not.

5 comments about Amigo 1/2 Size Classical Guitar for Kids or Children.

1. I wasn't very happy with this little guitar when it arrived. There were several strings that sounded deadened, and it would not stay in tune. Since I already owned the guitar, I decided to see what could be done. I bought a new set of Gotoh classical tuners,a new set of quality strings, and proceeded to install them.
   
   Installing the tuners was easy and straigt forward, the only caution I have is to look at how the old pegs turn before you install the new ones. I didn't know how to tie the strings, so I Googled installing nylon strings, and found instructions that were easy to follow.
   
   After installing the tuners and pre-stretching the strings, I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of this little guitar, and it now holds its tune very well.



2. this guitar is a real instrument. It keeps the tuning for quite some time and sounds pretty good for its size. Even with adult fingers you can play it and our kids love it. Very good value for money and a good first guitar. If your kid loves it it can really be played on, if your kid does not love it, it's not a big financial loss either. So if you are thinking your kid may be interested in playing the guitar this appears to be a good starting point. Very recommendable.



3. We bought this guitar for our son for Christmas after reading the positive reviews. It's better than the piece of junk you get from a toy store, but definitely not a real instrument. The strings do not hold tone - our boy still prefers to play with Daddy's guitars. We kept this one just so the little one can bang it on the floor instead of the real guitars. Quite disappointed, I'd have to say!



4. I bought this for my kids and I ended up teaching my wife to play the guitar. It is actually an awesome little guitar for beginners and experienced players. Definite winner.



5. I shopped around for a low priced classical guitar and bought this one based on reviews. I was not only not dissapointed, I was very surprised with the quality of the instrument. I own three other premium guitars and have played guitar for thirty years. This guitar is a remarkable value at the price. One point to consider is that you will have to tune the guitar several times to allow the nylon strings to stretch enough to remain in tune as you play. This is common with nylon strings. There is nothing wrong with the tuning machines, as another reviewer has suggested.

5 comments about Crescent 38" Blue Cutaway Acoustic Guitar with Gig Bag and Accessories.

1. Do NOT buy this guitar!!! I was not concerned with quality when I bought this inexpensive guitar, but when I recieved it I found that it was impossible to get everything in tune.
   Something is not right about the spacing between the frets and/or the bridge, so when each individual string is in tune, if you play a chord it is WAY out of tune. I tried the other way, too--tuning it to play one chord. When I switched to a different chord, say, from C to D, that chord was not in tune at all.
   If you are looking for a basic, cheap guitar, my advice is to go to a guitar store and play it yourself before you buy it. That way, you will not have to pay $16 in return shipping like I did, and you will save yourself a lot of trouble.



2. I just got this guitar in the mail, and as soon as I pickes the box up, it was very light weight, that was my first sign that something was wrong. Then, when I opened the box there was the guitar, but it was so crappy. The strings are so thin that one of them broke on the first day (and I'm a really careful person), the actual guitar is very thin, and the paint was done very poorly. The head part of the guitar doesn't look anything like the one in the preview, and I cant find where you put hook up the strap on one end. Please I beg of you DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! It may be inexpensive, but you should save your money for something better!...oh and the frets are messed up too!!!



3. I was so pleased with this guitar. It was my first acoustic guitar, but I am glad that I purchased this guitar- it's been slammed into walls, and the wood still looks good. It was easy for me to play, and I plan on buying future guitars from Austin Bazaar. Only one bad thing- I received a red pick.



4. I recently decided to learn guitar and thought about teaching myself at home. Bought this guitar through Amazon.com after looking at some decent reviews on it and saw that the price is unbeatable. I like the fact that it is small and lightweight, and that it comes with a set of accessories, but I found it hard to tune. I would play a song that would sound 'right' going up the scale but sound 'off' going down the scale. I decided to take a class a month ago, and last week, my instructor tried to tune my guitar, and he said the guitar has an 'intonation' issue, which means that the guitar just wouldn't tune on chords even if the individual strings are in tune. I suspect there are problems with the frets markings. Overall, since I am pretty tolerant and big on cheap bargains, I would say this item is an okay bargain, and if you are unsure about pursuing guitar but need an instrument to try out, then you may want to get this. I was able to play melody ('Amazing Grace','Star Spangled Banner', etc) just fine. It will probably start giving me issues once I start playing chords. But if you are serious about playing guitar, get a better one, this one is a no go.



5. Please do not be tempted by the low price. This is a poor quality guitar and will only lead to fustration for beginniners. When I purchased mine, I immediately noticed the poor paint job, and several nicks and dents along the body. But most importantly the bridge is the incorrect size, which makes the guitar impossible to properly tune, or keep in tune without replacing it. Also, the board it's connected to is held in place with only plastic pegs with no sealing around it, which means it is only a matter of time before it breaks.
   
   I purchased mine thinking it would be a fine learner guitar, but after of few weeks of constantly trying to keep it in tune (Guitar strings should settle after only a couple of days, not weeks) I was so fustrated with it and gave it to my teacher to take a look at it, who pointed out these two important defects.

No comments about Esteban Master Class Black Cutaway Guitar Package w/ Amp, 5 DVDs and Accessories - Blem.

5 comments about Silvertone SD3000PAK NA Silvertone SD3000 Acoustic Guitar Pack, Natural.

1. I am Very pleased with the product. i recieved it in a timely manner and am enjoying it very much.



2. This is the first guitar I've ever learned to play on. I had no idea what to look for in a guitar, so I just went on here and bought one that seemed good.I later found out, that it's not good to buy a guitar online without seeing it in person or playing on it first. My guitar teacher said it's an average guitar. The sound quality is okay but it's not amazing. I enjoy playing it but the strings are a little high off the neck so it's harder to bar chords. Be aware that if you stick with this instrument you may need to upgrade.



3. When we received the guitar we were surprized at the overall quality of the package. The sound is excellent and very easy to play. This is absolutely the best deal not only for beginners but for the seasoned player as well.



4. Hi I'm Rachael, This guitar is so beautiful. It's even nicer than the picture. I love it so much. It was packaged very well and came out of the box still smelling like finish. It's very sturdy and comes with everything a beginner needs: chord chart, digital tuner, picks, a nice bag and strap. I love this guitar - I even took it to a music store and the guy said it was a great guitar and for 90$ it was a steal. He also said it had a very cool sound and said he was going to buy one lol. This is a great guitar for ANYONE and for a first guitar I couldnt ask for more. It's crafted perfectly and there are no flaws in the finish. I would definetly reccommend this guitar to everyone. I know its tempting when you see all theses 30$ guitars on here but I promise that you wont regret it if you spend a few extra dollars and get this one.



5. The item arrived in excellent condition. It was nice to get some free picks and a soft case but the tuner is worthless. Now the problem with this guitar is that it has poor tone. The sound is not the bright clear ringing sound you normally get with a good steel string acoustic guitar. Part of that is due to the quality of the strings. But, I would spend a little more to get a better product.

2 comments about Yamaha F325 Gigmaker Standard Guitar Package with Natural Finish.

1. I shopped around at music stores to price a good starter guitar. I was told about this product. After I went home I looked it up on line and the price was much less here through Amazon. I am very happy with the guitar so far.



2. I bought this to learn to play the guitar. It was a nice started kit. It came with all the basics and was a good deal for the price. The only downside was the guitar case. Very flimsy and no padding. You definitely will want to purchase another guitar case if you will be carrying it around. Other than that though, it is a great buy!

5 comments about Rogue RA-100D Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Black.

1. I've been playing the violin for 20-plus years and the guitar for at least 10 years, so I guess you could say I'm a fairly accomplished musician. As a musician, I have to say that this guitar is worth much more than its asking price. It looks great and sounds even better, especially considering that it costs so little to buy! I've owned several guitars and this one sounds just as good as any of the other popular brands. It's easy to tune and hold its tune just right. The proportions are nice, too, and fits nicely with my small hands. I'd recommend this to anyone, especially anyone looking to learn and practice. The black color looks great, too. By the way, I ordered this guitar on June 5th and it arrived to me on June 8th -- talk about fast!



2. Bought as a Father's Day gift for my husband, who is interested in learning to play. For a very moderate price, it seems very good value for the money.



3. The strings are easy on the fingers and the sound quality is quite good for the price, also it looks good.



4. I purchased this guitar for my husband as a birthday gift. He knows quite a bit about guitars and although he prefers electric guitars, he had been wanting an acoustic for a few reasons and for quite some time now. Over the past 6 months, I learned just how particular he was about the guitar's sound, color, and overall feel, etc., which is why I was a bit nervous about getting him a guitar for his birthday although I knew it would be a great gift for him. Anyway, I settled on this guitar and when he opened it he was really surprised and really excited to try it out. He loved it. He loved the black color, he loved the tuning machines, and the Martin strings. The sound quality was excellent, we were both surprised--I was surprised because I knew how much the guitar was; he was surprised with the sound quality because he had never even heard of Rogue guitars before. He told me that he loves how I choose his gifts. He plays the guitar everyday (if he can), and still really enjoys it! Thanks!!



5. I shopped around for a "daily player" not wanting to spend much money, when I came across this Rogue RA-100 dreadnought. I read reviews on Musciansfriend, Music123 and harmonycentral: all rating this guitar quite highly, and many of the reviews by playing professionals! That sealed the deal and I bought one, in fact a mandolin as well. I could'nt have been more surprised when they arrived. The fit and finish was very good, the neck was straight, the action was almost perfect (I did make a small adjustment to bring it down to 3/32ths), the black finish was flawless, the binding was well trimmed and the tuning machine heads were of better quality than I expected. The fretting was quite accurate up to the twelveth, then the intonation starts slipping. Overall, I was knocked-out for a nato neck, HPL body, spruce top guitar for under a 100 bucks! The Martin std. med. bronze strings it comes with are OK, but I replaced them with some M1400 Silk and Steel for a more mellow sound, lower string tension and easy playing. The sound is really remarkable for this price point. Good sustain, nice ring on highs, solid bass and mid tones. I recently visited a large chain guitar store and played several high-end guitars only to discouver that the sound was not markedly better than with this sub-100 dollar wonder! At least not seven to ten times better, as reflected in the prices.
   I would endorse this guitar for anyone seeking a good instrument at a very reasonable price. I've had the opportunity to hear some really wonderful sounding instruments over time, this is NOT in that class, but it IS one of the best guitar values I've ever encountered.
   Buy one, have a shop do a set-up (about $40) with new EXP 10's and you won't be able to put it down or stop smiling!
   P.S. Don't loan it to friends as you might have a difficult time getting it back.

5 comments about First Act Discovery FG130 Student Acoustic Guitar.

1. I have been reading the reviews of kids smashing these guitars -- which is of course amusing.
   
   DO NOT buy any guitar for little kids unless you are going to spend time with them. Teach them to not treat it as a toy. Don't just hand it over to them -- of course they will use it as a blunt instrument. OF COURSE the strings will be off the guitar in an hour!
   
   The secret of this guitar is that it is actually better for adults who want a cheap travel guitar for camping trips, etc. It is inexpensive, not terrible to play and compact. Do not buy this as your first guitar. Get a Yamaha Nylon String acoustic. They are easy to play and won't tear your fingers up -- so you will play more. This guitar is better for those that have played for a bit, and want something inexpensive to carry along.



2. This first act discovery FG130 was the prefect choice for our 6 year old grandson, this item seems to be better quality than some of the others on the market, I only needed to tune it when it came out of the box and our grandson was off and strumming.



3. I bought this item after my 3 year old showed interest in the guitar. I read the reviews and purchased the item with some hesitation. The reviews of this item not being durable is in my opinion wrong. It is an item for a small child to play with. and for that funtion it is great.



4. 
   I bought this guitar as a birthday present for my 3 year old. I had no expectations for it whatsoever. I bought it to be a toy guitar, she's not capable of knowing the difference yet and I thought this would be a great way for her to learn.
   No. Not even a chance. She unwrapped it, dropped it a foot onto the floor, closer to preschooler put down and the neck detached from the body. Snap. 4 staples were holding it together. Not 5 minutes out of the box.
   I glued it back together, again, I'm figuring this is a toy. While restringing the plastic guard that goes over the strings snapped off.
   In the trash it goes. Worthless.



5. I went online to find the manufacturer for this piece of junk only to find that there are mostly happy customers based on the number of positive ratings here. I, on the other hand, have been wildly underwhelmed. First the neck became completely unglued and fell apart after owning it for a couple months. After re-gluing the neck, three weeks later the bottom piece that holds the strings also came unglued. I discovered that they had only fastened it down with one screw on the right side and nothing on the left. Not happy at all so I would recommend that you keep your receipt in case you get one of the lemons like I did.

5 comments about Oscar Schmidt OU2 Ukulele.

1. This ukulele has been great. I've had it now for twenty four hours and every free second i have i've been playing it. It seems to be well built, it has good sound, and the strings seem adequate. I've already memorized all of the chords you might need for 99% of the songs out there, though this may be simpler for me because i play guitar. But nonetheless i can strum along now with any song i find a tab for. Other reviewers had mentioned an intonation problem, particularly once you reach the twelfth fret. I don't think my uke has this problem, and my tuner seems to agree with me, as after tuning the string the twelfth fret is in tune as well. However, even if you're ukulele has such a problem, you won't need to be playing on the twelfth fret unless you're doing hardcore solos, in which case you're probably committed to buying more than a sixty dollar uke. I love this instrument, it's fun, fairly easy, and very portable, and it's about as cheap as a good uke can get.



2. This is the first instrument I have ever played in my life. And honestly, this is a great starter for those who want to pick up ukulele playing. This is, of course, not a top tier ukulele, but it is decent enough for those who just want to play a couple of tunes whenever they are bored.
   
   The model of the ukulele lacks any finish and LOOKS (may even feel) like a toy, but is designed decently for any who wish to have a starter ukulele. It sounds great after you spend some time tuning it. It'd be even better if one were to replace the nylon strings with something else, which would definitely increase the quality of the sound.
   
   For a price of $60, this ukulele is good for anyone who just wants to play something. When you decide to get serious, then buy some new strings, or upgrade to a new ukulele.



3. This ukulele is a nice instrument for starting out on ukulele. I ordered it and got one with a light colored body and a bar bridge (as opposed to the mustache style shown here). Then I ordered two more and got dark red-brown mahogany bodies and mustache bridges.
   
   For the price, it is pretty nice. I had no quality issues with construction--no delamination, no coming apart. The sound was pretty nice, much better than I expected for the price. (That is, once strung with Aquila Nylgut strings.) It had nice balance of high and low, not "plonky," and decent sustain. The sound is quite pleasant. The action was good, and it fretted well for single-note playing. I would say it had its limits in chording high up the neck, but that's not this particular uke but the nature of the beast.
   
   The finish is plain but attractive, and while other low-priced ukes near this price look very cheap, this one looks decent. I had no fret snags, it was smooth the entire neck on each one I got. There was one issue: On one of the 3 OU-2 I bought, there was a buzz on certain fretted notes if played single-note.
   
   Overall, my experience with it has been good. Good enough that I would buy 3 total, so I could give my bandmates good ukes without breaking the budget. I like it, and I will probably buy another.



4. Just for a little background, I've been playing the guitar for about 7 years. If you're also a guitar player and wondering how a ukulele plays, it's easy. Just take your guitar, put a capo on the 5th fret, take away your top two strings, and voila! You have a ukulele. I have never picked up a ukulele in my life, but after seeing several friends having so much fun with this instrument, I thought I'd give it a try.
   
   This Oscar Schmidt OU2 Ukulele is the most popular (and one of the cheapest) here on amazon.com. From other reviews, it seems as if there are two types of colors you can get: a light or a dark finish. Unfortunately, you don't have the option to choose. Either way, this is a mighty fine instrument for anyone who's never played the ukulele before.
   
   Pros- The biggest pro with this ukulele is easy. The value! This ukulele is not some cheap toy you buy at Toys'R'Us. For the price that you pay for, you get a solid-sounding uke and it won't rip a hole in your wallet. The sound is bright and clear, but I do recommend getting better strings. Contrary to other reviews, the action on this ukulele seems great to me. Playing and switching between chords seem very smooth and I haven't had the annoying 'fret buzzing' happen. The tuning pegs are solid and easy to turn. It has the appearance of a quality uke. The finish isn't spectacular close up, but who's going to be looking at it that close anyways?
   
   Cons- After a few days of playing, the strings still seem to easily get out of tune. Of course, its expected because most stringed instruments are like that at first. After one week of playing, it's holding up somewhat well. Another thing (which in part is my fault, I should have researched a bit more) is that this is a very small ukulele! Supposedly, this is a tenor-sized uke, which is the smallest of all the different sizes. If you're a guitar player with big hands, playing this uke might be a pain and so you might be better of with a baritone-sized uke. And finally, I assumed they would include a little bag for the ukulele, but there isn't. Although it's small and cheap, I thought it would have been nice to include one :D
   
   My recommendation is to buy this ukulele if you're a first-timer like me. You will love it within minutes! So hurry and drop a few bucks, this ukulele will bring a smile to everyone who hears it!
   
   *4.5 out of 5 stars*



5. I am very disappointed. The ukulele is cheaply made, looks cheap, too.
   And it won't stay in tune. Now I have to pay for someone to take a look and see what's wrong with it. I should have returned it.

5 comments about Jasmine by Takamine S35 Acoustic Guitar, Natural.

1. Bought my Jasmine S35 at a local music shop. I own a fine Larrivee acoustic as well as several other guitars. The action is adjustable, and I have set it just right - low action, no buzzing. The construction is remarkably flawless. It plays (action) very well, unlike the laborious and discouraging quality normally found in inexpensive instruments. Although it does not ring out like more expensive guitars with finer spruce tops, it has a unique tone for blues fingerpicking and a nice, even strumming sound too. It doesn't look cheap. this guitar is a steal at $100.



2. I bought this guitar from Austin Bazaar as a Christmas gift for my 13yr old daughter who is keen to learn to play. It was excellently packaged and is a beautiful instrument. We could not believe the quality of the sound! It has a superb tone and is impressively crafted. Excellent value for money. We will certainly be recommending it to others.



3. Smooth the the touch. Smooth to the ear.
   
   Takamine's model designation for this is 'S35'. In my estimation, the 'S' must stand for 'solid', 'smooth', 'superb', 'special' or just plain 'sweet'.
   
   This guitar seems to be perfect for a beginner or amateur/recreational player.
   
   The construction and overall quality are very impressive. From the solid fit and finish to the easy to tune/maintain hardware - this guitar is top notch.
   
   Looks-wise, the finish is darker than pictured and is matte not glossy. The finish will not show finger prints like a gloss-finished black bargain basement model. This is one good looking instrument that looks like it cost far more than it does. It features a warm, rich wood tone exterior.
   
   The sound produced by the guitar is brilliant and warm. In terms of playing, the action doesn't seem to be too high as indicated in other reviews. I find this to be a very easy instrument to play and keep in tune.
   
   This guitar will never be mistaken for a cheap guitar. Compared to other 'entry-level' offerings, this product is in a different class. This guitar has received several "wows" and more than one "beautiful" from friends and family.
   
   Thanks to Takamine for producing a great product at an affordable price. It is encouraging to see that a true value can be had that allows just about anyone to put a quality musical instrument in their hands.
   
   In shopping for guitars I checked out higher-priced models from all kinds of makers. To be sure, a higher-priced Takamine or Martin will impress your friends and make you the envy of your neighbors. But pound for pound, this is the best guitar that I have tried out.
   
   If given the choice, I would purchase one again with no hesitation.



4. I bought this as a christmas gift for my husband. He loves it! It's a great beginner guitar.



5. I bought this as a gift for my daughter who just learned to play guitar, but she has been playing violin for the past 19 years since she was five.
   
   She liked it so far, but I am sure her expectation was partly based no the price paid. The guitar sounded pretty good to me who has not played any instrument.