Acoustic guitar recommendation (Budget US$200)

[Hishandmaiden]

What are some good new or used acoustic guitars within my budget?

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

I'm not too familiar with acoustic guitars in particular, but Sweetwater is an amazing music store in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Here's a link to the guitar section on their website; contacting an employee may work well, or you can browse to see what all they have:
Acoustic Guitars | Sweetwater

 

[Kenny'sID]

If you are just starting out, a $200 to 350 guitar is all you need, I'd even recommend it. Use it, see if you like playing enough to go with something better, and if you do, use the cheapo for a beater guitar.

Yamaha has been doing it for a long time now and I would recommend the big body of whatever you get

They do sell Chinese copies of say gibsons (Chibson the call them) and other brand names they say are pretty decent guitars and I might go that route. Get them on Ali express

YouTube is very helpful on those as well as opinion of cheap guitars sound over expensive, and you may be surprised in your favor.

 

[Monksailor]

Red's Pawn shop in S. Bend provided me a very good professional grade oboe, about $7-10K these days, for just under $1K a few yrs back. I think I found it on ebay, not sure. Craigslist also could get you a LOT more for your money, BUT take a tenured (not in his own eyes) guitarist with you. What little I know is about how the sound is created from Music Laboratory at Interlochen Music Camp about 50 yrs ago. The kind of wood used, its thickness or variable thickness, the specific shape of the hour glass, how the neck is connected and integrated to the body, the material of the neck, the material of the bridge and how and where (specific distances) it is, the style and type of string retainers at both ends, type of string, the material and style and integration of the bars, for quick and accurate and secure tuning, the specific mechanism employed for tuning the strings should be some considerations. Another is if you get a cheap guitar you could be very well discouraged from playing or continuing it due to inherent and unavoidable flaws of a cheap guitar. It might be a lot better to buy a good used one with aesthetic flaws than a new poor quality one within your price range. Good used instruments, even professional grade ones, get banged up sometimes and just cannot be kept for the demanded aesthetic appearance also by the audience but are perfect for one not there yet but desiring a superb sound and characteristics of a professional or high quality instrument. If it has been slammed to the ground, forget it. All joints and connections and laminations must be tight in order for the instrument to properly resonate.

 

[Pathfinder627]

$200 is pretty tight. You might be able to track down a used Yamaha. They're a decent sleeper brand, imho.

 

[Richard T]

If you have never played much it is wise to get an experienced guitar player to help you. You want something that sounds decent but also you need to test every string on each fret to make sure there are no dead spots. Also watch the distance between the frets and the strings in a resting position. The higher off the frets the strings are the harder it is to play. The online sellers I know are musiciansfriend.com and guitarcenter.com Watch for their deals of the day. Black Friday might be a great time to buy a guitar. I bought my sister a new basic yamaha for just over 100 bucks on a Black Friday online about 2 years ago. Used is often fine too, but again some experience in playing sure would help. For around 200 here is the best guitar I can find at musicians friend. You have to decide if you want acoustic with the ability to plug it in or just acoustic alone. https://www.musiciansfriend.com/gui...pruce-top-auditorium-acoustic-electric-guitar If you do buy online, you can look at the reviews. And the big sellers do generally allow returns but I am guessing that would be tough to do on a guitar as far as the shipping.

 

[WolfGate]

I would recommend one of the below. In that price range Yamaha is going to get you a playable guitar that will be well made. I started on a very similar guitar from Yamaha - the main difference is mine had a solid wood top. It was a great first guitar and very easy to learn on.

This is the most popular size of acoustic and the larger of the two.
Yamaha FG800 Dreadnought - Natural

This is another popular size. Body is smaller which may be better if you are smaller
Yamaha FS800 Concert Acoustic Guitar - Natural