Looking for a Budget Small Bodied Acoustic.

olafgarten

Hi, my 12 year old Cousin wants to start playing Guitar and has a budget of £250 to get something. He has played my 000 Sigma and finds the body a little to big so we want something smaller than that. I will take him to GuitarGuitar later this week, but wanted to know if there is anything to watch out for.

So far I have seen the Gretsch Jim Dandy and the Epiphone EL-00 Pro.

thermionic

Not easy to find over here (I got mine from Thomann) but The Loar LH-250 is very similar to the Epi EL-OO but is a much better guitar (google some reviews). The build quality and finish is fantastic and the grain of the wood on the neck, back and sides is stunning for a £200 guitar. The Loar are the same company as Recording King but the brand was never really marketed over here compared to the US. My Taylor doesn't get a look in these days, with this little thing leaning against the side of the sofa.

olafgarten

thermionic said:

Not easy to find over here (I got mine from Thomann) but The Loar LH-250 is very similar to the Epi EL-OO but is a much better guitar (google some reviews). The build quality and finish is fantastic and the grain of the wood on the neck, back and sides is stunning for a £200 guitar. The Loar are the same company as Recording King but the brand was never really marketed over here compared to the US. My Taylor doesn't get a look in these days, with this little thing leaning against the side of the sofa.

It looks like the Loar is £324 right now.

thermionic

Ah, sorry, I meant the LH-200, which is what I have. The LH-250 is basically the same guitar but with solid back and sides, and so is a bit more expensive. They have a few other small-bodied guitars around £250 though.

In this case, trying a few in shops sounds like a much better option than buying anything off the internet.

stimpsonslostson

My standard response to all such queries is the Vintage Paul Brett Signature model. I've got the 12 string & love it, the six string is supposed to be just as good. You might be able to find one within budget. Failing that the V300 (also by Vintage) is a stunning wee guitar & stupidly cheap!

olafgarten

I will look into all of these suggestions, I prefer to be able to play the guitar first, and he said he wants the guitar to be new. The V300 looks very nice and I think I may have found a place that stocks it.

nick79

The v300 is very nice, i almost bought one but found a Tanglewood parlour guitar that i fell in love with.