# Decent Acoustic guitar under $400 CDN



## UdonPower99 (Apr 9, 2021)

Hi, I've been playing guitar for almost a year now my first guitar was the cheapest Denver full sized acoustic one could buy from Long and McQuade. I was thinking about upgrading to something better... Is a decent acoustic under 400 even feasible? Should I even upgrade? Please share your thoughts/good guitars under 400 or right at the 400 mark... Thanks!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

No one can really answer this question but you. How you like a guitar to feel and sound is a very personal thing. If I were you, I would go to a guitar store with a good selection of acoustics and play every acoustic for $400 and under. I did this with a budget of $1000 and bought a Yamaha FG830 for $450.

For $400 I would look at a Yamaha FG800 and save some money or an FG820 for an upgrade.

Get a guitar with a solid top.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I think it can be done for 400 but you’d have to look around quite a bit and maybe buy used.

I have some expensive guitars and I also have a Sigma DR28V which I paid 650 for new. It would probably go for 400 used. If the Sigma was the only guitar that I had I wouldn’t complain. It sounds good and I’m using it a bit for recording because it records well and is easier to EQ than my Martins.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

I'll look at second hand market. I'll never buy a new one. I have enough experience to know how and what I buy.

Write in you profile where you live, some member may see good deals ?


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

You can usually find a good used Godin family acoustic (Norman, Seagull, Art & Luthier, Simon & Patrick) for under $400.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Look for a seagull S6.


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## Duntov (Apr 2, 2021)

Method #1 (the most important method) "The wand chooses the magician" from Harry Potter. 
As a previous poster mentioned, try a lot of guitars within your budget and find the one that speaks to you. 

Method #2 Play a guitar of a much higher caliber, then find the one if your budget that most closely matches the feel and sound of the most expensive instrument.

* If you have a budget for $400, but $600 opens the doors to a lot more possibilities, do yourself a favour and spend the extra money, or just wait until you can afford. A great instrument will inspire you to play and one you don't bond with will sit and collect dust. 

The previous suggestions of Yamaha or Seagull S6 are worth checking into...those two came to my mind..


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I would echo the recommendations so far and add Tanglewood to the list. You don't see a lot of them, but you should be able to pick up a nice solid-top for under $400 used.


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## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

Budda said:


> Look for a seagull S6.


This.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

UdonPower99 said:


> Hi, I've been playing guitar for almost a year now my first guitar was the cheapest Denver full sized acoustic one could buy from Long and McQuade. I was thinking about upgrading to something better... Is a decent acoustic under 400 even feasible? Should I even upgrade? Please share your thoughts/good guitars under 400 or right at the 400 mark... Thanks!


May I suggest looking at a used seagull. If you can get by the big neck they are really amazing 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> Look for a seagull S6.


Those are well over $400.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Those are well over $400.


On the used market?


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> On the used market?


The OP never mentioned looking in the used market so I would assume they are not.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Guncho said:


> The OP never mentioned looking in the used market so I would assume they are not.


I think a lot of people shy away from the used market. I was like that for years but after meeting a fella I soon learned the used market is better than new. A lot of times if the guitar was actually played all the little bugs are worked out of them . And not to mention how much cheaper it is


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

silvertonebetty said:


> I think a lot of people shy away from the used market. I was like that for years but after meeting a fella I soon learned the used market is better than new. A lot of times if the guitar was actually played all the little bugs are worked out of them . And not to mention how much cheaper it is
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Absolutely. The used market is the first place I look especially if you can do setups yourself. If you don't know how to adjust a guitar then I don't know if I would recommend the used market for a $400 guitar. Even a $270 guitar at L&M comes with a free setup which is an $75+ value. Let's say you find that guitar used for $200 but it needs a setup. Now that used guitar just cost you $275. Also nice to have a warranty.


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## nman (Sep 14, 2019)

Lots of nice used guitars for that price a bit lower and one setup per year should do. Check carefully before you buy for bridge stability, solid tuners, finish cracks from dryness, and the joint where the heel meets the body. Lots of youtube vids on this topic. And if the guitar has old strings, count on it to sound much better with new ones.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Love this group.

"What's the best way to do A?"
"Do B!"


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Denver guitars can be setup to play OK but the sound is not there. I wouldn't spend money to get it setup. Unless you are experienced with acoustic guitars you should look at new and get them to throw in a setup after you've played it for a couple of weeks. There are many things that can go wrong with an acoustic. If you don't know what to look for you should stay away from used in that price range. I agree you should look at the Godin family of acoustics. You should also look at Yamaha acoustics. You should be able to get something that sounds better and with a decent setup plays better than the Denver in your price range.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Love this group.
> 
> "What's the best way to do A?"
> "Do B!"


They never asked what the best new guitar for $400 is, just which guitar for $400.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> They never asked what the best new guitar for $400 is, just which guitar for $400.


You are 100% correct.

I am using what my children call inference.


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

...another big +1 on anything in the Godin line. Nothing wrong with the lower-end Art & Lutherie, but best bang for the buck will be Seagull.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> You are 100% correct.
> 
> I am using what my children call inference.


I generally don't infer people want to pay more for an item


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

Kerry Brown said:


> There are many things that can go wrong with an acoustic. If you don't know what to look for you should stay away from used in that price range.


100 % right


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Well, as you play, you get more at ease, play better, hear better and yes, you need a guitar that suits you better and sound better.

A an upgrade, for 400$, I only see buying a used guitar. Unfortunately, the pandemic made prices of used guitars rise much as dealers cannot be visited much to buy brand new ones.

Anyway, for information, I bought two brand new guitars two year ago : an Eastman AC122ce for 600+ tx and a Seagull Performer CW QIT (Godin) for 800$ + tx. The are quite decent guitars. The Godin 5th Ave (acoustic archtop for practice) B stock was 600+ tx.

The local music store (Twigg Musique) I bought my Eastman from apparently stopped selling those.


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

This is my son playing his Simon and Patrick SongSmith. Yes, I’m biased; it sounds amazing to me. Buy a used one for $300.


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