Best Acoustic Guitar Under £200. Advice You Will Never Hear From A Guitar Shop
Geschrieben von: Richard Cholerton
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Time to read 5 min
Looking for the best acoustic guitar under £200?
Do not be fooled by "best acoustic guitar under £200" recommendations you find on guitar shop websites and industry magazines!
3 YEARS ago I did this video talking about this very same subject and whilst I forget the exact motivation for the video at the time I am pretty sure I would be saying something similar to what I have just been observing - and felt compelled to tell you.
Here is the video on "The Best Acoustic Guitar Under £200"
It seems 3 years on - and nothing has changed.
What Is The Advice Guitar Shops Don't Want You To Know?
OK - So guitar shops, especially big online stores who provide you seemingly endless choices of "guitars under £200" all share one thing in common. Most of the brands they are showing you are all from similar factories - often with poor or non existent human welfare standards - and has anyone even checked into it?
I have - I do. The truth is pretty grim and many of the factories supplying brand names you know and love are using factories exposing workers to untold dangers - carcinogens and poor working conditions.
The supposed "choice" you receive is no more than a color change, a variation in body shape, a brand name on the headstock but this is all smoke and mirrors.
So where should you be focusing your attention most of all? EXACTLY where they do not want you to look.
Which is.... HOW DOES IT PLAY? HOW DOES IT SOUND? Where was this MADE?
You may as well forget the descriptions and recommendations - merely content on a page to try and make one guitar sound more interesting than another. They are all much of a muchness - in terms of quality - feel - sound - Its next to impossible to differentiate one from another. Thats the TRUTH - whether you want to hear the truth or no - thats the reality.
So whats MY advice when looking for the best acoustic guitar under £200?
1. Have the guitar setup - either by the shop you are buying from or privately after you have purchased it.
Every single guitar I sell is setup to perfection. If you had your guitar setup privately at Richards Guitars in our workshop it would cost you £85 - but when you buy a guitar - its FREE.
As well as the FREE setup worth £85 - ensuring your guitar plays to perfection - You can return the guitar in 6 and 12 months to have it reset!
Guitar shops do not want you to know HOW important a setup is. If they let you know this crucial fact you would soon realise how utterly pointless it is scrolling through page after page of acoustic guitars under £200 when NONE of them are setup pre sale - and if they SAY they do - they are most likely telling "porkies" - because if they DID, they would be shouting it from the hill tops! Its a very expensive, time-consuming process, which high volume retailers do not have the resources to provide - so they dont mention it whilst appearing to offer you lots of choice - and even when they do - you need to make sure this setup they talk about is actually a full setup and not just "tuned".
Watch The Following Video To See How Much Work Goes Into A Setup (FREE With Your Guitar Purchase At Richards Guitars)
2. Buy a brand that is the ACTUAL manufacturer
If you want to test my advice, ask any other store you visit, how many of the guitar brands they are recommending actually MAKE the guitar they are selling? You will soon find out that probably NONE of them do. So to give you a sample.... Ibanez, Tanglewood, Sigma, Fender - all brand names you THINK would make guitars - but dont ACTUALLY make them in this case. They out source to what are called OEM manufacturers like Cort guitars who will produce the guitar with their brand name - and ship it to them - for them to pass on to dealers - who pass them on to you - the guitarist looking for the best acoustic guitar under £200!
But think about it? How on Earth can a brand name, who has a large marketing budget, guitar endorsements to fund, who is having to pay an external manufacturer to produce their guitars and have them shipped to them - be as economical to produce and supply as a manufacturer who is selling their brand direct to the distributor or retailer? In simple terms - any manufacturer using an OEM producer will have to sell the guitar at a higher price than the OEM manufacturer selling their own brand direct.
OK - So the simple question therefore is how many manufacturers who produce OEM guitars also supply their guitars direct? Well I deal with both of the highest profile examples - Cort guitars and Fujigen guitars. Fujigen are made in Japan and renowned for their high end guitars and Cort guitars are the Worlds largest manufacturer in the mid price market.
Cort have technologies that most brands could only dream of and have put brands like Tanglewood guitars, Ibanez guitars, Fender guitars on the map when it comes to providing players affordable acoustic guitars - but ultimately the way to get most bang for your buck is.... to buy a CORT!!!
So now we have TWO vital pieces of advice that will save you so much pain and heart ache - as well as money.
What is the point of buying your first acoustic guitar under £200 only to then have to upgrade 6 months later because the guitar you have bought plays like a cheese grater?
Putting these two vital pieces of advice together and the obvious conclusion I would give you is...
The Cort Earth 60M has just been launched for 2023 and is INCREDIBLE and comes complete with our FREE professional setup (worth £85) as well as a 6 and 12 month check and reset at our workshop totally free of charge.
I guarantee you that my ONE offering of a solid topped Cort acoustic guitar under £200 will play better than any other guitar you could buy elsewhere - will sound fantastic and be of the highest specification your budget can afford.
So? You want me to give you 50 other body shapes, colors, or brands to browse? I can't - because they are not my recommendation - for the reasons highlighted above - but should you wish to buy a more expensive guitar or a brand of lesser quality - we can of course have that guitar setup for you to a professional level for £85
Here is the Cort EARTH60M With its solid mahogany top this is an incredible guitar and with our professional setup included this is literally second to none...
Hi Richard
Very interesting piece. Certainly made me think. I was thinking about getting the Vintage VE900MH after reading a review. I don’t know if they make them themselves or not and so fall into your category of actual manufacturers.
I have an Alvarez AD60 12 string that I literally cannot get my hand around due to worsening tendonitis in my left wrist (fretting hand) so need to sell. Its virtually untouched and un-played and just gathering dust.
I’m after a more manageable budget electro acoustic under £200 just for home use and the occasional small gig in a duo setting.
Need to sell the Alvaraez first though
Any advice
Cheers
Ian
Für mich gibt es keinen Unterschied zwischen "persönlichem" und "geschäftlichem" Leben - es ist alles "mein Leben". Verknüpft und daher sehr persönlich. Zu jeder Gitarre, die ich verkaufe (JEDE), kann ich Ihnen die Hintergrundgeschichte erzählen - über die Menschen, die sie herstellen - das Ethos der Marke und wie sie mit meinem eigenen übereinstimmen - es sind echte persönliche Empfehlungen, die auf 28 Jahren in der Branche basieren.
Da die Branche von Marketing, Hype und"blinder" Markentreue beherrscht wird, konzentrieren sich die Einzelhändler auf das, wonach sie gefragt werden, und bemühen sich kaum darum, das Bewusstsein für Gitarren zu schärfen, die besser sind als die, nach denen Sie gefragt haben. Das führt zu einer Menge schlechter Kaufentscheidungen!
Hier ist eine kurze Einführung in die Marken, die ich oft als "meine Babys" bezeichne, aber eigentlich könnte man sie einfach als "Benchmarks" bezeichnen. Prüfen Sie die Preise - prüfen Sie die Spezifikationen - prüfen Sie die Qualität und die Hintergrundgeschichte - und finden Sie eine Marke, die es besser macht - oder auch nur nahe dran. Tatsache ist, dass Sie bei Richards Guitars keine schlechte Gitarre kaufen können - Sie werden nur die beste finden - abgestimmt auf Ihre persönlichen Anforderungen.
Meine "Persönliche Sammlung"
Detail - Klarheit-Kraft-Resonanz-Schönheit
Furch hat alles verändert...
Ich habe Furch vor über 20 Jahren im Vereinigten Königreich eingeführt - zusammen mit meinem guten Freund Keith Twine, der inzwischen im Ruhestand ist.
Zu dieser Zeit war ich ein führender Anbieter von Marken wie Gibson, Martin und Taylor. Die Erfahrung mit Furch-Gitarren machte mir klar, dass es etwas gibt, was man "kennt" und was man "kennen sollte". Nur weil man es nicht weiß, heißt das nicht, dass es nicht existiert!
Was bedeutet das alles? Vergessen Sie, was Sie zu wissen glauben, und öffnen Sie Ihren Geist für die Möglichkeit, dass Sie etwas Besseres finden können - und wir garantieren Ihnen eine Erfahrung, die Sie nie vergessen werden - mit Hilfe von Furch und meinen anderen persönlichen Funden aus den letzten Jahrzehnten.
Inspirierende Qualität, Klang und Gefühl zu einem Preis, den Sie nie für möglich gehalten hätten.
Eine britische Benchmark-Marke
Mit einer unglaublichen Vorgeschichte - Eine wahrhaft britische und doch globale Marke, die die gemeinsamen Fähigkeiten des Gordon Smith Teams in England und einer kleinen Boutique-Werkstatt in China nutzt - Das Ergebnis? Unglaubliche Qualität, die die anerkannter Massenmarken zum gleichen Preis weit übertrifft.
Wir waren der erste britische Händler für Eastman-Gitarren...
....und ist weiterhin der größte und erfahrenste Händler in Großbritannien, der Eastman-Gitarren in ganz Europa liefert.
Ursprünglich bekannt für die außergewöhnliche Qualität ihrer handgefertigten Gewölbedecken, die von Geigenbauern hergestellt wurden, entwickelte sich ihr Ruf in die Welt der elektrischen und akustischen Gitarren, die nach wie vor in Handarbeit hergestellt werden.
Eastman ist mittlerweile zu einer sehr dominanten Kraft in der Gitarrenwelt geworden, die in jedem Gitarrengenre, auf das sie sich konzentrieren, das Beste in der Klasse" produziert.
Niemand kennt sie besser oder kann Ihnen eine bessere Erfahrung bieten.
Ganz gleich, ob Sie sich für einen Besuch im Ausstellungsraum oder für einen Online-Kauf entscheiden, Sie könnten nicht besser aufgehoben sein.
Ich habe mich seit 1995 auf Godin-Gitarren spezialisiert.
Godin löst seit über 30 Jahren die Probleme von Akustik- und E-Gitarristen und stellt die göttlichsten Instrumente her, die stilvoll und von höchster Qualität sind und gleichzeitig die praktischen Bedürfnisse des modernen professionellen Gitarristen erfüllen.
Man könnte sagen, Godin ist der Gegenpol zu Gibson! Der Ruf von Godin beruht größtenteils auf der Mundpropaganda von professionellen Musikern und Session-Musikern, die von ihren Instrumenten eine hohe Zuverlässigkeit und Beständigkeit erwarten, Nacht für Nacht.
Wenn Sie eine in die Hand nehmen, werden Sie bald ihren einzigartigen Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Gitarre verstehen.
Ich muss Stuart, dem Direktor des UK-Vertriebspartners Selectron, dafür danken, dass er an mich dachte, als er in der Gestalt von Luigi einen ganz besonderen Fund machte - einen Mann, der etwas baut, was man nur als spielbare Kunstwerke bezeichnen kann. Ein aussergewöhnlicher Mann - aussergewöhnliche Gitarren und ich kann Luigi und Stuart nur danken, dass sie an mich gedacht haben, weil ich perfekt geeignet bin, Luigis Arbeit in Grossbritannien zu vertreten.
Atemberaubende Gitarren von Männern, die ihrer Leidenschaft buchstäblich in einem Kriegsgebiet nachgehen.
Die menschliche Geschichte ist inspirierend, aber nicht weniger als die tadellose, sorgfältige Qualität mit einer enormen Prise der geheimen Zutat, die so viele Gitarren nie finden können - MOJO!
Die umfangreichste Kollektion an erschwinglichen E-Gitarren, die man für Geld kaufen kann.
Wir helfen Ihnen, das beste Spiel zu finden - Erschwingliche E-Gitarre
Ich fördere Gitarren der Marke Vintage seit dem Tag, an dem sie vor über 20 Jahren "geboren" wurden! In dieser Zeit sind sie einfach besser geworden... und besser... und besser! Nicht nur das, sondern die Auswahl ist einfach EPIC geworden. Da ist für jeden etwas dabei!!
In den letzten Jahren hat sich ProShop zu einem der aufregendsten handgefertigten Gitarrenhersteller Großbritanniens entwickelt, der die Vintage-Reihe als Baustein für die Herstellung wunderbarer und aufregender Gitarren verwendet, die normalerweise Tausende von Pfund kosten würden.
Sie werden so viele Marketinggeschichten und falsche Behauptungen über handgefertigte Gitarrengurte im Vereinigten Königreich sehen - oft mit einem massiven Premium-Preisschild versehen.
VERTRAUEN SIE MIR - DAS SIND...
Die feinsten handgefertigten Gitarrengurte aus Leder, die man für Geld kaufen kann
Handgefertigt in Walsall nach traditionellen Methoden von einem der größten Pferdesattler Großbritanniens.
Einsätze aus Memory-Schaumstoff sorgen für erstklassigen Komfort - diese Gurte halten ein Leben lang.
Eastman T386 (After 1 year, and having bought more from Richards Guitars)
I was anew customer when I purchased my Eastman T386 just over a year ago, and was very pleased with thre service and expertise of the staff, as well as the wonderful experience I had choosing the guitar oin their showroom. I went on to buy another guitar (this time a Fretless Bass, by Cort) which was a "Pre-Loved" instrument. Again the experience was very good, and the setup was excellent. Having recently had mny free 1 year setup up, I can again say that thee service offered at Richards Guitars is second to none. They are accommodating when it comes to organising things to suit you, and the setup itself ranks as the best I have ever had.
Handmade with precision and attention to detail by Eastman. Set up to perfection by the Richards Guitar team.
A modern boutique re-imagining of the classic single-cut mahogany bodied guitar of the '50s.
Beautiful clear, articulate, and dynamic tones. My Eastman SB59 is my main guitar, used for writing, recording, out on the road, and peaceful moments of home playing.
I purchased my Furch, sight unseen and unplayed. I explained to Jake my style of music, how I played and the sound I was looking for. Originally I thought a Dowina was for me but after a few online chats, watching a few online videos etc., I was persuaded that I should go for Furch Blue Gc-CM Master's choice with the CNR active neck model instead. I am extremely pleased with the service I received, the advice given and the updates on ordering, arrival and delivery. All spot on. I was in no great hurry to get it but it was good to be kept informed.
This guitar is something special to hold, to play and to look at. It really is beautiful in all aspects. I had wanted to buy another acoustic (ideally electro) for a while and with the advice of a friend who has the T98 Parlour Lag I went for the T98 ACE. I wanted a high quality guitar that would feel equally at home with finger picking and strumming, had a warm tone, well balanced highs and lows, has a lovely resonance and could somehow effortlessly amplify my soft figure picking in the absence of long finger nails...oh and at a modest price (below £500) - not too much to ask for right!? Ha ha
Well I must say this has exceeded all expectations and I got more than I'd hoped for with the T98 ACE and that's even before I plug it in!
What made it even more special was the much needed advice and guidance I received from the team at Richard's Guitars whilst weighing up my options as well as the care and attention that went into setting up the guitar to my specifications and making sure that it was nothing less than amazing before it was posted out.
The quality of the guitar makes me play better and sound better. Part of my goal was to get back into guitar playing after going through a period of years where life was getting in the way. I can safely say since purchasing this guitar I have played more in the past few weeks than I had in the past 5 years! It even spurred me on to put up a proper guitar hanging rack.
I highly recommend the guitar and what's more I highly recommend Richard's Guitars
Richards guitars provided an unbelievable experience via on line purchase. he guitar came well packed and arrived in fantastic condition. Communication via email was flawless. I've attached a picture of me in the Amazon jungle from this past July!
Just bought another wonderful guitar from Richard's Guitars. It's an Auden 12 string. It's what I was missing in my arsenal of guitars. It is an amazing guitar that was recommended to me by Jon and Jake and they never let me down. It sings so sweetly and I can't put it down. Another massive thanks to Richard, Jon, Jake and Chris the guitar tech for all the expert advice and knowledge they gave me. They are all so understanding and great guys. The fingertips are sore but I'm a very happy guy...all the best, Barrie
Richard Guitars - Furch Yellow Gc-CR SPA Master's Choice
I had a appointment to try some guitars in the showroom.
Jake had already selected some he thought I'd be interested in and was on hand when needed for information and advice. It was a lovely experience. I played a lot of guitars in those 3 hours and never felt rushed or pressured in any way.
The Dowina guitars are some of the most beautifully crafted instruments I've seen and play beautifully.
In the end I picked a Furch. The sound is exceptional - rich and resonant.
I left the showroom confident I'd picked the right guitar for me and paid a very reasonable price for it.
The guitar was delivered 3 days later. I'd asked for a couple of minor tweaks which had been done and overall the setup was spot on.
The whole team were a pleasure to deal with and I am a very happy customer. Would highly recommend.
I'm 74 years old, have been an electric guitar player since my teenage years and haven't owned an acoustic since my teenage 'folk' days. I've been playing live in bands for many years but stopped a couple of years ago and have some issues with arthritis in my hands. I still have 3 of my electric guitars but wanted an acoustic in order to encourage more spontaneous bouts of playing instead of having to pull an amplifier out and get an electric set up. I also feel that an acoustic will help me to focus on my technique.
I have spent a lot of time researching brands, suppliers and watching reviews. Richards Guitars, I thought, had a really customer focused attitude so, after talking to Jake about my short list and taking his very honest advice, I ordered a LAG T118ACE. Getting the guitar set up by Richards Guitars with the best possible action was a big factor and, within a few days, my guitar arrived ready to play. It's a complete beauty and a real quality instrument! Throughout the process, Jake has been there for me, answering my questions and pointing me in the right direction.
A huge "thank you" to Richards Guitars. All I have to do now is get used to playing an acoustic again!
Thanks very much to Richard's Guitars for providing such an outstanding service.My beautiful guitar arrived in perfect condition and was set up perfectly and ready to be played straight from the box.This service was invaluable to me as It would have been very hard for me to find someone in my area to do a proper set up for me.All in all top class.I'll definitely be back.
Thanks again.Luke.
Hi Luke
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a kind review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us and that your guitar arrived in perfect condition. We always strive to provide top-notch service and we're glad we could make the set up process easier for you. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Happy playing!
A couple of weeks ago I visited Richards Guitars at short notice and they were amazingly accommodating given my very narrow time frame. I wanted to try the Dowina parlour size guitars and Jake had set up several for me to try. I already have a Dowina GAC Rosewood/Cedar and wanted something smaller. The bv Pure was an absolute delight to play but I also asked if I could try an OM size Dowina. The moment I started playing the Walnut/Cedar version I was hooked. It was just the perfect size and felt incredibly comfortable to play and had a really sweet sound.
It arrived today, perfectly set up with strings I wanted and I could not be happier with it. Fantastic guitar and wonderful service. These guys are just the best.
