In the market for a non electric guitar with a slim neck

[Simon Barden]

It can be, especially if you try to do it all on-line. But if the shops were open and you could try things as normal, it wouldn't be too hard.

[fender3x]

Okay, I see, thank you. It's harder than buying a car

I don't think it's harder. You just need to believe your ears and your hands. I generally start by going to a couple of shops that have a lot of acoustics. Play them all. See what your hand likes, and what pleases your ears. You may be surprised.

Just before the pandemic I helped my brother-in-law from Colombia buy an acoustic on a very limited budget. I was amazed at how easy it actually was to find a very decent acoustic that would not break the bank.

Avoid guitars with high actions, warping around the bridge (rarely a factor in an expensive guitar, but sometimes an issue in one that is badly braced) and, as has been said, laminate tops.

IMHO and FWIW ;-)

[McCreed]

FWIW, buying online from a good retailer with a good returns policy is the best way to go in lieu of being able to walk into a bricks and mortar shop nowadays. There are companies (especially in this new world) that make returns hassle-free, so "try after you buy" is a minimal risk.

I know the Cort I mentioned may be at the lower end of the scale price-wise, but it ticks a lot of the boxes you posted and includes some good features: Solid Spruce top; Mahogany arched back; 43mm nut width; Soft V contour neck; Fishman preamp.

Not trying to push it on you, just putting it out there (again ).

Cort SFX1F info link

[fender3x]

Looks like it's a good price too...

https://www.thomann.de/de/cort_sfx1f_ns_2.htm

[ThatCluelessGerman]

I like the Cort, and I'm pretty close to getting it ;-)

Talking about Thomann, what do you guys think of this guitar? https://www.thomann.de/de/harley_ben...solid_wood.htm

I haven't played a Harley Benton before, I always thought these are the low budget options, but this one looks like the craftmanship on it is really nice. Wood bindings and all. It looks awesome. But is it a good guitar?

[Simon Barden]

The specs look good, but I don't believe their acoustics are as good value as their electrics are. I've only seen one review of a couple of these upper-range HBs and there were some issues. I'll edit this and include the relevant video when I find it.



You can deal with rough frets now though!

My concern with the Cort is that it looks like it's got a very thin body, rather like a Yamaha APX, and designed more for plugged-in tone than acoustic tone, which is thinner sounding than a deeper bodied acoustic. All about reducing feedback.

Which is why it's important to try before you buy. You may love it, you may not.

I like Max's reviews. He's pretty straightforward and generally picks up important points.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Here is a video about the Harley Benton. It sounds fine - but yeah, actually you can only really judge when playing it yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmz5OLcZ3jA

Good thing with Thomann is, that they have a great return policy. Bad thing is, they don't have the Faith guitars

[Simon Barden]

If you are prepared to pay a bit more than that Faith, then one of these would be very nice indeed, and ticks all the 'small' and 'cutaway' boxes as well as being a very nice guitar indeed. https://www.andertons.co.uk/acoustic...tka-sprice-top

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Oh, yes, this one looks good! But - 1000€ here in Germany - I think my husband would not approve. The faith is already leading to heavy eyebrow-raising. I think I need to stay at or below 650€

[McCreed]

My concern with the Cort is that it looks like it's got a very thin body, rather like a Yamaha APX...

It's actually a bit deeper than the APX by a 1/4" at the edge and has a arched back which is supposed to make it better for projection as well as tone. Yes, it's not going to sound like a jumbo dreadnought, but part of the brief was a smaller body. Thus why I suggested the Cort that I have. And it actually sounds very good unplugged.