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

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Hey there,

my birthday is approaching once again and the best gifts are the ones you buy yourself, right?

So I'm in the market for an acoustic guitar with a preferably slim neck and a small-ish body (no jumbo stuff).

I came across "faith guitars" from UK, they seem to match my needs:
https://www.faithguitars.com/guitars...o-copper-black

Does anybody here know or play a faith guitar? Can you recommend? Or any other recommendations for an acoustic with slim neck profile and smaller body? Preferably with cut away. I currently play a Höfner 7/8 which I really like but the neck is a tad wide and it doesn't have a cut away which makes playing the upper frets quite difficult.

Thanks folks!

[McCreed]

I've not played any Faith guitars but they are available in AUS and seem to get good global reviews.
The model you posted goes for just under the $1k mark here so that puts it well above entry level, and below upper range instruments (if that makes sense). FWIW, I did see a couple of Faith models up around the $2400 range as well.
2400 bucks may not be a lot to many acoustic players, but I've owned cars that didn't cost that much!

My suggestion may be well below what you're looking for, but Cort makes some very good value instruments. I'm not a big acoustic player but own a Cort SFX-1F acoustic that sounds and plays really well. This model fits into what you've mentioned regarding thinner body (the also SFX has a arched back) and the neck is a good shape and size (narrow/slim) for my smallish hands and has a cutaway.
It only cost me about $500 with a Cort hard case, so lower end of the scale but as I said earlier, acoustic guitar is not my go-to instrument, so wanted something good quality for a short price. The Cort more than meets my needs.

Also worth noting the Cort has the same Fishman Presys preamp that the Faith model you posted has. Which sounds quite good plugged in btw.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Oh yes, nice, thank you! The Cort does not look bad! I have never played one before, what is the quality?

[dozymuppet]

Cort is good. I have a Cort acoustic bass. Great quality materials and hardware.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[McCreed]

Oh yes, nice, thank you! The Cort does not look bad! I have never played one before, what is the quality?

IMO, good quality and workmanship especially for the price point. I have not done (nor found it necessary) to any fretwork. I did adjust the nut and saddle heights, but that was just personal preference and nothing you wouldn't do on most mass-produced instruments.

My only complaint, FLOABW, is the buttons on the tuners have a sort of satin feeling material on them which were fine at first, but after about 2 years started to feel a bit sticky to the touch. In the end, I had a set of 3 x 3 tuners in a box, so I just put them on rather trying to source new buttons that would fit. (dropped right in btw)
Apart from the funky buttons, the tuners worked great mechanically. Smooth, stable...

They may have changed the hardware since I got mine in 2016, but I don't know for sure.

[Cliff Rogers]

Have a look at a Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.
See if you can find one in a shop to try.
Impressive little guitar for the price.

[McCreed]

No cutaway on the Taylor though...

[Simon Barden]

I had one of the very first Faiths, a Neptune with a finish that's similar to their current 'naked' finish. I also tried out a hi-goss Neptune a couple of years ago.

My Faith was a decent guitar, but I didn't like the thin finish. It made the guitar easy to mark, and it made it very vulnerable to changes in temperature and humidity. One day it could sound fantastic, bright and sustaining and the next, dull and dead to play. I gave it away to a friend of mine and he found exactly the same thing.

The far more recent version (mine was a non-cutaway with no electrics) I tried was a lot better. The thicker gloss finish made it behave like any other acoustic, plus it looked far more attractive IMO. Had a really nice acoustic sound, played well and I was very tempted to buy it.

So yes, I can certainly recommend them, well the glossy finishes at least. I'd avoid the more basic 'naked' finishes. The thicker satin finishes should be OK too, but I prefer the gloss.

But there are so many nice acoustics out there at that sort of price point. It's hard to buy one that's badly made these days. Faith is one good option, but there are many more.

I have a Martin DR road-series dreadnought from about '05. The neck on that is very slim and electric like. So a high-end Sigma Martin copy may be worth a look (if the necks are like that Martin is). My old Gibson Country Western had a neck that could have come off an SG. My Takamine has a nice slim neck, and my Maton has an easy to play one as well. So, in general, most acoustics have necks that are comfortable and quite electric-like to play. You'd be best avoiding ones more designed mainly for fingerpicking, as they will have wider necks to make fingerpicking easy. But maybe 80% of them will have a thinner all-round profile.

But I would strongly recommend that you buy one you've played. Despite being well put together with decent wood selections, an acoustic simply isn't as adjustable in terms of set-up as an electric is. So you are reliant on the action being decent from the start. If it's more than 1mm or so higher than you like (put a capo on to eliminate any high nut issues- which can easily be sorted), then you'll probably need to do a lot more than take some height off the saddle. Sometimes if there's a lot of neck bow, the action will come down significantly when it's straightened, so take that into consideration. But if one guitar you try plays well and the other badly, and they otherwise sound and feel nice, then you know what guitar you'd take away with you.

That happened with my Takamine. I was going to buy the '99 limited edition, as my mate had the '98 limited edition and I liked that, but the one in Andertons had such a high action it was almost unplayable. So I bought a very similar style Takamine at the same price, that had a really good action and was easy to play.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Thank you, that helps a lot! I had a few "classical" guitars so far, I guess these are the opposite of what I actually want with big bodies and broad fretboards.

Good point with playing and testing one.... But to be honest, I have no idea when I'll be able to do this. Almost all shops here are closed since November/December and I think trying and touching guitars is currently not highly appreciated. But I think you are totally right and I should just wait a little longer until shops re-open. At least I hope they do before or next lockdown next autumn -.-

[Simon Barden]

Our shops have just re-opened,though Covid precautions and distancing still apply, but at least it's possible to go and try things again, even if it might require some forward planning and a telephone call first.