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As far as very cheap guitars go, we are often quite reluctant to make any recommendations simply because there's a lot of unusable crap out there. However, one of the few products we can thoroughly recommend, and possibly even crown as the best cheap acoustic-electric guitar on the market is the Thinline series from Jameson Guitars.
This thing can be yours for as low as $100, yet it packs all the features, durability and sound quality a beginner needs. This is a great instrument to start your musical journey with and one of the top newbie items out there. We took it for a ride, here come the conclusions!
We are looking at a nato sides and back combined with a spruce top, along a maple neck, and a classic rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and white dot inlays. Cheap ingredients, but they work. The components secure a solid sound, packed with brighter and mid-range frequencies, along with a solid chunk of bass to round up the mix.
As for the neck, we're looking at middle thickness, so it's neither shred-friendly nor super chunky. Further on up the road, the guitar features a classic headstock, but what makes it stand out a bit is the aesthetic part. For a cheap guitar, this is a really pretty instrument, and that blue-to-black finish looks smooth a whistle!
The six-string comes with an onboard stock pickup and a built-in EQ that allows decent sonic variety. Perhaps more importantly for this price range, it allows you to dial in several audio settings that actually sound good. Once again, you get what you paid for, but it works!
Additionally, the instrument utilizes a set of six die-cast tuners distributed in groups of three around the headstock. They hold the tuning pretty nicely and you will have zero tuning issues as long as you don't strum super hard.
Other notable features include a rosewood bridge and a black pick-guard. To make the deal even sweeter, a free gig bag and a set of guitar picks have also been included in the mix.
Now the time has come to address the crucial issue – what's the sound like? Well, it's not bad, and that's a great start for this budget range. The guitar is free of certain issues cheap guitars have such as tendency to get out of tune easily or poor intonation that can't be fixed.
Apart from that, we're actually liking the treble frequencies produced by this fella, and the mid-range punch isn't half bad either. The basses are present in the mix enough to make a well-rounded sonic image, and there's generally not much room left for complaints.
The sound is more than good enough for beginners and can even be of use during the intermediate stage. Combine that with high playability and you've got yourself one of the best cheap beginner guitars on the market.
To draw a simple conclusion, this guitar might be cheap, but it offers possibly the best value for money on today's market. We're talking under $100, which is a ridiculously low sum for a genuine instrument you can use to kick off a musical journey of a lifetime. Good stuff!
For more info about Jameson Guitars Blue Full Size Thinline, click here.
For more acoustic electric guitars, click here.
Earl Browning says
i bought a Jameson acoustic thinline electric Redburst in Jan. it is the best guitar i bought. it has a very good sound. it stays in tune, it has great sound on everything you play, it is easy to play, i would recommend it to my friends and family. i am very proud to own one of these guitars. i am going to buy my wife a pink jameson. she is learning how to play. it comes inspected. when you get it you will have to tune it just a little. if you don’t play it for a week it will hold its tune.
Ronald says
This is a surprising little guitar. It is well made. Better than the first guitar I got, a kona pos. The kona had a hollow dead sound about it. Not to mention a mystry wood fret board and bridge. But this guitar has a real rosewood bridge and fretboard, items you usually don’t see in a less than 100 dollar guitar. The action on it is great and you don’t need bionic fingers to play it like my old kona. Its slim body makes it easy to play and that’s a plus. It comes with a cutaway that alows you to access the lower end of the fret board. Using spruce as a top, even laminated is a plus in this price range. The NATO back and sides are nice too. Overall this is a great sounding guitar. If your looking for a second guitar to take camping or playing outside at a beach, it’s very sturdy and tough. Its a great starter guitar for a beginning student learning to play. Highly recommended.
Jason says
I ordered one in May and didn’t receive any shipping information for about a week. So, I contacted them and they told me that the green one was out of stock, but would send me any other color with a free capo and expedited shipping. A few days later I received a red one.
It played fairly well at first… actually it was surprising how good it sounded for a $100 guitar. But after I couple months, some issues popped up.
The saddle started leaning forward, messing up the intonation. I contacted the company and they said to send pics and they would have a tech contact me. That was on September 5. It’s now November 5 and I still haven’t received a response.
I did, however, send them another email today, regarding another problem.
The frets are so worn in places, that some chords are not even playable. I’ve never seen this happen so quickly, so drastically, on any instrument. Most of my basses, and one of my electrics, are strung with stainless strings which kills most fret metals, and none of them even come near the amount of wear on the frets of this guitar.
Chuck G says
I’m a beginner. I bought the Red burst and an Ibanez Jampack IJV50. Stick to the Jameson. You can learn on this guitar. I struggled so much on the Ibanez it was painful. The Jameson allowed me to play so much easier than many other “beginner” guitars I tried. It’s truly a fine instrument.
Jennifer says
This guitar sounds great and easy to play. I love it. I’ve had for months and I haven’t noticed any changes other than having to tune it from time to time. Love, love, love the sound period. Love love love the price, period.
Tom Miller says
Does this guitar use a battery for the pickup? If so where is it located