My husband plays guitar and recently helped my cousin's mom pick one out for a birthday present. Their budget was higher and they were buying new, but the guidance is often similar. I'm going to just paste his whole email of guidance here (note, I know nothing about guitars, but he does, I think
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Avoid these brands for acoustic guitars: Ovation, Yamaha, Fender. Ovations are made from fiberglass. Ick. And for the price point, there are many better acoustic guitars than Yamaha and Fender.
Stay away from "baby" or travel style guitars. Their neck sizes are different, and they're not well constructed.
Don't buy an Ovation. It's worth mentioning twice
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What to look for when picking a guitar:
Get a guitar with a solid wood top in you can find one. Not absolutely necessary, but good to have.
Price points. There's always guitars on sale every day at guitar center. Always. Salesmen may say a sale will end soon, but it really won't. S ince I don't know what you're planning to spend, I've put some general pricing guidelines and recommended brands below. If you're paying less than what's outlined here, I can't be so sure of the quality you're getting without actually being there (though you might still find a winner). If you're paying more than the listed max, then you can probably get a better guitar for that price. Oh, and the prices are for the SALE prices if you go to Guitar Center.
§ Washburn (Don't pay less than $150, and don't pay more than $250.)
§ Takamine (Don't pay less than $150, and don't pay more than $350.) It's pronounced "talk-a-MEAN-ee" but some say "TACK-a-mine." If you're torn between a Washburn and a Takamine, get the Takamine.
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Epiphone (Don't pay less than $250, and don't pay more than $600.) This is Gibson's less-expensive brand. My guess is that you'll end up buying an Epiphone. It's a very popular brand, and it's a good value. For the higher-priced Epiphones, consider getting a hard-shell case.
§ Guild (No low-point, but don't pay more than $700) For this brand, definitely get a hard-shell case.
§ Larivee (Any price is fine here. These generally go for around $600-$800). This is the best value as far as higher end acoustics. For this brand, definitely get a hard-shell case.
§ Martin (No low-point. Don't pay more than $900) For this brand, definitely get a hard-shell case.
§ Gibson and Taylor (any price is fine here, but they generally go for $1k+) For these brands, definitely get a hard-shell case.
Once you have one picked out that you like, check the guitar bridge (that's where the strings meet the body of the guitar). Make sure it's not peeling from the top of the guitar. Strike each string lightly and make sure there's no buzzing coming from the bridge. I usually do a lot of other checks on a new guitar, but these are the most important.
There are some other common options for guitars. Cutaways allow the player to reach the higher frets more easily for solos, and on-board electronics allow the player to plug in to an amp. In most cases, either one of these options will run you about $100 more.
