Yamaha GigMaker Standard Acoustic Guitar w/ Gig Bag, Tuner, Strap and Picks - Natural

I'd never played guitar until I bought this one last month, so I can't compare this to others, but it's a great deal for the price. Yamaha quality and consistency are worth the few extra dollars you'll spend over cheap starter guitars.If you're buying this as a gift for a beginner who has nothing, this is probably an awesome deal. If you're buying this for yourself, the extras may not be worth the extra money, unless you're a complete beginner who isn't sure if you'll stay with it, in which case the DVD alone is probably worth it.Concerning the glue issue raised by another reviewer, mine did not have any unsightly extra glue squeezed out from where the neck extends onto the body. Sure, it's evident that glue was used, but only upon extremely up-close inspection.--------PRICEThe guitar alone (F325 Acoustic Guitar) is currently $17 less on Amazon, so you're essentially paying that much for the extras. From what I've seen looking about at DVDs for learning, the DVD is worth that if not more. Unless you decide that playing guitar isn't for you though, you'll most likely be replacing other extras, so, except for the extra set of strings, I wouldn't factor those much into the price.--------EXTRASSome thoughts on the extras:DVD: Excellent -- professionally done and doesn't seem to be available without the kit. Teaches the basics like how to hold it, tuning, strumming, etc. The Chord Dictionary is pretty nice -- shows various chords and finger positions for them. The Chord Studio is pretty cool -- you play chords you've learned with a backup band, which makes practicing fun. The only negative thing I'll say is that the initial intro had me worried about the quality of the rest of the DVD, but it turned out to be great (the instructor seems much more comfortable showing you things than he does just standing there and speaking at the beginning).Digital Tuner: The one included in the kit is the Qwik Tune Electronic Guitar and Bass Tuner ' QWIQT11. Based on reviews, you're probably going to want a Korg, as another reviewer said. You can the higher-rated Korg GA-30 Ultra Compact Guitar and Bass Tuner currently for less than $11, or pay a few dollars more for a large-display model like the Korg GA-40 Large Display Guitar and Bass Tuner or Korg TM-40 Large Display Digital Tuner and Metronome (which both had "add to cart" pricing as of this review).Extra Strings: You'll need them, eventually. Worth a few bucks, anyway.Picks: You can buy these for next to nothing, but it's nice to have a few to start with.Guitar Strap: It's not pictured in the non-kit F325, so not sure if it's a true extra. At any rate, I'm not convinced this would last more than a few months before starting to look ratty. It's a strap though and functions as one.Gig Bag: Like someone said, it's not worth much, but for this price, I wouldn't expect much either. It might keep your guitar from getting scratched -- or might not (since it's not padded or lined, I wouldn't be surprised if putting it in and out of the bag won't do more harm than good over time.). It's not going to protect the guitar if you intend to travel about with it and it's not useful for carrying anything but the guitar. Check out the World Tour WG20D Deluxe 20mm Acoustic Guitar Gig Bag or Musicians Gear Deluxe Dreadnought Case, Black for a couple of high-rated, economic options.Overall, I'm thrilled with my purchase, even though I've added a hard case, strap and tuner to my wish list for Christmas.

nice quality guitar. My first one. Looks great and sounds good.

I've been a very on & off guitar player for many years - mostly off. Now that I'm getting older and less rambunctious, I wanted to get back into it for the pure joy of playing (badly, but who cares). I pulled up a number of reviews on a wide range of guitar makers and kept coming back to Yamaha.This guitar is a great instrument for beginners and seasoned players. It has a very nice, crisp sound on both the high and low end and looks as good as it plays. All for under $200. I say it's a great bargain!

I am a newbie to guitar world when I bought this guitar. I knew nothing about guitar or playing guitar.The first two month, I did not play regularly, because my finger tip is hurting. After that, I start play every single day about 2 or 3 hours. Sometime more, one time I believe I play 6 hours in a day.The first time I ever change string is when the string getting too old and broke itself. That is about 6 months. Around that time I start to notice something is no right, but I cannot tell what exactly that is. Also, my practice time is decrease.About 11 months since I start to play, I know is the crappy sound make me play less and less. I used to play 2-3 hours per day. However, I can only play half hour at this time.After a 15 month, I cannot stand that sound anymore, bought a new guitar.Generally speaking, it is good guitar for a beginner. It has everything (tuner, pick, straps, bag and stay in key very well) you need to start play guitar. The guitar tone, as a newbie, you can’t tell the different anyway. As your ear development, you can hear the different tone between good and great. That is time for your moving on.Overall, this is a guitar for people not sure how much they want to step in to the guitar world, for people has limit budget need a pretty good guitar, and a guitar cheap enough so you can fool around with.

Nice sound easy to playVery affordable

It play good I like it, mines did not come broken or scratched I think. Mines also came with picks and a tuner but I didn’t use the tuner but I think the tuner is good.

I like it.

I bought this as a gift for an older family member who was looking to start playing again but didn't want something that would hurt his fingers too much. This has been exactly that. It has a nice sound and is easier for him to use.