Oscar SchmidtOG1TR-A-U 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar (High Gloss Red)

Okay ppl here it is. I'm a musician (not a mother... thank God aaand no offense) that's played on tour for 20yrs. I recently moved to NY and found myself traveling a lot so, I decided to invest in a 3/4 traveler. Actually "invest" is the wrong word. I just needed a beater I could knock around a bit and take with me on the subway/Amtrak instead of my $2g Alverez. Something I wouldn't be upset about if it got damaged or stolen in transit and for the same reasons I didn't want to invest in a higher end traveler (like a baby Taylor) Clearly I know the value of having expensive guitars in your arsenal. I myself have over $16,000 in mine but sometimes there's a need for a cheap beater you don't have to worry about but at the same time doesn't make you cringe every time you play it either. Also I'm a chick that plays dirty rock/metal so there's no need for more then one high end acoustic.That's when I started sifting through countless reviews and to my horror found that most where written by either parents buying guitars for their children, I meeean that totally makes sense but still I wanted to hear from real musicians that needed a cheap guitar for the same reasons I did or (my particular favorite) ppl who think their "experienced musicians" (legends in their own minds if you will) yet, in all their wisdom and "experience" seem to think a guitar should be perfectly in tune right out of the box or for that matter even stay in tune before they had stretched the strings. (Honestly I'm skeptical these ppl even know how to stretch the strings) I kept reading all these reviews where ppl would say "My guitar wouldn't stay in tune but after playing it for about a week it did!!" but they'd say it like it was magic or something lol and furthermore while we're on the subject, fret buzz isn't grounds for returning a guitar. It doesn't mean the guitar is "broken" I know right? Someone actually referred to a guitar as being (wait, I wanna get this right) "The sub par instrument was broken"... I can't even lol so for ppl out there who don't know, all fret buzz means is that the truss rod needs to be adjusted and the guitar intonated. In very rare cases it could mean the neck is warped or frets need to be filed but we're talking RARE for a brand new instrument. Also for all you ppl out there with your scathing one star reviews whining about how the STEEL string guitar came with STEEL strings (come on guys Its in the name) complaining that it's "to hard"... aaaah it's supposed to be hard. Yes, it's gonna hurt. It will continue to hurt until you build up calluses on your fingers you idiots. Also, fun fact nylon strings are for children, classical guitars, ukuleles and NOTHING else. So man up or you'll never learn to play an acoustic guitar.Sorry, it's just infuriating after reading a hundred some odd reviews of the same thing over and over again. Actually, I'm not sorry. I get that as a beginner or parent you're not gonna know some of this stuff just yet but my God, that's what Google is for. Clearly my venom excludes children. It's people like you that made me feel the desire to even write this. You know who you are. Anyway, after selectively finding reviews that where actually helpful from real musicians I finally decided on the Oscar Schmidt OH1 but had no wild expectations of it.As you may have discerned things like cosmetics and over all looks wasn't really a part of my decision making process. All I cared about was an inexpensive non-cringing or ass like tone in a convenient travel size. So, when I say this I don't say it lightly. After getting my OS in the mail today and AFTER I tuned it, stretched the strings and tuned it again... it's great. Seriously as a cheap 3/4 traveler (beater)acoustic it's sound quality is worth far more than $100. For all of you that actually care about what it sounds like, in my professional opinion I would say it has a much bigger sound than I expected in a 3/4 size parlor acoustic. The bass end is big for it's size and it's not overbearingly tinny either. So, I don't cringe when I play it and overall it doesn't have an ass like tone which is great. It's absolutely perfect for what I need it to do and for those ppl who care about this sort of thing yes, it's also pretty. So from an actual "experienced musician" to others out there looking for an acoustic guitar for the same purpose... as in, something to screw around on because you don't want to forget a riff or song you're writing when inspiration hits on the go it's perfect and will do just fine;) Also to all of the parents out there buying your child's first acoustic guitar I think they would be thrilled with it and you will be too.P.S. I took a photo of the OS with my Alverez single cutaway so you wouldn't have to do what I did and try to guess it's size in comparison. Keep in mind that my Alverez is an auditorium size guitar so it's smaller then a regular dreadnought acoustic.

This is a steal and a half for the $114 it's selling for as I type this, but when I ordered they were all $99 except the flame yellow ("FY", look at color options), which was $76.23, so I got that. Took 7 days to get it undamaged. Really good lookin', no photo I've seen (including my own hi-res pix) really capture how sharp this guitar looks; on the front, a dark yellow in the middle that fades to orange-ish and finally red, lots of streaks and layered 3d effects, shiny shiny; the back and sides a shiny orange/gold woodgrain. For the life of me, I cannot tell if the wood pattern on the front is real or somehow painted on, looks real and fantastic, just too fantastic for this price, if this were a 500 dollar guitar I wouldn't question it. Everything else looks very nice, white binding, good chrome tuners, pearloid trim on the back, binding, soundhole and in the branding on the headstock, can't be real inlay but looks almost like it is. Solidly built; I have a cheap(er) Chinese laminate guitar and a uke too, far better construction and materials with Oscar, don't know how he makes a profit. Super easy to play, almost perfect action for me, not gonna try and set it up. Only issue with this guitar is that the neck tapers to about 1 1/2 inches at the nut which makes the strings close together. I have small to medium hands for a grown man and I can play it; my standard A style mandolin has a skinnier neck and it's not made for kids. Nice sound for the size, could never project like a full size guitar but still pretty sweet with good volume and a balanced tone, not muddy; clean notes when plickin'. Good intonation without setup, stays in tune. You get D'Addario strings on it, a wrench for the adjustable truss rod and also a lifetime warranty. This is not a Little Martin or a Baby Taylor, but they cost 4 or 5 times as much. If you don't want to shell out 300+ dollars and you don't have larger fingers this is a very nice guitar, maybe just keep an eye out in case Oscar lowers the price again. Couldn't play guitar at all til I got this one and I've been having 2 other cheap ones for years, learned real quick, so a big fat dunca-shein to YOU Oscar Schmidt.

Most of the reviews and answered questions here talk about buying this guitar for children to learn on, but this guitar is also suitable for petite adults, people looking for something to travel with, or anyone who feels uncomfortable with a full size dreadnought. I am a tall adult woman, but the combination of large bust and shortish arms and fingers makes it rather awkward for me to handle a full size guitar. I was looking for an affordable 3/4 size with a decent sound, and this hits the mark. No, it probably doesn't sound as good as a baby Taylor or a mini Martin, but if you only have $100 to spend on a guitar this one won't disappoint. It comes with D'Addario strings, and is perfectly playable right out of the box. The bad reviews saying that it doesn't hold a tune are likely coming from beginners who don't know how to stretch the strings. My only complaint is that it doesn't quite look like the photo. I purchased the pink, and the actual item is much darker than the photo- think more pepto bismol than bubble gum, and the trim is a darker off-white than shown in the photo. It's a small thing, but the color was one of the reasons I chose this model. Overall I am quite happy with my purchase and I expect to get quite a lot of play out of it.

I chose this on the basis of the size of the fretboard since I have small hands. However, I didn't count on the body being larger than I expected but I should have also checked this out. (I'm a small woman, only 5 ft tall) It does have a very nice sound so I'll keep it.

Classy looking small dreadnought. A nice travel guitar or good for smaller players. Good price. Plays nicely and sounds good.

Decent guitar!

I bought this guitar because of it's beautiful looks. It says it's a 3/4 size. It isn't it's HUGE and I bought a hardshell case not knowing that it wouldn't fit. I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the tone because I'm a novice having been looking for a guitar to learn on. So far I've bought a 1/2 size Prima which turned out to be too small, then this guitar, which turned out to be too big. I'm now waiting for delivery of a Luna Safari Tattoo which won't be delivered till March/April.I'm hoping that I'll learn to be able to use this lovely guitar..so I'm keeping her, my advise would be..check sizes before you buy.

Excellent Appearance but sounds horrible