Startone CG851 1/4

I think the target market may be kids, but there are many who use these kind for travel. So, from this perspective, these are my notes:

Pros: Cheap. Small, the body fits in a backpack with the neck sticking out which I bag. I also use a 1/4 gigbag. Very good sound actually. I like the sound of top 3 nylons; tone is clear and easy to sing with (baritone). Surprisingly loud for its size.

Cons: Requires tinkering to get most out of it, see below.

Easy: I tuned this one 5 semitones up so it's exactly the same as standard with capo on 5, including fret lengths; ADGCEA. The strings become too loose for standard EADGBE.

Moderate/hard: The strings are too close together, and they don't sit in notches near the hole (!). I widened the strings and sawed small notches in the white part near the sound hole. Guitar stays in tune and strings are as wide as on a normal electric guitar.

If you want to attach a strap, you'd have to remove strings and drill a hole and attach at least the bottom nut. Though, the guitar is so light the strap may not be necessary.

Three stars might seem a little harsh for a guitar of this nature, but here's why:

This was bought as a birthday present for my three year old boy. As an instrument for a three year old it is okay. I don't mind if he bashes the crap out of it, draws on it with texta, or generally destroys it, as long as he gets a feel for the guitar and is able to move onto a bigger and better instrument when the time comes.

But the quality was on the edge of me deciding to send it back. The fret work is non-existent, the painted finishes are sloppy, the fingerboard is rough - generally it just doesn't live up to the quality I've come to expect from Thomann (although to be fair this isn't a Thomann or Harley Benton product). Basically this isn't much better than a toy shop guitar, which is what I was hoping to avoid.

But, it is marginally better than a toy shop guitar. It does look like the real thing. I does play okay with a bit of work (don't waste money on a shop setup - you can probably shave the saddle and nut down yourself). And I guess because of the quality I am a lot happier with my boy treating this badly.

Having said all that I am about to purchase a 1/8 model as a first birthday present for son #2.