Ashton D 25 (left handed) Reviews 4

I taught myself to play the guitar as a teen but then let it go for several years. Coming to Australia I ended up playing the guitar with a friend but, being left handed, needed to buy my own guitar rather than rely on other people's cast offs strung upside down!

I bought the guitar second hand for $70. The buyer had tried, and failed, to learn to play guitar on it and it was virtually as new. For a beginner or less than serious musician, buying a second hand guitar from a local seller can mean a lot more bang for your buck, especially if you see the guitar with a friend who knows the score.

For a beginner or a second, expendable, guitar this instrument is fine. It looks the part, with a cutaway design and even sports an internal amp, though I haven't tried to use it and it's probably next to useless. The guitar stays in tune, has a low enough action and a decent sound although it naturally lacks the fullness of tone of a more expensive solid top instrument.

The amp is probably more of a gimmick than a usual feature, the sound is a touch tinny and it would have little resale value.

The guitar is well made, though from obviously cheap wood. The tuning machines are fine, the frets comfortable and the action low. A guitar for this price could be nearly unplayable, but this is a perfectly competent piece of work.

If you can afford it buy a Yamaha or a Washburn as your first guitar, but if you can't then this Ashton is a decent substitute. If you want to learn how to play, you can learn on this, it won't let you down and a more accomplished musician could make it sound sweet. It's everything you need to start off with or to take to the beach.

Nick Mallory rated this unit 4 on 2006-09-06.

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