I bought the Yamaha JR2 for my daughter as a Christmas present and I was surprised. I didn't expect it to be that good because of its price but WOW!!! The resonance is unbelievable given that it's not made from solid wood and the neck is so comfortable, perfect for kids who are learning. This is my third guitar from Better Music and they never disappoint me. The guitars are well set up and the packaging is unbelievable every time. It just shows how much they value their customers and that's why I keep coming back. I don't usually leave reviews but I appreciate what these guys are doing. Keep up the good work!

Over the past few months I have bought several small scale guitars for my grandchildren. The youngest being 3 and the oldest being 11. Some of the Guitars I purchased were used and a couple were brand new. There were a couple of Fender SP-1"s in the batch and a couple of Van Goya Guitars from China, a Yamaha JR-1 and the Yamaha JR2. They were all fun to play, but being 3/4 or thereabouts scale guitars the tone suffered from the diminished size of the guitars. Smaller Guitars equals smaller tone. However the Jr 2 was the exception. I bought the JR-2 because of all the others I was most impressed by the JR-1. The JR-2 was the last of the guitars I bought. I've had several Yamaha guitars down through the years and all of them were good guitars with good sound and ... MoreOver the past few months I have bought several small scale guitars for my grandchildren. The youngest being 3 and the oldest being 11. Some of the Guitars I purchased were used and a couple were brand new. There were a couple of Fender SP-1"s in the batch and a couple of Van Goya Guitars from China, a Yamaha JR-1 and the Yamaha JR2. They were all fun to play, but being 3/4 or thereabouts scale guitars the tone suffered from the diminished size of the guitars. Smaller Guitars equals smaller tone. However the Jr 2 was the exception. I bought the JR-2 because of all the others I was most impressed by the JR-1. The JR-2 was the last of the guitars I bought. I've had several Yamaha guitars down through the years and all of them were good guitars with good sound and playability. This little JR-2 is a real performer. The tone is much fuller than the other offerings and the playability is head and shoulders above the others. I had to do extensive work to frets, string heights and neck adjustment to get a decent amount of playability from each of the other guitars. The Jr-2 needed no adjustments. I only oiled the fingerboard because the heat in the house is very dry and all of the guitars benefitted from some Fender Fingerboard Rescue fingerboard treatment. The Tobacco burst finish was great other than a few hard to notice scratches. I dressed up wear that was evidenced on the edges of the binding on the top and bottom of the guitar body due to use. The guitar was obviously used substantially, but the condition of the guitar is still great. I'm very happy with this one.

This is a good guitar for the money. It's built well seems to be staying in tune decent and sounds decent. This is a small guitar so if you're expecting deep rich acoustic tone, it's not going to happen. However, this isn't a toy, it's a real instrument. I bought it for my 7 year old and didn't want to spend a bundle until they were a bit more responsible regarding taking care of an instrument and until we see whether they actually want to take the time to learn to play. This is a perfect guitar for that situation. I initially thought it might not be staying in tune well but as it's settling in, it's fine. I haven't changed the strings yet however when I do, I will polish the frets as well and expect the playability and sound to improve. I actually tried a Luna ... MoreThis is a good guitar for the money. It's built well seems to be staying in tune decent and sounds decent. This is a small guitar so if you're expecting deep rich acoustic tone, it's not going to happen. However, this isn't a toy, it's a real instrument. I bought it for my 7 year old and didn't want to spend a bundle until they were a bit more responsible regarding taking care of an instrument and until we see whether they actually want to take the time to learn to play. This is a perfect guitar for that situation. I initially thought it might not be staying in tune well but as it's settling in, it's fine. I haven't changed the strings yet however when I do, I will polish the frets as well and expect the playability and sound to improve. I actually tried a Luna while I was checking these out and really liked the Luna neck better however when I played it, it sounded terrible in comparison. Much more "toy like". This comes with a decent gig bag and a truss rod tool. Overall, satisfied with the purchase and would recommend it as a good starter instrument. If they stick with it, then you can consider going for a Martin or Taylor.