The number of beginner guitars in India have been ever increasing since the last five years. While this is a great news it also invites confusion among the learners on which one to go for. Usually the decision on which guitar to buy relies around these factors -
Factor | Pros | Cons |
Cheapest Guitar available in the market | Budget friendly and can feel promising. | Very Poor quality and can hurt fingers badly and hamper learning. |
Popular options available in the market | Decent Guitar to begin with basics and more | May not be good for growth. Size may not be suitable to all |
| Guitar Tutors / Friends recommendation | Opinions based on experience | Outdated experience / Personal experience may not suit everybody |
| Local music stores recommendation | Variety of options and possibility of trying it out | Pushing high margin guitars with substandard quality |
| Personal researched preference of sound and look | Buying a guitar based on personal preference | Research is limited and does not have longevity report |
We listed down the pros and cons because we have seen a lot of people making mistakes when it comes to decision making while buying their first guitar. So we decided to do something! We gathered information from teachers, students and a lot of guitar players who have bought the HEX GA70c and F70 series about its performance. That combined with our experience in checking these guitar and servicing it in later stages - We formed really strong opinions about these models.
In India one of the most famous beginner guitars are Yamaha FS80c and Yamaha F280. While these are decent guitars to begin with, we were never fond of the their sound. So when we discovered the Hex F70 and the GA70c we started recommending every beginner these options as they were just about 2000 to 3000 more than other popular brands. The build quality of both the HEX guitars is the finest in the price range of Rs. 10000 to Rs. 12000. The sound did not feel entry level at all. It infact felt warm and had clarity to individual notes. Basically it was not all over the place!
Going in detail about each model -
Hex GA70c - This is their entry level grand auditorium model priced modestly at Rs. 12500. All laminate wood and really good fretboard and bridge. We have rarely found such good rosewood being used on guitars under 15k. The frets are mirror polished and is super smooth to play. Neck is comfortable to almost every hand and this guitar comes with a basic 5mm padded bag as well. This we can suggest to folks above the height of 5.4 for a long lasting comfort. The HEX GA70c also comes in an electro acoustic variant - GA70ce that has Fishman Sonitone onboard! That also makes this the cheapest guitar in India having Fishman Electronics. Adding the fact that all of Hex Guitars are Made in Indonesia.
Hex F70 series - This guitar is an OM shaped body that is very comfortable to any individual from 4.5 feet onwards. This guitar has the specs similar to the GA70c except the size and variants.
F70 comes in three variants:
F70m - Natural color
F70m/BT - Black top
F72m - All Sapele Guitar
Electro acoustic variants are F70e, F70e-BT and F72e (Please click the models to go to the product page)
We have made a complete review about both these guitars and the F72 as well and you can check them here:
F70 vs Ga70c - Click here for Full length Video
F72- Click here for Full length Video
To summarise, the Hex GA70c and F70 series are one of the best choices a beginner can do to start with their journey to become a guitarist. They sound good, they are built well and the craftsmanship is nothing short of premium. With good quality wood, Indonesian craftsmanship, fishman electronics, balanced sound and a gig bag - these guitars become our top choice of beginner guitars under the price range of Rs. 12000 in India
