The Coolest Acoustic Guitar Under $200? Gretsch Jim Dandy Parlor Acoustic
The availability of new quality $200 guitars are disappearing fast, with material costs rising and manufacturers raising prices multiple times a year– enter the Gretsch Jim Dandy guitars: vintage inspired, easy to play, and easy to afford guitars that start at the VERY attractive $189 mark. Take a listen and let us know what you think.
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0:00 Intro
6:57 Specs
8:27 Final Thoughts
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Originally posted by UCIB3DqQuXKmM7DzEMppafDA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP-jdoOggw0
The Jim Dandy parlour guitar should be made of all solid woods: top, back and sides. Spruce and sapele will do fine, just like the Eastman parlour guitars. Keep the cool retro Jim Dandy look, it's great, just make it with all solid woods.
a Bloody Head and it's a Jim Dandy!! That's worth a couple of dime! -Bloody Head fairly Ren and Stimpy
I dig the whole Roots collection.
Set out to get one one of these 2nd handed, I ended up with the G9201 Honey Dipper 🙂
No one plays the ACTUAL guitar until the 7:00 mark. Jesus. I almost aged another year waiting for the slow stoner and the other guy to stop their endless yakking. Nice sound, finally!
Blab, blab, blab, blab. Play the blasted guitar, already!
As long as you keep the strings fairly clean and new these sound pretty good. I had the dreadnaught
Got one of these at the start of the year, great guitar. Really loud for its size, stays in tune, and setup/QC all good
I have a lot of guitars but somehow this always is the one I end up playing. With a Deltoluxe sound hole pick up, a cable free transmitter and receiver and a spark mini amp set on rev, this is an incredibly stable fingerpicking guitar–the whole set up is under 300 bucks and sounds like a million ( when I am on my game!)
I'm about a month late to the party on this video, but these Jim Dandy models are a super value and they sound pretty good for a "plywood guitar". I have one that I keep strung in Nashville Hi-strung tuning, and it covers that base extremely well for studio and occasional live work. I have a second one that has become one of my main songwriting guitars due to its ease of playability. Plus, they're inexpensive enough that I can throw it into a gigbag and take it to on a camp-out or a picnic without worrying about potential damage to one of my more expensive acoustics. This is actually one area where it excels– as the laminate construction actually makes it more stable and resistant to the shifting climate factors of the great outdoors. Thanks for another great video, gentlemen.????????
Awesome…I want one. I bet Shakey Graves would love that thang!
Bought one the bridge cracked and split . The intonation is really off. But i miss the compact size and it had better tone than expected.
I notice the bridge is straight. Could I re string this for a lefty? Thanks
My grandmother passed away in December and my aunt sent me 200 dollars from her account telling me that my grandmother wanted me to buy a guitar with it. I bought this not only because it sounds great, but Jim Dandy Mangrum is my cousin. It was strange how things lined up. It will be my most cherished guitar because my families blood runs through it.
I’ve owned my Gretsch Jim Dandy for almost a year and a half now, and I can confidently say: this little box has soul. It’s a solid, no-frills guitar that’s absolutely perfect for blues. If you’re into fingerpicking, Delta-style grooves, or that dusty front porch sound, this thing delivers.
Interestingly, the tone noticeably opened up after about 10–12 months. When I first got it, it smelled like fresh paint—so new it felt like it needed to breathe a little. And it did. Over time, the sound matured into something richer and warmer. Definitely a sleeper that rewards patience.
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Size matters – If you’re tall or have long arms, this might feel like a toy on your lap. I can only play it in classical position—anything else and I end up hunched over like Gollum.
2. Upper fret access? Forget it. – Playing past the 12th fret is wishful thinking. She can be a shredder but not on that zone.
3. Volume – She’s not loud. At all. But the tone? Beautifully dry, boxy, and vintage. It makes perfect sense, though—it’s a small-bodied guitar with an old-school voice.
Honestly, if you’re chasing that authentic acoustic blues sound, this might be the best bang for your buck. It’s probably the cheapest guitar you can get that actually nails that vibe.
But if your thing is strumming big open chords or playing more modern pop/rock styles, I’d say look elsewhere. The Jim Dandy has character in spades—but that character isn’t for everyone. She’s stubborn, quirky, and unapologetically retro.
And that’s exactly why I love her.
I bought my first guitar in 1973, a Japanese import Yamaki D-120 Folk Martin copy acoustic. The price? $160.00. This thing as as good but different with the ladder braced design. That's impressive.
If I could play like that, I'd put the live playing right up front. Then talk, Then play out,
is there even a truss rod?
These guys need some coffee before they record these. Jeez babble babble….
love cooper my guy makes everything sound great
My Dad got me a Silvertone Parlor Guitar when I was a kid. I didn't know how to care for guitars and as the years when the neck bowed up and it got a crack. It's in pieces today but I still have it. I bought a brand new Gretsch Jim Dandy and did the Dobro Tailpiece Mod because that old Silvertone has a Tailpiece. The Jim Dandy is alot easier to play and I like it. 🙂
To me it sounds like 60's road movie track , great little guitar.
Beato needs to interview Cooper already. Id put him up there with anyone that has been interviewed and it could be an interesting conversation about playing with actual feel and getting noticed for good reasons
in a world of imposters, Andy and Cooper are out here holding weekly clinics, casually
Compliments from 66yrs old musician/guitarist!! Been watching videos from you guys whenever it popped up, love the way you presented the instruments. Only lately I seem lots of compliments regarding Cooper playing thru those guitars…. YES, his playing style is very haunting! On this video, he made the acoustic sounded so beautiful ❤️ By the way, I noticed and I do own couple of guitars made in Indonesia…. the finishing is very good and much better than those I got from Mexico.