January 25, 2020
I was curious about what I would get for $49. The quality of the finish is sketchy with a rough, un-sanded fingerboard from the 17th fret to the soundhole — but that's not a big deal since I can't play up there very well anyway. The paint is splotchy, and the finish is un-sanded and rough around the soundhole. The only other issue is the bend around the cutaway has creases. These are mainly cosmetic, and minor structural issues. If the guitar costs hundreds of dollars, those problems with the ...
I was curious about what I would get for $49. The quality of the finish is sketchy with a rough, un-sanded fingerboard from the 17th fret to the soundhole — but that's not a big deal since I can't play up there very well anyway. The paint is splotchy, and the finish is un-sanded and rough around the soundhole. The only other issue is the bend around the cutaway has creases. These are mainly cosmetic, and minor structural issues. If the guitar costs hundreds of dollars, those problems with the finish, fingerboard, and bend around the cutaway would be serious issues. But I have no problems with them for $49. Besides, the GT501 has a really nice shape to it and it looks great if you don't look too closely.
The crucial part is how it plays and sounds. The neck is straight, and the action is good out of the box. The neck is chunkier than I'm used to, but it's still very playable. The sound is great. I have a couple of expensive acoustic guitars, and this inexpensive Glarry holds its own on sound quality. I have it hanging on the wall in my practice room, and I've been playing it daily since I got it. It's a nice, easy to grab guitar that I can leave hanging on the wall when I'm not playing it.
I think the GT501 40 inch Matte Concert Cutaway is an excellent guitar for beginning players, as it has good action and great sound for about the same price as buying a week's worth of cafe lattes. I would say it's a good guitar for more advanced players who want a guitar they don't have to worry about banging around a bit.