I have bought 2 of these little guitars. One as a gift for a friends daughter and one for myself as a beater. I have personally had very good luck with them. I actually ended up giving my "beater" away but have missed it constantly. I have around 30 other guitars so I don't need another one, but I am going to buy this one again.

Bought this Dean Playmate J 7/8 for two main reasons: I sold a Fender acoustic a few years ago which I've always regretted, and I desperately wanted a new acoustic guitar but was also working with a very tight budget. I've played Deans owned by friends in the past and really enjoyed them, so when I saw this one going for a very reasonable price I just couldn't pass it up. I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised once I got it tuned up. My son, who is an active guitar player, was just as impressed with the tone as I was, even with the factory strings on it. The gluing and finish are just a tad on the rough side, but otherwise it is a gorgeous instrument. The navy blue sunburst is much darker than the pictures show, and you have to have it under some fairly bright lights to actually make it out, but it is beautiful nonetheless. So far it has stayed in tune pretty well right out of the box, but I still can't wait to get some D'Addario custom lights on it. Haven't really had it long enough to see if the build quality is going to hold up, but we'll see, as so far it seems sturdy enough. I mainly opted for the 7/8 because I had back surgery recently and the size allows me to play more easily sitting up in bed as opposed to a full concert sized acoustic. Besides, I'm just starting out again and it is perfect for that purpose. For the money you can definitely do a lot worse. After I get back on my feet it will probably be relegated to a travel guitar, but I honestly believe were it ever to break I'd certainly buy another one. All in all I think it was worth every penny.

i got this guitar today and i love it! the color is beautiful and it sounds great. it's a great size for kids. i was looking at a few other guitars and laid my eyes on this when i first saw it. the price is affordable as well.

This guitar is a great buy; The size is perfect for kids 9 & up. The strings are good, I would probably recomend new strings but the ones that come with it are fine. I have been playing the guitar for about a year and I still love this one. Yes, very good value.

I have been a student of the guitar for a little over a year, but a guitar fan for my whole life. This guitar really does have a great sound, holds intonation very well (but I don't play it very hard), and looks better than the picture (I own the blue). It is a great guitar to start out with. I even like the sound of the original strings. My fingernails over time have dug a little bit into the black fretboard exposing the light wood under the black paint, but it gives it character. For the money you cannot go wrong. I originally bought it for my son to learn on, but never quite gave it to him completely. I play it almost every day.