Cheap sounding Samick Acoustic/electric

[Fusioninspace]

I went to the GC Memorial Day sale and bought (among other things - to many other things) a $100 used Samick acoustic/electric guitar. I just need something to keep at church for our teens to bang around on and maybe use for the youth worship team.

My question relates to how cheap this thing sounds. I'm used to my $400 Seagull and pricey Martins/Taylor the adults use at church. I put new strings on last night hoping that might help - it still sounds like a $100 guitar.

Assuming we can beef up the sound somewhat through the EQ/PA, what other things can I do to help make this thing sound a little better?

I'd like it to sound more like a $200 guitar ;-)

Does anyone know what they make these out of that makes them sound so shallow?

 

[Light]

Anything which could be done to make the guitar (acoustically) sound better would cost more than a different guitar. It is what it is, a hundred dollar guitar. There is no way around that.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[mshilarious]

#1 improvement to a cheap acoustic is to swap out the saddle. Usually the stock saddle is a cheap, loose fitting plastic job. Get a bone blank from stew-mac.com, file & sand it in the same shape as the old saddle (adjusting action if necessary), but leave a little thicker. Slowly sand down the thickness until it fits tightly, but not too tightly, in the slot. It should seat well in the bottom of the slot. Finish the top in a nice crown with at least #220 grit sandpaper (put masking tape on the guitar to avoid damage). This is less than a $10 mod if you do it yourself.

This will help a lot acoustically. Through the PA it won't make a big difference though.

Basically the reason it doesn't sound like a more expensive guitar is that the quality of the wood & work on the soundboard isn't as good, so it doesn't resonate as well. But the new saddle will definitely help.