Sound is the only thing that I found any complaint about. Standard tuning was a bit difficult to acheive, and once I found it, it fell out of tune rather quickly. However, in all fairness I bought this for my 2 1/2 year old son who just wants to rake the strings and actually thinks the tuning knobs are for volume.

This is a sharp looking acoustic guitar that seems to be built really sturdy. For the price I couldn't have asked for more value in terms of structural make up and visual appeal. The only thing I would add is a small guitar strap with knobs on the guitar to attach it to. Most people like to sit and strum an acoustic guitar, but my two year old wants to dance and sing along with the "Wiggles" while he plays.

It's a guitar, so if you can play you can make it sound good. If you are a novice like me or my son it will often sound like it needs to be tuned.

the quality met my expectations for the price. You will not use this guitar to record Grammy nominated music. However, my son has had it for a month now and it still has all six strings which is a minor miracle by itself. He drags it across the floor and up and down stairs yet it still has six stings and no cracks or obvious scratches.

Based on the price you would be hard pressed to find a better deal for a newcomer to guitar. You could pay close to the same for a rinky-dink guitar at Cracker Barrel that won't make it through the weekend unscathed. For my son and his needs this guitar is a great value.

I have not needed them, but I am sure they are helpful when needed.

As far as "sex appeal" or the general aesthetics of the guitar I'm not sure anyone would be disappointed. This guitar looks nicer than most acoustic guitars you will pay 5x's as much for. It is the tuning and action that are the liabilities on this guitar but, it is designed for kids 3-6 years old so you have to keep that in mind.

Hobbyist / Home Recording Experiments

jazz / METAL / hip-hop

My nieces were interested ever since I let them play with my Tradition S-12. I've been wanting to buy them the Playmate ever since I saw them advertised. But lo and behold, the the older one is playing drums! (it paid to wait). The younger one still is very much interested and was treated by her Dad with the Playmate per my suggestion. It took about 20 minutes for tuning and playing, tuning and playing of "breaking in" time, until I deemed it tuned enough to hand it over to her. It's just right for training her tiny fingers and arms. My family nominated me to be her teacher and she's having a blast. The strings are close enough together that her fingers didn't get "caught" like it did when she played one of my regular-sized guitars. We had the whole family together tonight and my niece is not shy to perform. Even with the noisy room, and she can't play a single note yet with her strumming I could still hear it ok. She's just a beginner and my bro in-law liked the price and the looks are a plus. If she keeps it up, I think more Dean guitars will be in the offing as she grows, both physically and musically.

When I first held it I was surprised at how small it was. It's just the right size for her, won't take her too long to get used to holding it properly. Proportion was excellent. But when my seasoned fingers played it, I noticed that the top string slid off of the first fret and was easy to push back on. When she played it, it didn't slide off. I think that fret needs to be longer, or the nut smaller.

I liked that it had a serial number. You don't get that from "toy" guitars that I know of. A couple of the tuners have some slight play, but she doesn't know the difference. I think it is very well made, neck was straight enough, looks great, easy to tune, feels durable enough. Not bad to take back-packing, by horse, cycling, or foot: long trips when space is minimal, and it could be a good distraction for the kids (from using from your collection) when they come over. Wouldn't mind having a couple on hand. It seemed sturdy enough to get your money's worth and then some with normal kid wear.

If I were to buy it, I think several dollars could be knocked off for loose "play," and the sliding string on the first fret. Right up next to the nut. Not the "actuall" first fret.

It arrived very quickly, and as far as I know, no complaints. I didn't take it out of the box, so I can't give a fair asessment.

I think it's good for both boy or girl. Looks great for both. It doesn't have that dry, light and hollow feel like the "toy" I paid eight bucks for. Smooth, sleek, shiny. Binding is good, no seams showing. No checking: even gloss, no drips. The neck was comfortable.

Hobbyist

Some country, country rock, Rock.

This is a guitar made for a small child. The sound is fabulous regardless.

I was amazed this inexpensive instrument had individual tuners.

With the small scale it is easy for anyone to use.

Phenomenal quality. The finish was far better than anything I expected.

Way more bang for my buck than I ever expected.

A practical addition. An instrument to get my grandchild started on.

Active Musician

Country-Jazz

A very playable instrument. I bought this for my granddaughter and I think it will be one that she will get years of play from.

A very beautiful guitar. The finish is awsome. I didn't expect this inexpensive of a guitar to have such a great finish.

This is a great value for someone looking for a small guitar for a child's first guitar/

active musician

Praise & Worship

The neck it twisted on mine and if i fret the lower few strings below the fifth fret I get a bad buzz or sometimes a muted note. The neck doesnt seem to be adjustable so I guess the only chance of fixing this would be raising the bridge slightly.

The strings that came on this guitar could not be tuned to standard tuning. I replaced with Martin Darcos and was able to tune.

If the quality was good, I wouldnt be having fret buzz.

It was cheap, should be good for my child. If she does well, I will get her something better.

Its looks are its best feature.

Hobbyist

Rock, Punk

A really great resonating sound. Fits in perfectly with other instruments.

Everything works well together. Material and parts are exceptional!

It's for my 3 year old grand daughter. It's perfect for her little fingers. I tune it to an open chord for her to hear the harmonic value it has for the instument and her voice to work together.

I believe this 1/2 size guitar is a great buy. I'm very happy all around in this purchase.

Priceless !!

The reason it's the best is that I didn't need to contact anyone about my purchase. It's a great piece of workmanship.

I got it !!

Active Musician / Guitarist for 55 years.

New Future / musical membrane magic

I thought with the DEAN name on this product it would be a quality product - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

TUNING KEYS SUCK! THE FEEL OF THE GUITAR IS AWFUL!

Don't waste your money. I bought this for my daughter for her birthday it hasn't played well since day 1. I was very DISAPPOINTED.

Hobbyist, Children's Worship Leader

Contemporary