Build Quality:4.8 out of 5 stars
Hardware:4.7 out of 5 stars
Sound:4.7 out of 5 stars
Value:4.8 out of 5 stars
Average:4.8 out of 5 stars

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Oscar Schmidt OG2SM

Pros:

  • Comfortable
  • Good sound
  • Very nice quality for the price

Cons:

  • Might be a little bit big for beginners
  • Not as much tonal depth
  • Synthetic bone nut is not the best option

Founded in 1871 Oscar Schmidt has been producing guitars, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles and perfecting them for quite some time. It would be somewhat of a trite statement to say that their expertise is undoubtful in this area so all I will do is talk about their OG2SM model and you can judge it for yourself.

Build

This is a 6-string sturdy dreadnought acoustic guitar that is suitable for both beginners and professionals. Most dreadnought-style guitars are quite large so while they are great sounding and suitable for professionals they are rarely comfortable enough for beginners or children, but of course, it always depends on personal preferences and your comfort level with guitars.

This model features a beautiful spalted maple top that gives your guitar a unique and distinguished look. The secret behind the beautiful look is the fungal growth on the trees that are used for this model. While you might think that fungal growth is bad (and gross, duh) what it actually means is that the wood on the guitar is softer but then it is processed and lacquered which protects the guitar’s surface.

This results in the individual pattern on every guitar so you will be getting not only an option to choose from black, white, natural, transparent blue, and many more colors that will make your guitar stand out but also a guitar that is distinct and one of a kind. The back and sides as well as the neck on this model are mahogany giving it a very mellow and beautiful sound while also featuring a rosewood fingerboard that joins the body at 14th fret making it more resilient and smooth.

Hardware

Distinctive headstock, bridge, and pickguard designs give Oscar Schmidt’s instruments a professional look as well as functionality. Let’s move on to the hardware on OG2SM. It has an adjustable truss rod that will keep the neck straight and is great for light gauge strings. This model also features chrome die cast tuners that has 13:1 ratio. There is only one strap button on the guitar located on the lower bout.

The OG2SM has a synthetic bone nut and saddle. Now, the point to keep in mind is that bone nut is usually considered to be the best material for nut, it gives the right tone and sustain – synthetic nut will not sound like an actual bone nut. So instead of taking material that is more expensive, they are using what they call “synthetic bone” which is understandable taking into account the price point of this guitar. And nuts do play a part in the final sound but that does not necessarily mean you will notice a lot of difference between bone and synthetic bone (especially if you are a beginner).

When it is a more natural product like bone nut than the guitar usually needs more tuning and maintenance but the sound is amazing, with “synthetic” or newer material, a lot of them are more consistent and need less maintenance but they will not sound as great, but as I said, if you are a beginner looking for an affordable model, this nut will not be the greatest of your concerns. The bridge has Oscar Schmidt’s distinctive look and is made of rosewood. It has white bridge pins to anchor the strings and the tortoise patterned pickguard is in beautiful Oscar Schmidt’s distinctive shape. The guitar has a high gloss finish, on top of that we have smooth fretboard, well-dressed frets that will ensure comfortable playability.

Oscar Schmidt OG2SM Sound

As I mentioned, the nut is synthetic and a lot of people complain when the nut is not bone material or something high end that the sound is not as bright and clear. BUT the thing to consider is that the sound of your guitar does not depend on one specific thing, it’s a combination of multiple things that creates the sound that you are looking for. I would say that for a guitar at this price range the sound is quite bright and clear. The mahogany used in this guitar helps deliver a mellow and soft sound if that is what you are looking for and the rosewood fingerboard helps the tone be a little more defined. If you are a beginner I would say this is a good option because it does not require as much tuning.

Conclusion

There are always ups and downs and pros and cons to guitars that you are buying at a lower price. I will not say that Oscar Schmidt OG2SM is the best and the most amazing guitar out there, it will not give you the same tonal range as something that costs, let’s say $700 but for the price you are giving you get a good combination of material and hardware that will last you quite some time and make your playing quite enjoyable and comfortable.

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