Based on some threads here on the SDMB, I bought my 14-year-old daughter an electric guitar a few months ago, and she’s progressing very well with it.
I would now like to get her an acoustic guitar. It would also be great if the guitar had a pickup so she can play it through her amp.
These guitars look kinda nice. What about these pickups? If these look O.K., what should I get?
My best advice is to go to a guitar store and play (and have her play) some of what they have in stock. There’s nothing that replaces playing/hearing/feeling a guitar in my experience to determine quality.
That being said, I was looking for an inexpensive but very playable acoustic earlier this year and played a bunch of guitars and read a ton of reviews, including here on SDMB. I settled on a Yamaha FG700S, which I got for ~$200 from a well-known e-retailer. I’m very very happy with it – even out of the box, it’s outstanding for the price point, and it’s even better after I replaced the saddle and bridge pins based on a review at Musician’s Friend. So that my two cents based on recent personal experience.
In general, I am not a Taylor man, but their GS-Mini is an excellent, affordable guitar that has a clip-in pickup. You’re all set. I have one for my beach/kid/easy guitar. At most Guitar Centers…
OP, I’m going to warn you away from the GuitarFetish acoustics. I got the spruce cutaway and it was wonderful. For about a week. Then the neck started changing and shortly the frets stopped working correctly. I returned it and they were great about refunding. I’ve loved other GuitarFetish stuff I’ve bought, though – I own their LP Special clone and love it, and I have their pickups in two other guitars and they rock – so maybe I just got a lemon.
THIS!
Yes, she should go play whatever you’re going to buy. Since your hands touch the instrument and affect how you both sound and feel when playing it, there’s no replacement. I’ve bought guitars off of the internet, and even though I had some idea of how that model played before I bought them, it’s still a crap shoot. If you buy anywhere off of the internet, make sure they’re easy with returns.
There are several good brands out there. I personally would second the vote to try out a Yamaha. They’ve been making good, inexpensive instruments for years.
I prefer to strum.
I love Ovations. If you aren’t familiar, they have a composite body with a composite bowl shape. I find them much more comfortable than the boxy dreadnaught shapes of most acoustics, where the body corners dig uncomfortably into my arm or hip. Most have a built-in pickup as well.
Since your daughter is young and probably smaller than a full-size adult human :), it may be good to try it out.
Show her Nancy Wilson playing one to inspire her 
First, it would be helpful to know your spending limit. I don’t know how big your daughter is, but the GS Mini mentioned upthread and another smaller-size model from Taylor (Big Baby) are a little more comfortable than standard instruments even for lots of adults.
Also, if I’m interpreting your post correctly and she intends to play the acoustic through the electric amp, don’t. They are designed differently and acoustics typically sound terrible through electric amps.
I agree with the advice to play as many as possible in a shop… You never know which one will click.
That said, Yamaha make excellent acoustics in every price range.
I completely agree about taking her to the store - how the instrument feels and plays in her own hands is the most important question.
Is it possible to have someone who plays well come along - say, her teacher? That way, she can hear what it sounds like as well as judging based on how it feels. The person behind the guitar never gets the same idea of what it sounds like.
I’m very bullish on the Canadian made Godin/Simon and Patrick/Seagull/Norman guitars, myself. They are a very good value on both sides of the border. Solid top is what you’re after - a laminate top will never improve over the years.
+1 on going to the store for an acoustic
Yamaha and the Canadians(as above) make great guitars in wide array of prices
An Acoustic is a whole nother ball of wax than an electric and quality is important. An inexpensive electric can be adjusted to play decently fairly easily but with an acoustic there is less to adjust and real adjustment often requires a Luthier. I would suggest that you buy a nice instrument for her if you think she will stick with it, a cheap one will(generally) sound ok and degrade in a few years but a quality instrument will get better with age. Solid top only please.
Pickups. I am a Pro Audio guy and if she wants a pickup in an acoustic you want something like this
Fishman, LR Baggs etc. Yamaha, Martin, Godin and several others have good pickup systems in their guitars.
She will also need one of these, they are cheap
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/planet-waves-screaching-halt-guitar-soundhole-plug
In short IMHO/IME a quality instrument with a quality pickup will last a lifetime and sound great. A pickup system should +/- $350 to the original instrument YMMV
Good luck and happy hunting
Capt
I just finished reading the current Guitarist magazine… In it, the guy who has been long-term testing a Sigma 000M-15 (£229 list) declares it “the best cheap guitar in the world” and raves about it. Might be worth finding one to try.
This is also my recommendation for the first one to try.
You should definitely spend some time playing any guitar before buying it though. I’ve had to take one back when I bought it too fast based on the sound, and eventually realized it didn’t feel good enough to play.
Check Ebay for Yamaha or Ovations. A lot of people buy a guitar and stick it in a closet for a few years. Then it goes into a garage sale or Ebay. Their loss is your gain.
I second the eariler post about Ovations. Great guitars. Here’s an acoustic with electric pickup and hardshell case for under $300. 14 day money back return. There’s quite a few to pick from on Ebay. Just make sure they have a good Ebay rating and reasonable return policy.
One trick I use on Ebay is to notice the number of bids. This one for example currently has 23 bids. That’s a good indication that this is a good value and price. I’d be more leery of a guitar that just sat there for 2 weeks and only got 1 bid or zero bids.
This is why it’s so important to play the instrument in person. I personally can’t stand the bowl because it keeps slipping off my leg!
Yep, this. Also, the traditionalist in me says that guitars should be made out of wood!