I purchased two of these SA-100's about two years ago for my daughters. Both were going to use the instruments away at camp and at school so I was afraid to spend too much. These instruments have held up well (one had a minor problem that was easy to fix as described below). They sound better now than when new - I suppose the wood and finish were still curing. They sounded much better than similar guitars in the same price range I compared to at time of purchase. Their playability and actions have not changed. They do not play as well as a pro model, but holding chords is easy - that is important since difficulty with chords can turn off a beginner. The instruction book is excellent. Be aware these guitars have a solid shiny black finish on the sides and back - well done but no wood grain shows. Two problems: 1. Get a case. The gig bag is too hard to use and can de-tune the instrument. These guitars stay in tune in the cases bought. 2. The flat knobs on the tuners of one guitar came loose. They are attached with some sort of industrial glue. As they rattled loose I cleaned them with water, dried them and reattached with gel-type super glue. No more problems.