Excerpt from Total Guitar Magazine

There are two things TG loves: playing guitar (duh!) and getting a bargain. So when Farida told us its instruments "are the very best quality you can buy at their price point", we had to put that claim to the test.

The sizzle: Farida isn't shy about telling us just how much effort goes into making its guitars. For instance, it controls the moisture levels throughout the manufacturing process to minimise the chances of its guitars developing warped necks, cracked tops and rusted hardware. Clever.

Its guitars are made from select tone woods from around the world like Canadian maple, African mahogany and Indian rosewood. Farida also reckons it offers exceptional craftsmanship. These are big words but all that bragging makes sense when you pick up the J-66N.

We say: Farida was right; this is as good as acoustic guitars get at this price point. There's no shortage of competition around £500, but we reckon the J-66N tops the list with the best of them thanks to its great build quality and tone. That big jumbo body means you're faced with a guitar that kicks out more bass than the parcel shelf of a chav's motor. That would be a problem if the tone was unbalanced - but it's not. The J-66N's highs are as sweet as its full bottom end.

It doesn't hurt that this guitar looks the business too, especially the well-executed maple binding, and while there is some bling on this thing it's more vintage class than orange suntan.

It is over £500 so the J-66N is not for the faint of wallet - or purse - but when a guitar puts a three-mile wide smile on your face like this one does it's worth tightening your belt for.

Download the full review in Total Guitar Magazine here