Aria AK-20 1/2 Size

Good fit and natural finish. Workmanship appears as good as any mass-produced factory guitar. The interior is clean with no sloppy glue-up. Tuners are surprisingly solid and good quality. Spruce top, unknown body; might be plywood. It seems pretty stoutly made and should stand up to kids use. This is a 1/2 size, but the same model is available in 3/4 and full size.

Tone is better than I expected (esp. with no-name strings) and seems to be opening up with play. Bass is surprisingly good. Intonation (tunability) seems fine.

Action is free of buzzes and seems right for small hands.

I found little guidance when shopping for a guitar for my grandson, so thought this brief review might help others (I've been a classical guitarist for several years). I ordered it sight unseen and halfway expected it to be a piece of junk. I'm actually somewhat impressed. This is a very good first guitar for a child beginning guitar study. Its no toy. I've seen many student guitars in shops for $200+ that aren't as nice as this little Aria. It's a steal. On a value basis its a 10. I think any teacher would be happy to see a novice child student with this guitar.