Description
Review of the Oscar Schmidt OG1P-A Three Quarter Size Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Pink
The Oscar Schmidt OG1P-A is a three quarter size steel string dreadnought finished in pink, built with catalpa back and sides and a mahogany neck. Oscar Schmidt is Washburn’s entry level brand, and this model is aimed at children, smaller framed players and anyone who wants a reduced size acoustic that still sounds like a proper guitar.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A fully adjustable truss rod, which is rare at this size. Most child sized acoustics have a fixed neck, so nothing can be done when the relief changes with the seasons or with a heavier string set.
- A mahogany neck rather than a soft unnamed timber. Mahogany is dense and stable and holds its shape well.
- Catalpa back and sides. Catalpa is an uncommon choice at this price and behaves broadly like a light mahogany, giving a warmer response than the basswood usually fitted here.
- Three quarter dreadnought shape, which keeps the deep body voice of a full size guitar in a package a child can reach around.
- Steel strings, so a young player learns the technique and the finger strength that transfers directly to a full size acoustic later.
Cons
- The top wood contradicts itself. The spec table says mahogany while the manufacturer description says select spruce. Those sound noticeably different: spruce is bright and loud, mahogany is warmer and more compressed. The description is the more likely source of truth but the listing does not resolve it.
- The scale length of 21.75 inches is short even for a three quarter guitar, where 22.75 to 23 inches is the usual figure. If accurate it sits closer to a half size instrument, and it means standard three quarter string sets may not be the right length.
- The dimensions of 41 by 7.75 by 15.5 inches describe a shipping carton. A three quarter body is nowhere near 41 inches long.
- The spec table records a pickup configuration of “Other” on a guitar with no electronics of any kind.
- The fingerboard and bridge are engineered wood rather than a named species. That is dimensionally stable but lacks the feel of rosewood, and it is the usual cost saving at this level.
- No nut width is published, so how wide the neck feels at the first fret cannot be established.
Detailed Product Description
The construction pairs a spruce top, according to the description, with catalpa back and sides and a mahogany neck. Spruce is the standard soundboard timber for steel string guitars because it is stiff for its weight and projects well. Catalpa is a light North American hardwood used occasionally in guitar making, with a character somewhere between mahogany and poplar. The listing does not say whether the top is solid or laminated, which is the detail that most determines how the guitar sounds and whether it improves with age. The difference is set out in the guide to solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars.
The fingerboard and bridge are described as alternative, engineered or technical wood, which means a manufactured composite. In practice a composite board is consistent and stable, will never shrink and leave sharp fret ends, and needs no oiling. It also feels harder and less warm than rosewood under the fingertips.
The adjustable truss rod is the specification that separates this from most instruments of its size. A child’s guitar gets left in bedrooms, cars and school lockers, and the neck moves. Being able to correct that, rather than having to replace the instrument, is a real advantage over a fixed neck design.
Steel strings at a 21.75 inch scale sit at a lower tension than the same gauge on a full size guitar, which makes them easier to press than the material suggests. Replacement sets should be chosen carefully, since the published scale is shorter than the three quarter standard.
What Comes with the Product
- The three quarter size dreadnought acoustic guitar in pink
Nothing else is listed. No gig bag, strap, tuner, picks, spare strings or lesson material appears in the data. This is sold as an instrument rather than a package, so a clip on tuner and something to carry it in are the first two purchases to make alongside it. What a full bundle normally contains is set out in the guide to what is in a guitar starter bundle.
Who It Suits
This suits a child of roughly seven to eleven starting lessons, and a smaller framed adult who finds a full dreadnought uncomfortable to reach around. The adjustable truss rod and the mahogany neck make it a more serious instrument than most pink child sized guitars, which tend to be built as toys. Sizing a guitar to a particular child is covered in the guide to what size guitar to buy for a child.
It suits less well a very young beginner of four or five, who will find steel strings hard on the fingertips compared with nylon. It also suits less well a buyer who wants everything in one purchase, since no accessories are included. Comparable reduced size instruments include the Fender FA-15 three quarter steel string, the Vangoa three quarter acoustic kit and the Yamaha JR1 FG Junior. The wider range sits in kids and junior guitars and acoustic guitars.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after every session. Steel corrodes from skin acid, and children’s hands are harder on strings than adults’.
Keep the guitar away from radiators and out of car boots. Heat and dryness shrink a thin wooden top and can open a glue seam.
Leave the truss rod alone unless a technician has demonstrated it. It is a useful feature and also an easy one to damage by overtightening.
Tips and Recommendations
Measure the scale length on arrival, from the nut to the twelfth fret and doubled, before ordering replacement strings. The published 21.75 inches is shorter than the three quarter standard and a normal set may not suit.
If the strings sit high and are hard to press above the fifth fret, a basic setup at a local shop costs a fraction of the guitar and is the difference between a child practising and giving up.
Product FAQ
Is the top spruce or mahogany?
The listing says both. The manufacturer description says select spruce and the spec table says mahogany, and the data does not settle it.
What is the scale length?
Recorded as 21.75 inches, which is short for a three quarter guitar. Measuring the instrument on arrival is worth doing before buying strings.
Does it come with a case or accessories?
No. The listing covers the guitar only.
