Best Carlo Robelli Guitar Review (updated for 2024)

We’ll consider things like build quality, sound, and price point to help you decide if one of these guitars is right for you.

Let’s get into it!

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Below are three entry-level Carlos Robelli guitars you may want to consider. We selected these 3 models for their outstanding value and price considerations on Sam Ash.

But first, allow me to introduce you to the maker of these guitars:

Who Makes Carlos Robelli Guitars?

These guitars are made exclusively for Sam Ash Music Stores as the company’s house brand of guitars. The creator of Sam Ash Music Stores, a firm recognized for its long history of producing high-quality musical instruments for students and novices, introduced Carlos Robelli guitars in 1932. Thousands of well-known artists have begun their careers on these guitars.

Carlo Robelli guitars were formerly made in Japan, Brazil, and South Korea but are now produced in China. During the Korean period, Peerless instruments of exceptional quality were created at the facility.

Sam Ash is a business that knows what consumers want because they have thousands of customers visiting every day. That knowledge is useful, allowing them to build the perfect instrument to their specifications.

Carlos Robelli guitars are guaranteed to satisfy any beginner’s demands since they’re made and assembled by a firm that understands what a novice wants in an acoustic or electric guitar.

Are Carlo Robelli‘s acoustic guitars any good?

The well balanced sound quality found in those guitars is right up there with the competition, sitting comfortably among other brands that offer entry-level guitars meeting the budget of the average aspiring player.

Indeed, you’ll find good quality Carlo Robelli 6-string steel-acoustic and nylon-classic guitars with quality electrics in different configurations.

So yes, Carlo Robelli acoustic guitars are excellent low-cost guitars for learning how to play; they meet their purpose. In this article, we delve into what that statement means in-depth below, so read on!

The most important things to consider before buying a Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar

First, let me introduce you to what is about to happen by telling you that in my 20+ years of guitar playing, I’ve been lucky enough to have many Carlo Robelli Guitars in my hands.

In fact, I’ve tested every incarnation of them (Japanese-made, Korean-made, Chinese-made), and the evolution in the past decade or so was remarkable.

So, with that in mind, I’ll try to help you get a clearer grasp of what a Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitar sounds and feels like. For that purpose, I’ve put together these four crucial points any guitar needs to fulfil to be called a good instrument.

You’ll read about categories, and I’ll introduce some of the models in my description.

Ready? Let’s do this.

Point number 1 – Neck and Fretboard

If there is something that every guitar player takes obsessive care of, it’s necks and fretboards. While some prefer the so-called baseball bat necks (50s style, round and chunky), others prefer the thinner incarnation.

Let’s see what happens with Sam Ash house brand guitars. 

Necks

Well, all models by Carlo Robelli Guitars feature necks that are on the thinner side.

These are the best choice for players who are learning how to play. Later on, when you have mastered some of your skills, you can gravitate towards bigger necks and enjoy the difference in sound.

For example, a guitar like the F-460-N is wonderful for learning your first chords and can accompany you all the way to your first songs and gigs.

Every Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitar features a well-built, thin, and round neck in what we call a modern c-shape.

This allows the arch of the hand (the skin between the thumb and the palm to sit comfortably against the wood). 

Fretboards

Moving on to the fretboard, the wood used by Carlo Robelli is dark rosewood. This is not at all a minor feature because it provides all the guitar lines with a very sweet-sounding tone.

You won’t find the dark low end that you’ll find in an all-mahogany guitar that is worth ten times more, but you’ll definitely find a great tone to work with.

Finally, the frets on these guitars are thin, and the crowning job was clearly done by professionals in every guitar I’ve tried from the brand. In this particular case, the F-460-N features binding throughout the neck, making every fret perfect for touching.

Point number 2 – Action and Finish

To begin this section, it is fair to say that not only Carlo Robelli Guitars but all guitars in any price line come from the factory with a standard action that might not suit your taste. Let me explain to you why very briefly: 

Action

Most acoustic guitars feature a plastic saddle in the bridge (the white plastic before the pins). This piece determines the height of the strings. 

• If you want the strings to be lower, then the only way to achieve that is by sanding the saddle down. 
• On the other hand, if you want the strings to be higher, then there is no other choice but to change the saddle for a higher one. 

Imagine, for example, that instead of playing chords, arpeggios, and fretted notes, you buy a Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitar, such as the Carlo Robelli G640 to play with a slide and need an extra-high action.

You guessed it. You need a new saddle. That is the reason why most guitars come with very high action, to accommodate every player.

Action is something that will fluctuate every year on your guitar and a matter you need to address with a trusty guitar tech or luthier.

If the guitar the salesperson brings to your hands has high action, bear in mind that if you like the neck and the sound, it can be changed to suit your taste. 

Finish

Moving over to the finishing department, the finish on Sam Ash’s instruments is flawless. The one thing that mass-produced, Chinese-made guitars that work on a tight quality control feature is that there is no significant disparity between instruments.

This is to say that most Carlo Robelli guitars have a similar finish quality.

For example, going back to the G640, that beautiful rosette ornament and sunburst finish are consistent from one guitar to the next.

Although no guitar indeed looks or sounds exactly like the next, it is also true that consistency is crucial for the reputation of a brand (and Carlo Robelli guitars crush this category).

Point number 3 – Sound

I dare to say that this is the most important point when it comes to purchasing a guitar.

What do I mean by this? I mean simply that the action, the finish, the neck, and the fretboard are nothing if a guitar doesn’t sound good.

Moreover, when trying a comfortable guitar that looks good, like the F-600CE by Sam Ash, for example, we want it to sound great because we have already ticked all of the above boxes.

Click here to learn more about the F-600CE.

Let’s divide this point about Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitars into two different scenarios: plugged and unplugged.

Unplugged

Acoustic guitars featuring a dreadnought body, like the F-600CE, have a great low-end projection.

In the case of Sam Ash’s instruments, they are mostly made of agathist back and sides, a tonewood that is a more affordable replacement to mahogany, retaining the low-end clarity and punchiness.

If you have a very well-seasoned ear like mine (after 20+ years of experience with the music industry and guitar playing, you refine it a lot), you’ll find the upper registers a little harsh or too brittle.

This is very common in this price range and, I dare to say there are no brands manufacturing guitars in this price line that don’t suffer from it.

The overall result of the F-600CE and the rest of the Carlo Robelli acoustic instruments is a balanced tone that doesn’t excel or hurt. This is a lot to say for an entry-level acoustic.

Point number 4 – Tuning & reliability

An essential aspect of any acoustic guitar is how precisely it can be tuned.

Moreover, this is extremely important for beginners because ears need to be taught precisely to distinguish in-tune from out-of-tune sounds.

Also, a reliable guitar is such that it will not break soon after you’ve bought it and that it will stay reliably in tune for years to come. 

Tuning

Every Carlo Robelli Guitar I’ve tried in this rally has been a great experience. They feature high-grade, closed-back steel tuners that work at an excellent ratio with a precision that matches many entry-level brands in the market.

For a seasoned player like me who’s had many treats in his playing life, coming across a beginner’s guitar that can be perfectly tuned is a blessing.

As years and gigs go by, out-of-tune instruments become more unbearable. I think it’s safe to say that by buying a Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitar, you won’t encounter such a problem. 

Reliability

To measure a guitar’s reliability, you need to test it over time. Some parts are usually the most fragile across brands, such as tuners, electronics, finish, and nut.

On the other hand, these shouldn’t be confused with accessories such as strings or the effects of normal use like frets wearing out.

Reliability on Carlo Robelli acoustic guitars is decidedly good.

Indeed, manufacturing sides and back from agathist, a type of wood that is hard and light (used for laying down railways and building boats as well), assures the user years of usage with no problems.

Moreover, you can check this video in which a guitar technician receives an abandoned Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar, changes strings, and gives it some love, and the guitar looks and sounds like new.

Is the Carlos Robelli Available In An Acoustic Electric Guitar?

Yes, the Carlos Robelli makes a terrific electric acoustic guitar!

This guitar is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to play the acoustic guitar and also want to be able to play the electric guitar. The Carlos Robelli electric acoustic guitar is great value for the money, and it is a great-sounding guitar.

When you have worked on your chops enough, you’ll surely want to face the crowd. As the line goes, when gigs go big, guitars go electric. The electronics on the F-600CE by Carlo Robelli feature a much-needed spec: a three-band EQ.

This equalizer is utterly important because it allows you to fine-tune the sound of your guitar live.

As you might know, acoustic guitars are hollow instruments, and as such, they gather air in their interior.

This physical phenomenon can lead to feedback in the form of a low rumble or a high-pitch squeak. In both cases, just reducing that frequency in your EQ might solve the problem.

The resulting overall sound is crisp and balanced with round lows and highs that don’t hurt your ears (or the audience’s). You shouldn’t expect to find guitars’ tonal clarity and punchiness in a different price range like Martins and Taylors, but it will get you through most case scenarios.

Note: If you’re in the market for an electric acoustic guitar, you should also compare a unique guitar called the LAVA ME 2.

You can check out this video of unpacking a G600CE beginner package that features everything you need to get started.

What about Carlo Robelli electrics?

We’ve been through the Carlo Robelli Acoustic Guitar line quite a bit, and hopefully, by now, you have a better idea of what they are all about. But what if you want more of a heavy metal sound? Well, read on…

Does the company manufacture electric guitars? Are Carlo Robelli’s electric guitars any good?

While it is a longer subject than we can cover in this piece, we can say that some of the electric archtop models that the company has manufactured and sold in the past are collector’s pieces. usually compared to the originals they were trying to mimic.

A good example of this is the UAS920F, a guitar with a jazz profile that is many players’ affordable favourite.

For a guitar in its price line, it sounds remarkably well.

Actually, you can check this video of a clerk at Norman’s Rare Guitars (the collector’s mecca) playing one as his personal favourite.

If you happen to come across an electric Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar at a good price, I suggest you give it a try; it might surprise you.

Summary

The world of guitars is full of entry-level acoustic brands.

If you walk into any major musical instruments retailer, you’ll find a plethora of options.

That being said, I urge you to try out one or several Carlo Robelli acoustic guitars before you make your final decision.

Moreover, I would even suggest you search and try a Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar before buying an entry-level acoustic. They are usually flooding Sam Ash’s aisles and guitar hangers.

Buying a good entry-level guitar is a must if you want to build your playing on solid foundations.

As you’ve seen above, these guitars are not top-notch instruments with astronomic price tags, but they are very good for their price.

Moreover, they fulfil the four basic points any instrument you use should.

Another great choice to consider for beginners is the Yamaha F325D acoustic guitar. You can check out our Yamaha F325D review.

If you are searching for a budget-oriented acoustic, try a Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar. Starting out with the right foot can lead to a lifelong passion.

RUNNERS-UP

We also compared these three guitars in case you’d like to explore more options in your musical journey.

If the guitars in the review above are out of stock or not quite what you’re looking for, you can’t go wrong with either of these 3 guitars below.

Happy playing!