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Hello All!
I am looking to learn how to play the guitar, anyone have any recommendations on what type of guitar would be good to start off on?
Thanks
JH
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Only three things matter:
#1. The guitar must be comfortable.
#2. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars to get a good guitar.
#3. You have to like the sound it produces.
I would go to a music store, find something lightweight that sounds good in the $250 - $500 range, and pick the one that looks the coolest.
In fact, I've been playing guitar for a long time and I just went to a store and did just that.
There's not really such thing as a beginners guitar.
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I would say that the first question is acoustic vs. electric. Ain't nobody can give you anything but the most generic advice until you answer that one.
Other than that, what he said. There are lots of good guitars out there under 500 bucks.
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if you want a good electric to learn on, a squire strat is pretty good, not the best sounding, but they're fairly easy to play...
BUT
i would reccomend learning on an acoustic, because it's a wee bit harder, and if you can play the acoustic , electric is a walk in the park....
or, you could get an acoustic-electric, which is what i play, and find the best, because i find it has the manoveur-ability of an electric, but the rich sound of an acoustic, not too mention you can plug it in if you want too...i got an $800 guitar at half price though.
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acoustic is what I was planning on starting off with.
JH
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Yamaha has good acoustics...Guild are the best IMO.
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Decisions decisions...bottom line is you've got to look around and take as many as you can out for a "test drive"
I started out with a Yamaha FG 310 and it cost me around $280. For the money, it was a FANTASTIC starter guitar. Unfortunately one cold winter night I left it in the car and when I brought it in the house it had several big cracks on the top that basically ruined the sound.
Having played that one for a few years I felt I deserved an upgrade and I ultimately decided to pick up a Norman acoustic, and I have been very happy with this decision. It is a very solid, Canadian-made guitar that cost me $499. I'm the 4th person that I know to purchase a Norman and we all couldn't be happier with our choices.
Hope that helps.
RG
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Best advice, don't go too cheap!
When learning to play its best to have a half decent guitar. If you buy too cheap, the thing never stays in tune, the neck will probably warp, the bridge will probably start to come off, etc. This is too much agrivation and will probably make learning 10x harder.
As everyone else said, spend between $250-$500. Anything less than $250 is probably not worth it, anything above $500 is probably too much for what you need right now.
And as mentioned before, the big name brands don't neccesarily mean a good guitar. (Fender, good electric, bad acousitc, same with Washburn, IMO anyways). Plus they usually cost more.
Here in Canada, a couple really good name brands which I don't think are sold in the states are Norman and Seagull (actually Seagull is made by Norman also). Very good guitars at very good prices!
States side, you could probably get a half decent Takamine (or Yasmine which is a lower level Tak) for a failry good price.
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All good advice so far. Take heed and you'll be heading down the right path; forget about brand name and disregard the illusion that a good guitar only comes with a high price tag. But reputation (with players / consumers, not merchants) is important.
One thing i would elaborate on and emphasize is the issue of comfort. This not only implies to how the instrument feels on your lap or slung across your shoulder, but also how the thickness of the neck and the width of the fretboard fits your hand size and suits your finger length.
My fingers aren't very long, and I find that some necks and fretboards make it difficult for me to reach some notes and form proper fingering shapes.
Also, be sure to take note of the instrument's "action" - this term refers to the general ease of pressing the strings against the fretboard at various positions, and is determined mostly by the physical distance between the strings and the fretboard when the guitar is at rest. I have an Ibanez that sounds fantastic, but it is difficult to play because of poor action - I have to press the strings hard because there's a great deal of space between them and the fretboard.
As Goulet said - take your time and be deliberate while shopping. Try as many different instruments as you can....don't be intimidated....test out one...and another...then another, and don't hesitate to go back and forth to be sure you get a feel for the difference between individual models.
Good luck!
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Seagulls are quite nice, I concur....
and if your pocketbook is stretched really thin, look at Yamaha. I know dozens of guitarists who love their yamaha.
Kleh's buddy, Mr. Wiley, had a nice Yamaha guitar that I kind of wish I had bought but time went by and he sold it to someone else. Oh well, we live we learn.
