Acoustic Guitar?

[minnie56]

It's on my DD25 wish list...tell me what to look for, good make etc?

THANKS!

 

[Tinijocaro]

Go to a reputable music store, preferably a guitar store-they will steer you in the right direction.

DO NOT by a guitar from a department store or get yourself a "good deal" on ebay unless you know brands and models. You will only frustrate your dd. STAY AWAY from anything called "First Act"-it's really just a toy but some parents think it's a legit guitar.

 

[Golf4food]

Go to a reputable music store, preferably a guitar store-they will steer you in the right direction.

DO NOT by a guitar from a department store or get yourself a "good deal" on ebay unless you know brands and models. You will only frustrate your dd. STAY AWAY from anything called "First Act"-it's really just a toy but some parents think it's a legit guitar.

What they said.

If the instrument is cheap, then it is a cheap instrument. That doesn't mean you can't get a good guitar unless you spend $1,000, but it does mean you will not get a good one if you only spend $100.

Instruments are personal. I would never give one as a gift unless the recipient had personally tried it out first and chose it after careful consideration. Rather than giving a guitar, I would suggest giving her a coupon that says "Good for one guitar" or something to that effect, or a gift card at worst, but not the instrument itself. What is good for one person is not good for another - do you want loose action or tight action? How does it feel under your hands? What about the tone? Too dark? Too bright? Just right? The right guitar is like Goldilocks's porridge - it's just right... for you. Not the next person.

But in general terms you can't go wrong with a good Taylor or a Martin...

 

[minnie56]

Okay, got it.
THANKS for the help!!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

It's on my DD25 wish list...tell me what to look for, good make etc?

I've got a Takamine acoustic/electric. It was reasonably priced (~$275), high-quality and sounds very good. My DW picked it up a couple of Christmases ago at Guitar Center.

Is your DD already a guitarist, or are they looking to learn?

If they're looking to learn, there's a lot of good "entry level" guitars available for less than $400. If they're already playing, it might be better to ask if they have anything particular in mind....

And, I'll second (third?) what Tinijocaro said; stay away from the department/toy store instruments; they're usually very cheaply made and disappointing to play.

You don't need the *best possible* instrument to learn how to play, but playing on a crappy instrument can be disheartening and reduce your enjoyment.

 

[Disney-Kim]

Fender acoustics have a lot of new models in decent price categories. They have really improved their product...definately worth a look. Guitar Center should have them.

 

[dodukes]

Since you guys seem like guitar gurus..lol...quick question a bit off topic but maybe helpful to OP. During black friday I picked up that guitar package at best buy musical instruments store, its a maestro by gibson, it got good reviews, maybe if they are just testing the waters this is a good buy at $100. I picked it up for $80 but have no idea how to play and was thinking it be fun to learn a bit on it.....

 

[Golf4food]

Since you guys seem like guitar gurus..lol...quick question a bit off topic but maybe helpful to OP. During black friday I picked up that guitar package at best buy musical instruments store, its a maestro by gibson, it got good reviews, maybe if they are just testing the waters this is a good buy at $100. I picked it up for $80 but have no idea how to play and was thinking it be fun to learn a bit on it.....

The reviews certainly seem positive... for a first guitar for a beginner that just wants to test the waters it sounds like a good option.

I would certainly suggest new strings, though. A decent set of strings doesn't cost much but can make a big difference. The store might even change them for you if you don't know how (so you can see for the next time).

 

[java]

My brother has my 30 year old gibson now - he taught himself to play on it so I let him have it. I have other guitars. But Gibson is a great guitar company and I am surprised that you could get one under $100. I say snap it up!

Oh and definately Steel Strings! NO NYLON!

 

[minnie56]

This will be her first attempt at playing the guitar so not sure she has any preferences other than she has specified Acoustic?

 

[minnie56]

I presume maybe she starts with a 6 string??

Are any of these decent?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/6-String-Acoustic-Electric-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar.gc

 

[mrodgers]

No more advise about the guitar itself, but figured I'd toss something out for your daughter to check out and also for dodukes since he mentioned just purchasing a guitar....

Check out GuitarNoise.com. A great place to start learning and getting some basics down before lessons if that is the route you are going. The internet is a great place to learn on your own as well. Lots of great songs for beginners that doesn't take long to learn. Each beginner song teaches something while learning as well. Songs are done by David Hodge who writes for Acoustic Guitar magazine (I think that is the mag...) He does an excellent job of creating a tutorial to learn to play many great songs from the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, lots of Neil Young, etc.

JustinGuitar.com is another one. Good stuff there.

Also, mostly blues with the minor pentatonic, but search youtube for Marty Schwartz and check out his videos.

Also a lot of cool lessons from this guy, Siggi Mertens on youtube.

 

[bgirldeb]

Instruments are personal. I would never give one as a gift unless the recipient had personally tried it out first and chose it after careful consideration. Rather than giving a guitar, I would suggest giving her a coupon that says "Good for one guitar" or something to that effect, or a gift card at worst, but not the instrument itself. What is good for one person is not good for another - do you want loose action or tight action? How does it feel under your hands? What about the tone? Too dark? Too bright? Just right? The right guitar is like Goldilocks's porridge - it's just right... for you. Not the next person.

I agree-
Maybe a gift card to a reputable guitar store.

 

[Brocktoon]

I'd reccomend going with the good ol' standard six-string dreadnought style acoustic. If you can afford it, I'd also go with a solid spruce top. Laminate spruce is cheaper, but solid tops sound so much better.

My favorite beginner guitar is the Yamaha FG700S. For the price, it plays and feels better than many gutars I've played that were 4x the price.

The Washburn D10S is also a workhorse entry level solid top. I prefer the Yamaha, but the D10S has been selling great for years, and with good reason.

It's also worth paying the extra $30-50 to have the guitar 'set-up' properly by a guitar tech. Guitars are set-up for the specfic string gauge on the guitar ... changing to a diffrent string guage, humidity, out of tuning etc ... effect the neck relief and playability of the guitar. String guages are the thickness of the string. The higher the number the thicker the strings. Thicker string may sound richer, but they are much harder to play for beginners. I'd reccomend 11's, which are usually considered a light guage, or maybe even 10's which are extra light guage. It sounds confusing, but anybody in guitar sales or a guitar tech should know exactly what you're talking about. As previously mentioned, the guitar tech can also adjust the action depending how the guitar feels. As recommended on other posts, I'd have her pick out the guitar and maybe work with the tech on how she feels most comfortable.

Basically, if the guitar is strung with 11's or 10's, then you should have them throw in a set for free. Then, the tech should change the strings if needed, and then perform a 'set-up' for that guitar/string combinations, making sure it plays well. After that, as long as the guitar is regularly tuned and kept in a decent environment, you should be good. Also, remember to only change the strings with a similar type guage, or the guitar many not play well, or even create long term problems with the neck. Many times great guitars sound and play horrible due to the simple fact that they're never set-up with the proper string guage in mind.

Finally, you'll want to invest in a cheap CHROMATIC tuner. The Korg CA-1 is probably the best seller for a entry level tuner. You basically strum the the guitar string, and tune until the needle is in the middle ... pretty easy!

Again, I'd reccomend these three steps:

1) Pick a decent entry level solid top acoustic
2) Make sure the guitar gets set-up for light to extra light strings (11's or 10's for the guage)
3) Invest in a cheap chromatic tuner to keep it in tune.

It's a little extra work, but it'll ensure the best playing and learning experience.

 

[DisneyDayTripper]

I'd buy something so he could learn and maybe after a year or so if he is still playing purchase him a better guitar. I learned on a piece of crap guitar and while I was learning the basics I saved my money for a new guitar and once I had the money I bought a base model Martin (for like $400 something) and the difference was AMAZING. I appreciated the sound and quality much more than I would have if I would have started with it. I hate to see parents invest a ton of money for their kid to start taking guitar lessons and after a few months they decide to quit and then the parents are stuck with several hundred dollars worth of guitar equipment. Get the basics until he decides it is something he wants to stick with.

 

[Shmily1]

I bought DS19 a Breedlove from Guitar Center a couple years ago. The guy there asked if he'd ever played before and we said no. He said it wasn't usually used for entry level and I told him I didn't care about that... I wanted to know if he could really play it, would it sound good forever. He said that we had picked out the right one! They were really helpful there.

 

[TinklednPants]

Martin, Takamine, Ibanez, Yamaha, Taylor. You're pretty safe with any of these. Personally I like the Martins and Takamines the best.

 

[ckay87]

We have a Martin and an Ibanez...you can't go wrong.

 

[dodukes]

The reviews certainly seem positive... for a first guitar for a beginner that just wants to test the waters it sounds like a good option.

I would certainly suggest new strings, though. A decent set of strings doesn't cost much but can make a big difference. The store might even change them for you if you don't know how (so you can see for the next time).

well i bought the extra strings that best buy was advertising for cheap that day but i dont know how good they are, i think it comes with steel string, but i dont remember....

My brother has my 30 year old gibson now - he taught himself to play on it so I let him have it. I have other guitars. But Gibson is a great guitar company and I am surprised that you could get one under $100. I say snap it up!

Oh and definately Steel Strings! NO NYLON!

Is there a reason? just curious? I think the beginners pack one I got had steel strings...

No more advise about the guitar itself, but figured I'd toss something out for your daughter to check out and also for dodukes since he mentioned just purchasing a guitar....

Check out GuitarNoise.com. A great place to start learning and getting some basics down before lessons if that is the route you are going. The internet is a great place to learn on your own as well. Lots of great songs for beginners that doesn't take long to learn. Each beginner song teaches something while learning as well. Songs are done by David Hodge who writes for Acoustic Guitar magazine (I think that is the mag...) He does an excellent job of creating a tutorial to learn to play many great songs from the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, lots of Neil Young, etc.

JustinGuitar.com is another one. Good stuff there.

Also, mostly blues with the minor pentatonic, but search youtube for Marty Schwartz and check out his videos.

Also a lot of cool lessons from this guy, Siggi Mertens on youtube.

this is awesome i will make sure to check this out.


At the best buy there was a sign that said 4 free guitar lessons with any guitar purchased, i asked him if it was valid on mine and he said yes.

OP since you said also your DS is testing the waters maybe you should look into the package thing at the Best buy, i honestly havent taken it out of the box yet but they had one on display and it looked nice and it also brings a dvd, picks, and soft case and i think guitar strap...and soem free lessons too!..lol

 

[minnie56]

I will have a look at Best Buy..I really don't want to buy the best for my daughter as you never know--the interest could be fleeting!!! MANY thanks again! Lots of good help here!