Recommend me a guitar

pearlhawk

I'm looking to learn guitar. What's a good one to learn on?

keeponrockin

Electric? Acoustic? How much money are you willing to spend? Where do ya live?

pearlhawk

Either, maybe both? Combo? A few hundred. Iowa.

mccreadyisgod

First recommendation is to start with an acoustic. Electric guitar is easy to cheat on, learn bad technique. If you're serious about learning, starting on an acoustic is better.

You'd be better off trying to find a good used guitar rather than buying one brand-new. First of all, you'll get a much better deal; second, the guitar will probably be set up already for playing; and third, if you don't end up playing it, you can sell it for about what you paid in the first place. Craig's List is a great resource, and you can find some good ones at pawn shops as well.

There are so many good brands at affordable prices, it's hard to recommend just one. Art & Lutherie is my personal favorite, but Seagull, Takamine, some Yamaha, some Ibanez, Alvarez, Jasmine, Sigma, and some Epiphone are all good bets for "starter" acoustics in the $200-700 range. There are undoubtedly a dozen other brands that guys will recommend that are good as well, so this isn't meant to be an exclusive list.

If you find a guitar that seems like it fits you and your budget, feel free to ask us for our opinions. Make and model names are the important pieces of info.

Lastly, don't get hung up on brand names and prices, since there are some $200 guitars that sound and play better than some $2,000 guitars. Find one that gels with you, and you'll be set. Also, be prepared to get the guitar set-up by a professional; bring it to a local music store, and they should have a guy who can do it, or recommend someone. A set-up involves adjusting the guitar for best playability; if you're just starting to learn, getting a proper set-up on the guitar puts you on the path to succeed.

pearlhawk

Excellent. Thank you for the wonderful tips.

So, like, what about something like this? Is it crap? Will it sound like crap?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-telecoustic-acoustic-electric-guitar-/140520688119?pt=Guitar&hash=item20b7af89f7

mccreadyisgod

pearlhawk wrote:

So, like, what about something like this? Is it crap? Will it sound like crap?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-telecoustic-acoustic-electric-guitar-/140520688119?pt=Guitar&hash=item20b7af89f7

Yes, unfortunately. A Fender Telecoustic will sound like crap. I've heard them and played them myself, and they sound like crap. They play pretty well, and can even sound okay plugged in (acoustic/electric), but the body of those is 75% molded plastic (the back and sides, like Ovation, for everyone else here).

Fender does make some decent beginner and intermediate acoustics, though.

All Those Yesterdays

I am also a big fan of A & L's. Good quality, low price, especially used.

Here are a few

http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Lutherie-Acoust ... 2561c0e533

http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-Art-Lutherie-w ... 3cb5d1a7e2

keeponrockin

Art and Lutherie. The Telecoustics I could only see being useful when playing live plugged in with a band.

Hub.

mccreadyisgod wrote:

First recommendation is to start with an acoustic. Electric guitar is easy to cheat on, learn bad technique. If you're serious about learning, starting on an acoustic is better.

+1

mfc2006

this acoustic has a great sound for an awesome price, in my opinion.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=516458

phungi

mfc2006 wrote:

this acoustic has a great sound for an awesome price, in my opinion.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=516458

Takamine makes a great guitar... if you are looking for a decent electric that won't break the bank, check out Xaviere Guitars. I followed online reviews of these for a few months, comparing them favorably to "Made in Mexico" Teles... once a few trusted message board folks dissected them, I took the plunge on a Tele knock-off... amazing sound and quality for such an inexpensive guitar...

TalkofCircles

lots of great advice; however, i think i didn't see a very important comment

do not buy your first guitar online. a guitar is a very personal thing and when you play, it should feel like an extension of your body. there is no rhyme or reason to what guitar is best. i think you simply need to hang onto a few simple facts

if you are buying your first guitar, buy USED. give an old guitar a new home and learn together.

when you go the store and you see a guitar in your price range and it says "pick me, pick me"...you play and it feels/sounds right...that's the one.

mccreadyisgod

TalkofCircles wrote:

lots of great advice; however, i think i didn't see a very important comment

do not buy your first guitar online. a guitar is a very personal thing and when you play, it should feel like an extension of your body. there is no rhyme or reason to what guitar is best. i think you simply need to hang onto a few simple facts

if you are buying your first guitar, buy USED. give an old guitar a new home and learn together.

when you go the store and you see a guitar in your price range and it says "pick me, pick me"...you play and it feels/sounds right...that's the one.

Yeah, I pretty much said all of that in my post.

TalkofCircles

sort of.

pearlhawk

Thank you everyone. There are a lot of great suggestions here. I'm still searching, and I'll let you know what I come up with.

Thorns2010

Hmmmmmm.....

A little shocked by the Jasmine love in here.

I work at a music store, and thankfully we have not had a Jasmine guitar in stock for some time. I never liked the things. Poor quality, poor sound, and cheap. This is of course all in my opinion.

For entry level guitars, the brands I like are Yamaha, Fender DG-8, and Crafter.

If you can find one, I love the Takamine GS330S. It has a Ceder top, which gives it a little bit of a 'darker' tone then your normal Spruce top.

I would suggest you look for a solid top rather than a laminate top guitar. But, as been suggested, find what speaks out to you.

Good luck!

pearlhawk

Great. Thanks for the suggestions. From what I have read, I am liking the Takamine as well.

So, the general consensus seems to be not to get an acoustic/electric? What is the major downside?

mccreadyisgod

Thorns2010 wrote:

A little shocked by the Jasmine love in here.

Jasmine is just Takamine's line of affordable guitars, so a Jasmine is basically a cheap Tak. Then again, Taks aren't really that expensive, so their budget line is filled with lemons. That said, there are some good models, and their OM-style guitars, when properly set up, are very comfortable to play.

pearlhawk wrote:

So, the general consensus seems to be not to get an acoustic/electric? What is the major downside?

The only real "downside" to getting an A/E is that you have to spend an extra $100-200 to get electronics on a guitar versus the straight acoustic version. So, if you get a $400 A/E guitar, you're really getting a $275 guitar with $125 in electronics. If you've got closer to $600 to $1,000 (or more), you can easily get a good A/E guitar that will be a good regular ol' acoustic guitar (even if you play lots of gigs, most A/E guitars are played unplugged 75% of the time).

For beginners, I'd rather see investing in a quality instrument for acoustic purposes, since you probably won't be playing gigs for a while. The mistake some people make is assuming they will be playing shows right away, and getting a crappy guitar for $400 because it's got a pickup. If it was me, I'd get the $400 guitar without the pickup, and either upgrade when you're ready to play gigs, or get a $100 passive pickup installed.

Then again, if you can spend the money right away on a Taylor 310ce or 314ce, then go for it.

pearlhawk

mccreadyisgod wrote:

Thorns2010 wrote:

A little shocked by the Jasmine love in here.

Jasmine is just Takamine's line of affordable guitars, so a Jasmine is basically a cheap Tak. Then again, Taks aren't really that expensive, so their budget line is filled with lemons. That said, there are some good models, and their OM-style guitars, when properly set up, are very comfortable to play.

pearlhawk wrote:

So, the general consensus seems to be not to get an acoustic/electric? What is the major downside?

The only real "downside" to getting an A/E is that you have to spend an extra $100-200 to get electronics on a guitar versus the straight acoustic version. So, if you get a $400 A/E guitar, you're really getting a $275 guitar with $125 in electronics. If you've got closer to $600 to $1,000 (or more), you can easily get a good A/E guitar that will be a good regular ol' acoustic guitar (even if you play lots of gigs, most A/E guitars are played unplugged 75% of the time).

For beginners, I'd rather see investing in a quality instrument for acoustic purposes, since you probably won't be playing gigs for a while. The mistake some people make is assuming they will be playing shows right away, and getting a crappy guitar for $400 because it's got a pickup. If it was me, I'd get the $400 guitar without the pickup, and either upgrade when you're ready to play gigs, or get a $100 passive pickup installed.

Then again, if you can spend the money right away on a Taylor 310ce or 314ce, then go for it.

Great breakdown. Thank you for your opinion. You make some excellent points. I'd probably be playing unplugged nearly all the time, so the sacrifice in terms of quality are probably not worth it.

mccreadyisgod

Like I said earlier, you can actually add a pickup to any regular acoustic guitar at a later point, and turn it into an acoustic/electric. In fact, the guitar I play gigs with has an aftermarket pickup in it. So, for about $150 installed, you can do that later if you get gigs and want to plug in.

mfc2006

i never said that the Jasmine was the best guitar around, just said that it's a great starter guitar. not only that, i don't mind the tone at all. that's why it's best to TRY OUT several guitars before you buy your first one. you may fall in love with a guitar that everyone else thinks sounds like crap, but you need to know that that's OK because it'll be YOUR guitar.

phungi

Thorns2010 wrote:

If you can find one, I love the Takamine GS330S. It has a Ceder top, which gives it a little bit of a 'darker' tone then your normal Spruce top.

When I said I liked Takamine Guitars, I was referring to my GS330S... amazing sound for a relatively inexpensive guitar. Pick up one of these used, and it will serve you well for many years.