Beginner Guitars?

my first acoustic was a washburn d-1.  solid guitar.  i like it better than my martin.

electrics are easier to play. whatever you do, don’t buy one of those Target, etc. Epiphone guitar/amp combos for $149.95

go to the nearest guitar store in the chi town area and talk to the sales people.  pick up each guitar and buy what feels right to you.  

If I were starting over again, I would have bought a used Mexican Fender Stratocaster, a cheap multi-effects pedal with a rhythm feature and headphone out and a used Fender Pro Jr. or Blues Jr. amp.

The guitar should be around $300.00, the amp between $250-$400 and a processor from Digitech, Vox or Zoom should be under $100.00.

The guitar and amp should be able to be sold for what you paid if you don't like them. If you stick with it, they can be modified to sound incredibly good if you want to go further.

Practing with a rhythm source will help immensely once you begin playing with other people and the processor will give you access to a lot of effects types and combinations for very little cost.

If you decide to buy an acoustic, I'd look into used Martin, Taylor and Breedlove guitars from their lower lines. Should be in the $400-$700 range. Again, you should be able to recoup all, or at least most of what you spent if you decide to move on.

Talk to a few shops, play lots of guitars and be sure to tell the salespeople that you're just starting out. You will undoubtedly encounter some that want to sell you a bunch of stuff you don't want or need. Don't deal with them. Ideally, you will find a shop that you can develop a relationship with. This will help you find better deals on gear down the road, as well as get you acquainted with the other musicians in the area, should you decide to play with anyone else.

Most of all, have fun and don't let yourself get bogged down by the multitude of options for gear, the competitive nature of some other musicians or of slow progress. You'll get to where you want to be if you put the time in.

Good luck!

I have a mini Martin. It cost £350 a few years back and holds value well. 

lastexitlondon said:

I have a mini Martin. It cost £350 a few years back and holds value well. 

Which one did you get?  

Agree with learning chords first.  You get instant gratification and focusing on five basic chords such as A major, E major, C major, D major, and G major will build up hand and finger strength as well as muscle memory and these chords are found in a large majority of popular songs.  

I remember the magical "holy shit" moment when taught to play my first chord and a guitar transformed from a box of wood and strings into a musical instrument that I could control.

Other small things that help starting off:

Snark tuner.  They are $15 and make tuning strings simple.  I'm sure there are apps, but this is a keep it simple, stupid tuner.  Check to make sure your guitar is in tune every time you play.  It's understated how a good tuned guitar will help motivate you to play early on

String winder:  Under $10 and make changing strings 100x easier

Guitar stand:  Under $20 and the accessible guitar is the guitar that gets played the most.  Put that thing within arms reach of where ever your butt tends to land when you are at home.

Good strings:  Elixer, Elixer, Elixer, Elixer, Elixer.   Did I mention that Elixer makes good strings?

In regards to fret action, this too is uber important when choosing your first (and future) guitars.  Watch some youtube videos to understand.  If you bring this up to a salesperson that will help them distinguish you from a customer that wants to actually play and someone they can unload a cheap starter pack on that will go on to collect dust. 

Last bit of advice:  Trust no ones advice at Guitar Center.