What acoustic guitar should I start out with ?
Flammablepiss asked:
I am going to be learning completely from scratch and I know little about guitars. What is a good guitar or brand to start out with.. Bare in mind I am a beginner so I don’t want anything too expensive, but I still want something of a high quality. Thank you !
I am going to be learning completely from scratch and I know little about guitars. What is a good guitar or brand to start out with.. Bare in mind I am a beginner so I don’t want anything too expensive, but I still want something of a high quality. Thank you !
Yamaha is a good brand. You don’t want to spend £5 and never want to play again because of the poor sound but you don’t want to go all out, just in case you can’t/don’t enjoy playing.
lorenzo guitars are really good quality, and are not expensive. i’ll provide link in the source box.
other makes, such as encore and yamaha also produce quality beginners guitars.
falcon also make decent acoustics for beginners. link below
Acoustics are not like electrics, in that electric cheapos are awful, yet acoustic cheapo’s sound fine. I played my mate’s $100 rosewood for a gig, and it sounded fine. my advice is to set a budget, go to music go round and try to find a guitar in your range, if you’re lucky you could get a real steal. But, if nothing there really interests you, or if their selection is all out of your range, go to guitar center, and try some out. in my experience it is much more about comfort than price and such, especially if you don’t plan on gigging soon, or are a hobbyist.
-Cheers!
Depends… Will you keep it up, or could it be a flash in the pan?
If you just want to try & see whether you can play at all (some people never get it) then buy a cheap, second-hand one. You could get a bargain, since so many people buy a good guitar but give up very quickly when they get sore fingers. It’ll take perseverance until your fingertips develop harder, thickened skin.
If you are sure you’re serious, buy the best you can afford; go to your local store and ask for advice - they will show you several, which you will need to hold and strum and listen to in order to choose the one that feels and sounds right for you (don’t be shy - they will be very helpful). There is no particular make to buy - believe me, you can’t afford, nor want to buy the best, if you are just starting out.
Bear in mind, guitars can tend to deteriorate if not kept in perfect conditions; central heating or damp can destroy them very quickly. My old guitar teacher had a special, temperature and humidity-controlled room which he kept his in.
I think you should go to a guitar store. Get someone to help you. Get a feel for different guitars. That way you’ll learn what’s best for you. :}
For a beginner, I would recommend you assess the following specs
1: Do not get a guitar with paint on it. It diminishes the sound by A LOT
2: Guitars with solid spruce tops offer good sound that beginners can pick up on. Spruce definitely gets better with age, as do most other woods..
In general,
Spruce - Treble and mid sounds good
Mahogany - Bass sounds good
Koa - Bass and mid sound good
Cedar - Mid-bass
Maple (back/sides) - Treble
3: No matter what guitar you get, you should get Light strings for your guitar. They’re easier on your fingers and allow more practice with less pain.
4. Most beginners wouldn’t want to spend more than about $500 on a beginner guitar, but if you want to go a bit more, low-end Taylor guitars are the best bang for your buck. Taylor 100-series guitars are amazing and great overall guitars.
-Ibanez has a lot of affordable, decent acoustics
-Don’t get an Ovation. The back of their guitars are made of plastic, which totally screw up the sound in my opinion.
-Luna guitars are pretty and they are decently priced.
-Yamaha also has a few good ones out there
5. Finally, there are 2 types of acoustic guitars: Nylon-stringed (Classical) and Steel-stringed.
Nylon stringed (Classical) guitars generally have wider necks than Steel-stringed guitars which aren’t ideal for the beginner, but you have more room to spread out your hand on the fretboard. Nylon strings are easier on your fingers, too.
Steel-stringed guitars generally have thinner necks and lower action (Strings are closer to the fretboard - GOOD). The down-side to steel stringed guitars is that they can hurt your fingers more, but that problem can be remedied by getting light strings.
I hope that helps
Like someone else has already said, especially with acoustic guitars, it is probably best for you to go and try some out first.
My tip would be to ignore the brand at first and just get the one that feels best for you!
Check out my blog it will answer which guitar you should start with and I also have a post on second hand guitars.