I've wanted to play guitar since I was a kid, and I've had enough putting it off.
I've looked on places like Musician's friend and guitar center fora cheap guitar to buy, but I'm lost. So I'm here asking for your help.
So I'm wanting a guitar of decent quality that will last a while, I'm not a brand snob but I don't want to buy junk.
Figured I'll need a tuner and a bag too.
What would you recommend for someone who can kinda play smoke on the water?
Electric or acoustic?
either way I've had good success with ibanez brand guitars. Not super flashy but good quality.
Fueled by Caffeine said:Electric or acoustic?
Quoted for importance
Does your town have a guitar store that carries good, used gear? If so, I'd start there. My 2 cents, and I'm assuming electric: Mexican-made Fender Strat or Tele.
Figure $300-ish or so. It'll play nicely, stay in tune, and pretty much always be worth about 300 bucks. (You can buy a used Squire for less, but I don't have any experience with them.)
Have a few bucks more to spend, like $400-ish? How about a used PRS SE model like a Classic 24? Again, great-playing/sounding guitar that will stay in tune.
Wanna spend a few bucks more and totally hit the easy button? Bam: brand-new PRS SE Standard 24 for $499. Free shipping and no issues. You'll be playing right away.
What about Craigslist or pawn shops? Honestly, too many variables for me. I don't want any stories or nightmares. I don't want to get home and find out that the truss rod is stripped or the neck is warped. I want something that a shop will stand behind.
I just saw a good friend of mine, and he's also taking guitar lessons. And then he told me about his piece of crap guitar--fret buzz, electrical issues and the like. So, basically, he's fighting the guitar vs. enjoying the experience.
Back to PRS because one of our forum regulars narrates this video--a great explanation about what goes into a great guitar, even if it's built to a price point.
I would go to your local music store and try a few to see what you like. There is actually a brand called Firefly that makes a nice, cheap guitar. You can get them through Amazon or they have a site called guitarsgarden.com They are frequently out of stock so you have to watch for when they are available.
I love factory tour videos. Never played but it was still fun to watch
My brother has a few guitars he picked up in pawn shops. He is pretty hip to guitars, computer nerd that has been at it a while, so he knows what he is looking at. Second hand is the way to go though.
In reply to ChrisLS8 :
Aren't they the best? I have been to the PRS factory in Maryland a few times and, yeah, it's basically the same process.
So, here's my PRS SE testimonial. Right now I have my PRS SE Kingfisher in heavy rotation. It's got great tone, great feel. Looks boss, too.
My guitars live in my office, which has a door to the outside. Sometimes the door's open, sometimes it's closed. Sometime's the a/c is on. The conditions in this room change a bit from day to day. Could be warm and humid, could be cooler and dry.
Here's the kicker: That guitar is always dead-nuts in tune. I never have to say, Well, it's humid so the frets are buzzing. It's always perfect. No excuses. So that means, for me, a relaxed, enjoyable playing experience. 
Photo just because--and please excuse the mess. (That's tonight's project.)
My advice is to get a Yamaha. At worst you will get a playable guitar, acoustic or electric. If you get acoustic, make sure it has a solid top... it will be slightly more expensive but if you stick with it, will last you a lot longer as it just sounds better. Solid back and sides is better still.
General guidelines, for all guitars, country of origin matters. Note that these are absolutely not rules, one of the best sounding guitars I own is made in China, and I have had some real duds made in US and Japan.
USA>=Canada>=Japan>Korea>Mexico>China>Indonesia
Electric is easier on the fingers. Acoustic IMHO better as an only guitar. YMMV. I’ve owned a ton of guitars - over 40, I think, and there have been about 7 electrics in that number. I now own 5 or 6 acoustics and no electrics. YMMV.
I'm that much of a noob that I failed to mention.
Acoustic.
I want to be able to just pick something up and strum some chords. Maybe play something simple. Not ready to jump in with pedals and amps and all that jazz just yet.
BoostedBrandon said:I'm that much of a noob that I failed to mention.
Acoustic.
I want to be able to just pick something up and strum some chords. Maybe play something simple. Not ready to jump in with pedals and amps and all that jazz just yet.
Something to consider: electrics are easier to play then acoustics. The string action is almost universally lighter on an electric ( no wound G is a lot of it)
Also, do you have a comfortable budget?
Really probably the best thing is if you have a musician friend( not the company lol) help you out. I know I can personally take the E36 M3tiest $20 pawn shop guitar and make it play very well, hell I've recorded with a few even and gigged them
Few hundred maybe? Perhaps no more than $300, but preferably not.
I'm fine with secondhand, I just want something durable and easy to play. If it sounds like crap and I'm having to tune it all the time, I'll get frustrated and give it up.
If you are super inexperienced the best thing I can say is to find out what your hero's play. If you like deep purple for example, look up what guitars they used on your favorite recordings (strat, iirc, for Smoke on the Water) then go buy an entry level version. that'll get you very close to the sounds you'll be trying to emulate when learning to play your favorite songs.
Don't be a brand snob. Some really great stuff is out there under names you've never heard of. I have a rad old bass that was deemed to have no value by the previous owner. It is some nothing brand out of Japan 40 years ago and it oozes mojo. I've owned several Fenders, Gibsons, Gretschs, Ibanez, Epiphone, Washburn, Samick, Cort.... something good about all of them. I've also played some VERY high end stuff that I thought would make great firewood.
Fender makes excellent entry level stuff either acoustic or electric. Squier is licensed to build all the classic fender stuff and they do a fantastic job. Ditto Epiphone with the Gibson designs.
TL;DR: find something you like the looks of and play it. It's fun.
*edit. Somehow I just now read that you want to focus on acoustic. The only one I own currently is an Epiphone jumbo. Solid top and laminate sides/back. It's super stable and sounds fantastic, bought used for $300. I also quite like Ibanez acoustics for the ease of playing as their necks always seem rather slim and fast. Budget wise you can do way worse than a seagull. I learned on an old Eterna ("by Yamaha") with a really fat neck. Little sis has it these days so that's my plug for Yamaha as well.
Maybe don't be afraid of nylon strings. Known as "classical" guitars, they play really easy and every class I've ever taken uses them to teach. Tuning can be tricky and unstable even on high end ones. That said, the strings last a long time and the necks are wide and give you extra room if your fingers have the girth. Thinking about it I really want to get another one now.
+1 to finding a local shop with a good selection of used gear and trying stuff, even if you haven’t learned to play yet you can get a feel for what body style or neck shape you like.
Or if you’re home from work for three weeks like me and just want to order something to play with right now, it’s hard to go wrong with a basic Yamaha.
Something like This one. If I remember right, my brother has one and it’s pretty decent to play. Definitely good enough that you won’t get frustrated trying to learn on it.
rustyvw said:I would go to your local music store and try a few to see what you like. There is actually a brand called Firefly that makes a nice, cheap guitar. You can get them through Amazon or they have a site called guitarsgarden.com They are frequently out of stock so you have to watch for when they are available.
I have one of their thinline tele's, great guitar.
It does seem like their newer stuff isn't nearly as good though
Ok, $300 is a good amount.
First, size. Dreadnaught is the typical guitar size. It’s big. Most of the guitars I’ve owned have been dreads. I still own 2 or 3. Only real problem with it is that it is a little uncomfortable to play for a long time if you’re sitting down, for some people anyways.
000, which is “triple aught”, auditorium, concert, “OM”, and folk are all similarly sized small body guitars. I recommend these sizes or a Dread for your first guitar.
Other sizes aee Jumbo, which has a bigger boot than a dread but is otherwise similarly sized, 00, which is smaller than a 000, 0, smaller still and also known as a parlor guitar. I wouldn’t get any of these for your first. The single exception to this would be the Taylor GS Mini. But I wouldn’t get a Taylor - they make excellent guitars, but to me they all sound tinny and soulless. But this is a Chevy vs Ford argument.
Look for a SOLID spruce top. Preferable back and sides too, but don’t be too picky. The top will at least get you into something that sounds decent. X bracing rather than ladder bracing, unless you want a cheap blues sound (cheap meant as a discriptor, not a knock... it’s just different). I also would want an adjustable truss rod.
[edit]
Preferably solid Back and sides, but laminate is fine. I would make sure they have a real name for the back wood though. Ideally, even if it is laminate, it will be Mahogany (or Sapaele), Rosewood, Maple, or Walnut. If it says “Natural back and sides” or naturo or nato, or nothing, or if it is painted black, and it is not a black guitar, avoid it.
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Yamaha will be good if you make sure it has the solid top. And some of them are really, REALLY good.
Epiphone is ranges from E36 M3 to superb; their Masterbilt line is good to phenomenal - this may be where I’d look the hardest on the used market.
Ive never really been impressed with fender acoustics and would stay away. Others have had better luck.
Ive bought a Larivee for $300 that is superb, probably won’t find one but if you do, keep that in mind.
Seagull will probably be in that price range, maybe with a cedar top (which is fine, I just prefer spruce), they’re good guitars but I’ve never fell in love with them myself.
Washburns are generally pretty good for the money. Not great, but not bad.
Cort, Samick, Peerless, among some others are OEM manufacturers that range the whole gamut of imported guitars. I’d avoid these until you know what you’re looking for or have someone going with you.
Martin, Gibson, and Taylor are the big boys. Probably out of your price range except for the Little Martin (meh), Baby Taylor (meh) and Taylor GS Mini (not bad).
Also buy a Keyser Capo, a tuner, and budget $50 to $100 to get it set up. Ask around for who should set it up. Tell them you like low action and use light strings until you build up calluses.
How do you know if it's a solid top?
rustybugkiller said:How do you know if it's a solid top?
Honest answer is to look up the model. It will be the main selling point more often than not at this price range.
Oh, some other things... Guild is good, but all over the board in terms of quality control. Recent ones will probably be fine, be aware older ones may need a neck reset which would be $$$. Guild has been through about 17 different owners so various times will get you various models and quality.
Also forgot about Takamine. They’re probably all good, same with Alvarez - but remember the solid top and preferably b&s for these two.
Recording King and Tanglewood are recent brands that seem to be putting out decent stuff, but I’d sway back towards the above mentioned brands.
Don't buy one because it is an acoustic electric. Don’t rule them out, just don’t really look at it as a huge benefit unless it’s an LR Baggs or Fishman Ellipse or Fishman Aura. The pickups that they come with in this price range are usually cheap piezo pickups that are good for imitating ducks and not guitars (meaning, they quack). If you find yourself wanting to play out after a few months, install one yourself.
I bought a Yamaha F335 for about a hundred bucks to re-learn the guitar. It's playable, sounds pretty good and makes a decent campfire/roadtrip guitar if you actually learn to play it. It's laminated, but that's what you get for $100. It you do get into it, you'll end up buying something better but the Yamaha is fine as a beginner guitar.
jwagner said:I bought a Yamaha F335 for about a hundred bucks to re-learn the guitar. It's playable, sounds pretty good and makes a decent campfire/roadtrip guitar if you actually learn to play it. It's laminated, but that's what you get for $100. It you do get into it, you'll end up buying something better but the Yamaha is fine as a beginner guitar.
Definitely a solid option, despite the lack of a solid top. We had one that hung around for many years. Only sold it after it lived in a college house for a year and came back smelling like an ashtray.
David S. Wallens said:In reply to ChrisLS8 :
Sorry to go off topic, but I love this pic. Next time the gf tells me my house is a mess, not only will I tell her that she does not know what a mess is, I can show her also.
Ps.. there are some you tube guys that do reviews (no really?) they have some kind words for a couple Chinese made cheap axes. Dont recall the brands.
A nylon string classical guitar would be easier on your fingers than a steel string acoustic, but it may not suit your musical style. The very first guitar I ever bought my son was a secondhand (thirdhand?) vintage Yamaha classical from the 1970's. We went from there to a solid Spruce top Yamaha acoustic which he played a few years before we acquired a Seagull Entourage acoustic electric, which is by far his favorite guitar today. In fact, we sold the Yamaha acoustic, but he still plays the classical from time to time. He also has a 1990's Mexican Strat and a Yamaha bass which is actually mine, but he plays it more often and is very much more talented than I.
Edit: If you do some research, you will find that in the realm of "cheap beginner guitar that isn't junk" the Yamaha product reigns supreme.
Once you find a guitar that is comfortable to you, find a Tab book of an acoustic album you know really well. Hopefully you own the music already, too.
Then find some youtube videos of someone playing it, and some instructional beginners videos.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
A classical style nylon string guitar is a great idea for someone starting to learn, and I think they are a lot of fun. Definitely something you’d want to try first to see if you like the sound.
I have an ultra cheap one, unknown brand basically one step above a toy, that I got from a garage sale for $5. Despite being made of plywood it’s still pretty satisfying to play if I’m just messing around at home.
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