Members allboy Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 I'm looking for some advice on my first Guitar. I dont know how to play yet so it would be nice to find one that is easy to play. I have fat and short fingers that could be an issue. I'm willing to spend between 200-400 dollars. I hear good things about Seagull, Yamaha, Art and Lutherie, Washburn. Any others I should consider in this price range? Is this a good price range to stay in for a first Guitar? Should I consider a used Guitar? Should I take lessons, or try to learn on my own? Would it be a good idea to buy online to save some $$$?
Members Harmonycat Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Add to those other two Godin made Guitars, the S&P, and Norman , both also have that easier to play 24.84" scale length.Waldens are well thought of.....Morgan Monroes and Masterbilts are developing huge followings here. And definately consider used.... Online buying is a good question for you to ask regarding who our Forumites have had success with. Lessons are great for some and not so great for others. Visit Chordie.com and play the songs. Lessons are free on Youtube! Cheers! BTW: Welcome to the Forum!!! Glad you are here!
Members Stackabones Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Guitars for beginners? I've had great luck recommending Yamaha for my students. They just come out of the box ready to play. Used is always an option. Lessons are a solid idea, but you need to find a good teacher. Ask around and don't be afraid to try a few teachers out. Be careful about teachers with really low rates or that offer first lesson free ... try to find ones with full schedules and references. There are many ways to go about learning. Youtube has tons of great stuff on it, but -- as a beginner -- how do you know what's what? I encourage my students to check out youtube and anything else (DVDs, books, magazines, forums) they can get their hands on. You'll need to look for materials geared toward beginning players -- basic chords, songs, etc. Is there a particular style of music you want to play? After you get the basics together, you may want to start go that way. Again, ask around. Talk to some teachers and players. Welcome to the forums!
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Welcome to the forum! Yep, Seagull, and any of the Godin/LaSiDo line of guitars in that price range make excellent guitars. So do Yamaha, Walden and Tanglewood. My buddy bought a brand new $300 Yamaha guitar 16 yrs ago when he was just learning and it is still his one and only guitar. It still sounds and plays wonderfully.Personally I think for your first guitar you should get a new one with a warranty of some kind.
Members Samilyn Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Welcome to HCAG, Allboy. I usually recommend the Yamaha FG700. Great beginner guitar that's around $200. It's a lot of guitar for the money - nice sounding and well built. Since you are new to guitar, I don't recommend buying a used one unless you have some guidance. If at all possible, have a guitar-savvy friend shop with you if you're tempted by a used one. A used acoustic guitar can look very nice, but still have a lot of problems that could make it unplayable. As for lessons, my first question is, are you good at learning things out of a book or are you a "show me" type person? A good teacher can help you make some pretty rapid progress while giving you a solid foundation for future playing, even if you don't stick with lessons for a long time. On the other hand, if you are good with books, the Hal Leonard beginner book is a very good one. Mel Bay also has some good beginner books. If you have friends who play guitar, they might be able to answer any questions you might have about something in the book. You can also ask questions here at AG. We're happy to help out. And as recommended by Stackabones, check out anything you can get your hands on - books, DVDs, YouTube, websites, etc. Best of luck.
Members Broadus Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Great suggestions of guitars. I particularly like the Godin-family of guitars. As far as teaching material, a good DVD is David Hamburger's Acoustic Guitar Method. Retails for $39.95; can be ordered at bestbuy.com for $14.95 plus a little for shipping. I have it and it's good stuff. Bill
Members Scott Fonseca Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Yamaha, Seagull, Walden, Epiphone's Masterbuilt, Morgan Monroe, the guitar world is your oyster! There are a ton of great choices out there for cheap! Just pick out a few, play a few things and whichever guitar speaks to you, that's the right one for you. My only suggestion (other than the brands of course) is to get one with a solid top. Good luck, and do not hesitate to ask any question! The people in this forum are wonderful, and extremely friendly!
Members mole2 Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Alvarez is another good brand to take a look at in that price range. You could pick up a nice RD or RF-20 with a case, an Intelli IMT-500 tuner (off eBay), spare strings, picks and other accessories for that $400. You can see a couple of the Alvarez models here: Alvarez RD20S at MusciansFriend or the Alvarez RF20SM at MF. If you buy the dred (RD) you can get a decent tweed (or black) case here: Muscians Gear Dred Case at MF or the Classical/Folk case: Muscians Gear Classical/Folk Case at MF. Here's one place (of many) to pick up an IMT-500 tuner on eBay: Intelli IMT-500 Tuner on eBay. Alvarez RD20S in Natural: Muscians Gear Dred Tweed Case: Alvarez RF20SM: Muscians Gear Classical/Folk Tweed Case: Intelli IMT-500 Clip On Guitar Tuner: Of course this is just my opinion and is only worth what you paid for it.
Members ESL94 Posted January 3, 2008 Members Posted January 3, 2008 Guitars for beginners? I've had great luck recommending Yamaha for my students. They just come out of the box ready to play. Used is always an option.Lessons are a solid idea, but you need to find a good teacher. Ask around and don't be afraid to try a few teachers out. Be careful about teachers with really low rates or that offer first lesson free ... try to find ones with full schedules and references. There are many ways to go about learning. Youtube has tons of great stuff on it, but -- as a beginner -- how do you know what's what? I encourage my students to check out youtube and anything else (DVDs, books, magazines, forums) they can get their hands on. You'll need to look for materials geared toward beginning players -- basic chords, songs, etc. Is there a particular style of music you want to play? After you get the basics together, you may want to start go that way. Again, ask around. Talk to some teachers and players.Welcome to the forums! +1Wise words.... Welcome to the forum, the net is a great source of info. to help you learn about play guitar. You Tube is an added source of: lessons, performances, demo's of equipment, etc... Yamaha's & Alvarez's make good guitars in your price range, as well as Seagulls. I have own several Seagulls over the years & have found if you like wide & chunky necks this will the one for you.
Members allboy Posted January 4, 2008 Author Members Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for the great ideas, and sugestions. Too many to pick from. I have read alot about the Washburn D10S. Is this a good Guitar? I see you can still get some of the exotic wood D10S's. Are these worth looking at, or should I stick with the original if I decide to go with this model? Sould I be concerned about what country my new Guitar is manufactured in? Are most in my price range going to be made in China, ect.? And is that a bad thing?
Members drnihili Posted January 4, 2008 Members Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for the great ideas, and sugestions. Too many to pick from. I have read alot about the Washburn D10S. Is this a good Guitar? I see you can still get some of the exotic wood D10S's. Are these worth looking at, or should I stick with the original if I decide to go with this model?Sould I be concerned about what country my new Guitar is manufactured in?Are most in my price range going to be made in China, ect.? And is that a bad thing? The D10S is, by all accounts, a fine guitar. It's definitely one of the ones you should be considering. As for being made in China... From a quality perspective I wouldn't worry about it. In your price range the best guitars are made either overseas or in Canada (Art&Lutherie, Seagull, and the rest of the Godin lineup). There are some very nice guitars coming out of China now. If you have political reasons for wanting to buy closer to home, the you should consider the Godin line. But from a pure value standpoint, the Orient is clearly the lead producer in your price range.
Members sumpm1 Posted January 4, 2008 Members Posted January 4, 2008 Welcome to the forums! As others have suggested, you should be looking only at solid top guitars from the mentioned brands, all of them will be nice, just find out what works for you. Take a friend who plays with you to stores that stock these brands. Either that, or have one of the employees play the guitars for you, so that you can hear them from a perspective other than the "player's perspective."
Members Harmonycat Posted January 4, 2008 Members Posted January 4, 2008 I own three Washburns. My Beater Washburn is the WD32SW all solid wood guitar. I also own their premier Travel Guitar, the B52SW and a D52SW Timbercraft. The WD32SW is a significant step up from a D10S. I have played the D10S on many occasions. That said, although my WD32SW is a better guitar, it is not nearly as good as my Simon & Patrick SP6 Mahogany Cedar. I have also played the Norman B-18, and S&P SP6 Spruce and Cedar models with the Cherry wood laminates which are also better. The better Masterbilt, Guild GAD, Washburn Timbercraft, Morgan Monroe and such, are in their league or better. If I got a D10S used at a really good price OK, but I would not buy one new.I believe that some of the Yamahas suggested here are every bit as good as a D10S for less money. Play as many of them as you can before deciding.
Members missedmyexit Posted January 4, 2008 Members Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for the great ideas, and sugestions. Too many to pick from. I have read alot about the Washburn D10S. Is this a good Guitar? I see you can still get some of the exotic wood D10S's. Are these worth looking at, or should I stick with the original if I decide to go with this model?Sould I be concerned about what country my new Guitar is manufactured in?Are most in my price range going to be made in China, ect.? And is that a bad thing? I wouldn't be concerned with where it is made. The D10S's "exotic wood" are laminate in that price range. Given your price range of 400 you can really go two ways. A solid lower end guitars (Yamaha Washburn) and by lower end I mean wood quality not sound, or step up to the mid range. My father has a D10 and I pick it up everytime I go over. It's a great guitar for that price or double it. I would suggest saving the money now by picking up a washburn or Yamaha in the 200 dollar range. Then as you get more into guitar you can invest more money into your instrument when you have the knowledge to know exactly what you want which is different for everyone. I have never heard of anyone regretting buying those Washburns or Yamahas and know many guitarists that own 2000 dollar guitars and still play their first Yamaha all the time.
Members T.B. Posted January 4, 2008 Members Posted January 4, 2008 Welcome to the forum!Yep, Seagull, and any of the Godin/LaSiDo line of guitars in that price range make excellent guitars. So do Yamaha, Walden and Tanglewood. My buddy bought a brand new $300 Yamaha guitar 16 yrs ago when he was just learning and it is still his one and only guitar. It still sounds and plays wonderfully.Personally I think for your first guitar you should get a new one with a warranty of some kind. +1 In praise of Yamaha: My first guitar was a Washburn D10 lovely guitar, she served me well. However if I had it to do over again, my 1st guitar would've been a Yamaha. A gentleman over on AG gear forum spoke of dropping his Yamaha FG730s resulting in the body cracking in several places; he loved the guitar so he had it repaired. Bought a Larrivee in the interim but "doesn't thinks he needs it anymore". I'm not surprised and it's a testament to why OGP's friend first axe, has been his only. Trina
Members allboy Posted January 5, 2008 Author Members Posted January 5, 2008 I want to thank everone for the nice advice you have offered. I went to a local store and sampled a Seagull, and a Art & Lutherie. I really enjoyed the sound of the Seagull. I think it was the S6. We have a Guitar Center in town here. What's your opinions on this "super center". Is this the Walmart of the music industry? What do I want to look for in a used Guitar? Do the Guitars in the $200 price range come with decent strings?
Members Scott Fonseca Posted January 5, 2008 Members Posted January 5, 2008 I want to thank everone for the nice advice you have offered. I went to a local store and sampled a Seagull, and a Art & Lutherie. I really enjoyed the sound of the Seagull. I think it was the S6. We have a Guitar Center in town here. What's your opinions on this "super center". Is this the Walmart of the music industry? What do I want to look for in a used Guitar? Do the Guitars in the $200 price range come with decent strings? The strings are going to be okay, but if you buy your guitar from Guitar Center, then it is a good idea to buy a set or two of strings (the strings will be more than likely dead from people playing them). The Seagull S6 is a very solid guitar! If you like that one, go for it! As for GC, I have never had any problems with them.
Members allboy Posted January 5, 2008 Author Members Posted January 5, 2008 The strings are going to be okay, but if you buy your guitar from Guitar Center, then it is a good idea to buy a set or two of strings (the strings will be more than likely dead from people playing them). The Seagull S6 is a very solid guitar! If you like that one, go for it! As for GC, I have never had any problems with them. Are you telling that they are going to be selling me one of the demo's? I was asuming that I would be getting a new one in the box? How does this work when you buy from a Guitar shop? Do many of you buy online?
Members Scott Fonseca Posted January 5, 2008 Members Posted January 5, 2008 Are you telling that they are going to be selling me one of the demo's? I was asuming that I would be getting a new one in the box? How does this work when you buy from a Guitar shop? Do many of you buy online? The guitars on the floor are the ones you buy. It's a try before you buy thing. I have bought a guitar online before and as long as the return policy is good, I see no reason to avoid buying one online. However, you do not get that opportunity to test it out. Remember, two guitars of the same model can sound very different. Therefore, if you like the Seagull, go for it and spend an extra five to ten bucks on a set of strings. It may be worth it
Members larry50 Posted January 5, 2008 Members Posted January 5, 2008 Welcome. First, I would clearly recommend lessons to start, following the advice given above. Find a good teacher you get along with. A good teacher will get you organized on the basics, and then you can take it from there, either continue lessons, find some good lessons on Youtube, books etc. (all of which will be a natural progression if you get hooked) or both. As far as guitars, there is no substitute for going out and trying a bunch in your price range. That's the best way to find one that you like and is comfortable. Taking a friend who plays and is familiar with guitars would be helpful and would provide some protection against salesperson hype. Since this is going to be a starter guitar, don't worry about where its made. It won't be made in USA, that you can say for sure. Many of the Far East imports are excellent values and good guitars, even in that price range. Any of the above brands would be safe to try. Yamaha has a lot of fans around here, and they have been making good well built guitars for years (I had one in college in the 60's), far longer than any of the others listed above (maybe except Washburn). When people mention their Yamaha's, they always say that they seem to get better with age, even ones with laminate components. Several leading forumites who use Yamaha's bought them years ago, still have them and still love them. Seagulls also seem to be very well liked around here. The other brands appear to be good but are relatively new products. You can also check out reviews of lots of models in the HC User Reviews area. Happy hunting! Nothing better in life than shopping for new guitar that you can actually buy, regardless of the price range.
Members knowspicker Posted January 6, 2008 Members Posted January 6, 2008 I like the Seagull and Art and Lutherie. Takamine solid top guitars are also nice in that price range. Since you are in Tacoma... Kennelly Keys has rent to own guitars. You can get an Art & Lutherie, Seagull, Yamaha, Guild, Tacoma or Samick. You might want to try it if your not sure exactly what you want. The prices are around $30 a month. I also like the sound and playability of the Takamine G series solid top guitars. I played a GS430S at guitar center and it was a really nice sounding easy to play guitar.
Members Berkleo Posted January 6, 2008 Members Posted January 6, 2008 +another for Yamaha. And just for yucks I Googles guitar stores in the Tacoma area and came up with this link: http://home1.gte.net/parntson/index.html Seems like with a little driving you've got a few more options than just Guitar Center. I'd suggest some more local research to make sure you get the best deal on the best guitar for you. Good luck!
Members allboy Posted January 6, 2008 Author Members Posted January 6, 2008 Thanks for the link. Very good info.
Members Misha Posted January 6, 2008 Members Posted January 6, 2008 Add to your list: Crafter D6/N Cort Earth 100
Members whosjk Posted January 7, 2008 Members Posted January 7, 2008 +1 on Alvarez. Amazing quality for what you spend. They are beautiful guitars. RD20SC is $330 on MF. Try to find one at a guitar shop so you can see how nice they are. Sound great too. I was able to get a brand new one in a box at my local shop for $270 with a stand.
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