Buying my first guitar in the next couple weeks - advice appreciated

[enwar3]

So for the past half year I've been playing on my bro's 99$ guitar that he got in one of the starter packs they sell at wal-mart. It's been ok so far, but the bridge is ripping off, which not only scares me but makes it super hard to tune, and it costs more to repair than the guitar is worth.

So I need to buy another guitar. My friend who started me on guitar wants me to buy a nylon acoustic but I'm really more interested in a steel-string (not really interested in classical). Aside from that, I have no idea what to look for. Should I buy my first off craigslist? Anything to ask at the music stores? Any advice is appreciated! I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[tailes151]

Don't know much to say besides I got the Seagull S6 based off of a few guitar threads on AT. It's an excellent guitar and if it's within your price range you should definitely check it out.

--oh--

And if you buy from a store ask if they have combo deals if you buy a case as well, or just try to haggle the price down anyway.

 

[silverpig]

The oft-repeated advice on the forums is to go to a music store and play a bunch. Play the cheap ones, play the expensive ones, and play the ones in your price range. You'll discover fairly quickly what makes a good guitar. A good music store won't mind you playing around a lot.

With that in mind, you can scour pawn shops and craigslist for used guitars. Make sure you show up and play the thing before you agree to buy anything though.

Generally what you want to check for is how good the action is. This means how far you have to press the string down before you fret it. If the strings are really far from the frets then it'll kill your fingers quite quickly. It can also be a sign of a curved neck if the strings start out close to the frets at the headstock and get significantly farther away as they approach the body. I had a guitar like this once and it sucked to play. Make sure the tuners operate smoothly and the guitar doesn't buzz.

 

[lxskllr]

For acoustic I like Seagull for cheap, and Taylor for expensive.

 

[mryellow2]

definitely go try some out but you can't go wrong with a seagull s6, used might even be better if you can get a good price

 

[Fritzo]

Just search for guitar----it's covered twice a week here.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: silverpig
The oft-repeated advice on the forums is to go to a music store and play a bunch. Play the cheap ones, play the expensive ones, and play the ones in your price range. You'll discover fairly quickly what makes a good guitar. A good music store won't mind you playing around a lot.

With that in mind, you can scour pawn shops and craigslist for used guitars. Make sure you show up and play the thing before you agree to buy anything though.

Generally what you want to check for is how good the action is. This means how far you have to press the string down before you fret it. If the strings are really far from the frets then it'll kill your fingers quite quickly. It can also be a sign of a curved neck if the strings start out close to the frets at the headstock and get significantly farther away as they approach the body. I had a guitar like this once and it sucked to play. Make sure the tuners operate smoothly and the guitar doesn't buzz.

This. I would also recommend getting an acoustic-electric in case you want to get a little amp sometime to add effects.

 

[alkemyst]

budget is key...

Then just search for the best $300 / 500 / $1500/ etc guitar.

My first was a $125 electric back in 1984-5, my next was a $1500 vintage Martin HD-28 around 1990

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Just search for guitar----it's covered twice a week here.

Yes. Poor fritzo is getting bombed with these questions every week.

USE SEARCH PEOPLE!

If you are too lazy, then just buy the cheapest thing you can find. NOthing worse than putting down $400 on something that you ended up not liking.

 

[TwiceOver]

Get something cheap that is from a good manufacturer. When your "need" for a new guitar changes into a "craving" for a new guitar, that's when you spend the money.

 

[buck]

My first was the seagull s6 +cedar.

 

[enwar3]

I did search guitar (with google, even) and all I got were guitar hero threads.

Anyways, I went to the music store today. So many options! I did see a lot of the brands you guys mentioned - I played some of the Seagull guitars, some Taylors (wow), others. I guess I have a pretty untrained ear because none of them sounded very different from each other, though they all sounded and played much better than the one I have right now.

I'm thinking an acoustic-electric might be a good investment since I plan on sticking with guitar for a bit. But as for brands themselves, I'm clueless. At the store I saw a lot of Alvarez, Fender, Seagull, Yamaha, Taylor, Art and Lutherie, some others. On Craigslist I also see stuff like Ibanez and Dean. There are also the big brands like Fender and Gibson. When I'm looking through Craigslist, what should I be looking for in the ads (both pros and stay-aways)?

And finally, I've been reading up on what physically to look for in a guitar. Many sites mention a truss rod being an must, but at the store today I didn't see very many with truss rods at all. Is it a must?

Edit: I will be trying to pick up something cheap from craiglist/ebay. If I'm still playing when I'm out of college I can get something nicer. =]

Here are the ads in my city (vancouver) if you're interested: http://portland.craigslist.org...uery=acoustic%20guitar I can also go out to portland if necessary..

 

[evident]

i nabbed a takamine acoustic/electric from musiciansfriend for $219. look for clearances.

 

[funkymatt]

figure out what you want, then find that for the best price in the best condition. Guitar center will pricematch just about anything online. As mentioned before, make sure the neck isn't warped.

 

[lxskllr]

I think all steel strung guitars have truss rods. Nylon strung won't due to little tension on the neck. For an all electric, the Fender Strat kit is very nice. I got one for my daughter a few years ago, and it came with the guitar and amp for $120. They're highly playable for the money. You couldn't touch that quality for under $300 back when I was really playing(late 80s).

Acoustic/electric's aren't really my thing. They're nice for a gigging musician because they're easily amped, and as said before you can add effects. For someone starting out, it adds cost, and doesn't provide much benefit. You're paying for the electronic bits at the expense of construction quality for any given price range.

Acoustics are best played in person. You could take 3 identical models, and they'll all sound different due to small construction variances. I've played high end guitars I found underwhelming, and budget guitars that were top notch.

Look for any big name in guitars if you buy from Craigslist, and play it in person.

the neck should have a decent action(not too high), and when you fret the first and last sting at the same time, there should be a gap under the string with the neck making a gentle arch.

Avoid open headstocks(the kind with slots at the tuning pegs). They're mostly(all?) meant for nylon strings, and if someone has steel strings on it there's a good chance the neck's warped. Since you're new, it's best to avoid that situation all together until you really learn what to look for in a guitar.

Sight down the neck like your sighting a gun and make sure the frets look evenly spaced all the way down the neck(parallel like train tracks). If they don't look parallel, that indicates the neck's twisted, and it would be too expensive to fix for a guitar in your price range.

 

[enwar3]

Originally posted by: lxskllr
I think all steel strung guitars have truss rods. Nylon strung won't due to little tension on the neck. For an all electric, the Fender Strat kit is very nice. I got one for my daughter a few years ago, and it came with the guitar and amp for $120. They're highly playable for the money. You couldn't touch that quality for under $300 back when I was really playing(late 80s).

Acoustic/electric's aren't really my thing. They're nice for a gigging musician because they're easily amped, and as said before you can add effects. For someone starting out, it adds cost, and doesn't provide much benefit. You're paying for the electronic bits at the expense of construction quality for any given price range.

Acoustics are best played in person. You could take 3 identical models, and they'll all sound different due to small construction variances. I've played high end guitars I found underwhelming, and budget guitars that were top notch.

Look for any big name in guitars if you buy from Craigslist, and play it in person.

the neck should have a decent action(not too high), and when you fret the first and last sting at the same time, there should be a gap under the string with the neck making a gentle arch.

Avoid open headstocks(the kind with slots at the tuning pegs). They're mostly(all?) meant for nylon strings, and if someone has steel strings on it there's a good chance the neck's warped. Since you're new, it's best to avoid that situation all together until you really learn what to look for in a guitar.

Sight down the neck like your sighting a gun and make sure the frets look evenly spaced all the way down the neck(parallel like train tracks). If they don't look parallel, that indicates the neck's twisted, and it would be too expensive to fix for a guitar in your price range.

I saw a lot of guitars today that didn't seem to have a truss rod. The headstock didn't have a hole or removable tab or anything...

Also, how will I tell if a brand is a big name? By big name do you mean a lot of their guitars show up on CL (a lot of people buy them) or quality (expensive) manufacturers?

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: enwar3



I saw a lot of guitars today that didn't seem to have a truss rod. The headstock didn't have a hole or removable tab or anything...

Also, how will I tell if a brand is a big name? By big name do you mean a lot of their guitars show up on CL (a lot of people buy them) or quality (expensive) manufacturers?

Unless things are really made different today than they used to be, it should still have a truss rod. On a acoustic look inside the sound hole, and the adjuster should be in there. Less commonly they'll have one that isn't user adjustable.

As far as brand names go, there's too many to list. You could pick up a couple guitar mags to see what's on the market. Your best bet would be to go to a couple of stores and play some guitars to see what you like. You can then search Craigslist to find some used. Seagull, Yamaha, Fender, and Epiphone would be decent guitars in your price range(not to exclude others though). Of the ones I listed, I like Seagull and Yamaha the best.

 

[alkemyst]

your best bet will come from recruiting a guitar friend to come along. My $125 electric was a steal. Even 10 years later the action and feel was great. It was a japanese brand and the only one they had in the store. Even my classical guitar teacher thought it was a great guitar.

You don't have to spend a lot of cash, like Epiphones are pretty close to the sound of Gibsons but at a much much lower price...however; a real Gibson has that wow factor and a higher level of fit and finish. Like a Chrysler 300M vs a Bentley.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: enwar3
I did search guitar (with google, even) and all I got were guitar hero threads.

Anyways, I went to the music store today. So many options! I did see a lot of the brands you guys mentioned - I played some of the Seagull guitars, some Taylors (wow), others. I guess I have a pretty untrained ear because none of them sounded very different from each other, though they all sounded and played much better than the one I have right now.

I'm thinking an acoustic-electric might be a good investment since I plan on sticking with guitar for a bit. But as for brands themselves, I'm clueless. At the store I saw a lot of Alvarez, Fender, Seagull, Yamaha, Taylor, Art and Lutherie, some others. On Craigslist I also see stuff like Ibanez and Dean. There are also the big brands like Fender and Gibson. When I'm looking through Craigslist, what should I be looking for in the ads (both pros and stay-aways)?

And finally, I've been reading up on what physically to look for in a guitar. Many sites mention a truss rod being an must, but at the store today I didn't see very many with truss rods at all. Is it a must?

Edit: I will be trying to pick up something cheap from craiglist/ebay. If I'm still playing when I'm out of college I can get something nicer. =]

Here are the ads in my city (vancouver) if you're interested: http://portland.craigslist.org...uery=acoustic%20guitar I can also go out to portland if necessary..

What exactly is your price point? If you go to any decent store (guitar center), they do not carry crap (well they do...but not crappy crap). Big brands have a reputation ot follow, so you will not find gibson/epiphone making cheap pos guitars (although, they did when they started releasing thise pos sh*t faded electrics...but that is a whole other agrument). The only exception to this rule is Fender. Fender absolutely makes the worst acoustics that have a price point of under $300. Smaller brands (which you will not find at those big music stores) want to build a reputation. These guitars are usually built in Japan, but they are usually not cheap (well they are by Gibson standards, but you are not there yet). You have to go searching for those. Some local music shops that offer lessons sell them, and they usually also sell from brands like samick, who actually exclusively manufactured epiphones at one point. This is why playing the name game on instruments suck.

 

[darkxshade]

Having spent about $750 on my first guitar a year and half ago... I now wish I had spent half that and got a Seagull S6 instead like others have suggested.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
The only exception to this rule is Fender. Fender absolutely makes the worst acoustics that have a price point of under $300.

I agree with this to a point. Their sound is substandard, but I thought the playability was fine. That's what I'd be most concerned with on a beginning instrument. There's nothing more frustrating for someone new than a horrible action.

OP

You implied that you want an acoustic guitar, but you should clarify that. If you want to play electric type music, you should start with an electric guitar. Some people buy an acoustic as a starter electric, and I'm really against that practice. They're 2 completely different instruments, with different techniques. The only similarity is they have 6 strings, and play in the same range.

 

[Fritzo]

sigh- I guess I stayed out long enough.

Everyone can recommend a great brand of anything. The problem is not every brand fits everyone's needs. Guitars are very personal. Not every guitar fits every body type. A Gibson Songbird's fat neck is going to drive a person with small hands crazy. Someone with short fingers is going to hate wide frets. A dreadnaught body may not fit someone with short arms.

I need to make this a macro for easy posting because it's true: Guitars are like shoes, not every brand fits everyone's body. That's why you try shoes on before you buy them. Go to a store, get a sales rep to help, and find the one that fits you. Don't worry about the brand.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
sigh- I guess I stayed out long enough.

Everyone can recommend a great brand of anything. The problem is not every brand fits everyone's needs. Guitars are very personal. Not every guitar fits every body type. A Gibson Songbird's fat neck is going to drive a person with small hands crazy. Someone with short fingers is going to hate wide frets. A dreadnaught body may not fit someone with short arms.

I need to make this a macro for easy posting because it's true: Guitars are like shoes, not every brand fits everyone's body. That's why you try shoes on before you buy them. Go to a store, get a sales rep to help, and find the one that fits you. Don't worry about the brand.

QFT!

MADPROPS!

FTMFW!

SUBSCRIBE ME TO YOUR NEWSLETTER!!!!

 

[enwar3]

So I've been to the music store a couple times now, and again am asking for advice.

1. Should I spend ~400 and try to get a guitar that I will stay on for a while, or should I pick up a beater from Craigslist for like $100 and save the money for a more expensive purchase later? I've been playing for several months and I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with it, but I'm sure in a year I will know far more and probably will be itching to buy something new. Also, do I want the support of a music store behind me?

2. At this point, should I worry about getting an acoustic-electric? I have no current plans to perform but this could change. I'm assuming that an acoustic compares favorably to an acoustic-electric at the same price point.

 

[alkemyst]

Buy the best for your budget now and if you need to upgrade then do so. That $300 difference isn't a lot of dough and you can recoup some at least in a resale.

An acoustic vs acoustic-electric aren't really that different. An acoustic-electric is a lot difference than a solid body though, not only in sound but string spacing. Personally it really depends what you want to do. Many like acoustics because you can just jam out anywhere/anytime and have the volume to hear.