First-timer iso help on his first guitar purchase

[§somedevil§]

I have been wanting to take up guitar for a very long time. As a 100% beginner, I thought i'd ask the musicians on ants what would be a good acoustic to start on. I have no idea what brand or model I want, and I don't have any preference on style simply because i don't know what I like since I haven't really played much. And of course, my other concern would be cost. As a beginner I don't want something that costs a lot! But all or any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[cityondown5]

Give me a price range, that would help a lot. What is the max you are looking to spend?

[cityondown5]

Anyway, just straight up, this is a good starter, Takamine is very solid:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Takamine-G320-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=516299

or

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Takamine-G-Series-G340-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=516421 <This one is probably a little better choice

This was my first guitar, definitely recommend it to a beginner. Very solid beginner guitar:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-DR200S-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=518379

[TSilk]

I got a Washburn D10S for my first one and it sounds like 5-6 hundred dollar one, but most of all go around and play some at your local shops and pick the one that fits you best.

[whiteysax]

I too plan on getting my first guitar soon as well. I've been looking at some Ibanez brands...
good? no?
i'm partial to the cut away style as i am inexperienced higher up on the fingerboard and playing some of the licks up around the 12th fret pose a problem for my hand and the body of the guitar.

[tdowe99]

I agree on the Washburn D10

[jcc522]

this is a good because it plugs in too.. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ovation-GC057-Celebrity-Mid-Depth-Bowl-AcousticElectric?sku=513292

[whiteysax]

yes?
http://www.wwbw.com/Washburn-EA8-----Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-(Open-Box)-i252485.music

[jcc522]

yes?
http://www.wwbw.com/Washburn-EA8-----Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-(Open-Box)-i252485.music

It looks pretty nice but for some reason the $150 price tag seems to good to be true if you catch what I'm saying....

[TSilk]

It looks pretty nice but for some reason the $150 price tag seems to good to be true if you catch what I'm saying....

I don't think you need an acoustic electric to start out with because i doubt you're going to be plugging in any time soon if you're an absolute beginner.

[tdowe99]

http://www.zzounds.com/item--WASD10S

[whiteysax]

It looks pretty nice but for some reason the $150 price tag seems to good to be true if you catch what I'm saying....it does claim to list at $600

[jcc522]

my b... i didnt see that

[tdowe99]

Well, the list price is always really high.
Nobody pays list.

[Carbon Copy]

i hate the washburns

[whiteysax]

Well, the list price is always really high.
Nobody pays list.yeah, but it makes me feel like i'm saving a lot... just paid $1300 for a sax that was listed at $5800... just to hear "you saved $4500" makes me happy...

[mikedevoss6]

I like most Takamines or Alvarezes

[SpecialAgent007]

Seagull. By far the best cheap guitar money can buy. They're made in Canada and have access to this huge reserve of wood that they get really cheap but the wood is good. Wood is good indeed.......but anyways, the company just really does things right and keeps it affordable and the subsequent guitars are by far the best in the price range of all the one's I've heard. Smoke anything with Epi, Tay, Mar, Tak, Was, etc. in the name at the price range.

http://seagullguitars.com/

I recommend them even though that tool James Blunt uses them and I can't stand him so they must be good.

[§somedevil§]

allright thanks very much for the advice...it is very helpful! I will continue to look into each of the guitars recommended. As far as purchasing goes (no, i haven't concluded my search yet, i'm just asking for when I do) is it ok to buy online? Or would a guitar store have most of the brands/models you guys have been recommending?

[ZaqDiesel]

my advice would be to go into a couple of guitar stores with a price in mind. be prepared to pay your top price. a couple of people i know who started playing gutiar stopped because they purchased one for value and were ultimately not happy with how it sounded. this can be very discouraging especially when you're not good at playing the guitar yet. also, you'll be surprised how quickly you'll probably catch on, and if you love playing as much as all of us did when we started (and still do for that matter) you'll probably spend a pretty penny upgrading a piece of crap guitar sooner than you think.

that being said, gather as many guitars in your price range and feel them all. hold it in your lap and feel the guitar neck in your hand. does it feel comfortable? this is step number one. number two, have the salseman in the store play the gutiars for you that you found comfortable. do you like what you hear? step 3, i don't care what brand or how much you paid, have the store or another repair man give the guitar a setup and put new strings on it (no matter how long it's been out of the box). most guitars are set up for shipping when the stores get them. you'll be surprised how much more playable any gutiar is when a setup and a new set of strings are done before you even take the guitar home. sam ash and guitar center would probably throw a setup in if you're spending somewhere in the 300-500 dollar range. even if they don't, it shouldn't run you more than $35 for a setup.

step 4....grab a chord book (or just look online) and enjoy your new gutiar.

[UltimateFrisbee]

Seagull. By far the best cheap guitar money can buy. They're made in Canada and have access to this huge reserve of wood that they get really cheap but the wood is good. Wood is good indeed.......but anyways, the company just really does things right and keeps it affordable and the subsequent guitars are by far the best in the price range of all the one's I've heard. Smoke anything with Epi, Tay, Mar, Tak, Was, etc. in the name at the price range.

http://seagullguitars.com/

I recommend them even though that tool James Blunt uses them and I can't stand him so they must be good.

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup
Phenominal beginner guitars. Try out a Seagull S6 cedar. Their L.R.Baggs pickups sound great. A lot of mainstream (wholesale buyers = low cost to you) stores like Guitar Center don't carry them so I'd say try one at a mom-pop store and if you decide to buy one have a musician friend look for a safe ebay deal for you. You could get one with electronics and hardshell case for $275 instead of $700. I've probably helped 10 friends buy their first guitar and the only friends that still play today are the ones that got Seagulls.

The BEST advice I can offer is:
Regardless of what guitar you get, when going to music shops take your friend that owns the most guitars and knows what he's talking about so you don't get ripped off hardcore.

[Heavy As Stone]

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I was going to start a new thread, but this one was conveniently here. Here is my situation.

My sister-in-law studied abroad in Germany last semester, and while she was gone, I borrowed her guitar and played it. Now that she's back, I wanted to get one of my own, and made sure my parents knew before Christmas. They ended up getting me an Alvarez RD20S, even though I told then that I would rather pick the guitar on my own, but thats my parents for you. Anyway, I like the guitar, but was/am hesitant for two main reasons. First, I didn't get the chance to play around and pick it on my own. Second, and this may be in my mind as a result of the first, I am almost afraid that it has a somewhat "tinny" sound to it, if that makes any sense. They spent around $250 for it. I like it better than the Seagull that my sis-in-law had.

Yesterday I was in town so we went over to the guitar store where my dad bought it just to see what they had. I will admit, for the price, I would've bought the same guitar in that store. While its not a bad shop, they had a somewhat lacking acoustic selection. For the $400 and under price range, they didn't have much. In fact, I played every guitar they had that was priced between the one they bought and $420, and that was the first noticable sound difference. So I was a bit frustrated.

Today, my wife and I dropped by Guitar Center and I played around on a bunch of guitars there, but am unsure where to go. The girl there didn't seem to be quite knowledgable enough for me to trust her opinion. One guitar that I liked somewhat for $350 was an Ibanez AW120-RDV. I liked the finish on it MUCH better than I do the Alvarez. It has a nice "red violin" color to it, and a somewhat less shiny finish. It might show a few more dings with time, but I still like the way it looks better. As far as sound goes, it is hard to say without having both there to play together, but I thought that the sound had more bass to it, and not so much of the tinny sound of the Alvarez.

However, I really don't know what I am talking about when it comes to Acoustic guitars. What do you guys think? Between those two guitars - Alvarez RD20S and Ibanez AW120RDV - which would you pick and why? Anyone have any direct experience with those?

[UltimateFrisbee]

allright thanks very much for the advice...it is very helpful! I will continue to look into each of the guitars recommended. As far as purchasing goes (no, i haven't concluded my search yet, i'm just asking for when I do) is it ok to buy online? Or would a guitar store have most of the brands/models you guys have been recommending?

Unless its an ebay deal too good to pass up it's best to buy in-store so you can have the exact guitar you've come to love through holding and examining and hearing. I recommend asking the store you are at if they will pricematch and then bring printouts from musiciansfriend.com because those will probably be lowest and everyone in the music industry trusts that site. Don't act too eager in the store and as I said in my last post don't go alone. You need to have someone with a lot of guitar experience with you. You would be surprised just how far you can haggle the prices down. The salesmen talk out of their ass about the kind of wood and construction to impress you and if they see your experience is weak they will extract every penny they can from you.

Summary: if you live by a Guitar Center... buy there with pricematch and/or haggling. If you only live near mom-pop music shops... buy online.