Buying a beginners' guitar

Yamaha makes great beginners acoustic guitars. I just bought a "beater" Yamaha FG-1 Junior Travel guitar, and I'd put it up against any of the Martin travel guitars any day, and it was more than half the price.

You can get a great beginners pack for like $150-$200 that has gig bag, instructional stuff, picks, etc.

Thanks Joe. In UK sterling that's about £91-£122, so should be within my price range – however, I believe guitars are more pricey in England. Is a travel guitar smaller than a conventional one?

I would consider a used guitar if you are able to make an informed purchase of a used guitar, or have someone that knows enough about guitars to help you. You can find great deals on Kijiji or Craigslist - I am not sure what the best used sites are outside of North America - but, it is buyer beware and you have to make sure that it is in good condition, not cracked, etc. I have had great luck buying used.

I would recommend Yamaha as well. Also, I am a big Ovation fan... you should be able to find an Ovation Celebrity model (do not buy the "Applause" line) for the price range you are looking at.

My first acoustic was a Yamaha and it was amazing. I wanted a guitar with a cutout - the only reason I got rid of it. I also had a Fender acoustic (DG-16) along the way and really liked it as well.

And, you can't go wrong with a Seagull. They have slightly wider necks, so the transition from a nylon may be easier.

I second the call for Yamaha. I started with an F335 and it easily outplays some of my friends' more expensive acoustic guitars. Has a great tone, I suggest going over to your local shop and playing a few different ones, but make sure Yamaha is on your list of candidates. Happy huntin'

Ibanez make pretty great acoustic guitars in the lower price ranges. My EW20NWE retails at £289, above your budget, but I'd take a look at their cheaper models - for build quality in budget acoustics, I think Yamaha and Ibanez rock it big time. But I'd urge you to go to a store and try them out for yourself before choosing one to buy, as your decision will be based on comfort (varies from guitar to guitar and player to player) as well as tone and build quality. For example, I don't really get with Ovation guitars too well - many people find them very comfortable to play, but the bowl-shape body just isn't comfortable for me.

Seeing as you're pretty new to guitar, I'd be inclined to stay away from buying second hand gear until you have more experience, unless you can find a guitar player to go shopping with you. There could be flaws in the guitar that a beginner wouldn't notice. Far too much risk, imho, I'd buy new this time and save the second hand hunt for the next one you get. :wink:

I agree with some advices. Yamaha and Ibanez make very good entry level guitars. Probably Seagull is not in your price range but if you can try out, do it. Don't worry about spend a little more money, but you don't need a very expensive guitar now.

And go to the store. You already know how to play some chords, isn't? Take the guitar and play yourself, you will feel how comfortable is it for you. If you a have a friend that play guitar, go with him, he also can play in front of you, so you can listen the guitar as well. If not, sometimes the salesmen play guitar (it depends on the store).

And remember: buying a guitar or a musical instrument is always funny, so don't be in a hurry! Take your time and compare. you have a great opportunity now, you can play a lot of different guitars!

And welcome to GN! And review the main site, there are many good lessons there!

Thanks very much for the replies. It's looking like a Yamaha I think!

I am a bit nervous about trying them out because, while I can play some chords, I'm still a beginner and I'm a bit embarrassed about playing on front of staff! But maybe I'll swallow my pride and just pick a few up and strum the chords I do know.

I will definitely be using the wider site for beginners' tips.

Thanks again for welcoming me into the community.

MK

Don't be nervous... if the only people going into music stores were people that can already play, most stores would have to close. It is very common and they will help you. If you are made to feel amateur or uncomfortable, go somewhere else. There is one music store (the biggest) in my town that I will not shop at. They are snobs and pretty much ignore anyone until they prove they are worthy of their attention. I never had any good service in there until an amazingly skilled coworker of mine went over with me. The difference was jaw dropping.

Many music stores also have "acoustic rooms" - private rooms for listening to and playing guitars. Take advantage of them.

Also, don't let the sales person tell you what sounds good. If it sounds good to you, that is what matters.

Get them to throw in a few extras too... strings, a few picks, soft case?, strap? no tax... etc. Doesn't hurt to ask, and they want you back. Also ask about a trade up program if you want to buy something better later.

It also wouldn't hurt to play a couple of higher end guitars... so you can actually hear what a really good guitar sounds like. In the beginning, I didn't know there was that big a difference... until a sales guy put a $4000 Taylor in my hands. Wow.

As someone who used to work in a music store, I can say the following....

Try not to go in on a Saturday - if you can cop an hour or so off work during lunch or something, a weekday is much much quieter, especially with the kids back in school. This means the palce will be quieter, meaning both that the staff will be less stressed (and thus nicer, I hope! lol) and you wont be drowned out by the annoying kid playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight.

Also, the only thing that really annoys staff in guitar shops is that annoying kid who insists on playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight. He comes in every Saturday. He sometimes even brings his mates in to watch. Even they find his antics annoying. And he's been playing that same riff every Saturday for the last six months without buying anything more than a plectrum or two, and always uses the best gear he can persuade us to let him loose on.

Seriously though, repeating the same tune/chords on several acoustics is infinitely nicer than someone doing it on a loud electric. And, as long as it isn't Smoke On The Water, Smells Like Teen Spirit, or Stairway To Heaven, it usually doesn't bother us. Those ones get played so often I'd leave them out of your 'performance' (and trust me, if you go in on a tuesday or wednesday, chances are the store will have taken new stock and the sales guys will be too busy updating inventories, storing them, discussing new models, etc. to really pay enough attention to your playing to get annoyed by it).

If you look at Yamaha, check out their APX line. I've seen some advertised around the £250 mark, and the series is really good. I don't know if they extend to the sub-£200 category, but it's worth a look.

And welcome to Guitarnoise! 8)

Try not to go in on a Saturday - if you can cop an hour or so off work during lunch or something, a weekday is much much quieter, especially with the kids back in school.

There is such a night and day different between Saturdays and week-days. Even if you go after work on a week-day it seems better than going on Saturdays. Of course, that could go both ways - Saturdays are good if you want the place so busy the salesperson will leave you alone if you're not acting as if you're ready to buy something and you don't look like you're going to break anything.

Although you won't be able to hear yourself over that annoying kid that keeps playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight. :lol: I don't even work at a music store and can testify to that.

I've had a couple of Yamahas in my time, both of them costing around £120, and both of them were nice guitars - felt comfortable and the action wasn't too high. Tone-wise, a little top-heavy - the treble strings didn't really cut through - for my taste, but quite mellow. More folk than rock, IMO. Stagg and Farida make some decent guitars; for the same price, I'd say they were about equal to the Yamahas. The Staggs, in particular, seemed a bit brighter in tone; good for fingerpicking (I know, you're a beginner, but still....) and more trebly than the Yamahas. More rock& blues than folk. The Faridas? Somewhere in between....a decent all round guitar, but I'd say the Yamahas and Staggs had more sustain.

Just casting my mind back a few years to when I started playing again - my (re-)entry level guitar was an Encore, from my step-daughter's catalogue - couldn't afford to buy one except on a weekly basis. I didn't actually expect much from it, but I was pleasantly surprised - fairly mellow tone, and even barre chords weren't that bad up to about the 7th fret. When I upgraded, it was to a Yamaha with a cutaway - I kept the Encore for quite a while, used it -in open G tuning - for slide. It looked like a pretty cheap guitar, next to the Yamaha - but there was very little difference in tone and playability, at least to my ears.

These are just the entry level guitars I've actually had experience of playing; obviously, there are many other brands, but I couldn't comment on something I've never tried.

If you're nervous about showing off your chops (or lack of!) in the guitar shop, ask one of the assistants to play for you - something along the lines of "I've only just started to play, I'd like to hear it in the hands of an experienced guitarist who can actually get some music out of it..." will appeal to the showman/woman in said assistant; they'll be only too happy to roadtest it for you and make it sound good!

:D :D :D

Vic

Great tips again everyone.

The Encore sounds interesting. And you have convinced me to just pick one up and start playing what I can, or asking the assistant to demonstrate.

I'm not sure I should admit this, but my ultimate aim would be to play some John Denver songs – he is my dad's favourite and is hardwired into me – so a folksy sound might be fine.

Thanks again.