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okay, quick replies (so apologies if I miss anything out).

I'm also left-handed, but I play guitar right-handed with no problems whatsoever. I'm not really sure why there's a left-handed/right-handed split in guitar playing beyond the fact that you can choose which way to learn. one of my mates is right handed but plays guitar left-handed since his left-handed father taught himto play so he was exposed primarily to left-handed guitars. in the long run, the onyl real difference (IMO) between learning to play R.Handed and learning to play L.Handed is the increased cost of Leftie guitars (and the inconvenience of travelling to far flung placs to try them, or having to order them online without trying them) and the limited availability (some models/colourways aren't available for lefties). but many a left handed guitarist did just fine by taking right-handed guitars and restringing them to play left-handed - I cite one Jimi Hendrix. Or by simply using right handed guitars upside down - I cite blues player Albert King (unless I'm mistaken - there was certainl at least one blues player who did this) and recite Jimi Hendrix when using anyone else's guitar.

for playing in private/small settings, I'd go for an acoustic. but I'd also generally advise guitarists to have at least one acoustic believe me, it is a lot easier to switch from acoustic to electric than the other way around. that said, the choice is up to you and what you want to do with your guitar playing. prices are pretty reasonable nowadays though - you could e.g. get a Fender CD-60 or CD-100 acoustic for around 100 UK pounds and a Squire '51 electric for around 100 UK pounds (converts to around US$200 for each guitar, but they'll probs retail around $100 each in the US) and do fine that way. The Squire '51 is well endorsed on these boards. Ive not tried the Fender CD-60 acoustic, but they have one in one of the shops in town and I'll be down there either tomorrow or the day after, so I would happily give it a play and report back.

ok, just read ya bit about funds. in that case, I'd recommend my newly acquired Ibanez EW20WNE which retails at 250-260Ukpounds and either the Squire '51 or an Epiphone or a Mexican Fender Strat. I.E. I wouldn't' pay more than 500UK pounds (or around US$500 if I was in the US) per guitar. I'm saying this because, as a current non-player/beginner you have less knowledge about what makes a guitar good or bad, so you could end up spending a lot of money on something you'll want to replace down the line, and if you've purchased a poor-quality guitar, you might not recoup enough of that cash to make the investment worth it.

I'd suggest and Epiphone Les Paul Standard, Mexican or American Fender Telecaster, or Mexican or American Fender Stratocaster around the 500 pound/dollars mark. If you're going for both electric and acoustic, the acoustic brands I'd check out would be Martin, Taylor, Ibanez, and Takamine, again for roughly 500pounds/dollars based on your location. These guitars tend to hold their price fairly well over time, in my experience (esp. Martin, Taylor, Fender, and Epiphone) so provided you look after them you can resell or trade in on a future guitar. A lot of guitar-buying is aout personal preference, and this is something you'll only develop as you develop as a guitar-player.

And for electric guitars you'll need an amp. You can strum them without an amp at home (I often do that), but it will be pretty quiet.

hope this helps.

Scrybe covered it pretty well, but I'll throw in a couple things just 'cause....

I started out as a 40 year old beginner with a modest music background; I'd never played guitar but had played trumpet in High School, spent a couple years as a music student in college and could play piano a little.

I would recommend that you start with an electric. My reason is that electrics can be strung with lighter strings. As a beginner you'll have to build callous on your fingertips, which if you practice regularly comes fairly quickly. BUT ALSO, you'll need to gradually condition your hands without getting tendonitis (the first step toward getting carpal tunnel syndrome). Starting out with light strings is a help with both of these issues. It took me about three years of practicing daily before I got to where I use "Light" string sets instead of "Extra Light" sets, and to where I tune to standard tuning instead of a half step down. [For perspective on this let me mention that I had a couple nasty bouts of tendonitis when I was just beginning so maybe I'm a little overly skittish. Maybe for a younger beginner this wouldn't matter so much, but then again, maybe not....]

Re. the lefty issue, I don't have much to offer. Seems like "lefty" vs. "righty" is pretty arbitrary in guitar, you have to learn to have specialized dexterity in BOTH hands, just a different kind in each.

As for what guitar and how much to spend....

ON ONE HAND... Okay, don't buy a cheapo guitar 'cause it'll suck. Buy something good, something that you can fall in love with and want to have in your hands all the time, because having the guitar in your hands a lot is the biggest part of learning to play.

ON THE OTHER HAND... Don't go out and buy a primo guitar for a huge amount of money either, because until you've played for a while you won't really know what you like, what you want, what works for you, what feels right, all that.

Re. electric choices, I'm with Scrybe on this one, I'd lean toward a MIM (Made in Mexico) Fender Strat or Telecaster, or an Epi. Les Paul Std. You'll need an amp, and you might look at an inexpensive one like a Fender Frontman 25R, or splurge and pick up a Blues Jr. or suchlike.

If you go acoustic, I'd add to the list Scrybe offered by suggesting you look at Breedlove Atlas series acoustics. I've got an AD200SM, about a $500 guitar, and I really love it.

I've only been playing for a little over a month, so you'll have to take my advice on the acoustic vs. electric with a grain of salt. I'd lean toward starting with an acoustic. I started with an acoustic myself and only after realizing how much I enjoyed playing guitar did I decide to go out and purchase an electric. I am glad I have one of each now and while I enjoy playing the electric more, I'm glad I went with the acoustic first.

A couple of reasons, on the practical end, you can generally get a good acoustic for much less than an electric so if you find out later that you are not into it, then you're not out as much. If you do decide you want go out and get an electric later, having the acoustic (in my mind) is still invaluable, especially early on. Others may feel differently (again I'm a total beginner), but I find that the acoustic forces me to play much more fundamentally sound (ie. you can REALLY hear your own mistakes) and helps with building my finger strength so I generally practice the basics on the acoustic before I try the same on the electric (in my case, its also easier to just grab the acoustic and tinker around with it while I'm watching TV, hanging out with my kids, etc. vs. trudging down to the basement to play the electric).

The down side to the acoustic for me is that I really enjoy listening to and now learning the blues and an electric just seems to lend itself better to that style of playing (plus its just dog gone fun and that, in itself, keeps me motivated to play).

I'd agree with quarterfront on amps. again, personal preference dictates a lot in guitar playign and that requires some experience playing guitar. so, I'd be looking for amps I could resell later if I needed to - Fender and Marshall amps hold their prices pretty well, esp. the Blues Jr if you can afford it, or a Marshall JTM45 combo or a few others I'm forgetting the full spec on off the top of my head.

I've not tried/seen any Breedlove Atlas acoustics, so can't comment on them, but give them a go. The main thing is finding something you're comfortable with.

And, while I clearly agree with philly on the whole learn-acoustic-first-then-go-electirc-if-you-want route, that's just one way of doing it, and a way I think is best. But there's absolutely nothing stopping you from picking up and electric first, then going acoustic later if you wanted. or getting both straight away, depending on budget and preference.

I would definitely go with lighter strings first, and then work up. I'm using 10's right now, but most electrics ship with 9's. I want to move up to 11's, but my hands aren't strong enough to bend the strings well on 11's (I'm a gurl, I blame that entirely, lol). You can ask you local guitar shop to restring the guitar with 9's when you purchase your guitar if it has heavier strings on it - you'll have to add the cost of the new strings (a few quid/dollars, not much) but they'll probably do the job for free or a very small charge. Stevie Ray Vaughan used 13's on his guitar - horribly heavy strings, how he bent them, I'll never know, lol. But lots of guitarists use 9's (e.g. Jeff Beck). Jazz players use heavier strings (11's and upwards mostly) but tey don't bend the strings as much so it's less hassle for them. Make sure you ask someone experienced with guitars when changing string guage though (this is why I'd ask the shop to restring if you want heavier/lighter strings on your purchase) since they may well have make adjustments to deal with the change in tension on the neck. Since most guitar shops will do a free set up on the guitar you purchase, you can ask them to restring with lighter strings and they'll make the necessary adjustments as part of this set up.

as a cautionary tale on first-guitar purchases...when I started playing I was all about Les Paul shaped guitars when it came to electrics. I hated Stratocaster style guitars. I still love my Epiphone Les Paul, and I have a love for a good Telecaster too, but when I made the switch from Les Paul style to a Stratocaster, that was it. I was sold. Stratocasters will always be my go-to guitar, I can't help it. But it took a few years of playing to go from loathing them to loving them. If I'd bought a $1000 Gibson Les Paul when I started, it would be gathering dust while I play my Strat. I feel a lot less guilty about neglecting my Epiphone LP than I would if it were a high-end Gibson LP.

oh, and Epiphone are a subsiduary of Gibson, and Squire are a subsiduary of Fender, they both make the 'cheapo' guitars for each of the bigger companies. But, as a general rule, Epiphones are much better quality than Squires. And, IMO, Epiphone Les Paul Standard guitars are generally better than Gibson Les Paul Studios (the Studio guitars are thinner and don't sound as good, to my ears).

hope this helps.

so much for quick replies. :wink:

All above is good advice/insight.
as a "lefty" of questionable conviction, i say go "righty" youngster!
it will keep you in your proper "mind" (left side controls right side)
also the variety of in stock guitars as well as the prices are much better.
i can't say that playing righty has ever held me back in any way or aspect of playing.

Alright, thanks to everyone for the "quick" replies lol, I appreciate every last bit of it.

From what I've read right here and what I've looked at, I'm thinking I should get an acoustic first, then hopefully an electric not too far down the road. Maybe when it comes time for the electric I'll buy the amp first, just to control myself from jumping boat too quick. For the electric, I'm pretty sold on the Epiphone Les Paul, especially with what I just saw here. With acoustic however, I'm essentially clueless. I'll take a look at some of the brands listed above, but my access to internet is pretty limited right now. I hope to get out to a local guitar shop sometime soon, but being in Wisconsin..caught up in a nasty storm at the moment. Now's the time I wish I could just hole up n play my guitar.

Thanks for everything so far, if anybody wants to add anything, especially dealing with what type of acoustic to get, I'd gratefully welcome that. I'll be getting online as much as I can over the next week or two, and hopefully let everyone know of my decision by then..thanks again.

Oh, and Scrybe..if you do get a chance to play that CD-60, it'd be really great if you could post how that went. I'd hate for the '51 to become my final choice only to find out the Fender's better lol. thanks

IMHO you should play the instrument you want to learn. If that's the electric guitar, start with that. However, the artists you mention make loads of songs with accoustic guitar, and electric guitars need, IMHO, a band to back them up because the sound is so much thinner.
I would recommend that you start with an electric. My reason is that electrics can be strung with lighter strings. As a beginner you'll have to build callous on your fingertips, which if you practice regularly comes fairly quickly. BUT ALSO, you'll need to gradually condition your hands without getting tendonitis (the first step toward getting carpal tunnel syndrome). Starting out with light strings is a help with both of these issues. It took me about three years of practicing daily before I got to where I use "Light" string sets instead of "Extra Light" sets, and to where I tune to standard tuning instead of a half step down. [For perspective on this let me mention that I had a couple nasty bouts of tendonitis when I was just beginning so maybe I'm a little overly skittish. Maybe for a younger beginner this wouldn't matter so much, but then again, maybe not....]

Nylon strings are *much* easier on your fingers. Also remember that thin streel strings cut far more then thicker steel strings.

Nylon strings are *much* easier on your fingers. Also remember that thin streel strings cut far more then thicker steel strings.

On the other hand, if the classical sound isn't anywhere near the desired music style then the nylon string guitar will be rejected.

In my case, in my youthful ignorance, I put metal strings on a nylon guitar (and killed it). But I bought a then-$100 guitar (equal to $1000 today) and took some lessons and have enjoyed playing guitar ever since.

My brother-in-law, in his youth, bought his own "metal string guitar" because his sister's nylon string wasn't the sound he wanted.

There are a huge number of choices in the moderately priced acoustic guitar universe right now and they are really very good guitars on the whole.

I just bought a $100 campfire guitar that would be perfectly acceptable for a learner. (Epi PR-150) I had to do a little work on the 14th fret but a beginner won't be going there in the 1st 6 months. (Heck, I just got to the 12th fret on a regular basis myself!)

It would be good if you could find a (ahem) more mature guitar player to take to the store with you and sample the choices. I bet you'll find something very nice for <$300.

Welcome to a world of fun. And opinions. And choices :-)

2. I'm left-handed. From what I've heard, lefty guitars tend to be more expensive, but I also heard that many southpaws have ventured out and just gotten right-handed axes and been just fine. For some reason when I think of this I think Joan Jett. ehh

Ditto what Twisted Lefty said! Danny Gatton would be another lefty who played a right handed axe. Myself too (I couldn't put my name in same sentence as the Humbler!). There's a recent thread on this and there's a whole lot of lefties who play right. I'd go play one of each and go with what feels less worse/more better. I wish I had 2 right hands instead of two left feet! :D

Good luck - this guitar thing is a blast!

The main choice when it comes to playing lefty, if you're left handed, is which hand you will not let you down when it comes to playing rhythm. I play left handed after trying right handed - couldn't strum to save my life with my right hand. If you have no problem with that, then go right handed. There are all sorts of left handed people who play right handed. Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, David Byrne, to name but a few.

A good (but certainly not foolproof) test is to grab an object like a broom or tennis racquet and, without thinking twice, pretend that it's a guitar. Even playing "air guitar" will work. Just do it without thinking and see which hand wants to strum.

Oh, and these days, price is not usually that much of a factor when it comes to choosing between lefty and righty. It did used to be but nowadays you shouldn't find all that much difference. Availability is a totally different matter, though... :wink:

Hope this helps.

Peace

The main choice when it comes to playing lefty, if you're left handed, is which hand you will not let you down when it comes to playing rhythm. I play left handed after trying left handed - couldn't strum to save my life with my right hand. If you have no problem with that, then go right handed. There are all sorts of left handed people who play right handed. Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, David Byrne, to name but a few.

Joe Strummer was another lefty who played right-handed. He blamed this for his rather rudimentary skills as a guitarist. As he said, to a beginner it's the left hand, forming chords and so on that is the tricky bit, but as you grow, you realist that it's in the right (strumming, picking, string skipping) hand that the real skill lies.

Just another viewpoint is all.

A good (but certainly not foolproof) test is to grab an object like a broom or tennis racquet and, without thinking twice, pretend that it's a guitar. Even playing "air guitar" will work. Just do it without thinking and see which hand wants to strum.

Maybe I'm really hopeless but I remember that when I started neither hand felt like strumming any coherent rhythm. And the few people I've seen starting after I did all had the same thing: initially neither hand could do anything, only after training one of them did that hand appear to be better able to do it. I play baseball left-handed, not because my left arm is so good but because nobody bothered to tell me I was doing it the wrong way. And since I initially missed all balls anyway neither did I. Only when I got more proficient did I start to notice most people stand the other way around but by then my 'superior' right arm was hopeless compared with my 'biologically weaker' left arm.

Right, tried the CD-60, which retailed at 86 UK pounds in the shop I was in (its probs about $100-130 tops, I'd guess), and I've gotta say I was mightily impressed with it for the price. The build quality was really high for the price range, the neck on the one I tried being particularly good. The sound was about what I'd expect - as you move towards highger end acoustic guitars, you have to put more work into playing them to get a good sound, but they have a greta dynamic range and you really do get what you put in. With lower end guitars like the CD-60, the dynamic range is nowhere near as impressive, but this one held its own as far as dynamics go for its price-range, and you can't really expect more than that. I'd certainly note it down as one-to-try when you go shopping. But make sure you check the neck feels smooth and comfortable to play, as this can vary between guitars of the same model due to production errors. Run your hand along each edge of the neck to make sure the frets aren't protruding as they can snag against your hands when playing.

The Squire '51 is an electric guitar, and is made by Fender also, its just part of their 'Squire' subsiduary brand which is a low-end brand. It retails in the UK at around 100 pounds and, I think, $100 in the US. If you're really unsure whether to get an electric or an acoustic, and you have the cash to do so, you could always buy both. I'd suggest spending an afternoon at a guitar shop trying out different electric and acoustic guitars and then going for the one you feel most comfortable with/suits you best.

hope this helps.

Hey, been a while since I last posted but I'm gonna try to resurrect this thread. So I made it over to a local guitar shop after doing a bit more research..and I figured I'd get a little insight from people on here on what I chose. This guy there really helped me out through the whole process, and got me sold on this package deal that includes a Fender DG w/ tuner, gig bag, etc. At first I was iffy that the guitar would be lower quality due to the package deal n all, but after a little demo he convinced me it wasn't real cheapo. Anyways, I'm set to pick it up tomorrow, but it's not reserved or anything..so I still have the opportunity to change my mind. Any feedback is appreciated.