Buying a Guitar

[Eidal]

I want to learn how to play guitar. First step is obviously buying one. I've never played one before.

I want an acoustic.

What does OOT suggest? Preferably give different price points and what upgrading/downgrading gets you in quality/ease of play difference.

[EYEWHITES]

google muscian friends.
Its an online mag, they can mail you one if you want.

my first cost 300 dollars. It was a washburn with a built in tunner. I spent another 20 dollars from some local guy to have the action lowered(which i would suggest. Its basically making the strings closer to the neck so its easier to play.

My second i spent closer to 700 dollars on. This was after i decided i wanted to take it kinda seriously. My next one is gonna cost around 1500 in a year or so.

People will tell you not to buy online because you cant play it first. Dosent really matter until your spending atleast a grand.

another option would be going to a guitar store messing with a few in your price range and order it online, and it will be atleast 100 dolalrs cheaper.

Guitar stores you can usually talk them down on the price too.

ive said alot.

Cliffnotes: Google musican friend, find what you like, check around locally and see if you can find it play it, then order it. Spend between 300-600 on your first depending on how baller you are

[Toe-Knee]

Solid top acoustics sound much much better than laminate top ones. There are a few around under $500 but I'm not sure about the rest of the quality. I'd stay away from laminate tops and the beginner packs. There was a great article on affordable solid top guitars in some magazine a while back, I'll look a little bit for you.

For ease of play it's really whatever you like. Really the only thing to worry about is neck and body shape/size as these are the only things not really modifiable. If the strings are hard to bend, get thinner strings, but it will take away from some of the depth of the sound. For some reason people don't realize string action (how far away strings are from the fret board) is modifiable. For an acoustic you just need to get a new nut and bridge carved, couldn't be more than $75.

Oh BTW what kind of music, and how much are you willing to spend?

[Mondogarage]

Seriously, if you've never played guitar at all before, you shouldn't spend more than $250 or so on whatever cheap Chinese-made acoustic your closest Guitar Center carries.

I promise you that it will not sound nearly as good as any Taylor, Martin, Ovation, etc. However, I promise you you won't notice that, because you're still trying to figure out how to even form the chords.

At this point, all you should be spending $$$ is on a piece that you can get in tune, and that is reasonably constructed. And, virtually any new guitar fits in that category today. Unless and until you figure out that you like to play and have a bit of aptitude (the latter is optional), you shouldn't spend any money on gear than absoultely necessary. Trust me, once you figure out you enjoy it, you'll have plenty off opportunity to get a case of GAS, aka Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

The above notwithstanding, you should get a full size instrument, and if you can get one for $250 or so, a solid top will be better.

And, as EYEWHITES said, never pay the price the guitar store is asking for. Even a sale price, you can get another 10% off, minimum, especially if you shop at the end of the month.

All imho, of course. But I know too many people who spent too much on their first instrument, decided they didn't want to play anymore, and were stuck with something they couldn't recover their investment on, that they were no longer going to use.

[jaffa]

At this stage, spend less on guitar, and more on lessons with an excellent teacher who inspires you and makes you want to keep learning.

Learning the guitar is no fun for the first few weeks, as you won't be able to play anything that sounds that good. However a good teacher will manage to make it so that you can learn versions of the songs you want to learn, almost right away.

[Toe-Knee]

[ QUOTE ]
At this stage, spend less on guitar, and more on lessons with an excellent teacher who inspires you and makes you want to keep learning.

[/ QUOTE ]
Very Very good point. OP any previous musical training?

[Jiggymike]

www.harmonycentral.com

Reviews on lots of guitars. Also if you go to Guitar Center you can test before you buy, I wouldn't get something too cheap because if you stick with it you'll regret it. $250-$300 for a guitar sounds about good. I have an Alvarez which seem to be hard to find but are really nice for the money.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ua1176]

first:

go to a guitar center. talk to a department manager. their commission is based on sales volume, not profit margin. so you can get better prices from them than from a typical employee.

as far as what to get....Martin/Taylor/Guild/Gibson if you have lotsa $$$$ and know what sound you want.

otherwise...Fender/Yamaha/Takamine/whatever. if you've never played before just get something cheap so you can learn.

[DMBFan23]

my first guitar was a Takamine G240, it was like 150 bucks if that. it has a solid wood top which makes it sound nice for its price range, it's an all around good guitar.

if you want to upgrade later, you'll know what you're looking for as you develop your style. Until then, it's probably enough to know that more expensive guitars sound better.

any guitar under 400 bucks could probably be considered in the same class really, unless you have a cutaway or some electronics added...but as far as I am concerned those things are unnecessary on a beginning guitar. really if you go and play it, and like it, get it