Buying a guitar

[SL__72]

I've wanted to buy a guitar for a long time but have been putting it off because I know absolutely nothing about them. All I know is that I want an acoustic guitar and don't want to spend too much as I don't know how to play guitar (yet).

Does anyone have any advice for me?

[Coffee]

Yamaha or Takamine for pure acoustic sound in a lower end model.

[JoshuaD]

Roland Rd8 has good tone and is really cheap.

[Assani Fisher]

define "spend too much."

[correia]

[ QUOTE ]
define "spend too much."

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Also I would buy a used acoustic. You can sometimes find them over 50% off retail online.

[Starfish]

Buy a good one if you want that it sounds good so you want to learn to play it. Not with laminated top.

And one that isn't too hard to play (strings too high, bad frets etc.) Use a friend that knows guitars to help you choose a good one (from models that you've found out to be good bang for buck). Every individual guitar is different, so try all of the individuals that are present of the models you are interested in.

Taylors used to be good, but I really don't know what are the best choices right now.

[Zarathustra]

It's hard to give advice if you don't give a price range. If you're willing to spend in the 500-600 range the Martin DM has a very light body that gives it a sound comparable to some guitars that cost two to three times as much. If not, I recommend spending at least 200-300 dollars and buying something like a low end Yamaha or Takamine. Avoid the crap under 100 and the packages that include worthless beginner products. Also, keep in mind that you can get guitar tuner software for free online.

[burningyen]

Seagull and Takoma make good entry-level guitars. My advice is to play as many different ones as you can *before* you buy. Then buy the one that speaks to you and fits you best. I would advise against buying over the internet until you really know what to look for.

[z28dreams]

I was in the same boat as you about 3 months ago.

I decided to go with a new guitar, because as far as instruments go, guitars are DIRT cheap, and I wanted something that I'd enjoy playing on.

That said, you can get used guitars for about 1/2 the price of new ones and are just as good.

I listened to quite a few. I ended up with the Yamaha FG730 from guitarcenter. I had them pricematch the online price from musician's friend, so it ended up being around $300.

A lot of people recommended Takamine to me, but their low end guitars (<$600) sounded like total crap to me. Their upper end stuff is good though.

I wanted to hear a seagull, but not many dealers carry them. In addition, they are a little more expensive (probably around 350-400 for a base level guitar).

I'm very happy with the Yamaha I settled on. It's got a pretty rich sound, some 'bass' to it, and very easy fret action compared to the other models I played (some fenders, takamine, etc)

[SL__72]

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define "spend too much."

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I probably don't want to spend more then $400. Preferebly more like 250-300.