A friend of mine decided he would like to learn acoustic guitar. He asked me what would be a good guitar for an absolute novice. Being the drummer I am; I figured I better ask all of you!
He just went through a divorce to budget is a big consideration.
I know there have been threads on this; but also know that things change fast with certain instruments in the industry.
Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Chad (Hope that makes it easier)
TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
A good friend would recommend this instead of a guitar... The guitar will take 10 years before it will attract the ladies, this will take 10 minutes.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
I have a number of electric guitars and one 12 string acoustic from them and they are all great guitars. They are quality instruments at a low price, but of course they also have more expensive guitars available.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
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Plenty of good suggestions. Go for the deal in a mid level instrument. Too cheap and he may not get the “right” experience with high action, poor tone, etc.
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If he was my friend I'd have him check out the most popular local music store where he lives and look at their used ones. Take some lessons and decide if he likes it or not, then he can always trade up. Whatever one he gets, it's gonna be painful 'til those fingers get used to it. i think the originator of the saying "no pain no gain" was probably a beginning guitar player.
Great responses all around! I'll echo several previously made comments and spin it into a unified recommendation:
Long after the sweetness of a low price subsides, the bitterness of an inferior product remains... so the goal is to get the best price possible on a higher end instrument.
Craig's list and ebay are full of ads for "pretty good" guitars that somebody else thought they'd learn to play, but never did.
After Christmas I often see ads for new instruments given as Christmas gifts to a kid who would rather have gotten a game console.
The nice thing about Craig's list is that the sales tend to be local, so you don't need to worry about shipping damage. Plus, you can make a lowball offer (seller is free to reject it... but if the offer is made respectfully, you'd be surprised how often the person will accept SOME money today in exchange for an instrument they don't want. Immediate gratification: it works in your favor)
Awesome sauce! This REALLY helps. If I'm understanding a summary of the thread, he should look for a used Corvette on Craiglist in the $100 to the absolute most he can afford. J/K of course
I will give him all of the options and let him decide. Great suggestions for some new if he would choose that route; and some very strong cases to maybe check out used first. Great perspectives!
Thank you so very much everyone!
Chad (Hope that makes it easier)
TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
Awesome sauce! This REALLY helps. If I'm understanding a summary of the thread, he should look for a used Corvette on Craiglist in the $100 to the absolute most he can afford. J/K of course
I will give him all of the options and let him decide. Great suggestions for some new if he would choose that route; and some very strong cases to maybe check out used first. Great perspectives!
Thank you so very much everyone!
IF he goes the used guitar route make sure that an experienced guitarist goes with him. The guitarist would know what to look for, i.e. bad frets, warped neck, etc.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Hard to go wrong with $200 Yamahas. Guitar Center’s store brand, Mitchell, is actually quite good. I have a 3/4 scale Mitchell that sounds way better than Baby Taylor’s and nearly as good as the Little Martin LX1. I paid $10 for it used. Prior owner had stickered it and painted it. I spent an evening cleaning it up and now it’s my travel guitar, with some tan lines from the stickers and paint. It’s a solid spruce top guitar. That’s pretty key for a decent sound, or Martin’s Formica tops. Now that colder months are coming, I will be doing more recording and I’ll try to feature this little guy some.
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Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
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Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
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MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
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Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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The guitar will take 10 years before it will attract the ladies, this will take 10 minutes.
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