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.
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.
Forbidden fruit causes many jams!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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.
Forbidden fruit causes many jams!
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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