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.
Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up. Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.
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.
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.
Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up. Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.
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.
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.