[CheshireCat]

Cool. No worries.

Chesh

[niangelo]

One little aside note to this whole thing about good/bad advice with guitars... when I had played guitar for only a few months, I went to a music conference, and sat in on a session on basics with Paul Baloche.

He went over buying guitars, and said the best idea is when you buy a guitar, "Make it hurt". Buy something high quality, even if it's way too costly, that you're never going to sell to get something new. He basically said get an heirloom.

[thesteve]

He went over buying guitars, and said the best idea is when you buy a guitar, "Make it hurt". Buy something high quality, even if it's way too costly, that you're never going to sell to get something new. He basically said get an heirloom.

that's easy to say for him considering he's probably a millionaire or richer. Considering he's sold the rights to "Above All" to everyone and their brother, Paul is probably not strapped for cash.

but what a waste of money it would be for someone to go out and buy an "heirloom" piece and then quit guitar three months later because they decided they'd rather be playing the drums, or watching tv.

[CheshireCat]

Originally Posted by dudedude2

that's easy to say for him considering he's probably a millionaire or richer. Considering he's sold the rights to "Above All" to everyone and their brother, Paul is probably not strapped for cash.

but what a waste of money it would be for someone to go out and buy an "heirloom" piece and then quit guitar three months later because they decided they'd rather be playing the drums, or watching tv.

Well, I disagree with this only on two points. First, as I've said in other posts, any kid can save up a substantial amount of money if he set's his mind to it. Second, while saving up that money, he can really gauge whether he is serious about playing guitar or if it is just a passing fancy.

That said, very often that passing fancy can turn into a real passion, but not if the kid gets straddled with a problematic guitar like we've discussed here where it is hard to play. And often parents don't want their kids to be successful, because the harbor the opinion that he'll give it up eventually because "well, you know, he just gives up everything and never sticks with anything", thus almost guaranteeing and at the very least contributing and campaigning for that kid to quite, thus proving they were right.

Any kid who is so uncertain about wanting to play or not shouldn't get a guitar if he is going to quite in 3 months. And, yes, he can tell. He needs to take inventory and gauge whether he is commited or not, or at least quite motivated.

And if he misfires, and assuming the parents weren't working against him, well, hey, that's part of growing up. And buying a decent guitar will not be his biggest misstep and mistake in life, odds are.

Chesh

[bigpirate]

I love when you go to someone's house, and they have this beautiful guitar, yet all they know is a couple of chords because they stopped playing back in '98 when some girl left them or something. Those people are great, because you go and play and have fun with their guitars and stuff...

As for Yoda, I am a very forgiving person and therefore I forgave you before you even asked, even though my best friend in the 7th and 8th grade was a Korean boy named Kim...

My guitar's have not been purchased out of research or anything else... they have just honestly been lucky guesses as to which Guitar felt right. The action on my old one was a little high, and this contributed to some frustrations, but also allowed me to further strengthen my fingers since I was determined to play. I have played on 1000 dollar Yamaha's regularly, but to me nothing has the feel of my semi-cheap washburn. The action on this one is low, allowing for a lot more advancement on my part, and easier playing, which has led to a flurry of songwriting on my part. This being said, I have no earthly idea how to buy a first guitar, and I would mearly point people away from sorry brands and towards established brands like Ibanez, Fender, Martin, and never, ever, ovations.

[GMartin2R]

Originally Posted by CheshireCat

And if he misfires, and assuming the parents weren't working against him, well, hey, that's part of growing up. And buying a decent guitar will not be his biggest misstep and mistake in life, odds are.

Chesh

plus guitars have resale value too so even if it donest work if they think and resell it they wont be out the full price of the guitar too.

[CheshireCat]

Originally Posted by GMartin2R

plus guitars have resale value too so even if it donest work if they think and resell it they wont be out the full price of the guitar too.

Very true.

Chesh

[lespaul59]

My very first guiatar was a $109 package from JC Pennys I never learned how to play on that thing. The in 1996 my mom worked for a guy that owned a chain of video stores and a music store and he gave me a Gibson Sonex, a mid range model but still it was made in the USA. I then started learning it might have been three years later when I got the bug to really play but I had an awesome guitar to learn on. Now when I'm looking at a guitar I do as much resurch on the internet that I can while also playing it as much as I can, the only time I haven't tried the guitar out before hand was when I could only order online. Lets take my Dean EVO, I tried it out when I first saw it, I tried it out again before it got layed away and I even played it once again before it was paid for. Now as for my Les Paul I walked into my local shop and saw it and got it never played it till I got home with it and it's still my #1 guitar, a match made in Heaven I guess you could say. I give advice on what playing leval that the persons says they are at, like if they say I'm looking to learn I'll suggest something like a Dean because they have some great guitars for $250-300. I do think you should get a higher end guitar if you can and I'm not talkin Gibson, like a beginner should go with a Dean Avalanche or a Epiphone Les Paul 100, not the best guitars but they have great quality for their price and they play awesome if set up right. And I think buying amps sucks, I search for 5months before I found what I was looking for as an upgrade to my Peavey Bandit. I played thru a Peavey XXL for two months before my shop got in a Marshall half stack for a great price and I didn't even need to hear what it sounded like, I did get to hear how it sounded before getting it. All in all I think buying a guitar is harder than it looks but it's also simple at the same time if you do your research. And a note to beginners, redearch the guitar your looking at got to the companys web site, read reviews, go to message boards and ask about the guitar your looking at and make sure the one your gonna buy doesn't have any electrical flaws you don't need to know how to play to check this. EX. A Les Paul has two pickups, a three way togal switch(switches between the two pickups) and 2volume and 2tone knobs. Ok just plug the guitar in to an amp just strum the strings and move the switch to all three position, turn all four knobs an if nothing cuts out or buzzs or you don't get any noise that doesn't sound normal then every thing should be fine.

[bburch88]

It would be nice if the more experienced guitarists here would make suggestions for beginners to evaluate when buying a new electric or acoustic or acoustic/electric guitars. A list of mfgs. and good starters would be nice.

I recently bought a guitar for my daughter in college for Christmas at a Brook Mays music store just by trying a few out in the $200-300 range. I bought an Ibanez AEF18nt. It appears to be a descent instrument for a beginner with electronics. I am no guitarist and the salesman didn't really suggest one brand over another.

Now, I am interested in playing and the same store, different salesman, directed me away from Ibanez to Seagull. I played the Seagull and was amazed at the tone as acoustic or plugged in. I am sold on the Seagull with the cedar top, I just don't really want to pay $400-500 as a beginner, but now i compare the sound of everything to the Seagull.

In the meantime I am learning on an electric Fender Squier Strat. The strings are definitely easier on the fingers.

Saving my money up!

BB

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by bburch88

It would be nice if the more experienced guitarists here would make suggestions for beginners to evaluate when buying a new electric or acoustic or acoustic/electric guitars. A list of mfgs. and good starters would be nice.

Done. Go to the "Guitar Terminology Encyclopedia" Thread. There's a list of reccomended manufacturers. There is a problem with recommending certain guitars over others. That is because there are so many out there, that giving a recommendation will make the buyer biased on what to purchase, and might not get the guitar he/she really wanted. Also, the point of this thread is to not tell beginners how to evaluate guitars. Why? Read the first post. Beginners really have no way of judging a guitar. A better solution is to bring a more experienced guitarist along with you. Not just once, but multiple times with different guitarists, and also try getting lists of recommended guitars for his/her particular situation. That will give you all the best options.

I recently bought a guitar for my daughter in college for Christmas at a Brook Mays music store just by trying a few out in the $200-300 range. I bought an Ibanez AEF18nt. It appears to be a descent instrument for a beginner with electronics. I am no guitarist and the salesman didn't really suggest one brand over another.

Now, I am interested in playing and the same store, different salesman, directed me away from Ibanez to Seagull. I played the Seagull and was amazed at the tone as acoustic or plugged in. I am sold on the Seagull with the cedar top, I just don't really want to pay $400-500 as a beginner, but now i compare the sound of everything to the Seagull.

Seagulls are great guitars. I'm sure most of the people here would agree that Seagulls are better entry-level acoustic guitars then Ibanez.

In the meantime I am learning on an electric Fender Squier Strat. The strings are definitely easier on the fingers.

Cool!

And, by the way, Welcome to the forums!

[bburch88]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I read the Terminology Encyclopedia, however, I don't see the harm in listing some of the best beginner or entry level guitars by mfg. to give a beginner a place to start. It would be great to have an experienced guitarist to go with you but it may not be possible for some. I know I would have never discovered the Seagull had the salesman not pointed it out and at the same time he happened to be a seasoned guitarist.

I have asked several people that play and the ones that knew about Seagull praised it.

I can't argue what has already been pointed out but for someone that has no help by a guitarist a list of quality entry level guitars to check out might help.



BB

Originally Posted by rainer123

Done. Go to the "Guitar Terminology Encyclopedia" Thread. There's a list of reccomended manufacturers. There is a problem with recommending certain guitars over others. That is because there are so many out there, that giving a recommendation will make the buyer biased on what to purchase, and might not get the guitar he/she really wanted. Also, the point of this thread is to not tell beginners how to evaluate guitars. Why? Read the first post. Beginners really have no way of judging a guitar. A better solution is to bring a more experienced guitarist along with you. Not just once, but multiple times with different guitarists, and also try getting lists of recommended guitars for his/her particular situation. That will give you all the best options.



Seagulls are great guitars. I'm sure most of the people here would agree that Seagulls are better entry-level acoustic guitars then Ibanez.



Cool!

And, by the way, Welcome to the forums!

[2200]

Originally Posted by bigpirate

My guitar's have not been purchased out of research or anything else... they have just honestly been lucky guesses as to which Guitar felt right. The action on my old one was a little high, and this contributed to some frustrations, but also allowed me to further strengthen my fingers since I was determined to play. I have played on 1000 dollar Yamaha's regularly, but to me nothing has the feel of my semi-cheap washburn. The action on this one is low, allowing for a lot more advancement on my part, and easier playing, which has led to a flurry of songwriting on my part. This being said, I have no earthly idea how to buy a first guitar, and I would mearly point people away from sorry brands and towards established brands like Ibanez, Fender, Martin, and never, ever, ovations.

I'm not exactly sure why you don't like ovations. I own two. I love them, I have played many different kinds of accoustics and other than a chet atkins signature , the ovations are my favorite. Mainly because they are slimmer than other guitars, i can hold them closer to me and my arms dont get as sore. But I think the point I'm trying to get across is you should not try to "Draw people away" from certain brands, just because perhaps you don't like the way they play or whatever. After becoming a somewhat decent guitarist, a player should go with what they think sounds best and plays best. I have found I prefer my $70 kramer focus from musicyo.com over american strats and many other high end electrics. But then again, Fender does not exactly make guitars for heavy metal players either. too blues/jazz. I've had no problems from the guitar after five years of rigorous play either. cept my tone knob fell off heh. no problems other than broken strings which i should hope everyone knows by now is a common problem. Anyway, just don't go tellin people what they should or should not buy. Give them information based on experience. But let them decide on their own.

[thesteve]

Fender does not exactly make guitars for heavy metal players either. too blues/jazz.

you should pray that someone doesn't come and correct you on this. remember that motorhead (the band) used telecasters, and alot of modern indie and punk bands are now using them as well. alot of time that heavy metal tone is more dependent on equipment and a good high gain amp than the guitar.

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by 2200

I'm not exactly sure why you don't like ovations. I own two. I love them, I have played many different kinds of accoustics and other than a chet atkins signature , the ovations are my favorite. Mainly because they are slimmer than other guitars, i can hold them closer to me and my arms dont get as sore. But I think the point I'm trying to get across is you should not try to "Draw people away" from certain brands, just because perhaps you don't like the way they play or whatever.

I agree. But giving them your personal experience with those guitars isn't a bad idea either. If it's just your personal preference that you don't like some type of guitar, then don't tell them that the guitar sucks. But if you actually know of some real issues that guitar has, do tell.

After becoming a somewhat decent guitarist, a player should go with what they think sounds best and plays best. I have found I prefer my $70 kramer focus from musicyo.com over american strats and many other high end electrics. But then again, Fender does not exactly make guitars for heavy metal players either. too blues/jazz.

Yeah, Stylistic concerns are based a ton more on the amplifier used and how the guitar is played rather then the guitar itself. Motorhead used Teles, Deep Purple used Strats, and the list goes on...

Anyway, just don't go tellin people what they should or should not buy. Give them information based on experience. But let them decide on their own.

Exactly. Except for one thing. Read this statement again:

But let them decide on their own.

And then go back and read the first post in this thread. They seem to be in conflict...

[c1rocker]

im glad that someone finaly set it straight (in a 2 page form ) of how thats SCHMITT SUCKS!!! and that the you CAN geta good deal by simpley resurching. um so ya good job