by jake_twothousandfive » Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:23 pm
Great stuff guys, this is helping A LOT.
I thought the craigslist suggestion was a great idea so I did some looking around and found quite a few reasonably priced guitars nearby. However, I really don't know enough to pick one out from the group so some further advice would be much appreciated.
I'd go to a shop- You don't want to buy a guitar that is uncomfortable to play. I mean, you're fingers are going to hurt at first regardless but you don't want to buy a guitar that's too big or too small for you and you want to be able to push down the strings with some ease. I bought my Yamaha new for 50 dollars less than that but shopped around so you can easily find a guitar that's right for you in your price range.
jake_twothousandfive wrote:Great stuff guys, this is helping A LOT.
I thought the craigslist suggestion was a great idea so I did some looking around and found quite a few reasonably priced guitars nearby. However, I really don't know enough to pick one out from the group so some further advice would be much appreciated.
Do any of these look good? And once again, any advice is greatly appreciated.
"jumbo" and 12 string are not something you want. I wouldn't bother using craigslist for one of those $80 jobs, you could go to a guitar store and get something like this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Jasmine-by- ... 1148992.gc *link sucks, it's a Jasmine by Takamine ($130) which I happen to have one sitting around, for just a little more. There should be a Yamaha and a Fender around that price range, too. At a guitar store you can feel them out a bit and see which one is right for you. Not having played before that's going to be hard to do unless you have needs (such as having small hands - some acoustic guitars are darn difficult to play if you've got small hands).
IllinoisBandit wrote:I didn't see it mentioned, but depending on your area craigslist is a pretty fantastic place to pick up a used guitar (the way to go IMO). If you're into rock or the blues I'd go straight for an electric - probably a MIM strat. Mexican strats are not only affordable, but a guitar you can literally gig or jam with out of the box.
For reference, I got a 2001 crimson MIM strat in perfect condition with a decent solid state amp for 350 recently. The economy is causing quite a few people to unload their #2 or #3 guitars at reasonable prices.
Of course, decent guitars are a little easier to come by when you live in Nashville/Memphis.
Coming from Nashville/Memphis wouldn't you play Gee-tar? That's a different instrument all together isn't it?
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IllinoisBandit wrote:I didn't see it mentioned, but depending on your area craigslist is a pretty fantastic place to pick up a used guitar (the way to go IMO). If you're into rock or the blues I'd go straight for an electric - probably a MIM strat. Mexican strats are not only affordable, but a guitar you can literally gig or jam with out of the box.
For reference, I got a 2001 crimson MIM strat in perfect condition with a decent solid state amp for 350 recently. The economy is causing quite a few people to unload their #2 or #3 guitars at reasonable prices.
Of course, decent guitars are a little easier to come by when you live in Nashville/Memphis.
Coming from Nashville/Memphis wouldn't you play Gee-tar? That's a different instrument all together isn't it?
by jake_twothousandfive » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:39 am
jfg wrote:I'd go to a shop- You don't want to buy a guitar that is uncomfortable to play. I mean, you're fingers are going to hurt at first regardless but you don't want to buy a guitar that's too big or too small for you and you want to be able to push down the strings with some ease. I bought my Yamaha new for 50 dollars less than that but shopped around so you can easily find a guitar that's right for you in your price range.
Yeah I think I'll go to a shop. I thought maybe one of those one craigslist was a steal that I wasn't noticing. I'll bring someone along with me who knows a thing or two about guitars. Between them, the salesman, and my intuition, I should walk out with something decent.
Thanks for all the help guys.
"Don't take anything for granted, because tomorrow is not promised to any of us." ---Kirby Puckett
For a starter acoustic, Yamaha and Seagull are both great selections. I've been playing guitar for 15+ years and have owned several Seagulls, and would still be happy if it was my only guitar. They are very well crafted, have a beautiful tone, and will only run you between $250-300ish for a brand new one. Yamahas are solid and dependable too, but a notch below Seagull in overall quality.
Make sure to stay away from classical guitars - they look alot like acoustics, but have nylon strings. They are difficult for beginners to learn on because of the extra wide necks.
1. Decide why you are playing. Is it for fun or for a career or to pick up chicks. Usually 2 of the 3 apply.
2. What's your price range?
3. Keep practicing. You will suck really bad for like 3 months before you even learn to play a nirvana song.
4. Get a Washburn, Yahmaha, or a peavy if you are looking for cheap but good.
5. Are you trying to learn how to read music or using tab? Tab is easier to teach yourself with and you will get the dexterity/skill out of it but your music theory will most likely be lacking (thats the case with me).
by jake_twothousandfive » Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:07 pm
acsguitar wrote:I've been playing guitar for almost 16 years now.
So here's some advice.
1. Decide why you are playing. Is it for fun or for a career or to pick up chicks. Usually 2 of the 3 apply.
2. What's your price range?
3. Keep practicing. You will suck really bad for like 3 months before you even learn to play a nirvana song.
4. Get a Washburn, Yahmaha, or a peavy if you are looking for cheap but good.
5. Are you trying to learn how to read music or using tab? Tab is easier to teach yourself with and you will get the dexterity/skill out of it but your music theory will most likely be lacking (thats the case with me).
Play a bunch of guitars before you buy
1) Fun and in the future, probably pick up chicks (I'm set at the moment). 2) Under $300 3) I understand that. 4) I'm thinking Yamaha F335 Acoustic Guitar. 5) I played trumpet in high school so I know how to read music for the most part. But based on what I've heard I'll probably start learning tab.
"Don't take anything for granted, because tomorrow is not promised to any of us." ---Kirby Puckett
I just graduated high school and as a senior I took a beginner guitar class...Best thing i could have done. Once i bought my guitar I knew a bunch of simple songs already from the class as well as most open and power chords. I definately recommend that once you get your guitar, look around on youtube for those basic lessons of open chords and power chords(they are all over that site) and what you learn from that will help you with soooooooooooooo many songs you know.
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by jake_twothousandfive » Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:23 pm 
