Acoustic guitar
Discussion
Decided to teach myself acoustic guitar to relax and pass the time.
Don't want to walk into the shop as they will see me coming. And I am the type of person who will end up buying Jimmy Hendrix's actual guitar and spending hundreds of magic beans on things I don't need.
Under £100 is the budget. Spoke to a guitar type and he recommended the Fender CD60. Any other recommendations or opinions.
Will update with a video as soon as I learn
Don't want to walk into the shop as they will see me coming. And I am the type of person who will end up buying Jimmy Hendrix's actual guitar and spending hundreds of magic beans on things I don't need.
Under £100 is the budget. Spoke to a guitar type and he recommended the Fender CD60. Any other recommendations or opinions.
Will update with a video as soon as I learn
I suggest you ignore the name on the headstock as in that price range they will all be coming form some anonymous factory in China anyway. If you can already play then choose the ne that sounds the best. Try several different chord shapes because if the fretting and nut positions aren't absolutley accurate some chords will sound out of tune when others do not.
Most guitars come with quite heavy strings, and will often benefit from a change to a set of Martin 10-47's
Most guitars come with quite heavy strings, and will often benefit from a change to a set of Martin 10-47's
Just another thought, £100 spent on a second hand guitar will usually get you a much better instrument, and if it's at least a couple of years old you will be able to see if if has distorted due to the tension of the strings (when viewd from the side the face of the guitar tends to bend in an s shape as the strings try to pull the bridge up).
The budget Yamaha guitars are good. Their pricey ones are even better!
Hot tip: As a learner buy an electric guitar and a headphone amplifier. Very convenient - you can practice away as much and as long as you like and you bother no-one else at all. Key factors in a guitar purchase are
Action - how close the strings are to the neck without buzzing, how much force is required to press them down.
Intonation - does the guitar stay in tune right to the top of the neck by the body.
Both of these can be adjusted. Have the shop change the strings and set the guitar up when yoy buy it.
ALL cheap guitars are now made amazingly well - the neck will be straight etc
Oh...and buy an electronic guitar tuner. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for being out of tune - and you'll enjoy the sound so much more. I can do it by ear but I've been playing for almost thirty years. Most beginners need the help of the tuner.
Oh...and get some lessons early on. It will save you an awful lot of time. Just a few hours of how to hold it, how to position your hands, how to tune it, how to adjust it, basic chordsm strumming, picking, how to use a plectrum and so on...
Hot tip: As a learner buy an electric guitar and a headphone amplifier. Very convenient - you can practice away as much and as long as you like and you bother no-one else at all. Key factors in a guitar purchase are
Action - how close the strings are to the neck without buzzing, how much force is required to press them down.
Intonation - does the guitar stay in tune right to the top of the neck by the body.
Both of these can be adjusted. Have the shop change the strings and set the guitar up when yoy buy it.
ALL cheap guitars are now made amazingly well - the neck will be straight etc
Oh...and buy an electronic guitar tuner. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for being out of tune - and you'll enjoy the sound so much more. I can do it by ear but I've been playing for almost thirty years. Most beginners need the help of the tuner.
Oh...and get some lessons early on. It will save you an awful lot of time. Just a few hours of how to hold it, how to position your hands, how to tune it, how to adjust it, basic chordsm strumming, picking, how to use a plectrum and so on...
Don said:
The budget Yamaha guitars are good
I used to think that too. You should hear the one I've inherited, it's impossible to tune it correctly so that all the basic chords sound OK. Using a capo make it even worse. Hence my advice about ignoring the name (in this price range anyway)Don said:
The budget Yamaha guitars are good
If buying new I reckon you could do worse that look at 'Vintage' guitars (http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageacoustic.html) - specifically the V300. It's £130 so slightly above your range but these all have solid tops and IME play well for a guitar at any price. Whatever you decide you definitely need to try a few guitars to find one that's setup properly. Probably best off taking a friend who know's their onions (or guitars 
) with you.Maybe I speak from a different camp here, but my advice is ALWAYS to go for the best you can afford.
With musical instruments, and especially when you are starting out, you need incentive to keep going on. You need something that is playable and sounds great, so that it flatters your playing and encourages you to continue.
Honestly, your budget should start at around £250 as an absolute minimum, and you should be looking at guitars like S&Ps and Seagulls - anything with a solid (as opposed to laminate) top.
Yes, any guitar will give you a sound, but trust me on this - music is worth enjoying, and in my experience, the enjoyment is directly proportional to the quality of the instrument.
The first time I played an Olson (high-end handmade guitars from the US), I died and went to heaven. I then invested in all solid-wood mid to high-end guitars, and I've not regretted it an ounce. The first time I played a Steinway grand piano, I died and went to heaven and came back to live and died all over again. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford one of these!
Buy something decent. Your heartstrings will thank you for it.
With musical instruments, and especially when you are starting out, you need incentive to keep going on. You need something that is playable and sounds great, so that it flatters your playing and encourages you to continue.
Honestly, your budget should start at around £250 as an absolute minimum, and you should be looking at guitars like S&Ps and Seagulls - anything with a solid (as opposed to laminate) top.
Yes, any guitar will give you a sound, but trust me on this - music is worth enjoying, and in my experience, the enjoyment is directly proportional to the quality of the instrument.
The first time I played an Olson (high-end handmade guitars from the US), I died and went to heaven. I then invested in all solid-wood mid to high-end guitars, and I've not regretted it an ounce. The first time I played a Steinway grand piano, I died and went to heaven and came back to live and died all over again. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford one of these!
Buy something decent. Your heartstrings will thank you for it.
I have no previous musical experience so this is my first one. I cant really tell the difference between a good/bad guitar.
A friend who works in a music shop has acquired a Fender CD60, Strap, DVD and electric tuner for me. He mentioned something about a stocking error
He says its the one he normally recommends and looking online its a name that pops up quite frequently in the usual 'best beginner' reviews.
DeadLock - I too am a believer in buy once and buy the best. Although even down to my Snap On tools. I had a cheapo set just to learn mechanics etc. Don't want to be another guy with all the gear and no idea.
As for the suggestion of the ones slightly over my budget this is where I quickly get out of control. Another £30 becomes £50 and before I know it I get very carried away.
Thanks for all your help guys.
A friend who works in a music shop has acquired a Fender CD60, Strap, DVD and electric tuner for me. He mentioned something about a stocking error
He says its the one he normally recommends and looking online its a name that pops up quite frequently in the usual 'best beginner' reviews.DeadLock - I too am a believer in buy once and buy the best. Although even down to my Snap On tools. I had a cheapo set just to learn mechanics etc. Don't want to be another guy with all the gear and no idea.
As for the suggestion of the ones slightly over my budget this is where I quickly get out of control. Another £30 becomes £50 and before I know it I get very carried away.
Thanks for all your help guys.
Take a look at the recommendation on www.guitars.co.uk - they are usually spot on with the best value for money
-DeaDLocK- said:
Maybe I speak from a different camp here, but my advice is ALWAYS to go for the best you can afford.
With musical instruments, and especially when you are starting out, you need incentive to keep going on. You need something that is playable and sounds great, so that it flatters your playing and encourages you to continue.
Honestly, your budget should start at around £250 as an absolute minimum, and you should be looking at guitars like S&Ps and Seagulls - anything with a solid (as opposed to laminate) top.
Buy something decent. Your heartstrings will thank you for it.
Yep ... With musical instruments, and especially when you are starting out, you need incentive to keep going on. You need something that is playable and sounds great, so that it flatters your playing and encourages you to continue.
Honestly, your budget should start at around £250 as an absolute minimum, and you should be looking at guitars like S&Ps and Seagulls - anything with a solid (as opposed to laminate) top.
Buy something decent. Your heartstrings will thank you for it.
My first guitar was a £200 acoustic fender, I got lucky, it actually had quite a nice sound. I took someone with me who knew a lot about guitars which is probably why I got one that was ok.
My second guitar was a decent Takamine, the difference in the quality of sound was like x years more proactice, just amazing. Unfortunately, I then heard someone play a Taylor ...
Do I regret it, nope. I play the violin (many years) and have a instrument that is reasonable - why, because a cheap violin will never sound good, no matter who plays it, because they're cheap.
Same (in general) with guitars. Lower end guitars generally have a poor setup, and sometimes one that cannot be fully corrected. Usually, in my experience, the intonation is out - this means that say an open E string is in tune, but the various other E notes dotted around get progressivly out of tune as you move up the neck, So you have a guitar that is in tune at one end, out out the other - impossible to get a decent sound.
I would look at the Takamines, the cheaper end is called something else (G series poss), but can sound quite nice, as do Yamaha and I think Crafter, my pick of these would probably be Takamine. The more you spend the better, £300-400 is what I would aim for, but I appreciate you have less to spend.
So, look around, take someone with you and see what's out there. Make sure the shop set the thing properly and go on recommendation.
Martin
Edited by mph999 on Friday 9th May 22:01
Just in case anyone is interested there's some free books or CDs or something for Guitars in 2 papers this weekend.
There's 2 parts - 1 in each paper - which I think are the Guardian and the Independent. I don't know if they are both tomorrows, or Sundays, or 1 from each.
I know it's vague, but I only half-caught a radio ad promoting it this evening, and have not heard it since.
There's 2 parts - 1 in each paper - which I think are the Guardian and the Independent. I don't know if they are both tomorrows, or Sundays, or 1 from each.
I know it's vague, but I only half-caught a radio ad promoting it this evening, and have not heard it since.
To be fair, the price on the back of the headstock doesn`t really mean too much....
I have had lots of top acoustics for £100 - £150.
I had a gibson acoustic once and i didn`t care for it, yeah, it looked good, but that was all!
Just got myself another one by a firm called Indie.... really good guitars!
Get stumming!!!!
I have had lots of top acoustics for £100 - £150.
I had a gibson acoustic once and i didn`t care for it, yeah, it looked good, but that was all!
Just got myself another one by a firm called Indie.... really good guitars!
Get stumming!!!!
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