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-   -   Need Help! Buying First Guitar. (https://www.musicbanter.com/talk-instruments/37156-need-help-buying-first-guitar.html)

The Boy 02-08-2009 07:32 PM

Need Help! Buying First Guitar.
 
Hi, I'm looking for any suggestions on buying my first acoustic guitar. I have looked over a few used guitars on craigslist, but I was not sure how much I should pay or what I should be paying for. The first guitar I saw for sale was a $100 Fender Starcaster with new strings, picks, a case, and a tuner (Fender Starcaster Acoustic $100 OBO). Another is a entry level classical acoustic for $35 with a gig bag and a set of strings (Classical Acoustic). The third is an Ariana acoustic guitar for $75 with a starp, gig bag, and string set (Ariana Acoustic Guitar). Any suggestions or opinions anyone could give me would be a great help, since I'm looking to purchase a guitar before the next week is out. Thank you in advance for any advice you have.

Alfred 02-08-2009 07:34 PM

We keep a few sub-$250 Yamaha guitars around the house and they sound and play great. You could probably pick one up fairly cheap.

The Robot Hunter 02-08-2009 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfred (Post 592717)
We keep a few sub-$250 Yamaha guitars around the house and they sound and play great. You could probably pick one up fairly cheap.

Agreed. This was my first guitar. Some general advice I would add is:
1. Start of small (cheap). It's hard to regret buying a guitar you paid less than $200 for.
2. To quote the grandpa from little miss sunshine: "**** a lot of women" ... or play a lot of guitars, and see what you like
3. Never stop looking. Even when you're not seriously in the market for a new guitar don't stop looking online, in magazines, and especially in pawn shops. You could find a great deal, or just a great guitar that will keep you wanting to play
4. Haggle, haggle, haggle. Don't be afraid to look cheap. Especially if you end up buying a guitar from a big chain like Guitar Center - they have HUGE markups and are usually are willing to mark it down at least 5-10%

mr dave 02-09-2009 01:41 AM

hate to burst your bubble but it seems like you're looking at junk

a $35 'classical' with a gig bag is too good to be true. heck a gig back alone normally sells for that much, odds are it's decorative and would cause you more hassle to learn on than it's worth.

the fender 'starcaster' is the name of a hollowbody electric it used to offer in the late 70s early 80s. would be worth thousands had fender not re-used the name for it's intro packs and 3/4 size children's acoustic guitar. another thing to note from the ad.... There are no scratches, just a small crack on the neck.... don't even waste your time on this ad anymore.

the ariana is basically a no-name but actually sounds like a legit low-end acoustic guitar based on the ad.

personally i've got a low-end yamaha FG-170. i got lucky, yamaha instruments tend to be very hit or miss. there's no harm in trying multiple instruments (or bring a friend who's got some skills to try for you).

best advice i can offer is try before you buy. pawn shops are your friend especially when you're looking for a cheap starter instrument. don't worry about the name on the headstock, at this point in the game the most important features for you should be a straight neck and good tuning pegs.

above all though, remember to have fun, playing music should never feel like a competition.

coryallen2 02-09-2009 06:50 AM

$1,980 les paul classic, black finish,white pick guard...sell it to you for $1...lol...i got one for christmas

mr dave 02-09-2009 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coryallen2 (Post 592984)
$1,980 les paul classic, black finish,white pick guard...sell it to you for $1...lol...i got one for christmas

but the real question is can you do more than jimmy page poses with it?

Fletch 02-10-2009 03:41 AM

Is that your maximum price range? Because you could probably (with a little help) find a great / comfortable electric guitar for under $500 Then of course you can buy a pretty decent practice amp for the same...
The thing is, i learnt from experience, that it is harder to be motivated when you hear **** sounds coming out of your amp - but it doesn`t cost the earth (these days) to get (almost) what you might hear on your favourite CDs....


If thats out of reach, then personally i`m a fan of cheap nylon string guitars for those first 6 months of learning - they`re cheap, you can bash them around and they won`t kill your fingers

littleknowitall 02-10-2009 09:18 AM

Recently I've been noticing you can get a really nice tone from a hudson and they can be quite cheap too, Worth a gander...

The Boy 02-10-2009 03:42 PM

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. As far as my price range goes, I don't really have much to spend. Maybe $150 to $200 at the most. I figure I can attempt to find something good in that range on craigslist or perhaps ebay even. But there are some guitar/music shops a few miles from where I live, so I will probably check them out and see what they have to offer as well.

mr dave 02-10-2009 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Boy (Post 593999)
But there are some guitar/music shops a few miles from where I live, so I will probably check them out and see what they have to offer as well.

Definitely do this, don't be afraid to tell the clerk that you're just starting out too. If they're a reputable place they 'will' help you find something right for you to start with. The concept is that if they hook you up properly to start you'll go back in a few years once you're ready to get a higher quality instrument.

You might be able to save a few dollars going through CL or ebay, but there's something to be said about being able to walk back into that same brick and mortar store in a few years and have the same clerk who sold you your very first guitar hook you up with a nice martin or taylor.

GuitarBizarre 02-10-2009 10:27 PM

Look for something more high end than the ones you listed. for 150/200 you'll be able to get a decent Yamaha or Cort acoustic. the F10E yamaha is a good starter guitar if you're on a really tight budget, but from a very serious standpoint, if you can spend more for better quality, you really should do.

Skimping on the guitar at the beginning just because you want to save a little cash, is a surefire way to end up with a piece of absolute **** that will turn you off from playing the guitar.

And, unless you have a friend who can already play reasonably well and who knows their stuff about guitars, buy new. The second hand market is good right now because of the economy, but that also means its filled with a lot more people trying to shift total crap.

On the subject of the 'friend' Say, 3/4 years of playing at LEAST, before they can realyl spot the differences between a good guitar and a bad one, and make sure they have at least some interest in the way a guitar works and is set up. I know plenty of good guitar players, who would play a million times better if they took the time to learn how the instrument works. That same knowledge is also very important in learning how to avoid bad guitars.

THings like cheap bridges, weak tuners, neck finish cracks and weak neck bolts, are all too common on low end guitars, and without some rudimentary knowledge of how to tell the difference, you're almost as likely to get burned as you are to find a passable guitar. And if you're holding out for that 'awesome deal' on a second hand guitar, you're out of luck without that knowledge, because its pretty easy to fool a newbie into believing just about anything as long as the guitar looks ok.

Don't believe me? Go to Jemsite and search up the word 'chibanez'

mr dave 02-11-2009 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuitarBizarre (Post 594321)
Don't believe me? Go to Jemsite and search up the word 'chibanez'


or google gibsun guitars

GuitarBizarre 02-11-2009 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave (Post 594383)
or google gibsun guitars

I thought of that, but considering my views on the REAL Gibson, I figured disparaging their clone makers would be tantamount to a glowing endorsement from myself.

----------------
Now playing on Winamp: Guns N' Roses - Think About You
via FoxyTunes

TimmayTheTurtle 02-11-2009 04:47 PM

just get one of those starter packs from guitar center.
my first axe was a warlock beginner set.

now i have several including the love of my life, my 7 string dean

mr dave 02-11-2009 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuitarBizarre (Post 594729)
I thought of that, but considering my views on the REAL Gibson, I figured disparaging their clone makers would be tantamount to a glowing endorsement from myself.

touché :laughing:

apparently there's a pawn shop in my town that gets one or two of those U clones per year and manages to sell them at O prices.

i'd almost consider it at epiphone prices, just to be able to say i have a shady clone of the big G hahaha


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