Need Advice On... Guitars!

"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213) 12/14/2013 at 08:32 • Filed to: Help!, help, guitars

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So my 12 year old sister has just submitted her Christmas list. On the list, for some strange reason, is an acoustic guitar. Here is the problem, I know NOTHING about them. NOTHING at all. We are looking for a good guitar. But we don't want to spend a fortune. Please help!

We are open to used guitars as well though. What companies are good? Which are bad? What is a reasonable price? Any help is appreciated. And BTW, although 12, she is tall enough to play a full size guitar. We can't get one with a short neck or something like it.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 08:40

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Acoustic?

Then maybe I can help.

I have a Yamaha C-40, it was my first guitar.

it was passed down to me by my sister, and it is a great guitar.

My other guitar, a Ritmo (?) was found on the side of the road by the trash.

I put the cheapest strings on it, and it is my favourite acoustic guitar so far.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 12/14/2013 at 08:42

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So are Yamaha guitars okay? I wasn't sure

Wpro3 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 08:47

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How do I make my own post to opposite lock? Sorry it's a bit off topic

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Wpro3 12/14/2013 at 08:52

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You may not be an author yet.. which is something out of my control... if you are lucky, someone with authority might come by and make you one...

if you do have permission... when you go to post, hit publish to oppositelock NOT your personal blog

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 08:56

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Well, get a yamaha. It's your safest bet.

I don't have a guitar, but i do have a Yamaha Ukulele, and it's awesome!

Wpro3 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 09:19

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Thanks for the info, hopefully I'll be able to post soon. Been wanting to for quite a long time. Just took some pictures of this storefront in la salle Illinois that has a bunch of old mopars. Looks like a showroom no one has touched in decades

Party-vi > Wpro3 12/14/2013 at 09:40

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Hi guy - you're all clear. Go ahead and edit one of your older posts and repost on "oppositelock" instead of "private blog".

Party-vi > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 09:42

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My first guitar was a Fender DG-8. They still make them and it's been a great guitar for over a decade. It's not too pricey new and I'm sure there are less expensive versions on CL or eBay.

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zadtheinhaler > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 09:47

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Regardless of price or make, nylon-string acoustics are likely the best choice for a beginner.

The strings are nylon (the three thickest are metal-wound with a nylon core) so they are much easier on the fingers, not only because of the string composition, but because of the lower string tension, which cuts into the pads of the fingers less.

Yamahas are definitely great, but there's no reason not to get any others - I believe one of Fender's subsidiaries make nylon-string guitars, and Godin does as well, most for pretty decent prices.

For the most part nylon stringed guitars also cost less, and here's where that's important - if you spend a little less on an introductory instrument, then if she actually takes a proper interest and practices, it'll 'hurt less' when she inevitably wants to upgrade to a better guitar. On the other hand, if she gets bored and wants to try something else, it'll 'hurt less' by knowing that you didn't drop a lot of money on something she ultimately only liked for what can politely described as 'facile' reasons.

Try them out in the store/s, and if you find one that sounds good, try another one of the same make and model - literally every one is different, but if there are similarities between 'siblings', it shows that the manufacturer shows some care towards maintaining consistency.

And while you're at the store, if you don't know much about guitars, bring a friend who does. Unless you have good luck in trusting to the truthfulness of strangers, relying on salespeople is a fool's game.

Happy hunting!

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Party-vi 12/14/2013 at 10:22

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That actually looks pretty nice... If I can get a used one for a bit less (around 125-150) that may be my best bet... I know Fender is a good manufacturer... thanks

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Party-vi 12/14/2013 at 10:24

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Rakuten has this whole bundle for $199 here this may be my best actually

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Party-vi 12/14/2013 at 10:34

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I agree with Party-vl. Fender is an excellent brand, and they do make inexpensive acoustic guitars. Contrary to zadtheInhaler's suggestion I would stay away from nylon strings. That's primarily for classical guitar songs and at 12 I'm guessing that's not what she is interested in. Yamaha is okay too, I have a Yamaha 12 string acoustic. But for good and cheap I'd stick with a used Fender off of CL or ebay.

When buying used, you do need to make sure the neck is straight. I've always done that by holding it flat in front of me and siting down towards the tuners. Like this:

Look at a few of them in a guitar store and you might get a feel for it and see some differences. If you find an otherwise nice used guitar but it twists left or right, or looks like a ski jump you don't want it.

Bandit > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 10:42

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I have been playing guitar since I was 12 (now 17). My first guitar was a Yamaha FG-110 that my grandfather gave me. They were built is somewhere between 30 and 40 years old. They have awesome build quality (mine had a huge crack in the side when I got it and the guitar doesn't suffer at all), built in Japan (not indonesia), mine stays in tune for practically ever (haven't retuned it for about a year), and it is really easy to play. There are several types out there, the one you wouldn't want to buy is the "Red Label" as those ones about 3x what the normal ones cost. If you can find an FG-110 that isn't a red label they are ususally in the low $100's.

The FG-110 is on the very right. I have a really nice Taylor, but the Yamaha is still my favorite.

Ninja Edit: She should start learning guitar on an acoustic. It is much easier to play an electric, but you learn better playing habits on an acoustic.

Bandit > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 12/14/2013 at 10:43

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I just said the same thing. My first guitar was a vintage Yamaha FG-110, it is built really tough, sounds excellent, is pretty cheap, and stays in tune for practically ever.

erspimp03 > Bandit 12/14/2013 at 10:51

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protip: if your guitar never goes out of tune, you need new strings.

Bandit > erspimp03 12/14/2013 at 10:55

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I replaced them about 6 months ago and haven't played a ton. They are pretty new but have gotten past the initial period of extreme elasticity when they go out of tune after one song.

Destructive Tester > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 10:58

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It will be hard to go wrong with a Yamaha, Fender or Ibanez. Since sizing will be a factor, it would be best to actually have her " try them on" in a store. Yes the way the guitar fits matters, I actually like playing my modded sub-$300 Squier Strat more than my $1200 American Standard Strat for that reason...

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Bandit 12/14/2013 at 11:07

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I've heard good things about Yamaha... I may have to look for those... I always thought that they weren't great for some reason but you aren't the first to suggest it

Bandit > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 11:25

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Yeah, typically the vintage/Japan built Yamahas have good build quality. Although fender makes stellar electric guitars (I have an American Strat), I've never been a fan of the quality of their acoustics. If she ever wants to go electric, look into these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier_'5… I had one as my first electric and it has great value/quality for the price.

TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H! > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 12:02

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Well, I'd look at used gear. Always scan the local Craigslist as well. Also, we have a tag for this stuff, GUITARLOPNIK. I might check that once a week or so, but a lot of the players have contributed.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 12:46

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"We can't get one with a short neck or something like it."

John Lennon and Kurt Cobain (and myself) disagree...

That little guy on the right is a blast to play. But good luck finding a short scale acoustic that isn't shit at a price appropriate for a beginner. My 2 cents: if you have a friend who plays, have them play the guitar before you buy it. You don't want somebody to learn on a difficult to play cheap ass POS. It will just frustrate and discourage her. That being said, I would go gently used before I get one of those new everything-you-need-to-play boxed deals.

Kailand09 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 12/14/2013 at 13:17

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You may run across classical guitars, I wouldn't get one of those. Honestly, for a small budget I'd go with a used acoustic.

You may find decent deals on craigslist, and definitely see it before you buy it. Madeira is a good entry level brand you may look for, which is an asian-production based Guild guitar. Guild's are my favorite, above CF Martin IMO.

Used fenders should do you decent.

Stick away from any el cheapo brand, you might as well not buy a guitar.

Seagull makes some OK stuff as well.I personally don't like Yamaha, and think you could find way better for the money.

When you look at a used guitar, put some pressure around the body and make sure there are no cracks, turn all the tuning pegs a little to make sure they hold their tightness and aren't stuck. Look down the neck from body to neck and neck to body to look for twisting. Then, even if you don't know how to play guitar, test each fret by applying pressure and strumming the individual string to make sure you hear no buzzing sounds, it should be fairly pure note. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

What is your general location or major city? I'm sure we could look around CL and find some gems for you.

Example:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/msg/421461…

Party-vi > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 12/14/2013 at 13:23

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I would say that until she builds up callouses on her fingers it would be easier to learn on nylon strings - steel strings tend to turn some people off because it hurts to play.

erspimp03 > Bandit 12/14/2013 at 15:22

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Fair enough. I probably shouldn't be talking, once I went 2 years without changing my strings, and that was back when I played 10 hours a week! They were starting to turn brown near the end. I'm sure the only reason they lasted that long is because I only used them for classical music and some flamenco.