"scoob" (scoobsti)
02/15/2014 at 18:17 • Filed to: Guitarlopnik, Musiclopnik
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"scoob" (scoobsti)
02/15/2014 at 18:17 • Filed to: Guitarlopnik, Musiclopnik | 1
| 18 |
Hi Oppo guitarists!
I went on Craigslist and found a Carlo Robelli acoustic guitar for $50. Is anyone familiar with this brand? I've never heard of it, and that may be because I only started learning a few months ago, but I already know what Yamaha, Fender, etc. are. I just wanna know if there are any bad things about their guitars.
I really want to head over to Guitar Center for their Presidents' Day deal and pick up a brand new Fender for $100, but my parents think it's expensive, as this would be my first guitar, and I don't know how often I'll be playing it.
Mattbob
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:21 |
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$100 is cheap for a guitar. If you buy a $50 guitar, you will hate playing it (unless its a crazy good used deal). The action will be super high and it will be very hard to play well. I recommend if you have a tight budget, definitely going the used route, and playing it first. Check the action, and check for fret buzz. Those two things are the most annoying in my opinion.
TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H!
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:22 |
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Probably a cheap-o department store brand. I wouldn't bother.
Team6.1
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:23 |
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I've never heard of that brand, but for the most part you get what you pay for. Even more so when it comes to an acoustic. Also something to consider being a new player is that a new guitar will be setup correctly and should be in working order. I'll buy used but I always play it for a while and know what I am looking for.
Sn210
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:23 |
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Haven't heard of that brand, but it's only $50. It'll be a good starter. Once you get into it and get more serious you can upgrade.
Tim (Fractal Footwork)
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:24 |
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If you know that you're going to be playing for a good while longer, go for a bit more. My first guitar was around $600, and I loved it so much that I kept wanting to play.
It may be a bit out of your budget, but Guilds are probably the best for the price.
GAD D-140 $649
GAD D-125 $529
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scoob
> Mattbob
02/15/2014 at 18:24 |
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The seller claims he bought it for $100 a few years ago. And ok, I'll ask if I can try it first. Thanks so much!
Not a Sunburst Miata
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:26 |
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I'm a guitarist on a budget, and I picked up and Oscar and Schmidt OG2M last year at the Guitar Center near my apartment. Used, it was $100, and probably the best guitar I own. Its the only one I play anymore, and I'm even selling off some of my more expensive ones because I love the OG2M so much.
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scoob
> TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H!
02/15/2014 at 18:27 |
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Did some Googling, apparently you're right. It's a Sam Ash brand.
The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:28 |
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Pretty sure Carlo Robelli is a cheap house brand from Sam Ash. As with everything, store brand is usually not as good as name brand. Even new they are cheap... as the $50 used price suggests. Don't expect great things. People can spend close to $50 on a set or two of strings, and more than that to have a guitar set up properly. But hey, maybe it was built by that one dude in the Chinese factory who is overly passionate and dedicated to guitars.
My advice is bring a friend who plays guitar to look it over for playability and signs of damage. Otherwise, don't try to learn on a crap guitar. It will only frustrate and discourage you.
And your parents need to shop around. $100 is nothing, even for a cheap crap guitar. Show them some similar looking made in USA Fenders.
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Mattbob
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:29 |
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I recommend going to a guitar center or somewhere similar and playing an expensive guitar so you can understand what a good guitar feels like before you try out that used one. Without a frame of reference, anything can feel "okay."
McMike
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 18:51 |
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Yeah, I've played a lot of $50-100 guitars. They're all crap. Intonation way off, neck out of adjustment action too high, fret buzz everywhere, cheap materials, etc... Like Fintisaterribleplace said, it's going to be miserable to play.
Don't be afraid to play it. tune it and play all the open chords you know. Check for action at the nut, as well as further up the neck. If tuned nicely for open fret, play some barr chords at the 7th and 9th fret, see if it's still in tune. Sit in the corner of the music store and don't be afraid to play some scales high and low on the neck. listen for buzz, and see if it's easy to play. I would choose playability over sound.
They can me made to work a little better f you change up the string weight, or drop the tuning a bit. That won't affect the intonation much, but it could be easier to play. Sometimes you luck out, though and find some cheap one that plays pretty good.
One of my mangers gave me some old acoustic that I think was given to his older brother, or something like that. It played pretty good for something named a "grammer guitar" I figured it was a Sears special from the 70s, and it sat in the corner of basement for years.
I was surprised how well it played until I looked it up. Now I'm not surprised.
merkyg
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 20:21 |
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Just to play Devil's advocate, I got a new Epiphone bass in december for £130 and I like it better than some £6-700 basses I've played.
Kailand09
> Tim (Fractal Footwork)
02/15/2014 at 21:59 |
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This man is correct. In my own opinion, upper end guilds are the best guitars that exist.
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Kailand09
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 22:04 |
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Don't waste your money.
A bad guitar wouldn't be worth ten bucks unless it's only for smashing.
In my opinion grab a Craigslist used guitar or go to flea markets with someone who knows what they're doing.
To be honest, any brand new acoustic under 200 is probably not worth it. Used guitars in the 100 range can be found that are worth it.
Even try local guitar shops.
Bad Idea Hat
> scoob
02/15/2014 at 22:57 |
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I've been getting my guitars and basses from them. They make pretty good stuff for reasonable prices.
TyFc3s-A car hating millennial
> scoob
02/16/2014 at 00:24 |
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like they said
I remember a while ago i was lookingup ibanez guitars on craigslist (because i was really into metal) and theyre pretty cheap used, but still around $250-$300, if patina turns you on
My first guitar, a 12 year old (at the time) fender jaguar in 2011 cost me nearly $500
Its not the cheapest hobby to get into, but at least the stuff only seems to gain value, i guess i could maybe break even with my jag today (if i dared)
And of course acoustics are cheaper, but offer less
Rondomusic.com seems like a nice cheap place to shop, i received this as a gift, and i play it all the time, its really pretty nice, might not be the worse way for you to get into it, as it sounds like your parents get final say and you dont have a lot of money.. it couldnt get cheaper than this..
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TyFc3s-A car hating millennial
> TyFc3s-A car hating millennial
02/16/2014 at 00:28 |
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heres a review, for what its worth, like i said i really do like the guitar, i honestly had no idea how inexpensive it was! the guitar is also on amazon
McLarry
> scoob
02/17/2014 at 23:52 |
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I actually have a Carlo Robelli, but I admit I don't know much about them... I know they're Sam Ash's house brand, and they aren't hugely respected as far as I know. The one I got was a freebie that was thrown in because I spent more than $300 or something on my first electric guitar, which I bought at Sam Ash (probably about 10 years ago). The odd thing is I actually like it a lot... We had 2 other acoustics in the house, a Squier of my sister's and a Blueridge (I think the Squier was the most expensive and my least favorite of the lot), both bought new at $100-$200, and the Carlo Robelli was easily better than both. Now, years later, my wife plays guitar as well and owns a nicer one so I usually play hers, but I still have the Carlo Robelli and play it every now and then - best acoustic guitar I've personally owned thus far. That's not to say this one's representative of the brand, but still...brand isn't everything, and at this price range it's practically nothing. My advice would be, if you haven't already, go to the guitar store and play a bunch of guitars, including the 4-digit luxury models, just so you know what a good guitar feels like. Take in the details like the height of the strings, the feel of the frets, the amount of flex in the neck...everything. Then see if the seller will let you play it before buying it (definitely don't buy it otherwise, either way). Based on this, you should be able to make a decision on whether this guitar is worth the $50, and don't be afraid to haggle - you might get a great deal (keep in mind strings are cheap and easily replaced, so don't discard it because the strings feel bad. Also tune the strings open and play a chord higher up the neck...if it sounds out of tune up the neck, the intonation is likely bad and that's a red flag).