I need advice on buying a guitar

[central scrutinizer]

I know next to nothing. My 14 year old daughter wants a guitar as a middle school graduation gift. She has played the piano and sax for years so she has a good base of music knowledge. She wants an acoustic guitar and her goal is to be able to play like Mason Williams in "Classical Gas". So, I appeal to guitar playing DUers for some advice. I would rather pay a little more and get something decent that she will enjoy playing and if she sticks with it then maybe later look for a real quality instrument. I plan on shopping at a local second hand store that specializes in musical instruments and seems to have a good selection. Say I was willing to spend around $300-$400. Should I get nylon or steel strings? What are some makes to look for or to avoid? What questions should I be asking? Thanks for any help.

[4morewars]

1. Here's one:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/519293/

Home page:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/content/cb/index

[MissMillie]

2. don't spend that much

until you know she's going to stick with it.

[Blue-Jay]

3. You should consult this guy:

[XNASA]

6. Is that Esteban? I love that guy.

He's the only guitarist on the planet who sucks more than I do.

[Blue-Jay]

8. Estéban!

Love those infomercials. (and wanted to show off my ASCII skills)

é®

[LastKnight]

16. dear god please do not...

those things are PIECES OF SHIT! i had to repair one at work once and i told em it was a lost cause... neck was all warped to shit. busted tuner or two, the list goes on. and heres the great part... it was fresh outta the box.

-LK

[XNASA]

4. Well, nylon strings are no good for shredding.

So you should scrap that idea. :crazy:

My first every guitar was nylon string. And though it might seem easier to learn on one, the truth is....the strings are farther apart.

So for a beginner a steel string guitar is easier, in my opinion.

You should be able to get a good guitar for that price. Yahama is a sturdy budget guitar, as are Epiphones. Just don't buy anything that looks like it's warped.

[cleofus1]

5. what type of music does she want to play

nylon strings are easier on the fingers...that would be a classical guitar and has a sweet and melodic sound to it...it is used in various types of formal music...
steel strings are harder on the fingers...that would be your standard folk guitar...used by most pop and rock artists...

laminated top guitars are cheaper....but as they age they will not aquire the tone and sound of a mature guitar...

solid top will age much better and will sound fuller as they get older...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Let me take a quick stab

You can spend around $200-300 for a very good guitar for someone to learn on, but you really shouldn't spend more than that, for a very good reason. Every guitar has it's own unique sound and feel. Your daughter most likely will eventually want a different guitar if she sticks with it, simply because of this.

For starters, I'd go with nylon strings. I started on a Fender acoustic and I was pleased with it. Takemine is also a good brand. I can't offer a suggestion on what brand to avoid in the realm of acoustic though.

[johnnie]

9. You can get some nice guitars for that price

Don't go "cheap", a bad guitar can discourage playing.
Even though "Classical Gas" is played on a classical guitar, I would agree with XNASA. Your daughter can learn her chops on a good steel string and play the classical later.
Of course that all depends on if she wants to play strictly classical guitar. In that case, you might want to go that route.

[cleofus1]

10. here's a 300 dollar guitar

steel string washburn...
will last her years....

[norml]

11. Get her a used $300 electric guitar.

Look at the Newspaper ads, and in the Pawn Shops. An electric has slinky strings, and is much easier to play. With an adapter it can be played through a stereo amplifier, until she gets a stand alone amp. The most important thing in buying any guitar is to look down the neck to make certain it's not bowed.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

12. Wow, so much to say, so little time.

Background, I'm 55. Been playing since I was about your daughters age. Blues and Rock when I was young, currently studying Flamenco which, In my opinion is the highest form of guitar art.

If she wants to play stuff like Classical gas, she needs a classical guitar. Unlike rock, you need to use all of your fingers to play classical type music and the wider neck of a classical guitar gives you the extra room for accurate finger picking. Nylon strings are a givin in my opinion.

Guitar quality. I currently own two guitars. One, I call my battle axe, is a $250.00, used Yamaha. Its basically a plywood, factory mass produced guitar of adequate quality for a beginner. I use this one to throw in my truck so I can practice on the jobsite at lunchtime. The sound is fine and the average listener would not know the difference.

My "precious" is hand made by one person in Spain, $4,000.00 guitar. This is investment grade and actually improves with age. No plywood or super glue on this baby. The difference between Playing the two is like the difference between driving a VW bug and a Porsche.

For your daughters needs, the price range you indicated is actually generous for a beginner. I suggest you take your daughter to try some out and see what she likes. Don't worry about brand so much as her reaction to "feel". Then, before you actually fork over the cash, note the brand and model # and do a quick E-Bay search to see if the price they are asking is fair. Trust me, you will be able to find one on E-Bay.

Also, if you would like a professional opinion, go here http://www.finefretted.com/html/classical_guitars_for_sale.html
This is my teachers site. Check it out and feel free to e-mail him or call him. Tell him Buddy sent you.

Randy may be the most knowledgable guitar guy on earth. He is just completing a 1,000+ page history of the classical guitar for publication and can certainly advise you.

Wish I had more time to talk but gotta get to work to pay for the lessons.
Bud

[cleofus1]

13. if she really wants a classical here's a 400.00 guitar

an alvarez here is a review from a guy who baught one

"I've always wanted a classical guitar with a good electronic setup for recording purposes. I started doing some research and there are a lot of this type on the market today. However, the question is what is too expensive and what is too cheap. Some guitars of this type pass the $1,000 range and for that price, they must be nice. Others you can find for less that $200. This Alvarez guitar has an excellent price and it has the sound quality of guitars of double its price. If I didn't find this guitar, I would have probably paid over $900 for a Takamine. I was really amazed to see the reviews of this Alvarez because it has a solid top, excellent electronics, 600T system, built in tuner and beautiful finish. I didn't think about it twice and I purchased it. All I read and heard about this guitar was not enough to describe the pleasure to play it. The sound is amazing, the finish is gorgeous and the size is perfect. It gets connected to you so it feels very close to your body. Other guitars, like acoustical ones, have a big box and that's just too uncomfortable. For all this I wanted to give 10 starts but they only allow 5. Maybe I will do another review to make up for the extra 5 . Thanks Alvarez!"

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. Alvarez and Yamaha both make good "student" guitars

that are easy to play for beginners.

[walkon]

21. Agree with that.

This past weekend I was at Guitar Center and played a Yahama Classical that had a really good tone and projection and very good playability. It was priced a 199.99. Sorry that I can't recall the model. But if possible take her to a shop and let her try a few. Her ears and her hands will tell the story, I assure you.

[BillZBubb]

14. Go to MusiciansFriend.Com

Request a catalog. You can get a good idea of what is available and at what price.

If your daughter likes contemporary music as opposed to classical or flemenco, you'll want a steel stringed instrument.

Buy a full-sized of dreadnought style. And a hard shell case rather than a gig bag. Buy and electronic tuner as well. A cheap chromatic tuner costs about $15 and they are great.

You don't need a Martin or Gibson to start. I've had good experiences with Fender, Epiphone, Ibanez, and Yamaha acoustics for under $300.

MusiciansFriend is a great place to buy. They have good prices and their return policy is excellent. Good luck!

[LastKnight]

17. i would say avoid mail order stuff... at least buying from em...

cruise their catalogs to get price ideas... then go to a store... because 99 percent of the time, a bricks & mortar store will service it for you if there are any problems, with the mail order stuff youre more or less on your own. let alone the mail order places dont open the boxes from the factory to set up the guitar, make sure its defect-free ect. the box pretty much remains sealed until it gets to your house. online and mailorder places are great if you know how to maintain and setup a guitar yourself... but until you do id say avoid it.

keep in mind that when i give this advice to take it with a grain of salt. i work for a small-ish music store chain.

anyway, as far as a guitar goes... if youre not sure she'll stick with it... you may want to buy a name with a reputation behind it (fender, takamine, epiphone, ect) that way it will be easier to sell used. if shes sure about it or you know its not goin anywhere anytime soon... then its all a matter of personal preference. i could rattle off a million things you will look for but if your daughter doesnt like it she wont be as likley to play it. other than that based on what youve specified as her type of music, id say nylong string... but if she has small hands she might have a problem getting all the finger positions, ect. its hard to describe in text only. but an attendant at a local store can help you with that.

im blabbering. ok... im done... i know im not exactly the most articulate individual ever... so if you want a clarification feel free to pm me or post back or whatever.

-LK

[cleofus1]

18. i agree with you...but...

u will usually get a 30% discount off the mailorder places...

and i personally have never had a problem with them...

[LastKnight]

20. more often than not...

youre right, there is no problem with em. and like i said, i work for a retail store that sells this stuff, so im not the most objective person to ask.

yes, the majority of the guitars, basses, whatnot that go out of those places are fine... but about once a week, somone walks into the store and says 'i just bought this off of suchandsuch website... and somethings wrong...' so im not gonna tell somone what or what not to do... just what i would do for a first guitar.

by the time you get done adding shipping for a guitar sized box (usuially dont qualify for free shipping in most places) you really dont save that much, and you have to wait for it to arrive, and you can take one right outta the store with you when you go to a place. so... its just my 2 cents.

-LK

[ET Awful]

19. A few words of advice . . .

Look at the materials the guitar is built with. Look for something with a solid top at the least. Do not buy something with a laminate top. It will sound like a cardboard box.

Second, if you have a dealer in your area, look at the guitars made by Seagull (from Canada). They are all well built, and give the best bang for the buck of any guitar in their class. They all have solid tops, and they also have a hand-rubbed lacquer finish (this contributes to tone, most lower-end guitars have a polyurethane finish which sits on top of the wood and deadens vibration, a lacquer allows it to vibrate fully).

Third, steer clear of anything sold as a box or package set at Guitar Center and the like. They are typically very low quality and shoddy workmanship.

When you go to shop, if possible, take someone who knows how to play with you. If you go into a store and notice that all of the guitars are out of tune and the room feels very dry, leave. A good guitar store will have all of their acoustics stored in a humidity controlled room, as dry air can cause wood to crack. If a store doesn't take care of their stock, they won't take care of their customers.

If you're buying second hand, you may be able to find a very good bargain in a lower end Larivee (also a Canadian guitar maker, excellent quality). You can get a new Larivee D-03 for $700 or less, so I imagine a used one would be a little more than you want to spend, but with Larivee, unlike with most other brands, when you buy the lower end guitars, you get exactly the same guitar as the higher end, just without the mother of pearl inlays and such. Their lowest end D-03 is the same as their higher end D-09 in construction and quality, it's just not as shiny and flashy. Other manufacturers typically use lower quality woods in their lower end offerings.

I could go on for hours :)

[NashVegas]

22. Consider the Size of Her Hands

You're going to have to do that. If she can't properly wrap her fingers around the neck, she may risk carpal tunnel syndrome.

Make sure you buy a size-appropriate guitar. Someone (I think Epiphone but am not sure) makes a Bonnie Raitt model designed for women, with a more slender neck.

For strings: heavier steel-gauge are easier to get used to regarding getting your callouses w/out getting blistered.

[AllegroRondo]

23. the difference between classical and 'folk' guitars

If your daughter wants to learn classical guitar (and it sounds like she does) remember that there is a difference between that and a 'folk' guitar. Look at where the strings meet the body - a folk guitar has small pegs there, a true classical guitar has small holes that the strings are tied through. Yes, it does make a difference. The music store should know what you are looking for, you can get a decent used guitar for under $200.

Also, you may want to get some good method books. It sounds like your daughter can already read music, and thats half the battle. I recommend the Aaron Schearer "Classical Guitar Method" series.