Acoustic Guitar for a beginner
- Thread starter gary r
- Start date
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threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
I've got a nice acoustic guitar made by a Canadian firm, Norman. Bought this one years ago from The Acoustic Centre in Wapping, a place recommended to me by [gratuitous name drop mode] Simon Nicol [/gratuitous name drop mode]. Lovely guitar though it is and although I've been playing for about 30 years my ability can best be described as barely mediocre. I enjoying playing it though.
Mrs 3BM has got a Takamine, lovely electric/acoustic guitar - and she plays it really well, curse her...
Mrs 3BM has got a Takamine, lovely electric/acoustic guitar - and she plays it really well, curse her...
upsidedown
Waiting for the great leap forward
- Location
- The middle bit
Yamaha F310 from Argos. Seriously, i've had one for about 3 years and i love it. I bought a Takamine for £300 assuming it would sound better; it's gathering dust in the spare room.
£99.99, bargain. If you fancy spending a bit more the F370 is reduced from £170 to £129.
£99.99, bargain. If you fancy spending a bit more the F370 is reduced from £170 to £129.
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
Salad Dodger
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kent Coast
Hello Gary
Do you have any mates that already play guitar that could maybe come with you to the shops? I would say that there are 4 different criteria to look at:
1) How it looks
2) how it sounds
3) how it feels to play
4) what it costs
You can decide for yourself on 1 and 4. You may be able to decide on 2, although I have found over lots of years of playing, and owning quite a few guitars, that my "ear" for what tone I like from the guitar changes from time to time. It's kind of like human voices. One week you might like to hear, for instance, a choir singing in crystal clear voices. But another week you might like to listen to a blues singer, or a rock singer with a harsh rasping voice. To some extent, it would be fair to say that all guitars each have one basic "voice" and the trick is to match the type of guitar tone to the type of music you want to play.
To some extent, you can modify the tone of a guitar through your choice of strings, and through your playing style, but this will all take time to learn. However, if you have a mate who plays, he or she might be able to help you match the inherent tone of the guitar to the type of music that you aspire to play.
Also, they can perhaps give you some input about how the guitar feels to play (point 3 of my list). Are the strings easy to hold down? Are the ends of the frets nice and smooth or do they catch your fingers anywhere? How close together are the strings? Are they too much of a stretch for you, or are they too closely spaced and leave your hand cramped up?
As regards makes of guitar, Yamaha are pretty good, but the really cheapest ones have the top (the bit with the soundhole cut out of it) made from a "laminate" of thin sheets of wood glued together. Most guitarists would say that the sound is not as good as if the top of the guitar is made of solid wood. But of course, the sound of a laminate topped guitar might be what your ears tell you that you want... it's just my opinion that I probably wouldn't choose one for myself.
Another make which comes out well in reviews is "Vintage" who make a huge range of guitars from about £120 and upwards. Well worth considering.
Two final points:
1) The strings on the guitar have a huge influence on the sound of it. Often in guitar shops, the instruments are still fitted with the strings that were put on at the factory(especially with the lower priced guitars), and the strings can go "dead" especially if the guitar has been in the shop a long time, and/or has been played by lots of people. Changing strings will almost certainly alter the tone of the guitar significantly. Usually it will make it clearer and brighter, kind of as though you had cotton wool in your ears and then took it out and everything sounds that bit more clear. But there are some shops that fit new strings to all the guitars that they put out for sale, so ask about this when trying guitars.
2) The "set-up" of the guitar. A skilled guitar technician can adjust how far above the fingerboard the strings are placed. The closer to the fingerboard, the easier the strings are to hold down. But the more likely it will be that the strings rattle or buzz against any slightly high points on any of the frets. So it is a compromise to find string heights that are right for you.
I only mention this because some music shops just sell guitars straight out of the box, whilst others give each gutar a "set-up" by a skilled person before they turn it loose into the shop. Ask about this when trying guitars, and don't try to make any adjustments to the guitar for yourself, until you are 100% confident that you know what you are doing.
Best of luck with starting out. The guitar is a great instrument, and even learning a few basic chords can allow you to bash out a tune, which will impress the hell out of all the non-guitarists that you meet!
Do you have any mates that already play guitar that could maybe come with you to the shops? I would say that there are 4 different criteria to look at:
1) How it looks
2) how it sounds
3) how it feels to play
4) what it costs
You can decide for yourself on 1 and 4. You may be able to decide on 2, although I have found over lots of years of playing, and owning quite a few guitars, that my "ear" for what tone I like from the guitar changes from time to time. It's kind of like human voices. One week you might like to hear, for instance, a choir singing in crystal clear voices. But another week you might like to listen to a blues singer, or a rock singer with a harsh rasping voice. To some extent, it would be fair to say that all guitars each have one basic "voice" and the trick is to match the type of guitar tone to the type of music you want to play.
To some extent, you can modify the tone of a guitar through your choice of strings, and through your playing style, but this will all take time to learn. However, if you have a mate who plays, he or she might be able to help you match the inherent tone of the guitar to the type of music that you aspire to play.
Also, they can perhaps give you some input about how the guitar feels to play (point 3 of my list). Are the strings easy to hold down? Are the ends of the frets nice and smooth or do they catch your fingers anywhere? How close together are the strings? Are they too much of a stretch for you, or are they too closely spaced and leave your hand cramped up?
As regards makes of guitar, Yamaha are pretty good, but the really cheapest ones have the top (the bit with the soundhole cut out of it) made from a "laminate" of thin sheets of wood glued together. Most guitarists would say that the sound is not as good as if the top of the guitar is made of solid wood. But of course, the sound of a laminate topped guitar might be what your ears tell you that you want... it's just my opinion that I probably wouldn't choose one for myself.
Another make which comes out well in reviews is "Vintage" who make a huge range of guitars from about £120 and upwards. Well worth considering.
Two final points:
1) The strings on the guitar have a huge influence on the sound of it. Often in guitar shops, the instruments are still fitted with the strings that were put on at the factory(especially with the lower priced guitars), and the strings can go "dead" especially if the guitar has been in the shop a long time, and/or has been played by lots of people. Changing strings will almost certainly alter the tone of the guitar significantly. Usually it will make it clearer and brighter, kind of as though you had cotton wool in your ears and then took it out and everything sounds that bit more clear. But there are some shops that fit new strings to all the guitars that they put out for sale, so ask about this when trying guitars.
2) The "set-up" of the guitar. A skilled guitar technician can adjust how far above the fingerboard the strings are placed. The closer to the fingerboard, the easier the strings are to hold down. But the more likely it will be that the strings rattle or buzz against any slightly high points on any of the frets. So it is a compromise to find string heights that are right for you.
I only mention this because some music shops just sell guitars straight out of the box, whilst others give each gutar a "set-up" by a skilled person before they turn it loose into the shop. Ask about this when trying guitars, and don't try to make any adjustments to the guitar for yourself, until you are 100% confident that you know what you are doing.
Best of luck with starting out. The guitar is a great instrument, and even learning a few basic chords can allow you to bash out a tune, which will impress the hell out of all the non-guitarists that you meet!
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
[QUOTE 1257766"]
Just learn to play right-handed. I did. It's cheaper.
[/quote]
Can you turn an acoustic upsidedown a la Hendrix?
Just learn to play right-handed. I did. It's cheaper.
[/quote]
Can you turn an acoustic upsidedown a la Hendrix?
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
[QUOTE 1257766"]
Just learn to play right-handed. I did. It's cheaper.
[/quote]
I've never understood why left-handed people feel the need to learn to play guitar 'left-handed'. Left-handed pianists don't have any problem playing 'right-handed' pianos. There are no left-handed saxophones or flutes (are there?). Both hands have to do complicated things so why not just learn the conventional way?
[QUOTE 1257767"]
Another underrated brand is Tanglewood. I've got one I paid a couple of hundred quid for years ago, and it's nicer to play than my £1000 Taylor.
[/quote]
I like my Tanglewood 170 AS-CE. I thought it was worth buying one with a pickup and EQ built in to save faffing about later if I wanted to amplify or record it.
Just learn to play right-handed. I did. It's cheaper.
[/quote]
I've never understood why left-handed people feel the need to learn to play guitar 'left-handed'. Left-handed pianists don't have any problem playing 'right-handed' pianos. There are no left-handed saxophones or flutes (are there?). Both hands have to do complicated things so why not just learn the conventional way?
[QUOTE 1257767"]
Another underrated brand is Tanglewood. I've got one I paid a couple of hundred quid for years ago, and it's nicer to play than my £1000 Taylor.
[/quote]
I like my Tanglewood 170 AS-CE. I thought it was worth buying one with a pickup and EQ built in to save faffing about later if I wanted to amplify or record it.
Panter
Just call me Chris...
- Location
- Sittingbourne, Kent
I've got a Yamaha CPX (CS I think?) which sounds beautiful. I can't remember what I paid but it was < £400.00
I used to work in a big music tech / guitar shop in central London for my sins.
If you want a cheap guitar, like others have said, go Yamaha.
Cheaper Takamines are massively variable and inconsistent. I couldn't recommend one without trying it out. Would avoid.
My experience of Tanglewoods is that they are all really really bad. Sorry Tanglewood owners!
So another vote for Yamaha. Same applies for electric guitars - you have to spend over £300 to get anything better than a £120 Yamaha.
If you want a cheap guitar, like others have said, go Yamaha.
Cheaper Takamines are massively variable and inconsistent. I couldn't recommend one without trying it out. Would avoid.
My experience of Tanglewoods is that they are all really really bad. Sorry Tanglewood owners!
So another vote for Yamaha. Same applies for electric guitars - you have to spend over £300 to get anything better than a £120 Yamaha.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I have an old Yamaha classical guitar which I like. It was more mid-range than cheap though. I'm sure it was more than £200 about 25 years ago.
Hmm, I'm not a very good guitarist so I wouldn't like to give a technical opinion of mine but I do like the sound of it. I have to admit that I checked the tuning using a digital tuner and it seemed to me that the 5th fret might be ever so slightly out of position!
A second for the F310. I'm an ex-pro guitar/bass player and bought one of these for my son a few weeks ago as a first guitar. I wasn't expecting much and was therefore very nicely surprised by the build quality, finish, action and sound. At least as good as guitars I've played costing many times more. Just check the action/octaves on arrival as I'm sure there is the occasional duff that slips through.
BTW, mine was actually only about £80 on offer at Amazon, so they can be found for even less than £100 if you scout the net.
GM
Legendary Member
- Location
- North of the river
I've been playing guitar since I was 14, not giving my age away but I learned with the Bert Weedon Play in a Day book. My brother asked me to find him a reasonable acoustic guitar a couple of months ago. I found a bargain on eBay, a near the top of the range Tanglewood which is excellent. I wouldn't mind one in my collection.
