While this sounds like a cool plan it’s not quite that simple. If the guitar is made for medium guage strings (as most are), it will probably buzz a lot and sound lousy with light ones. This can be partially compensated for by having a luthier set it up for light guage – it will play okay but have reduced volume. Later, to get the full sound the instrument is capable of, it will be necessary to have it set up for medium strings and install those.
It is tough to adapt to steel strings if you don’t already work with your hands. There are stories of bleeding fingers on people who practice/play a lot when beginning. Nevertheless, jillions of folks have been able to adapt, gradually building fingertip callouses. Just take it slow at first.
Some do, while many seem to do fine with righty guitars. Since I’m tired and sleepy now, I’ll just share something I wrote years ago on that topic (for another message board):
It’s going to get down to personal choice. I chose to play a lefty guitar because I have a strong sense of left-handedness in which holding a guitar in the right-handed position felt very awkward to me. The obvious disadvantage is the relative scarcity of instruments and the impossibility of swapping/sharing with other players.
The other options involve a righty guitar, which solves that problem. If your daughter feels quite comfortable holding one right-handed, that can work. The possible drawback, however, is that if she develops an interest in picking rather than just strumming, she may never realize her full potential with a righty guitar.
And then there’s playing a righty guitar upside down, holding it as though it were left-handed. This entails working out unconventional fingering and usually “upside down” strumming/picking. Some have done this (Albert King, Elizabeth Cotton); I haven’t so I don’t know what it’s like.
Looking for a guitar at a store that carried only right-handed models, I was told that I should play right-handed so my left hand could do the fretting–the “hard part.” Which raised the question in my mind, if that’s such an advantage, then why aren’t most guitars made left-handed so that the majority–right handers–could benefit from it. Food for thought.
[Back to the present] If she’s left-handed, it really might be best to have her spend some time with both righty and lefty instruments to see if she has a strong preference. It could be especially helpful to have a knowledgeable friend along to guide in the selection.
I’m not exactly a ‘guitar player’. I have several guitars and can strum some tunes, but I’m nowhere near ‘lead’.
I bought my first guitar in 1984. It’s a Takamine C-128 classical guitar (out of production now) that cost around $230. My best fiend actually is a good guitarist, and he says it’s a very nice guitar.
I have a 1993 U.S.-made Fender Telecaster. Not exactly ‘cheap’ or ‘beginners’, but not all Telecasters are particularly expensive. I also have a Squier by Fender Telecaster that is a duplicate of my Fender. I shielded the cavities, upgraded the pickups and console, and changed to a through-body bridge. Squiers are cheap, and often come in packages with an amplifier. Mine was quite playable before I modified it. But again, I’m maybe an ‘advanced beginner’ even after all these years. And since I was taken by Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I built a burgundy Telecaster using 2008 U.S.-made Fender parts and the upgraded pickups and console and shielding. Plus an ‘ashtray’ bridge cover.
Finally, I have an Epiphone Cherry Sunburst Les Paul. Squier seems to have concentrated on making strings before Fender bought it and marketed its ‘loss leader’ Telecaster and Stratocaster clones under the name. Epiphone had been making guitars since 1928. In my mind (and limited experience with guitars), Epiphones are high-quality, lower-cost alternatives to Gibson’s branded products. (Epiphone was acquired by Gibson in 1957.) At $400 from Guitar Center, the Epiphone Les Paul isn’t ‘cheap’. As a beginner, I wouldn’t call it a ‘beginner’s guitar’. But its nice quality will make it a guitar to grow into. It’s heavier than my Telecasters, and seems to have a longer sustain. It’s a different instrument than a Telecaster and, certainly, a Stratocaster; but Les Pauls are very commonly seen in rock bands.
Personally, I’d choose a Telecaster over a Stratocaster. It’s simpler, and I need simple. I’ve heard Squiers can be hit-and-miss. Mine was good before I modified it, and I paid $100 for it. Guitar Center has a used Telecaster for $275 on their website. If the guitar is for a kid, I think a Squier would be fine. It’s cheap enough to be replaced as he or she advanced. For your wife, a Squier might be fine. But as an adult, she might appreciate something nicer.
Anyway, those are some thoughts from someone who ‘plays with’ guitar as opposed to someone who ‘plays guitar’.
All of this is true. Having said that, if she’s not a “hard leftie” and can make playing righty work, she probably should in this case. That’s what I’ve heard from most lefties, if only to have a decent selection of guitars. Having said that, i am not going to argue with Paul McCartney, so do what works.
I stand by my strong recommendation for a GS-Mini.
That’s actually a Seagull guitar, but I agree that the Godin Guitar family of brands (Simon & Patrick, Art & Lutherie, Seagull, La Patrie, and Norman) are fine instruments at reasonable prices. Certainly a better value than the typical Asian-made budget lines.
I always recommend starting with an electric. Usually the strings sit closer to the frets and if you string it with very light strings it is the easiest for beginners to manage. No amp necessary at first, an unamplified electric is plenty loud for the player to hear without annoying others. If they stick with it they can get an amp later or switch to an acoustic.
Just my .02.
A nylon string acoustic should be easy to play as well but I don’t have any experience with them.
Nylon string acoustics tend to have wider fretboards, which could be a problem for smaller hands.
It sounds like the OP’s going to get a teacher lined up (“I’m buying the wife a guitar and beginner’s lessons for Xmas”), so I’d go with recommending she go shopping with the teacher, who’ll be able to help select something that fits well. Lesson one could be: “First get yourself a guitar”.
I own a Taylor GS Mini and love it. It has been my go to guitar since I got it last year and have absolutely no reservations about recommending it, especially to someone who has smaller hands. If she decides not to pursue it you’ll be able to sell it for close to what you paid. They sound great, look great (especially the koa), and are immensely playable.
Second the recommendation for a Yamaha, except I’d go for the FS700S just because it’s smaller and easier to handle. (As a short woman, a found the FG quite large and somewhat difficult to reach around.) The FS700S is also 200 bucks.
I really really love my Gretsch Jim Dandy parlor. It’s 160 at Amazon and very well reviewed.
Hey folks. I’m in the same boat. But I was thinking going used. Want to spend 300 bucks or so, with the idea if that I start liking it I can always upgrade. Any ideas? I don’t need a parlor size.
The recommendations like a used Yamaha will be great. If you buy it used on CL or something, be sure and take it in for a set up. Have the neck relief, action (string height off the neck), and intonation by someone who does this work. Should be about $50 - $75…
I’ll echo the recommendation for a used Yamaha. I bought my singer a nice one as a birthday present for $160 at a pawn shop a few weeks ago. It needed strings and a bridge pin, but it came with a hard case, and other than that it’s a solid guitar.
Yes, even back in my high school days, Yamaha acoustics were considered good guitars. You want to start someone off with an acoustic, because you don’t want a new player getting distracted by all the different sounds and effect pedals that are available. They’ve got to concentrate on learning how to play. Okay, an electronic tuner would be okay.
When you go to shop/buy a guitar, bring a friend who is an experienced guitarist with you. He’ll know if the action is good and how bad the strings are. If you’re buying a guitar, case, and strap, they’ll usually toss in an extra set of strings and picks but you have to ask.
A left-handed person starting out on a right-handed guitar? Let’s start with the differences between a left and right handed acoustic guitar…
The nut. There are slits in the nut to hold the strings in place. The treble side slits are narrower than the bass side. Your guitar shop may not have any left-handed nuts in stock and they’re not all that easy to change out. Certainly not while you wait. Right-hand nuts can be filed larger on the treble side though and that can be done while you wait or go out do to some other shopping. They’ll be slop on the new treble side, but a beginner can probably live with it.
B. Intonation. The strings on the treble side need to be a little shorter than the ones on the bass side for correct intonation. This is NOT adjustable on an acoustic guitar. You’ll see most bridges on steel string acoustics are a bit slanted. But this isn’t going to be heard much by a beginner and, as long as they’re doing most of their playing below the 7th fret or so, it’s not going to be noticed by much of anybody. So, you can pretty much ignore this.
III. The pickguard. You want one on the treble side of the soundboard. If you flip a righty over, you’ll have your pickguard on the bass side. But there are stick on pickguards available for leftys.
4th. Of course, if you’re restringing a righty to be played lefty, you’ll have to have it restrung. So, you’ll be getting a newly strung guitar. Still try to get them to throw in an extra set of strings anyway.
Strings. Nylon strings come OEM with classical type guitars. You do NOT want to buy a beginner a classical guitar unless they’re going to be learning to play classical guitar (CG). CGs have a wider fretboard and it’s flat. So they’re difficult for a beginner to learn chords on. It’s a pain to change strings them, the strings go dead (lose their limited brilliancy) quickly, and go out of tune often. Everyone I’ve met who has a guitar they never learned to play has/had a CG sitting in a corner with quarter inch of dust covering it. Try to get “Silk and Steel” strings for a beginner, not bronze. They’re easier on the fingertips. But still, a beginner is going to have sore fingers until the callouses form.
As said several times, upthread, a good used Yamaha would be a great starter guitar. Do not even consider an Applause brand (if they still make them). And look around in pawn shops, don’t be too proud. You might be surprised at what you can find.
