I have decided to buy my SO a guitar for his birthday. He doesn’t play, but he has been talking about buying an acoustic and learning for a couple years now. I have decided to buy one used, because I don’t want to spend too much, in case he doesn’t ever really get serious about it. I would like it to be nice though. I don’t play either, so I’m not really sure what to look for. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Help me out, guys!
There’s a few threads on this type of stuff, here and in Cafe Society. I recommend a search.
You don’t provide a lot of detail - or at least a budget, or the type of music you suspect your SO will want to try to play. However, even without that info, I would suggest:
- Find a friend who you think knows about the types of guitars you are considering
- Have them help you find a decent, inexpensive guitar that PLAYS well. Meaning the neck is straight, the action (distance between the strings and the fingerboard) is low and the guitar is well-intonated (i.e., when you tune it, it actually sounds in tune when you play open chords like D and G).
- Whether the guitar actually has a great tone or not is somewhat secondary as long as it sounds and plays in tune. If your SO gets serious about guitar, he will want a better one soon enough - and will have a POV as to what “better” means - to start with a guitar that is a good player that, because it feels good and plays in tune, helps your SO to want to play.
You (or your guitar-playing friend I recommend you bring along) can play multiple models of the exact same guitar and they are different. So a specific recommendation of a make and model may help a bit, but you can still end up with a dog or a great one. Bottom line, you can spend $150 - $400 and get a solid guitar to start with if you know what to look for…
Hope this helps,
WordMan - long-time player.
A beginner’s acoustic should probably cost between $150-$300, and 300 is pushing it quite a bit.
Dean, Yamaha, Washburn and Ibanez have nice acoustics for around, or less than, $200. The Washburn D10S series are pretty good guitars and cost less than $300.
My father and I both have an acoustic made by Sigma, the less expensive off-brand of Martin. Both of them cost around $250. Martin is arguably one of the finest mass-produced guitars in the world. The Sigma line differs in that it is not really a travelling guitar, it’s for picking at home on your back porch. My dad’s needed an adjustment to the action (how high the strings are off the neck) and now it plays wonderfully. People have offered me as much as five hundred bucks for mine. It’s not loud but the tone is outstanding.
I avoid Fender and Alvarez acoustics. Others may have had positive experiences with them but I have not. I always recommend Sigma if one can get their hands on 'em.
Edit: Wordman’s advice about finding someone to guide you in selecting which specific guitar you purchase is very good. Having someone who can judge the shape of the guitar and its tone is important.
Anyone ever see those commercials for the Esteban guitar on late night TV that sells for 99 bucks? Are those things as crappy as I suspect them to be?
Yes.
While Wordman’s advice is good, I am going to be a little more specific. Buy a Baby Taylor or a Big Baby Taylor. These guitars are a little smaller than a standard guitar (3/4 and 7/8, repectively). This can be helpful to the beginning guitarist, and it will not hinder them from moving up. Many experienced guitarists use them as travel guitars. While it might be possible to get a better guitar for less, doing so requires experience which you do not have. Also, when you decide to trade up or give up, you can get some of your money back as Taylor is a respected brand name.
One more suggestion I have is to consider bringing the guitar to a technician (ask where you buy the guitar, they might do it) and get the guitar “set up”. Many guitars are shipped from the factory with rather high action and this can be remedied by a competent technician. Well worth the money.
On preview I read Hung Mung’s advice. You could do worse than Sigma. But I am going to stick with my recommendation. When you go out shopping, you need to narrow down your choices quickly, otherwise you will get confused. Good luck.
Also, my recommendation (as well as Hung Mung’s) assumes that you are looking for a steel string guitar. If you are looking for a nylon string guitar, that is a different animal.
True. A nylon string guitar can be easier on the fingers for a beginner. Steel string guitars on uncallused fingers can be painful for a while.
I don’t play classical guitars because I have difficulty wrapping my smallish hands around the neck. I believe there are “normal” sized guitars that have nylon strings, however. I don’t know how expensive they are.
Good advice. I have a Baby Taylor and use it for a travel guitar. Well made. And yes, getting a guitar professionally set up by a tech is almost always a very good thing to do…
Takamine is another good brand (Japanese) that makes models ranging from beginner/student quality costing around $250, all the way up to top-of-the-line pro models costing thousands. They also offer a 3/4 scale guitar, the “Takamini”.
$250 or so will get you a decent guitar that should be very playable, stay in tune once the strings have settled, and last for decades. My brother bought a Takamine standard sized dreadnought (i.e. your basic folkie or James Taylor style guitar) way back in '77 or '78. I think he paid $275 or so for it. Two or three years later he decided he couldn’t play and he gave it to me.* I still have it and it plays beautifully, and I play it at least a little nearly every day.
*He ended up with my Fender Telecaster, but that’s OK…I’m much happier with the acoustic.
There are nylon strings that are made to be substituted for the usual steel strings on a dreadnought guitar. I have that configuration myself because I’m playing almost exclusively classical these days, but the only acoustic I have is my Takamine dreadnought. Unfortunately I did pick up a 2nd-fret buzz on the top two (bass) strings as a result of changing over to the nylon strings, but otherwise the tone is so much better for what I’m playing.
I just have to be careful when playing in the key of f# 
Or finally break down and buy a classical.
I second the Tak recommendation.
I bought one when I was 16. Ended up dragging it to college (sans case), tossing it everywhere, lugging it to parties, setting beer on it, teaching a couple of numbskull buddies to play on it, leaving it outside overnight, etc. It’s been to multiple countries, survived a half-dozen moves, and looks no worse for the wear.
It just never let me down - sounds good, plays easy, feels great. Honestly, my Tak sounds like a goddamn orchestra around a campfire and I’ll sheepishly admit that (out of sheer familiarity) I prefer playing it over my Martin (which sounds much nicer, but lives in a case, is in perfect condition, and numbskull buddies are not allowed within 100 yards of it. It has also never seen a campfire.)
So yes, Takamine makes great guitars in the lower end. Haven’t played the Takamini though, but it’s intriguing!
In this regard check around for a guitar shop that specializes in acoustics. I presume every city of any size has such a place that’s recognized as “the” acoustic guitar shop in the district. Chances are they will: [ul]
[li]offer lessons and classes[/li][li]have repair and setting up services on site[/li][li]not sell you a piece of crap[/li][li]carry an impressive array of music books and sheet music[/li][li]possibly be a local performing venue [/li][/ul]
Possibly like this place. Which unfortunately is thousands of miles away from you, but you should check out their website–read what they say about beginners and the kind of guitars that help them be happy and successful. No, I have nothing to do with this store; I’m just a customer and think they really treat people right, and they know their stuff.
Seagull a division of Godin makes very nice acoustic guitars at a decent price point.
I wouldn’t go too cheap, playability makes a big difference especially when starting out. They sound decent as well.
Do look for some of the brands mentioned here (except Estaban). A good guitar shop will carry most if not all of them, and that will be some indication of the quality of the store. If you see a music store that displays different sorts of instruments in their window–guitars, drums, brass, winds, etc., and you’ve never heard of the brands, run away. They’re unlikely to be particularly well versed in guitars but will be more interested in just moving as much junk as they can.
For a true beginner, I personally would want to spend in the range of $100 to $150 for a used but very playable acoustic guitar. If a beginner becomes a more serious player, then (s)he can upgrade as (s)he sees fit in the future.
You can get very decent guitars online for that price range: I recommend the most plain model Ovation Applause acoustic. Here is just one example on eBay that sold at $82 + $20 for shipping. The seller’s lack of feedback history had something to do with the final price, but my point is that you can find a good deal if you look for it.
In the ten years I’ve played guitar, I have strummed hundreds of acoustic guitars ranging from bargain basement $50 pawn shop generic brand guitars to $4000 Taylors. If you want to get the most for your money without spending much, then I think my recommendation is as good as any. YMMV…yada…etc. and so forth.
Actually, if you can find a cheap Ovation for, say, $100-$150, that’s not a bad deal. I don’t like the way an Ovation feels on my lap but they are good sounding guitars.
Other than that I stand by finding a Sigma for around 200 or 250. If your SO finds that he enjoys guitar and is serious about it Sigma is an excellent investment. If you aren’t so sure beforehand it would be wise to start cheaper.
By the way, if you check 'em out, make sure it’s an Ovation, not an Applause. There is a difference.
I would definitely say don’t skimp and buy a cheap one. That’s assuming that the instrument won’t be abused, sold, pawned, burned w/ ronsonol. My parents bought a very nice Hohner classical with which I had little interest at that time, when I had interest I eventually traded for a very poor something or other, which would never, ever hold a tune among other things. I now own a Guild that is very sweet sounding and nice to play.
Instead of formal lessons - save those for later, when you’ll get more bang for your buck, because there are undoubtedly CDs and DVDs by now - that will get you started on the right track.
I found “Learn To Play Guitar” folk-record LPs from the 50’s and 60’s to be excellent. eBay has scads of them, inexpensively. This presupposes you have a record player, but undoubtedly there are equivalents. You start out by tuning your own guitar to match the recording. This is basic, but you’d be amazed at how many people try to learn to play by using a crappy, out of tune guitar and worn out strings.