# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 219
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4364 "2016-03-21T05:08:14Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > [For Sale: Somogyi Jumbo, 2006, Near Mint SOLD - The Acoustic Guitar Forum](http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=422341) > > Ervin Somogyi is one of the American Masters of handmade guitars. He has a wait list for years and his starting prices are huge - these days, at least $30,000. This is a link to a used one - apparently the owner had some surgery and can’t play it as much. You don’t see them come up that often. > > Enjoy. Wow. Wow wow. That is an amazing looking instrument. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4365 "2016-03-24T17:17:42Z")
I’m getting a beginner guitar for my cousin. I’ve read good reviews for the Canadian guitars. Seagulls The Seagull S6 Slimline looks good for a lady’s hands. Has a slimmer neck. retail they are between $425 to $500 theres two blemished ones on Ebay for under $300. A repaired crack. One seller even included arrows on the photo pointing it out. It ran along the grain and isn’t noticable. Is a repaired crack anything to be concerned about? Does it effect tone? I don’t know for sure if my cousin will stay interested. I’d prefer not spending too much for a beginner’s guitar. [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seagull-S6-Slim-blemished-/222056173143?hash=item33b3944e57:g:5uMAAOSwr7ZW6egR](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seagull-S6-Slim-blemished-/222056173143?hash=item33b3944e57:g:5uMAAOSwr7ZW6egR) this guy says its under the pick guard. no arrows pointing it out [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seagull-S6-Slim-blemished-/321998257221?hash=item4af8977c45:g:VVsAAOSwXshWsoG0](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seagull-S6-Slim-blemished-/321998257221?hash=item4af8977c45:g:VVsAAOSwXshWsoG0) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4366 "2016-03-24T17:20:32Z")
I don’t like breaks along the fretboard on top. It suggests the neck has shifted or the neck joint otherwise stressed, leading to the crack. I would be more worried about something being up on the neck joint than the crack. I would pass. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4367 "2016-03-24T17:37:58Z")
I hadn’t considered the neck joint. I’ll cross that one off my list then. 😉 Thank you Wordman the other one has a crack just below the pick guard. but the seller doesn’t show a closeup of it. That makes me leery. Amazon has the best price I’ve found for a new one. $429 with free shipping and no sales tax. I’m going to check with Sweetwater first. I’ve bought from them before and they have free shipping too. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4368 "2016-03-24T17:41:47Z")
I would have to see the “crack below the pickguard” - on old Martins, the lift-up of an old bakelite TShell pickguard can cause cracks on the lower edge of the pickguard. They are not considered that big of a deal, but you always have to play the guitar first. I would not risk it on a $250 guitar I can’t play. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4369 "2016-03-24T17:52:28Z")
I agree, the ebay seller should include a very clear and detailed photo (of the crack) in the listing. Even then theres no way to try it out first. I’ll plan to buy a new one then. From a dealer that accepts returns if there’s any cracks or damage when it arrives. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4370 "2016-03-24T17:58:25Z")
51 pages?! I’m not sure how this thread is actually useful to anyone, but I too started learning the guitar. I am taking some lessons at the Hilton Music Center but I practice every day at home. I just bought a basic (acoustic) guitar off Amazon and spend most of my time practicing chords and changing chords, etc. I changed the strings to a lighter gauge and that seems to work fine, the guitar itself is perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4371 "2016-03-24T18:15:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I agree, the ebay seller should include a very clear and detailed photo (of the crack) in the listing. Even then theres no way to try it out first. > > I’ll plan to buy a new one then. From a dealer that accepts returns if there’s any cracks or damage when it arrives. ONLY buy from a place with a few-day trial period and full refund. **'Mika** - congrats on playing! Yeah, 51 pages of geekery - it’s a sickness. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4372 "2016-03-24T20:25:03Z")
I prefer buying acoustic guitars without electronics too. I guess thats old school thinking. But I rather the manufacturer put every dollar into the wood and building of the instrument. My local guitar shop has installed two passive under saddle pickups for me. $90 each and theres no major mods to the guitar either. I don’t need a plastic box with EQ and a tuner chopped into the side of my guitar. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4373 "2016-03-25T03:22:32Z")
Even $300 sounds steep to me for a beginner’s guitar. There’s always the possibility the beginner will give up after failing to easily master the F (003211) chord. I’ve seen many a guitar in the corner of a bedroom with a half inch of dust covering it. Take an experienced guitarist with you to a pawn shop to look for a used acoustic steel string guitar with a good action. To start out, don’t worry about pickups. The student should concentrate on learning how to tune it, chords, strums, and maybe some picking. If they start with an electric or something with a pickup in it, they’ll start thinking of the boxes they can plug into to get different sounds. Let an electric guitar, for that matter a good guitar, or pickup be a carrot they can work towards. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4374 "2016-03-25T03:59:28Z")
I currently use a parlor size Washburn for my daily practice guitar. Love it. I owned another Washburn about 20 years ago and liked it too. A beginner priced Washburn WD7S Dreadnought is $199. Should be fine after a professional setup. My parlor guitar is one of their more expensive ones. This cheaper one would suit the purpose for awhile until I see if my cousin stays interested in practicing. sounds pretty good for the price [review I found](http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/acoustic/washburn-wd7s-554823) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4375 "2016-03-25T06:52:04Z")
I’ll check at a couple pawn shops too. See if they have any good deals on a used acoustic that plays well. Ebay is another option for used guitars, if the seller accepts returns. But at this price (around $200 to $225) the $30 shipping costs almost don’t make returns worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Corporal\_Clegg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Corporal\_Clegg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corporal_Clegg)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4376 "2016-03-25T07:11:26Z")
Books are for dinosaurs. Take advantage of free trials of learning services like Jamplay, Guitar Tricks and True Fire. If you can get a couple of weeks or a month free, make the most of it. If you can get more than one, just use up one at a time and give it your all. They have most of what you need to teach yourself guitar. There is also YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4377 "2016-03-25T09:33:52Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > F (003211) chord. That should be XX3211. Zeroes mean open strings. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4378 "2016-03-25T13:10:28Z")
Guys, this acoustic guitar I got off Amazon was $80! And it’s a pretty good guitar, all I did was change the strings - they looked a little bad, plus they were 12 gauge, which was a little heavy, so I lightened them to 10 gauge. For a beginner guitar, it’s great. And I’m actually kind of glad I started on the heavier gauge because my fingers toughened up in a week and a half and then when I switched, it was like heaven. I practice daily, though - mostly chords and chord-switching at this point. Getting used to switching quickly. I don’t mind books that have songs listed out in them, but other than the classes, I am mostly using youtube - there are a TON of beginner guitar classes out there, and they zoom in on the fingers and everything. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4379 "2016-03-25T13:20:01Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Guys, this acoustic guitar I got off Amazon was $80! And it’s a pretty good guitar, all I did was change the strings - they looked a little bad, plus they were 12 gauge, which was a little heavy, so I lightened them to 10 gauge. > > For a beginner guitar, it’s great. And I’m actually kind of glad I started on the heavier gauge because my fingers toughened up in a week and a half and then when I switched, it was like heaven. > > I practice daily, though - mostly chords and chord-switching at this point. Getting used to switching quickly. > > I don’t mind books that have songs listed out in them, but other than the classes, I am mostly using youtube - there are a TON of beginner guitar classes out there, and they zoom in on the fingers and everything. Excellent! Rule No.1 is “Make guitar decisions based on whatever keeps you playing and can afford.” Sounds like you are there! My first guitar was a Yamaha FG-75 I got for $68, I think, in a pawnshop in Monterey. The pawnshop’s a gourmet coffee shop now. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4380 "2016-03-25T13:42:16Z")
I figured, if I didn’t get into it, that way I was only out $80, and if I get into it amazingly well, I could buy a much nicer guitar in a couple of years. The thing is, I took a guitar workshop at The Only Guitar Center, and he said “Pick any guitar”, so I picked a $2700 one of the wall (not even the most expensive on _that wall_!). I am not yet skilled enough to really tell the difference between that instrument and mine. Maybe if I had them side-by-side, but what is the point of buying a really fine instrument until I can actually produce something out of it? Besides, I have seen musicians bang out beautiful music on old pieces of crap. It all depends on the skill anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4381 "2016-03-25T13:48:52Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I figured, if I didn’t get into it, that way I was only out $80, and if I get into it amazingly well, I could buy a much nicer guitar in a couple of years. The thing is, I took a guitar workshop at The Only Guitar Center, and he said “Pick any guitar”, so I picked a $2700 one of the wall (not even the most expensive on _that wall_!). I am not yet skilled enough to really tell the difference between that instrument and mine. Maybe if I had them side-by-side, but what is the point of buying a really fine instrument until I can actually produce something out of it? > > Besides, I have seen musicians bang out beautiful music on old pieces of crap. It all depends on the skill anyway. 🙂 Again - great for you. What really matters when you are starting is NOT the relative quality of the guitar. As you indicate, you are not sure you could tell the diff between yours and a pricier one. What matters is the guitar’s _setup_. Does the neck have the correct slight, slight curve to it and is angled properly to the body? Are the strings a correct height off the fingerboard? Is the guitar’s bridge properly intonated so the notes and chords sound in tune if the guitar is tuned up and played properly? Does the guitar hold a tune, which takes into account setup, quality of tuners, etc.? If your $80 Amazon guitar is setup well, you are much more likely to find it playable and to hear what sounds good in your playing. You can go back and read all 51 pages of this thread if/when you start to geek out about guitars and what differences you start to hear across different types and designs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4382 "2016-03-25T14:37:47Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > That should be XX3211. Zeroes mean open strings. You mean, it should be 133211 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4383 "2016-03-25T23:29:49Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > That should be XX3211. Zeroes mean open strings. You’re correct and I was wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=218) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=220)