Guitar for a beginner?

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thewishman

thewishman

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My 15 year-old daughter wants to learn to play the guitar. Looking for recommendations for a starter instrument. If she likes it and wants to continue, we'll get a nicer one.
 
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Acoustic I assume? I would bet there is a rent and play nearby be a much cheaper way to find out. I did it with trombone and bells!!
 
I am lucky to have relatives that play so if the kids get interested I can let them learn to see if they want to continue before dropping any cash.
 
My suggestion, try to find a mid-line guitar used. If she likes it then you will not have to upgrade so quickly. If she doesn't you should be able to get most of your $$ out of it (since it is already used). I like the Yamaha APX series and CPX series. The APX is a little smaller. Not all guitars are alike (even by the same manufacturer). So take someone who knows guitars with you to buy one if you can. As an aside, I really like http://www.chrisguitars.com/ He will shoot you straight and it will be setup nice (this is important as a good setup can make or break a beginner.
 
Musicians Friend (www.musiciansfriend.com) has good deals on their Rogue acoustic series. They are good starter guitars at a good price (even have package deals with a mandolin for $99). The RA100 is probably the way to go, I've had a couple people order them and got to play them when teaching them in the beginning. As hewunch stated, you definitely want a professional setup, most of the complaints that I hear when people quit are due to the guitar not being well set up. If you have a local Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com) they charge $20 which includes new strings, and I'm sure any local music store would be able to direct you to a luthier or two that can do this. If you know someone who plays, have them keep their eye's open on Craigslist.org, I've found MANY good deals on guitars there. You may be able to pick her up a middle of the road guitar for the price of a cheapie.
 
I've been playing guitar for 50 years and I can still remember the cheap guitar my parents got me on my seventh birthday. It made my fingers hurt soooo much I almost gave it up. Thankfully my guitar teacher talked my parents into getting me a better one.
My advice is get the best you can afford and have it adjusted before you give it to your future rock 'n' roller.:wink::biggrin:
 
I would also suggest Musicians Friend. IT has some great choices at great prices. I have bought a lot of stuff there for the band I used to play with so it is not all bargain basement quality. I also sent my sister there when she was looking for a guitar for my nephew.
Spend some time there picking out what you are willing to buy. then let you daughter make the final decision. an electric guitar with headphones will save you from hearing alot of practice scales. finally, get her lessons to go with the guitar. everyone wants to play guitar with visions of ripping a solo as soon as they pick it up. doesn't happen anything like that. Nobody ever sees the hundreds of hours you spend with sore fingers all alone in the bedroom just so you can experience that 1 minute of solo live action. Also get her a good electronic tuner. nothing is more frustrating than to have your guitar out of tune in the first 5 minutes and you can't even figure out why your playing does not sound right.
One thing I say do not do. No classic style guitar. the neck is harder to play on. an electric guitar is more fogiving than other styles leading to more satisfying results sooner. My first guitar was a conn acoutic classic style. this is the guitar all the Hippies plated on the beach. it took me about two years to finally realize that most of my problems playing where the guitar. I finally got lessons and my instructor spent the entire first class in the shop rebuilding my guitar. it never did play for squat. finally I bought an Ibanes Electric. since then I have owned three Ovation acoustics and a Les Paul Electric. I got a killer about 60% off deal on the Les Paul so it only cost $2000. I play the Ovation far more than I ever will the LP. Yamaha used to be the name to go to for Acoustic guitars but you will pay for it. Final note even the same type style and brand guitar will sound different from one guitar to another when it comes to Acoustic. only by electric guitars that you have been able to actually hear. if she is like me it will require playing a lot of guitars to find one with a sound she likes.
 
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If you're really looking for just a starter and nothing very expensive, there's a flea market in Sweetwater, TN that has a booth there that sells an off brand of acousticals... I know Sweetwater, TN is a little far, but surely you have a fleamarket somewhere near you... I didn't look at the guitars closely, just pasted by the booth, but my daughter bought one there a few years ago... don't know if she learned to play or not, think it was more a wall decoration for her... They look pretty nice to me.. a total non-musician... (I don't even play a radio well)
 
I bought my son a super cheapo little classical guitar. I made him prove to me that it was not a passing fad. Then i bought him a really really nice guitar.

One little thing i would suggest, and i will probably get flack from the "Purists", but i am gonna suggest it anyway. GET NYLON STRINGS. They are much softer than steel strings, and to me, more melodic. They are also alot easier on the fingertips. Once she builds up some calous and skill, then you can switch to steel if she wants.


There is my two pennies. However you decide to go, I wish your ears luck!
 
I also have been playing for about 50 years, and would second the idea for a used Classical guitar, first the strings are softer and a bit larger in diameter, and the neck is wider allowing a beginner to learn to stretch their fingers, Yamaha makes some excelent instruments, my daughter has one that I bought in 1972.
Also have the guitar action set up by someone that knows what they are doing, this is very important, also consider some newer Epiphone acoustic guitars, even new they aren't that badly priced, Alverez and Ibanez make some reasonable priced guitars both Classical and Steel stringed , watch Craigs list, if you find something that looks like it hasn't been abused and the neck isn't cracked or pulling away from the body, is affordable, then take it to a music shop, and have new strings put on it and have the action set up and buy some ear plugs.
 
Chris does she want to play electric or acoustic although they are pretty close to each other there is a difference. Now before everyone set me afire, I do not play the guitar, my son does. He has three and we have bought several for him. I have bought guitars from Musicians friend and I can attest that is a great place to get a guitar, Prices are great and the set up is really nice. The rouge that they are talking about with the Proper setup will be a great way to go.

I do play Highland bagpipes, Uilleann Bagpipes, Tin Whistle, Low whistle and the Bodhran. The one thing I can say is get the best instrument that you can afford. A poor instrument can hurt more than it can help. If the instrument will not perform your daughter's confidence/playing will suffer. Im not saying to go out and get a Gibson, the Rouge with a proper setup or even the Suzuki guitars with the proper setup would help. Also find a good teacher and get his/her opinion on what they think could help. Give her a chance and a lot of encouragement.
 
Thanks for all of the info and encouragement! My daughter wants to play acoustic (though electric is something she also likes) and favors alternative music - she likes to find new artists before they become popular.

We don't want to buy an expensive instrument to start (like the $600 violin she played for a year-and-a-half at school and didn't practice) but having tried to learn briefly on a real cheapo myself, we want this to be a playable guitar.

Here is what we have looked at, based on your recommendations, so far:


 Rogue RA-100D Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar


 Rogue Honduran Mahogany Dreadnought




 Fender DG-8S Acoustic Guitar Value Pack


Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar


2005 Fender CG-7 Classical


Any specific thoughts on these? Any others we should take a look at?

This is much more difficult than choosing a lathe!
 
thewishman said:
My 15 year-old daughter wants to learn to play the guitar. Looking for recommendations for a starter instrument. If she likes it and wants to continue, we'll get a nicer one.
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For a new guitar player I recommend a Classic Style guitar. It is easier to finger since the fret board is wider and more importantly, until you have played a while, your finger tips will not build up calluses(?) which can delay practice sessions.

Cheap guitars can be really lousy to play, poor action and hard to play.

Have her try out a few in your local music store. There are smaller ones and jumbos, light weight and real heavy ones.

First find an instructor. Then buy or rent the instrument. :)
 
If you are looking for an inexpensive guitar for her to try out, consider E-Bay, you can get a brand new one starting at around $40.00.
I bought a violin for my daugter when she took music in school, and even the teacher thought it was a great deal.

Just a thought, good luck.

Tom/oops99
 
Chris' I would recommend the Fender classical, for several reasons, 1 is the body size, and second the neck and strings, th Epiphone also might be a good beginners guitar, but I'n not sure if it's a "parlor" size body or a Dreadnaught which is quite a large body instrument, Epiphone's are a decent guitar since the are a division of Gibson, mostly made in Korea, I think most of the lower priced Fenders are made in Mexico, but some were made in Japan, they are great guitars for the money, but getting hard to find, I'm not too crazy about the Mexican ones though, they've had trouble with the bracing and bindings and bridges coming unglued. Some of the Chinese guitars are OK like the Rogue and also Johnson and Bluegrass makes. But I think that as a beginner a small body is easier to learn on, the only drawback to a Classical is there is no pick guard except on Flamenco influenced guitars and they get expensive.
 
I may as well chime in with my 2 cents. I take a different slant as I am a custom amp builder and former touring musician. To me a classical guitar as a starter is a sure fire way to kill any "return on investment". Why so many people start on a cheap gut string is beyond me. It's almost like some sadistic "right of passage" kind of thing. Intonation, tuning, fretboards.....all wrong for beginners. And not mention...Boring......

When kids (of all ages) walk into a music store what guitars catch their attention first? Yep, the electrics. All their heroes play electrics...heck even the playstation games play electrics. A cheap electric will have decent intonation, will tune, are easier to play with lighter guage strings, have smaller and higher radiused fretboards (easier playing) and have a wider range of possible playing styles than acoustics. Also, there are many short scale electrics specifically tailored for kids. The quality of the starter electrics is really fantastic these days and guitar/amp packages deals are better than they have ever been.
Also, dad...you have the option of headphone jacks on most of the starter amps these days........"Smoke on the Water" over and over again on an out of tune acoustic......Oh..Joy!! :bulgy-eyes:

AND....hehe....when you're ready to splurge on a quality hand built, hand wired boutique amp you'll know who to call..:wink:
 
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