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Need some help and opinions here. I've been looking to buy me a guitar, I have a bit of free time (although I shouldn't, I should be studying but I don't), anyway, I plan on learning me some guitar. I've been looking around at different places to buy guitars, and what to buy, but the most success I've had looking thusfar, has been people trying to sell guitars they don't want on craigslist.com and stuff like that. I hate ebay though. The only bad thing with craigslist is that most of the people don't leave a phone number to call or no email, and the only way to get in touch with them is through that nonsense craigslist email, which no one ever checks.
So I'm open to any and all suggestions on the subject matter, whether it be a place to buy a guitar or someone you know, or hell even a guitar that you absolutely love and you think I should look into getting it. I'm not looking to go broke here on this, because I've never played before, just starting out. So any info at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help y'all can give.
Do you know what kind of guitar you want? How much you want to spend. Check out the Guitar Center in Elmwood for a good new guitar. Or you could check out some of the pawn shops on Airline Hiway. If you have a friend that knows guitars, get him or her to go with you.
Post by Jazzmaster on Feb 25, 2008 15:04:35 GMT -5
I advise you to not to spend much money on your first guitar. When you start playing it isn't going to sound good anyway (no offense, we all start out as bad guitarists), so just get a bad guitar and upgrade after you play for a while. I would advise starting out with a Squier Strat or some other low end guitar. You might find out that guitar playing isn't for you, and you might stop playing guitar. Fair enough, then you only wasted 100 bucks or so on a guitar. It wouldn't be that bad of a mistake. If you like playing guitar (I'm sure you probably will) then you will still have plenty of money to upgrade after getting comfortable with playing. You can't go wrong. Its a win-win situation. Plus, no one is going to make fun of you for having a bad guitar as your first guitar. On the other hand, they would probably wonder what you were thinking if you get a 300 dollar guitar to start off with. So, getting a bad guitar a win-win-win situation. There are pretty decent acoustic starter packs for about 100 bucks like this one: www.zzounds.com/item--IBAIJV50
i recommend you start out with an acoustic. there's a couple advantages: you don't need to buy as much gear (acoustic guitar vs electric guitar/cord/amplifier) and i think its easier to get a cheap acoustic that still sounds decent compared to a cheap electric.
furthermore, if you start out playing an acoustic, the action (meaning how high the strings are off the fretboard) is usually higher which makes your fingers work harder to press the strings down properly and will build finger strength in your left hand. the strings on an acoustic also tend to be a bit thicker so you will build up callouses faster (your fingers WILL hurt when you first start playing, no way around that). the point is if you get used to playing an acoustic and decide to switch to an electric later you will have already built the necessary strength in your fingering hand (left I assume) and will find playing an electric to be much easier.
above all else, don't get discouraged...the secret to learning is consistent practice. 4 30minute practice sessions a week will teach you much more than 1 2 hour practice session a week.
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
sammy o
Stanky McNasty The Artist formerly known as Samus
as far as buying...the best advice i can give is to find a 'guitar center' and either make buddies with one of the guys so he gives you cost or just bargain with them...they have a boatload of profit builtin to those guits and ive gotten a lot of quality product for low prices.
imo you should look into a good takamine gseries acoustic/electric...like xiphoid says, it will condition your fingers better and you won't have to buy alot of gear...imo these guitars have great play and pickups as well as cheap...you can get a good mid range for like 350 (699.99 retail) or a cheaper one for 200 (399.99 retail)
my next step is a taylor...if you can spring like 400 (799.99 retail) you can get a taylor 200series acoustic/electric...best acoustic sound IMO
Post by strumntheguitar on Feb 25, 2008 19:44:16 GMT -5
sik7716 said:
as far as buying...the best advice i can give is to find a 'guitar center' and either make buddies with one of the guys so he gives you cost or just bargain with them...they have a boatload of profit builtin to those guits and ive gotten a lot of quality product for low prices.
imo you should look into a good takamine gseries acoustic/electric...like xiphoid says, it will condition your fingers better and you won't have to buy alot of gear...imo these guitars have great play and pickups as well as cheap...you can get a good mid range for like 350 (699.99 retail) or a cheaper one for 200 (399.99 retail)
my next step is a taylor...if you can spring like 400 (799.99 retail) you can get a taylor 200series acoustic/electric...best acoustic sound IMO
This man knows what he's talking about!
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Another great thing about buying cheap-ish acoustic guitars to start on is that once you move on to a better (coughTaylorcough) guitar then you already have a guitar to bring to festies that you wouldn't be completely devastated if you banged up a bit.
I played some classical guitars today at Guitar Center, sweet! There was one Yamaha with a built in mike. It was not only cool when picked but when I drummed the top ala RodyGab it came alive. It was tough to control feedback though. Sorry for going a little off topic but I just had to share.
Post by MilesOfLightExplode on Feb 25, 2008 20:31:57 GMT -5
Washburn D10S is a great beginner guitar. I got mine last year for $175 off ebay used with a case. Nice sounding guitar (or so say my guitar playing friends) and a good bargain.
Post by GratefulHippie on Feb 25, 2008 20:47:05 GMT -5
strumntheguitar said:
^^pppssshh.
In your case actually, I might agree. Old fashioned Martin 12-strings are bliss to my ears ;D
thanks to mom it sounds absolutely beautiful from all the years of strumming. she's had some work down on the neck, and i think i'm going to get this contraption that holds down the bridge...its starting to pop up slightly. other than that, the pickup just needs to be replaced, and she'll be perfect ;D
i remember the first time i played a 6 string...it just didn't sound right. i got spoiled too soon i suppose
I've been thinking about this for awhile now. You really need to know what kind of guitar you want. What kind of music do you see yourself playing? If you want to rock out, don't bother with an acoustic. Get an electric and an amp and start banging away. If you see yourself strumming on the back porch, get a six string acoustic. If you like classical or Spanish guitar get a nylon string.
You should know how much you want to spend and get the best guitar you can for the money. I reject the idea that you should learn on a difficult guitar. Get the easiest guitar to play right from the start and put light strings on it until you develop calluses and finger muscles.
The last thing is dont buy something sight unseen, i.e. Ebay or mail order. Even if you don't yet play you need to "try it on" and see how it fits in your hands.
Do you know what kind of guitar you want? How much you want to spend. Check out the Guitar Center in Elmwood for a good new guitar. Or you could check out some of the pawn shops on Airline Hiway. If you have a friend that knows guitars, get him or her to go with you.
wow, how do you know so much about the NOLA area?
and in response to what kind, I really think I would rather an electric. As far as how much, I can't foresee myself breaking 300, now that I look at it, that seems a bit high. Now at this point, I don't need a case and really at this point I don't need an amp. I have ample access to an amp, I'm sure I could find a friend that could loan me one for a month or two until I get my feet on the ground playing and then go buy one.
Last Edit: Feb 25, 2008 21:15:39 GMT -5 by nola - Back to Top
"I just got fragged by a non-working speak." 5 Roo's and counting
mojoworks
Bonnafunky Dirtyroo Song Title Game Addict
I lived in NOLA for 6 years until last summer. For three hundred you can get a fine electric guitar. This past Christmas I bought my former neighbor's son a Schector Omen6 model at the Elmwood Guitar Center at a price of $325 including gigbag and taxes. That was a really good guitar for the money. You can go lower in price and still find a fairly good quality guitar.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU... CHECK CRAIGSLIST... YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE DEALS & STEALS YOU WILL FIND ON THERE FOR BOTH ACOUSTICS AND ELECTRICS. there was a perfectly fine 1960's Gibson on there for $100 yesterday... those things retail for like $1000+
i've bought 2 or 3 of my guitars off there... no problems yet...
no offense to anyone who's fond of them, but my old roommate had a strat that i played alot and i effing hated it. fret buzz galore and i hate the electronics on it too. plus i think i'm just not a single-coil pickup kinda guy.
maybe it was just his guitar and not representative of the whole series, but i will never play a strat again if i can help it.
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
i'm actually teaching two of my buddies guitar right now, so i've had a lot of practice with this topic. i totally agree with whoever said go with a cheap guitar at first, but definitely shop around for one that feels good to you. i started out with a cheap no name that was a bit smaller than most and it worked perfect for me. and when you get more into it, trust me, you'll buy more guitars (i have 7 now, and no plans to sell any of them or stop buying new ones), so no need to rush into a top of the line model at first. also, acoustic's better to start off with, imho.
as far as learning though, i'll tell you what worked for me.
don't "practice"
that may sound stupid, but when i had to sit down and practice chord progressions and scales, it took all the fun out of it (but if that works for you, then by all means). my friends showed me chords. the best way for me to get accustomed to the chords was to pick out simple songs i was really into and read tabs. then, i'd jam with friends who were better than me and i was forced to hold down a steady rhythm line, so i picked it all up pretty quick (i've found that you'll always learn a new skill faster if you're surrounded by people who are WAY ahead of you). they'd show me tricks and give me advice and i'd watch how they played rhythm and lead. then, when i was just sitting around listening to music or doing whatever, i always had a guitar in my hand, so i'd just play whatever sounded good with it, which is really how i really got to know my guitar and the musical scales (before i even realized that's what they were) and learned to play lead. and don't ever think you're not good enough to start writing (if that's your thing) - i wrote my first song when i was 14 or 15, and it definitely wasn't the greatest, but it worked at the time and it's cool to look back over the last ten years and see how far i've come. but it definitely helps a lot to have friends around who can play, because you'll pick things up without them even really "teaching" you.
so if the "practice, practice, practice" method turns you off like it did for me, try this one out.
