Guitar buying advice please

[Teachin'Mine]

Dd loves country music and wants to learn how to play the guitar. She plays a keyboard by ear and can read music minimally. She'd learn quickly if she wanted to, and I'm hoping that this would help give her incentive. She writes lyrics, so it would be great if she could learn enough to write music as well.

 

Classical or acoustic? Nylon strings or steel? What size? Is dreadnought too large? She's adult size and has larger hands than me. What would you recommend brand wise? Yamaha? C40, CG111S - both classical - or the acoustic Yamaha gigmaker one, or the delux gigmaker??? Is the higher price for a solid top worth it?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[gpsings]

I play guitar and used to work at guitar center in my single days. ;)

My oldest is working on guitar now.

I suggest letting her pick it out, feel it, sound it, try it on before buying. Guitar in a box is never a good idea.

Take her into some stores (shop around) and see what she wants. The size of the neck is a big deal for kids. Usually an Ovation 'Applause' is a good pick, and has a pickup for plugging into an amp. There are child sized guitars out there, but make sure it's serious quality. They usually are junk and wind up broken around the house. I would have someone go with you who has knowledge of guitars because there are places that will take advantage of you if you don't know. For example, You can get a Fender Strat for 90-100.00 or you can get one for 5,000.00...can you tell the difference in wood, tone, extras? and know that you can negotiate price. Sales are usually commissioned. You can PM me if you have any questions! I wouldn't buy anything on the spot. If you give them your number and go home without the instrument, they'll probably call you back with a 'deal' and you can negotiate down even further than that.

[Teachin'Mine]

Thank you so much for the great advice. Unfortunately, I really want this to be a surprise for her. There's no guitar shop nearby - it's about an hour away. Because of the low prices we're looking to stay in, I'm not sure how much it would help - or do they carry a lot of different brands of beginner guitars? I was hoping to get one without having to go to the store.

 

I wouldn't think to get her a smaller one as she's taller than me and has larger hands too. I want to get one that she can use for a few years at least, until she's working and can buy a better one if she's really interested. :D

 

The fenders are ones that are in the low price range, but I've "heard" that the Yamahas are better. Is this true? Is the sound better?

 

What about steel strings? Are they too hard on the fingers for a beginner? Can you string an acoustic guitar with nylon strings to start off? I know you can't put steel on the classical!!!

 

Also, is it worth an extra $100 to get a solid top? Or would the solid top be more prone to problems with changing humidity and all?

Edited May 27, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[StephanieZ]

1) You want steel string, not classical. Not nylon strings. Classical guitars are really just for classical music -- finger plucking. . . You want a steel string "acoustic" guitar. With an assortment of picks. FWIW, you end up replacing the strings every 3 months or so, so don't worry too hard about which strings you start with since you'll have plenty of chances to try other strings when you are restringing. (And, you typically want to restring the guitar when it arrives b/c the strings they put on it usually stink.)

 

2) Brands, etc. . . That is such a personal thing, depending on what style of music, etc. . . I haven't shopped for a full size steel string, and my kids mainly uses that guitar just for Old Time style music, so our brand preferences would be specific to that purpose. . .

 

3) I like a solid soundboard (so top of guitar) in any instrument. Just my bias, I guess, but I did spring for the extra $100 to get the solid top when purchasing ds's 3/4 size acoustic guitar. (He's just 10 so not using full size guitars yet.) Some people say not to bother. . . but I think it matters.

 

4) If you just google about "good beginner guitar country" etc, you'll learn a lot pretty quickly. That's what I did when I needed to choose the steel string for ds, b/c our teachers either only knew classical or only knew full size guitars, so I didn't have any help. I found a lovely one that all the teachers, etc approved.

 

5) I'd think if you can spend $300 or so and shop well, you could get a nice beginner guitar. I think I spent about $450 for ds's 3/4. . . but I think you could get a decent full size one cheaper b/c there are so many more choices. If dd loves it, she can always get a better/different one in a couple years. (Ever notice how guitarists never have just one guitar!)

 

HTH

[CLHCO]

If she is into country, but is looking at acoustic, check out Janet Davis for brand names and look at the reviews. I like their prices and selection. Don't be confused by the "banjo store" name. They sell a lot of good acoustic instruments for a good price. Steal strings. If they are hard on her hands, have the set-up checked and lower the action.

 

Get a full size, dreadnought is fine if she is adult size. My daughter plays a Blueridge BR160 dreadnought. That may be out of your price range though. Even so, there are adequate models to start with around the price you mentioned. Ebay has good prices, if you find a model you'd like.

[Bug's Mom]

See what they've got around in the way of used guitars. Sometimes they look brand new, but you'll get a lot more for your money.

 

The sound of a solid-topped guitar will improve over time as it's played. A plywood topped guitar will pretty much sound the way it sounds forever (good or bad). The plywood top won't crack in dry weather like the solid can.

[AngieW in Texas]

My youngest surprised me in late January by telling me that she desperately wanted a classical acoustic guitar and wanted to learn to play classical guitar music. We were able to get a used guitar from someone in our hs group whose child was upgrading to a more expensive guitar.

 

This is the one that my dd has:

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Full-Nylon-String-Classical-Guitar/dp/B00004UE2D

 

Most of the other kids taking guitar at the place where she has lessons also have this guitar because it is very reasonably priced.

 

If you start with classical acoustic, you can easily transition to any other guitar. It can be harder to transition the other way.