Alicia64 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 My nine-year-old son wants a guitar for Christmas. I don't know where to start. We don't need anything fancy, but I don't want a toy either. It needs to be real enough for taking lessons in January. Any suggestions? Thanks! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanamom Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Acoustic or electric? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Acoustic or electric? Definitely acoustic. He's also 9, but is five feet and not tiny. His hands and feet are my size so I don't want to accidentally buy him a guitar that would work for a seven-year-old girl. Thanks for helping! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningxmorning Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Yamaha sells a decent quality (stays in tune/good sound) guitar that comes in 3/4 size. You should check music stores that sell used gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We bought a yamaha student guitar 3/4 size for my (now 5ft) son and he's had it for three years now (plays on it regularly). It's been a good buy recommended by his teacher. He got an electric this year, bought from a friend of DH's, an Ibanez. Also good for beginners. A good music store can help you pick one. We paid $150 for the yamaha with case new and $200 for the electric with a large amp, distortion peddle, case, and extra strings...they've been great beginner instruments without a ton of money spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Sounds like Yamaha is a great plan -- thanks! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MO Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 when I had the same question (but was buying for a teen). This is from a person who plays and teaches guitar. I asked him specifically about buying used, which is why he included evaluation information. Hope this helps - it helped us! BLessings, Julie You are probably aware of some of the major online retailers. Musician's Friend has a huge selection. I've never bought anything from them, but their reputation seems to be okay. American Musical has been good the few times I've bought from them. The downside of these places when buying a guitar is that the instrument likely has had no setup work (intonation, string height...) done on it since leaving the factory. If you're comfortable doing that work yourself, or have a local guitar tech, that isn't a problem. One execption is Sweetwater. They are a huge online retailer, but claim to setup every guitar before shipping. I've never bought from them, but they have a good reputation on the guitar forums. There are a couple of other online dealer worth mentioning, both of which I have dealt with. Elderly Instruments (elderly.com); and Dave's Guitar (davesguitar.com). Another option is Carvin (carvin.com). They've been selling instruments direct for decades. I've never bought from them, but from what I've seen their quality is very good. In case anyone in your family is handy with wood finishing and the use of hand tools, they also sell guitars in kit form. (I've been considering putting together one of their kits for years.) Also, if building a guitar from parts is within the scope of your purchase, you might try Warmoth (warmoth.com). I have a couple of instruments made from their parts and the quality is very good. I've never bought anything off Craig's List, but I have a coworker who has bought several high-end acoustics that way and has been happy with the experience. I would think buying from an individual is probably safer when you're confident in your knowledge of the instrument you want and how to evaluate it. Regarding the evalation, there are several things I look for in an instrument. Is the neck straight? A slight curve ('relief') is normal, but any dramatic curving or twisting is trouble. Are the frets in good shape? Look for dents, flat spots, or frets not seated properly into the fretboard. Fretwork is expensive. Does all the hardware work? Move the tuners up and down. Look for any loose or missing pieces in the bridge. Look for rust in the metal parts. Do the electronics work? Try all switch positions and turn each of the knobs. Sometimes noise in the electonics can be an easy fix. Sometimes not. Any cracks in the body or neck? Cracks in the body near the joint of a bolt-on neck aren't necessarily trouble, as long as they are small (around half an inch is normal). Cracks near the headstock can be a costly repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Yamaha student guitar is good and would be under $200. Guitar Center has a good selection of guitars and are helpful without being pushy for the many times we went. Also get a spare set of guitar strings if they are on sale/good price. I broke a string once and was grateful to have replacement handy. See if you son would prefer to play with a guitar pick or keep his fingernails a little longer. Also a music stand is a nice to have for putting music scores while practicing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I had to play a few before I found one comfortable that I really liked. Same with dd. If I was doing a gift I would probably wrap up some pics, a guitar strap and a note or something and then take him shopping. I'm a bit over 5'3" and some full sized are WAY too big for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I bought the $100 guitar from Costco last year for my 11yo. We bought a hard case, a better tuner, and some other accessories during this past year. It is full-size, but she has done fine with it. I'm not a guitar player, but I am a musician. It seems fine for a beginner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Definitely acoustic. He's also 9, but is five feet and not tiny. His hands and feet are my size so I don't want to accidentally buy him a guitar that would work for a seven-year-old girl. Thanks for helping! Alley Hmmmm. At his size, I seriously doubt you would need or want to start with a 3/4. DS9 started lessons with a full-size guitar (at age 8) and has done just fine. I agree that taking him to Guitar Center to see about fit is a good idea. DS9 started with DH's oldest guitar as a hand-me-down to see if he liked it and would stick with it. Now he has this one as his own and it is a great guitar. Between DH and DS, we now have 5 or 6 guitars...I lost track. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 DS started playing guitar last year at 8, and we bought him a full size guitar (after he tried out a couple of smaller ones). He's tall, but not, it sounds like, as tall as your DS. That's with an electric guitar, though (we were told by several different people that electric guitars are easier for kids to play and they're less likely to get frustrated and give up on them); DH has a full size acoustic guitar and it looks HUGE when DS holds it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest katiejack Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Best Buy has this one on sale today. Not sure what a parlor guitar is, but, maybe this is something that somebody else can clarify. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/null/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016&AID=10597222&PID=1418914&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FMisc%2Fnull%2Fpcmcat248000050016.c%3Fid%3Dpcmcat248000050016&ref=39&CJPID=1418914&loc=01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I would go to a place that sells instruments for kids who take band in school and ask them to hel find the right fit for him. You might even look around and find a guitar teacher that you want to use, and ask them what they think. We borrowed one from the place ds is taking guitar lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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