Starter guitar?

[Tulun]

Hey. I've been considering starting to play the guitar and I was wondering about any advice for a good one to practice playing on for the first time?

I don't know a lot about them in general so it would all be a learning process, figure someone here would know plenty.

Mostly I'd like to know ones on the cheaper end that would hopefully give an okay sound (Acoustic).

Thanks!

[The_OG_Nelta]

the cheap ones should be around 50-100$ not sure which brand though.

[Shadowstalker]

Personally, I feel like you should never go -too-cheap with your first guitar. Speaking from personal experience, (I've been playing for eleven years,) if your first guitar is crappy, it's easy to get discouraged because you spend more time worrying about whether it's in tune or not and the action, (the distance between the strings and the fretboard,) will be so high your fingers will cry after playing it for ten minutes.

To sum it up, you won't want to play a piece of shit.

Anyway, I think one of the best bargain guitars you can get would be the Dean Performer Acoustic-Electric.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Dean-Per...99-i1150745.gc

For $280 bucks it sounds really great, plays extremely well.

If you can afford a little bit more, the Takamine G series is also a very solid investment.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Takamine...27-i1148984.gc

Those are just two I can think of off the top of my head.

[Cadsuane]

If it's your first guitar and you're just learning, then some plywood piece of shit that happens to have decent action will do. Nylon strings/classical guitars are easier to play than steel strings but are possibly too unconventional, so probably just buy a cheap guitar with low tension steel strings.

[SubzeroDiabolos]

Longest link in the history of internet http://media.hsn.com/esteban-signatu...ment-_-5533568

[sephir]

Yamaha guitars are great beginner acoustics. I still have my original one and it sounds great going on 12 years and thousands of hours of blood, and sweat.

[Moridam]

epiphone makes some great guitars that aren't too expensive. my first guitar was an SG, basically a much older version of this:

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=518280

great action, highly playable and respectable sound. can't tell you whether or not the entry-level SG is any good (it's about $120 cheaper) but the G310 served me well when i was first learning.

edit- nvm, didn't realize you were looking for an acoustic. i personally prefer nylon strings, but the necks on them are realllly fat compared to the average steel string. much nicer sound though, and you can get a decent one on the cheap. i picked up a takamine G116 for about $200 new ~5 years ago and it works pretty well for me.

[Moss]

Seconding the Yamaha, to be specific I still have my FG700S, it was ~$150, don't think I would go much cheaper than that. I would expect your fingers to hurt when you first play a steel-string acoustic no matter how expensive the guitar is.

[Nightfyre]

Seconding both the Yamaha and Takamine recommendations, both make solid starter guitars. Bring a guitarist friend along with you when you go to buy; have them look over the instrument for you and make sure it's not set up like shit.

[ikariiiii]

takamine guitars have really great sound for lowish prices- i usually recommend them to my students and they are all very happy

[Elesirdur]

Gibson's Epiphone DR-100 is a pretty solid instrument. Cheap enough to be reasonable to start on but it's designed and constructed to a level that will keep you playing (and keep sounding better and better) as you progress. It's no small-body guitar so if you're a small person it might feel a little unwieldy. The action (how far the strings sit above the frets) isn't too high, but certainly enough to get those left-hand finger strength and callouses started.

[shepardG]

I fucking love the way takamine's sound, I don't own one, but when i decide to make my next purchase i'm getting a full body, cutaway, accoustic electric.

Dean aren't bad, but what's been said before about getting a Yamaha is true, they make decent guitars that last a long time, and hold a tuning for a good while.

http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/a...15599_3554.jpg
You can't see it, but that's a yamaha, and it was in that truck behind us, and as was told to me, was traveling down to FOB Mumadiyah and an IED went off just to the front passenger side of the vehicle, minor sharpnel in the armor, nothing major, but the driver swerved on instinct, and when he did the guitar (which had just gotten shipped over) bounced up and came back down on that robot's camera, which put a 2inch by 4inch hole in the top side of the ax.
It got it's name shortley thereafter "Battle Ax".
I passed it off to my buddy, as it was passed off to me, and he passed it off to the next crew, and it's still floating around somewhere, making the kind of music that gives guys just a little bit of escape from the shit that is war. Least I like to think it is anyway.

P.s. The hole in the frame was clean through, but you'd have never even known it was there, I learned how to play yellow ledbetter on that mother fucker. I wish I still had it, but it's still fighting the good fight, so to speak.

[Shadowstalker]

Mostly I'd like to know ones on the cheaper end that would hopefully give an okay sound (Acoustic).

Thanks!

What kind of music are you looking to play out of curiosity?

[Tulun]

To everyone: Thanks for the replies! I am reading them eagerly :D

What kind of music are you looking to play out of curiosity?

It may seem a strange response but the music I initially want to try out is some older swing tracks and Dixie / New Orleans jazz type music. I am heavily involved in the Lindy Hop scene in my community and it seems like a nice extension.

But beyond that, I'd want to play anything that catches my interest; this is just my initial excuse.

[Dolmen]

My first guitar was a Yamaha from the mid-1970s and it was excellent. I had to replace miscellaneous parts like the bridge and the tuners, but otherwise it was a great guitar. The frets were still excellent and strong, even after 39 years. My mom originally bought it, and it was probably the equivalent of a $150-$200 guitar. I finally retired it last year, but it was an excellent guitar to learn on.

[Zalius]

when it comes to an acoustic, try and find a small, online only buyer. you're going to be looking at a $800-1500 quality guitar for 500 or less. a lot of the stuff by big brands costs more because of the headstock, which is really no reason to pay an extra 700 bux.

i dont have anymore acoustics actually, so i've been looking at a couple, but my price range is a little higher than yours. might want to try out http://rondomusic.com and go to the acoustics section at the top. After buying from them a couple of times, they really are probably the best thing going in terms of value out right now.

Higher end electrics start around page 8 (and go til like 16), but acoustics are just one page of starter guitars that should all be pretty good quality

[Electro]

Due to the style of music you want to play I'd recommend something like this epiphone. http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=518028

The sound is amazing. At first I was wary about the sound because the only Acoustic guitar I own is a Taylor DN8 (which is my baby). I heard someone pick up one in the local music store a while back and liked it. He was looking for a cheaper practice guitar. Sounded beautiful. Keeps tune. I enjoy the necks size on this guitar as well. Not to mention I love the colors. I'd say spend a little more because if you do decide to stick with it you want something you can grow with. My first acoustic was a cheap old fender that was like 200 bucks. Then I progressed to a Martin, and now I will never get rid of my Taylor.
I've been playing for around 15 or so years. Started early with lessons for Classical guitar.

[antihero]

My first guitar was an Epiphone PR150, then I moved on to a Jackson DK2T Dinky, and now I play a Buckethead signature LP. I still love my Dinky and play my PR150 though, came highly recommended from my guitar teacher for the price/quality ratio; my guitar teacher is a luthier as well so he does my setups for me twice a year (Summer/Winter). I recommend lessons though, don't become one of the people who don't know any chords, modes or scales and can only read tablature, tab is fine but don't solely rely on it.

[oldoldman]

If you can afford it it is much easier to start on an electric. They are easier to bar and just play chords in general.

[antihero]

ALL I HAVE ARE THESE POWER CHORDS AND THIS BURNING INSIDE