My wife and I are thinking about taking guitar lessons. We are both complete newbies to the guitar. I have never played an instrument in my whole life, while she played a violin from 3rd to 5th grades. We are looking for recommendations for guitars that would be more of beginner grade. We want something inexpensive just in case our new hobby doesn't last. Also, any recommendations for local shops in the Bay Area? I have been looking at the three following guitars/sets on Musician's Friend. Let me know if you would recommend one over the other. Thanks!

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/511192/

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/510705/

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/519456/

 

Just as a good car makes driving more fun, a good guitar makes playing more fun.

Better guitars are easier to fret, sound better, get better with age, look better, etc. For your price range, check out

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...e_pid/519197X/

This guitar has a blemish (visible problem, it won't affect sound). I would prefer a guitar that is cheap because of a blemish over a guitar that is cheap because it is bottom of the line.

Have fun!

 

When I started playing years ago it was with an electric...i could press the strings down easier and I was able to hear the notes much easier than with an acoustic...plus it was cool to crank up an amp and play absolute garbage.

I would say a mexican made fender strat or a gibson les paul epiphone through a small practice amp would be a great setup for a starter kit if you went with an electric setup for around ~$300 or so....great deals can be had in the craiglist music instruments section for starters...or the used guitar showcase place has some nice buys as well in campbell area.

 

wow that rogue is a good deal. is that guitar prety easy to play for beginners

 

I agree with atc5. Electric guitars are easier to be of acceptable quality while still be cheap. The action is usually lower and the strings are thinner, making everything easier to play. Plus, there is something fun about strapping on an electric and making rock poses in front of a mirror \m/

I started with an electric and I'd say that I play 80% of the time unplugged. It isn't as loud as being plugged in, but it is more than enough to get a good feeling for whats going on.

 

I have the Rogue dreadnought acoustic.. it plays VERY well and has a very good sound for the price. It's a bargain basement STEAL if you want an every-day guitar to tool with as you learn.

 

Yeah, I'm leaning towards that guitar. If I decide to get something better later, I can buy a more extravagent one. After I learn the basics on this acoustic guitar, I will definitely look into getting an electric one. It sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for all the advise everyone!

 

All guitars are different, even the same model from the same maker can be very different. Find somebody who knows guitars and ask them to take you guitar shopping. You'll probably be able to find a nice used guitar that you'll actually be able to keep for a while. If you have a teacher already, ask them what they recommend or ask them to help you pick one out.
It's not rocket science, but there are good cheap guitars and crappy cheap guitars, and having a good one will make all the difference in the world when you're trying to learn.

 

Bang for the buck you can't beat Carvin
www.carvin.com

 

if you get a electric just start off with a gibson les paul like the others said...
the sound is much better quality, and you wont waste money on buying then rebuying again later...
gluck

 

You can follow my path. My first guitar was a $100 nylon acoustic/classical acoustic. The strings won't destroy your fingers, but since the neck is larger, you may have a little difficulty fretting.

Later when you get into the better stuff, you'll start understanding what you need and what you want in a guitar before purchasing. I haven't played a Gibson Les Paul, but I played the Explorer. Nice guitar, simple to fret. Easiest guitar to fret for me was probably a Fender Stratocaster. My current electric, Ibanez RG. It's a little larger in the neck, but it frets well and sounds good .

-GDO

 

get thar rogue, my buddy has one and it really plays well for the price to tell ya the truth... i wouldnt buy a gibon until you know you want to play guitar for a long time.

 

Yeah man, Rouge make some inexpensive stuff. They aren't the best out there, but they do a good job at half the cost.

As a Gibson Les Paul owner, I'll tell you that it is not an ideal first guitar.

It is also my opinion that a classical (nylon string) guitar is not ideal for a beginner (unless you want to play only classical). The 0 radius fretboard makes chording more difficult than necessary for a beginner, access to higher frets is usually severely limited, the strings are spaced wider, and most beginners will have a hard enough time with left hand technique that they shouldn't be worrying about right hand technique.

 

one word



ESTEBAN!!!


j/k- doesn't a proper Les Paul sell for about a grand these days? besides, they're looking at acoustics.

I can't say for sure, but I think you'd probably be getting what you pay for looking at list prices for these 3.

The Fender will probably play and sound the best and will have the best resale value should you decide the guitar isn't your thing.
Ibanez will also be nice, I've had an Ibanex bass for 25+ years and it still plays well and sounds great- but it's probably not quite as nice as the Fender, and the Rouge RD100 will be the cheapest- and will probably sound and play that way.

One of the good things about starting out with a lesser instrument is that you'll appreciate a better one all that much more later, but a crappy guitar is harder to learn on and can be easier to get discouraged with.

Any of these are probably not too bad for starting out though, I'd say go with what you can afford for now.

But really- if you're shopping on line you should cruise some music stores first, pick up several different guitars from different makers- see how they feel, check out how easy or hard they are to tune- that's probably the most direct impact you'll find - a higher quality guitar will tend to be easier to get in tune and more likely to stay there, cheap guitars have cheap machinery- and how they sound; with just a couple of chords you can ususally tell the differences.

Then you can approach the catalog or web site armed with some first hand experience to help with the decision.

Keep in mind that guitars are kind of like bicycles in that one that's great for one person might not be so good for the next person

 

Wow! Thanks for all the great advise, guys. I'll probably stop by Guitar Center with my wife before we make up our minds then. Sounds like quite a few of you have been playing for a while. Any advice for someone who's learning to play for the very first time?