Beginner Guitar player- acoustic or electric, and which guitar ($300-500)

arcas has some good advice. I have a Fender Squire. Cheap as hell, $200. I go into Sam Ash and play $1000 guitars and I can't tell the difference. Maybe one day I will

I remember asking the same question about 5 years back. A friend of mine (excellent guitarist) told me... "Get a cheap guitar, and play it until you understand why it is cheap."

Great advice.

Being I have an electric and I don't want to invest in an amp and pedals, I use
this program to play my electric on my PC. Sound's really good too (to me at least).

 

[quirky]

thanks guys, but im really curious as to what the difference between all those types of Seagull S series is (s6, s6+ cedar, s6 + folk etc.). how do i choose between all these diff types? I plan to go to a store and check it out in person but I have NO CLUE about guitars and i have no idea whats good or not so can you give me some specifics to look for?

 

[Triumph]

you need to find some friends who play guitar. not only would they help you shop around, NOTHING helps improve your playing like having friends to learn from/compete with. i know it's not a competition, but sometimes you just want to "one up" them.

 

[Amused]

I strongly suggest a Seagull acoustic guitar. The value (quality for price) is incredible.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

You're lucky you've got that much to spend on a guitar and just starting out. I bought a Johnson electric from one of my friends for $100, thing's a piece of junk. I've still got it, but I've moved up to a 1988 Fender American HM strat But think about whether or not you want to put that kind of money into a guitar and not even be sure if you're going to stick with it. I know it may seem like you want to play, but in the beginning it can be really frustrating, trust me. But back on topic, go with a Seagull acoustic. Great sound and great price.

 

[luv2chill]

Originally posted by: quirky
thanks guys, but im really curious as to what the difference between all those types of Seagull S series is (s6, s6+ cedar, s6 + folk etc.). how do i choose between all these diff types? I plan to go to a store and check it out in person but I have NO CLUE about guitars and i have no idea whats good or not so can you give me some specifics to look for?

As for the S6 and S6+, the only difference is the finish applied to the back and sides. The S6+ has a darker stain on the cherry back and sides--that's it. Heh, I had to look that one up. I didn't know the difference either.

The S6, S6+ cedar, S6+ spruce, and S6+ CW are all dreadnaught size (made famous by Martin)--this is the "normal" (not really the right word--maybe "standard" is better?) size. Large, booming bass, and very full-bodied sound. If you're a normal to large-sized person, you'll be able to play a Dreadnaught just fine. Small people may find it difficult to get their arms around one without feeling uncomfortable. This is yet another reason you shouldn't ever buy a guitar sight unseen. You need to hold it and make sure you're compatible

Folk guitars are (in general, not always) quite a bit smaller and tend to have a brighter sound, more evenly balanced between treble and bass.

Which one you choose primarily depends on your body size. It can also depend on what kind of music you intend to play and what other instruments you are playing with. There are lots of other shapes and sizes too--parlor guitars for instance, which are really tiny!
Since you are just getting started, just concentrate on the size issue. Try to play a dreadnaught, and if it feels too big for you, move down. The sound is not drastically different--you would do fine with either.

As far as cedar vs. spruce... it's mainly a personal preference. Spruce is said to have a "brighter" sound, and cedar a "warmer" sound. Whether your ears can tell a difference at this point is questionable. Just go play both and see if one sounds better to you. I personally have a cedar top and I think it sounds wonderful. Oh yeah, spruce tops are also harder than cedar and less prone to dings and bruises. That may be a consideration to you.

One other thing you didn't ask, but lots of guitars have what's called a "cutaway" (Seagull abbreviates it CW). What that means is that the lower "corner", fretside, of the headstock (the body) has been removed to give easy access to the higher frets. it's by no means a necessity, and some say that it has a negative impact on sound quality, but I haven't found that to be the case at all. I have a S6+ CW and I've found it to be really handy to have the cutaway there. It means you don't have to contort your hands to play something at the end of the fretboard. If you look at the pics on Seagulls site you'll see the difference. Totally up to you. I personally think guitars look better with a cutaway too--others disagree.

Hope that helps answer your questions. I know I had the exact same ones when I started. Answers are out there (USENET is a great resource), but aren't easy to find.

Good luck. Let us know what you end up with!

l2c

P.S. The S12s are 12-string in case you didn't know.

 

[yellowperil]

Just to echo what luv2chill said, I would play a Seagull before buying one. I bought an M6 (mahogany sides/back) unseen, and it was difficult for me to barre chords on it. The neck on all Seagulls is wide, almost like a classical guitar but of course with steel strings with more tension. It sounded great but eventually I sold it because it was too uncomfortable. If you want an easily playable acoustic guitar, the most consistent manufacturers IMO are Alvarez, Ibanez, and some Takamines. I would definitely check out the Carvin Cobalt series as well.

 

[Triumph]

yeah, if you ever walk into a guitar store and there are signs saying "Please don't play the instruments", walk the f*ck out.

All these different opinions on guitars, and talks about PRS and whatnot...You really have to find out for yourself what you want. I know exactly what I want in a guitar, and I was very lucky to find it about 4 years ago, in a $200 used Samick. this thing is seriously as good as any guitar i've ever played, and i was lucky enough to happen upon it. some people spend their whole life trading and buying guitars, never finding the right one. so really, you just have to find your own way, with your own style.

i'm thinking more and more that the advice merlocka's friend gave him is the best way for you to go: buy a cheap guitar and learn why it's a cheap guitar.

 

[quirky]

man, you guys are the best! i feel ready now to finally go out and buy one. i'll keep in mind what you guys talked about- size, comfort, cutaway etc. anyway i really appreciate every one of you guys taking the time to help. thanks a million everyone!

edit: i'll let you know which guitar I end up getting. hopefully in a year or two i'll get good enough to play some Dave Matthews and John Mayer songs

 

[luv2chill]

edit: i'll let you know which guitar I end up getting. hopefully in a year or two i'll get good enough to play some Dave Matthews and John Mayer songs

Nice It's cool cause a lot of DMB songs are fairly easy. John Mayer, on the other hand, is a damn amazing guitar player, and that doesn't fully hit home until you attempt to learn some of his songs. The day you can play "Neon" is the day I'll consider you a really good player. That song is practically impossible, especially his acoustic version. I wish I could play it though--it's my favorite song of his. Hopefully someday.

l2c

 

[Insomnium]

<---- Proud owner of a Seagull M6 Gloss Acoustic

What everyone has said so far about Seagulls is right on, they aren't expensive but give you a great bang for the dollar. Mine was $350 and has a great tone. Once I get really good then I'll consider whether to go for a pricier, sweeter acoustic (ala Taylor) or try something new with a nice electric (ala Gibson Les Paul). Seems pretty damn sensible to me to go about learning guitar that way.

You can also check out the Taylor Big Baby if you want a nice Taylor. It doesnt exactly sound like a full bodied dreadnought but its still a damn good guitar. Good luck and have fun.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: BigJohnKC

Originally posted by: dwell

Regardless of whether you choose electric or accoustic, resist the temptation to use thin picks. They might seem easier at first
but in the long run you'll be better off learning with thick picks. The 1mm nylon or ceramic picks are nice and last a long time.

Damn. Been playing for like 6 months and using paper-thin picks. It's so hard to play fast with a thick pick.

I use a .5 mm pick, and I've always had success with it. They never break for me, really.

bwahaha. what a sissy. get yourself some 3 mm Dunlops if you want nice tone. just kidding with you, most people can't play at all with those things ("you call this a pick?") , although I swear by them. I even got some full sized 3 mm ones that actually have weight to them. you need thick strings to handle the power you get out of a pick like that, though. I play with .010-.052 ("10" gauge top, "12" gauge bottom), and on my detuned modified strat, I use a .060 (bass string) for the thickest string. Plug that sucker into the ol' marshall stack and we're talking serious guts.

 

[BL0RT]

Originally posted by: Mucman

Girls also like a man who can play an acoustic guitar

Been playing for 6 years, and doesn't work for me (albeit it could be a case of user error )

try playing some dmb, john mayer or dashboard confessional. that'll do the trick

i started on a crappy 99 dollar squier and 50 dollar pos squier amp six years ago and played it for under a year before i thought it was total crap and went out and got an ovation CC 057. i personally love how it feels against my body, and i think it sounds great plugged in, and adequate enough unplugged. i've since bought a fender american strat, and i absolutely love it for it's low action, playability and the warm tones i get from the middle and bridge pickup and the hot sound of the bridge pickup. anyway dude don't waste too much money on a guitar when you don't know what you like yet. you may like the wider neck and fretboard of a gibson or the slimmer neck of a fender. the sound of a single coil vs. a humbucker. get a cheap ass guitar, be it electric or acoustic and then upgrade when you know better.

 

[BL0RT]

Originally posted by: luv2chill

edit: i'll let you know which guitar I end up getting. hopefully in a year or two i'll get good enough to play some Dave Matthews and John Mayer songs

Nice It's cool cause a lot of DMB songs are fairly easy. John Mayer, on the other hand, is a damn amazing guitar player, and that doesn't fully hit home until you attempt to learn some of his songs. The day you can play "Neon" is the day I'll consider you a really good player. That song is practically impossible, especially his acoustic version. I wish I could play it though--it's my favorite song of his. Hopefully someday.

l2c

aww come on neon isn't that hard, the hardest part is tuning low e to c and keeping the intonation correct just practice it uhm alot hehe

neon tab

 

[luv2chill]

Haha yeah I've seen that tab... cool that John wrote it out for people, but regardless it's still f'ing impossible. First of all he's got giant thumbs (I don't) and that really helps with fretting the low e string.

If it's so easy BL0RT, I'd like to hear a recording of your rendition and then we'll see how you measure up

l2c