I want to learn how to play a guitar and im going to be buying an entry-level guitar... problem is i don't know which one... acoustic or electric? i like the mellowness of the acoustic especially that sound on Latin songs... but i also like the "hard" hits and those damn cool rips of an electric. The extra considerations of the electric like external amps won't really be a problem as ill probably be just a bedroom player anyway... entry level on both are about the same price i think. What do you guys say?
Guitar question...
- Thread starter boyRacer
- Start date
The first thing you need to do is learn to play, at all. This includes not only the music, but the phyisical motion and coordination of playing. It's called chops.
An acousitc is a good starting point. You can practice without a lot of volume that could disturb others, and when you start playing with friends and at parties, you won't have to haul an amp and electronic accessories, along with the guitar. The strings on acoustic steel string guitar are also usually heavier than most electric players use, so you will develop stronger muscles in your fingers as you practice. Eventually, you will probably want both an acoustic and an electric.
Regardless of which you choose first, buy the best guitar you can afford. This isn't necessarily the most expensive, but one that has a good "voice" and plays well up and down the neck (in tune with a good action). Cheap guitars are usually a waste of time and money. You will do far better if you can find a good used instrument. If you don't damage it, the right one will hold it's value, or even increase in value, over the years. If you have a friend who knows guitars, have him help you select one.
Remember, every guitars are made of wood, and every one is different from every other one, even ones that are the same make, model and vintage. Believe me, I know this one well. Love my 1970 Martin D-28 and Mighty Might Les Paul clone.
An acousitc is a good starting point. You can practice without a lot of volume that could disturb others, and when you start playing with friends and at parties, you won't have to haul an amp and electronic accessories, along with the guitar. The strings on acoustic steel string guitar are also usually heavier than most electric players use, so you will develop stronger muscles in your fingers as you practice. Eventually, you will probably want both an acoustic and an electric.
Regardless of which you choose first, buy the best guitar you can afford. This isn't necessarily the most expensive, but one that has a good "voice" and plays well up and down the neck (in tune with a good action). Cheap guitars are usually a waste of time and money. You will do far better if you can find a good used instrument. If you don't damage it, the right one will hold it's value, or even increase in value, over the years. If you have a friend who knows guitars, have him help you select one.
Remember, every guitars are made of wood, and every one is different from every other one, even ones that are the same make, model and vintage. Believe me, I know this one well. Love my 1970 Martin D-28 and Mighty Might Les Paul clone.
The Stigenator
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,216
- 3
- 81
get an acoustic electric.. solves both worlds..
the cheap beginner ones have a plastic backing, though not my favorite it can take quite an abuse. The sound quality isnt that great as a full bodied wooden acoustic electric but that should do for a beginner.
the cheap beginner ones have a plastic backing, though not my favorite it can take quite an abuse. The sound quality isnt that great as a full bodied wooden acoustic electric but that should do for a beginner.
ThePresence
Elite Member
- Nov 19, 2001
- 27,727
- 16
- 81
<< the cheap beginner ones have a plastic backing, though not my favorite it can take quite an abuse. The sound quality isnt that great as a full bodied wooden acoustic electric but that should do for a beginner. >>
Some really nice and expensive Ovations have plastic backs, and are definitly not beginner guitars.
Hmmm... thanks guys! But here... what if i want to play songs where you have to pluck the strings and not just chords all the time? Would acoustic still be better? You know thos Latin intros where they pluck it really quick... im kinda clueless on this as you can see.
go for acoustic electric + cutaway (its that half of a whole in the body so you can play the higher frets), you can still play alot of the licks on this type of guitar that an electric can do if you just change the strings to a lighter gauge. a lighter gauge strings will allow you to bend notes (hard to explain what a bend is, but in the stairway to heaven solo, the first note he plays is a bend).
for a starting guitar i would not suggest buying a cheap-o 100 dollar guitar because youll grow out of it in about a year, and the reselll value on a 100 dollar guitar is like nothing. expect to pay for something in the range of 250-350, for a decent acoustic that will last you for a while. some brands that i would suggest, seagull s6 + cutaway (nice guitar but only problem is that you have to pay more for the acoustic-electric model), or ovation electric-acoustic (i actually have a ovation celebrity cc057 that is a nice and im thinking of selling (PM me if you're interested in pics or whatever) to get a sweet guild d55!!) - the ovation is also a nice guitar that has a really nice neck similar to the neck of an electric guitar, its is increidbly light and very nice as a traveling guitar here is the ovation's webstie cc057 pic and specs.
if you have any more questiosn feel free to ask me
for a starting guitar i would not suggest buying a cheap-o 100 dollar guitar because youll grow out of it in about a year, and the reselll value on a 100 dollar guitar is like nothing. expect to pay for something in the range of 250-350, for a decent acoustic that will last you for a while. some brands that i would suggest, seagull s6 + cutaway (nice guitar but only problem is that you have to pay more for the acoustic-electric model), or ovation electric-acoustic (i actually have a ovation celebrity cc057 that is a nice and im thinking of selling (PM me if you're interested in pics or whatever) to get a sweet guild d55!!) - the ovation is also a nice guitar that has a really nice neck similar to the neck of an electric guitar, its is increidbly light and very nice as a traveling guitar here is the ovation's webstie cc057 pic and specs.
if you have any more questiosn feel free to ask me
johnjohn320
Diamond Member
- Jan 9, 2001
- 7,572
- 2
- 76
I agree with Harvey, I would get an acoustic first (and as nice as you can afford, otherwise you'll just end spending more later). My opinion is that electric is a bit easier to play at first, but in the end there's ups and downs to both. Just get something that fits you, that you feel most at home and comfortable behind. I'm not much of a guitarist at all, this is just what bit of info I might have.
<< Hmmm... thanks guys! But here... what if i want to play songs where you have to pluck the strings and not just chords all the time? Would acoustic still be better? You know thos Latin intros where they pluck it really quick... im kinda clueless on this as you can see >>
You speak of fingerstyle guitar, it really doesn't make much difference, a guitar's a guitar, it just depends on what sound you want. See first paragraph.
Good luck, and PLAY whatever you buy before you buy it, don't just order something from a catalogue.
<< Hmmm... thanks guys! But here... what if i want to play songs where you have to pluck the strings and not just chords all the time? Would acoustic still be better? You know thos Latin intros where they pluck it really quick... im kinda clueless on this as you can see >>
You speak of fingerstyle guitar, it really doesn't make much difference, a guitar's a guitar, it just depends on what sound you want. See first paragraph.
Good luck, and PLAY whatever you buy before you buy it, don't just order something from a catalogue.
I agree with Harvey in every suggestion he had. Definitely go play the guitar before buying - there has to be a guitar store somewhere in your city. I made the mistake of buying a guitar from eBay before playing it, and even though I was lucky enough to get a good one that I still play all the time, I would suggest buying one from a store. Getting one that is good for fingerpicking won't be a concern for a little while, since that takes yuears to learn how to do. I'd say buy an acoustic first then try to get the electric - it'll make the electric a lot easier to play since the acoustic takes a lot more energy and technique.
If you really want to learn how to play quickly, get yourself into a band and play along during practices. I joined a church praise band within the first month of playing guitar, and now about 8 months later I can play along with the band during performance. It's a lot of fun to learn this way since you have an incentive to not quit right away because you don't sound like Clapton after a few lessons.
If you really want to learn how to play quickly, get yourself into a band and play along during practices. I joined a church praise band within the first month of playing guitar, and now about 8 months later I can play along with the band during performance. It's a lot of fun to learn this way since you have an incentive to not quit right away because you don't sound like Clapton after a few lessons.
Thanks guys! Ok... now at least that temptation to go for the baddest most expensive guitar out there got thrown out.
If you're looking for a good quality beginner guitar, Art & Lutherie makes some awesome guitars... got a solid-top acoustic for ~ $300. Sounds great.
don't listen to Harvey, he called riffs "chops" which is a sure sign of a mullet-sporting, poka-dotted-shirt-wearing, 80's geek.
Incedentally, the "smooth" sound you're talking about in latin is because they use "classical" acoustics, which have nylon strings and are much harder to play. They also aren't much good for modern music, although if you're just playing power chords, they have a really nice thick bottom end.
Most acoustics use steel strings and sound and feel more like an electric. Steel stringers are more versatile.
Electrics are the most versatile of all, and are by far the easiest to play.
Ibenez and Fender make decent entry-level electric guitars. I don't know much about the acoustic side of things, though.
Incedentally, the "smooth" sound you're talking about in latin is because they use "classical" acoustics, which have nylon strings and are much harder to play. They also aren't much good for modern music, although if you're just playing power chords, they have a really nice thick bottom end.
Most acoustics use steel strings and sound and feel more like an electric. Steel stringers are more versatile.
Electrics are the most versatile of all, and are by far the easiest to play.
Ibenez and Fender make decent entry-level electric guitars. I don't know much about the acoustic side of things, though.
thomsbrain -- << don't listen to Harvey, he called riffs "chops" which is a sure sign of a mullet-sporting, poka-dotted-shirt-wearing, 80's geek. >>
Huh????
First, if you're any kind of musician, you'd know that chops refers to basic abilities, including finger strength, speed and accuracy, as well as any other skills, such as reading and improvisational abilities.
Second, I'm a curly long hair straight out of the 60's, and I was playing music for a living at the time.
The good news is, I still have all that hair at this point in my life.
>>Huh????
First, if you're any kind of musician, you'd know that chops refers to basic abilities, including finger strength, speed and accuracy, as well as any other skills, such as reading and improvisational abilities.
Second, I'm a curly long hair straight out of the 60's, and I was playing music for a living at the time.
The good news is, I still have all that hair at this point in my life.
Here's another vote for learning on acoustic. Initially it will be tougher than electric, but the hand strength and toughness you'll build will let you switch over to electric with no problem.
I've heard good things about Seagull (good quality at reasonable prices), never played one though. Some Yamaha's are OK too. A cutaway is nice to have as it gives you much better access to the upper frets. There's generally a big difference between a $100 guitar and something more expensive ($300-$500) in terms of playability and sound. Many of the cheap guitars are so hard to play that you could get frustrated and want to quit.
Dude, for a first time player, you should buy an average classical nylon string guitar (around $300). It's way easy for you to practice (steel strings guitar hurts very bad and hard to play, it'll discourage you from learning, at least in my case) Eventually, you'll know exactly what you need.
The best way is learning some basic guitar chords first; then go to the guitar stores and play around to see which one is the easiest one for you to play. Most of the advice from advance players are not really suitable for beginner.
The best way is learning some basic guitar chords first; then go to the guitar stores and play around to see which one is the easiest one for you to play. Most of the advice from advance players are not really suitable for beginner.
<< Dude, for a first time player, you should buy an average classical nylon string guitar (around $300). It's way easy for you to practice (steel strings guitar hurts very bad and hard to play, it'll discourage you from learning, at least in my case) Eventually, you'll know exactly what you need.
The best way is learning some basic guitar chords first; then go to the guitar stores and play around to see which one is the easiest one for you to play. Most of the advice from advance players are not really suitable for beginner. >>
a nylon string guitar? nope, do not buy a nylon string gutiar for 300, you cannot make electric rifts sound good on a nylon string guitar. Unless you just play classical/spanish stuff do not spend 300 for a nylon. steel strings only hurt a bit more than nylon strings, classical gutiars have huge action (the distance from the freboard to the string) which makes it incredbily frustrtating for a beginner, and plus to change strings on a nylon is 2x harder than on an steelstring/electric. Sounds like qtpie is one of those people who had to start out with a crappy classical guitar (i also started out with a classical), yet never advanced enough to get a steelstring/electric guitar...
I would definitely start learning on an acoustic first. If you're really serious about learning guitar, don't buy a cheap one. That doesn't mean go out
and buy a $3000 Taylor, but don't pick up a $100 special "beginner's model" Expect to pay about $300-$500 for a decent sounding playable
guitar to learn on. I'd personally recommend an Ovation, but if you can find one, there's an outfit called Springfield Guitar Company that makes ripoff's
of more well-known guitars. Not the same as the original, but not half bad, either.
and buy a $3000 Taylor, but don't pick up a $100 special "beginner's model" Expect to pay about $300-$500 for a decent sounding playable
guitar to learn on. I'd personally recommend an Ovation, but if you can find one, there's an outfit called Springfield Guitar Company that makes ripoff's
of more well-known guitars. Not the same as the original, but not half bad, either.
<<Sounds like qtpie is one of those people who had to start out with a crappy classical guitar (i also started out with a classical), yet never advanced enough to get a steelstring/electric guitar... >>
hehe, it's funny. On the contrary, I started out with a steel string acoustic guitar and I had a nightmare because it hurt my fingers so bad. I put it away and bought with a nylon string to learn the basic stuff. When I felt comfortable playing with it (by that time I already had calluses), I went back to my steel string guitar, and I found it was giving me better sounds and other things as you all saying above.
For starter, finding a chord and playing it correctly are a challenge task already, forget about all those fancy tricks. Nylon guitar has a wider fret which is easier for beginner to find, press and change chords (reduces the chance of one finger pressing 2 strings) and the strings don't hurt the fingers badly. And thus, IMO, they are the most important thing for the beginner. At least they don't feel discouraged by the guitar and spend more time to practice. You can buy a $150 nylon string guitar first, then choose a better and suitable one AFTER you're sufficient enough. Learn some basic chords first, go the guitar shops and play around with all kind of guitars: classical, acoustic, electric(?), etc., then choose the one that you feel most comfortable playing with. Since you will most likely retire your first guitar when you're getting better, don't spend too much money on the first one ($300 max).
Like BoYRaCeR, I didn't know which kind of guitar that I should buy when I started. Then I shopped around and asked for advice from the salemen (all of them are guitar players). ALL OF THE SALEMEN suggested me to get a steel string guitar because of many reasons as you guys stated above: better sound, I could hook up to the amp/pickup which I could play for the crowd at the party, as well as doing other fancy tricks: riff, slide, using capo, etc. But ALL of them FORGET one important thing: I knew nothing about playing guitar thus those trick were useless for a newbie. You could only to do that kind of stuff after learning all the basic first (which took about a year or so, depends on your practice and talent)
Most of the times I'm playing guitar just for to relax and have fun, never think and want to be a musician, therefore my opinion may be difference from you guys. BTW, I started learning guitar by taking a course at a community college ($30 for a whole semester, hehehe...)
hehe, it's funny. On the contrary, I started out with a steel string acoustic guitar and I had a nightmare because it hurt my fingers so bad. I put it away and bought with a nylon string to learn the basic stuff. When I felt comfortable playing with it (by that time I already had calluses), I went back to my steel string guitar, and I found it was giving me better sounds and other things as you all saying above.
For starter, finding a chord and playing it correctly are a challenge task already, forget about all those fancy tricks. Nylon guitar has a wider fret which is easier for beginner to find, press and change chords (reduces the chance of one finger pressing 2 strings) and the strings don't hurt the fingers badly. And thus, IMO, they are the most important thing for the beginner. At least they don't feel discouraged by the guitar and spend more time to practice. You can buy a $150 nylon string guitar first, then choose a better and suitable one AFTER you're sufficient enough. Learn some basic chords first, go the guitar shops and play around with all kind of guitars: classical, acoustic, electric(?), etc., then choose the one that you feel most comfortable playing with. Since you will most likely retire your first guitar when you're getting better, don't spend too much money on the first one ($300 max).
Like BoYRaCeR, I didn't know which kind of guitar that I should buy when I started. Then I shopped around and asked for advice from the salemen (all of them are guitar players). ALL OF THE SALEMEN suggested me to get a steel string guitar because of many reasons as you guys stated above: better sound, I could hook up to the amp/pickup which I could play for the crowd at the party, as well as doing other fancy tricks: riff, slide, using capo, etc. But ALL of them FORGET one important thing: I knew nothing about playing guitar thus those trick were useless for a newbie. You could only to do that kind of stuff after learning all the basic first (which took about a year or so, depends on your practice and talent)
Most of the times I'm playing guitar just for to relax and have fun, never think and want to be a musician, therefore my opinion may be difference from you guys. BTW, I started learning guitar by taking a course at a community college ($30 for a whole semester, hehehe...)
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