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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:41:56 PM EDT
[#1]
Guild makes some pretty good guitars
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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:42:55 PM EDT
[#2]
You should ask this in the musicians forum so the thread will be in view longer to get more responses. I play guitar and have for going on 22 years now. Acoustic isn't my favorite as I enjoy electric more, but I still use acoustic as the sonic tool it is when I want it to build a song with or play one with an acoustic part in it. Taking lessons when first starting out can really help you get started without developing bad habits and have an outlet to ask and get answers from directly in front of you. There are lots of books and videos out there to help besides and many people do learn to play without lessons, but that doesn't change what I just said. As for a guitar to learn on it's good to go to the local music stores firsthand and see what they've got. Try them patiently, restraining your urge to buy the first shiny guitar you see till you get a good idea of what's the nicest to you in feel, sound and price. Here's the biggest online dealer and also the company that owns the biggest chain of music stores in the USA to get an idea of what's out there. MusiciansFriend.com |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:43:10 PM EDT
[#3]
Yes, I have been playing quite a bit of contemporary country lately. Good times. I have a fairly new Martin DX1, which is a dreadnaught size with high pressure laminate back and sides, and a fine Sitka spruce sounding board. Easy playing and great sounding. I gave $500 for it at Guitar Center.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:45:45 PM EDT
[#4]
I love acoustic (and electric, haha). Taylor consistently makes fantastic guitars IMO, you can't go wrong with them. The other brands are more hit or miss according to model - some Gibsons sound great, some suck, some Martins sound great, some are no better than a beginner guitar, some Takamine are great...some aren't.
I have several including a Takamine 12-string, but my favorite is a special model Washburn jumbo, it was around $850 new: 
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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:49:07 PM EDT
[#5]
I have a Taylor 814ce that I bought brand new when I was 15 years old. First year they had the expression system in them. I saved a long time to but that guitar, and I still love it.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 7:51:58 PM EDT
[#6]
So can anyone recommend a good beginner guitar for under $200 or so?
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:00:29 PM EDT
[#7]
Sweetwater.com is your best place to buy anything music releated.
And if you call them you can haggle the price with the sales engineer. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:02:51 PM EDT
[#8]
In my view the best quality for price ratio in an acoustic instrument will come from one of the Canadian makers. Either Seagull, Art&Lutherie or Simon&Patrick. THese instruments are built from quality woods that are not laminated - although they are non traditional woods (Cherry, for instance), solid tops and exhibit good playability. Most even come with Cedar tops. They are the best things out there right now for your money. I like them so much I plan on purchasing a smallish (00 or 000 type) instrument from one of them as my beater travel guitar.
Failing that, I would go to Yamaha for quality to price considerations. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:03:25 PM EDT
[#9]
I am quite well taken with my Yamaha Accu/Electric.
Elixer strings make it 100 times better though 
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:09:26 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
So can anyone recommend a good beginner guitar for under $200 or so? Keep an eye on CraigsList. Look for one of the Yamaha acoustics. They are pretty decent and show up under $200. If you buy a new guitar for under $200, you'll be disappointed. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:12:54 PM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Anyone here play acoustic guitars? Ive been getting into acoustic music lately, and I am starting to get the urge to buy an Acoustic guitar to learn how to play. Any recommendations or comments? If you want one, be prepared to go play a bunch of them. Never, EVER buy an acoustic without playing it first to see what sort of tone it has. You can pick up 6 of the exact same model guitars and get 6 wildly varying types of sound out of them. To buy, first decide what style of body you want. This will be dictated by the sound you want. Personally I prefer the sound of dreadnought guitars to any other. Jumbo, Grand Auditorium, etc will all make a difference in the type of sound the guitar gets. So do cutaways. (Cutaways may look cool, but they often diminish the sound of the guitar) The materials also make a difference. Guitars with a premium spruce top and premium rosewood back and sides will sound much different than the same guitar made with maple back and sides. Acoustics run the gamut from crappy pieces of pressboard crap stamped out by the millions to boutique brands that are made out of only the finest hand selected materials where 10 grand is the starting price. If you're looking to spend less than a grand, I'd say give Alvarez and Yamaha acoustics a good hard look. I've been very impressed with the quality and tone of the high end Alvarez acoustics I've played. If you're willing to go up a good bit more, Taylor makes some guitars that sound wonderful. My main acoustic is a Taylor dreadnought with maple back and sides. The finish is very durable, the quality is superb (not to mention beautiful) and it sounds fantastic to me. Maple tends to provide a very bright tone but at least on my guitar the tone is also very warm and full just like a good rosewood guitar. I played over 100 different acoustics before I settled on that one. It had the third best sound of any guitar I had played....number 1 was a $7,000 Martin and number 2 was a $10,000 Huss & Dalton guitar. At a little over 2 grand (it was on sale because some schmuk custom ordered the guitar and then backed out leaving the dealer stuck with the guitar) the Taylor was comparatively a bargain. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:13:50 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
So can anyone recommend a good beginner guitar for under $200 or so? Alvarez or Yamaha make some decent sounding guitars in that price range....but it's best if you can find a good used guitar cheap. My uncle has one of the upper echelon Yamahas that he bought for $450 several years ago...and it's a super nice guitar. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:13:51 PM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
So can anyone recommend a good beginner guitar for under $200 or so? Both Takamine and Alvarez make some very nice guitars for that price and are common in stores. See if you've got a GuitarCenter local. There are lots of nice guitars out there though. Takamine's Alvarez GuitarCenter |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:14:44 PM EDT
[#14]
It seems like the Seagull S6 is a good guitar from what Ive been hearing. Looks like those can be had for around 300 or so.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:24:06 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
It seems like the Seagull S6 is a good guitar from what Ive been hearing. Looks like those can be had for around 300 or so. I have a Seagull S6+Spruce. Very nice guitar for the price. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:30:16 PM EDT
[#16]
I just picked up an Ibanez Exotic Wood Acoustic Electric at Guitar Center for like 365. Awesome sounding guitar and great looking to boot.
GO TO A STORE AND PLAY THE GUITARS!!! Pick the one you like the most, then play 3-5 of those and choose the best one. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:37:46 PM EDT
[#17]
Seagull, Alvarez or Takamine, in my opinion. As others have said, though, ya gotta go and play a few. Even if you can't play yet, learn ONE chord, I recommend G. Then, you can strum it on a guitar and see which one you like best.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:38:39 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Anyone here play acoustic guitars? Ive been getting into acoustic music lately, and I am starting to get the urge to buy an Acoustic guitar to learn how to play. Any recommendations or comments? If you want one, be prepared to go play a bunch of them. Never, EVER buy an acoustic without playing it first to see what sort of tone it has. You can pick up 6 of the exact same model guitars and get 6 wildly varying types of sound out of them. To buy, first decide what style of body you want. This will be dictated by the sound you want. Personally I prefer the sound of dreadnought guitars to any other. Jumbo, Grand Auditorium, etc will all make a difference in the type of sound the guitar gets. So do cutaways. (Cutaways may look cool, but they often diminish the sound of the guitar) The materials also make a difference. Guitars with a premium spruce top and premium rosewood back and sides will sound much different than the same guitar made with maple back and sides. Acoustics run the gamut from crappy pieces of pressboard crap stamped out by the millions to boutique brands that are made out of only the finest hand selected materials where 10 grand is the starting price. If you're looking to spend less than a grand, I'd say give Alvarez and Yamaha acoustics a good hard look. I've been very impressed with the quality and tone of the high end Alvarez acoustics I've played. If you're willing to go up a good bit more, Taylor makes some guitars that sound wonderful. My main acoustic is a Taylor dreadnought with maple back and sides. The finish is very durable, the quality is superb (not to mention beautiful) and it sounds fantastic to me. Maple tends to provide a very bright tone but at least on my guitar the tone is also very warm and full just like a good rosewood guitar. I played over 100 different acoustics before I settled on that one. It had the third best sound of any guitar I had played....number 1 was a $7,000 Martin and number 2 was a $10,000 Huss & Dalton guitar. At a little over 2 grand (it was on sale because some schmuk custom ordered the guitar and then backed out leaving the dealer stuck with the guitar) the Taylor was comparatively a bargain. This....Never buy just because of a brand. I recently bought a new one. I played every one they had in most of the stores around here. No two acoustics sound the same. Same company,same builder,same day,same tree.................different sound. They all have different voices, Wait until you find one that speaks to you. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:40:18 PM EDT
[#19]
I like my Martin DM.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:46:34 PM EDT
[#20]
You can get decent Yamahas and Fenders for under $200 all day. I picked up a Fender Squier at a CD store of all places for like $100. Tonaly, it sounds like a $500 Fender. It has a slight fret buzz at the twelfth fret after about 2 years now.
I also have a 12 string Yamaha I picked up about 15 years ago for $300 new. About the same playability. Just don't get a complete piece of shit. It'd be like buying a race-car made from spare chinese parts and wondering if it it's the car's fault or your fault that you can't win any races. Know what I mean? |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:57:40 PM EDT
[#21]
Ibanez are good, inexpensive guitars.
ETA: The most important things with acoustic guitars are playability and tone. Playability is the most important. If the action is too high, it'll be a bitch to play, especially when you're first starting out and you don't have the guitarists calluses on the ends of your fingers. Don't buy a guitar without playing it first. If you decide to order one from a catalog, go check one out in a guitar store first. And guitar stores will sometimes match catalog prices. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 8:58:24 PM EDT
[#22]
i have a yamaha youth model for my travel guitar, it has a rather interesting sound, great guitar.
the full size is a fender. i prefer electrics, but i honestly spend more time messing with the acoustics than anything. |
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Posted: 9/20/2009 8:15:35 AM EDT
[#23]
I found someone selling a used Seagull S6 locally for $200. I might see about checking it out.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:26:21 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
I found someone selling a used Seagull S6 locally for $200. I might see about checking it out. That is a decent deal on a good guitar, you should definitely investigate it. |
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:28:13 AM EDT
[#25]
Dean makes a nice acoustic guitar, their preformer series are a good deal. My S/O loves hers.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:29:28 AM EDT
[#26]
If you need a good guitar for a good price take the advice of the seagull. Don't think you will beat it in overall value.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:33:17 AM EDT
[#27]
I have to side with the seagull.....After playing as many as possible. The seagull had the best tone and best feel.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:44:13 AM EDT
[#28]
I've got a Fender Sonoran acoustic/electric and really like it. It's a little out of your price range, but GC usually has some discount or coupon deal for 10-15% off.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:47:34 AM EDT
[#29]
Quality for price, Yamaha. Sound quality, Taylor.
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Posted: 9/20/2009 9:59:36 AM EDT
[#30]
Ibanez acoustics are available at Guitar Center and a lot of independent retailers. I don't own one, but I've liked every one I've ever played. I'd recommend this one in particular: Ibanez AEG20E
Ibanez necks seem to run a little thinner than other entry level or economy priced guitars. They sound good for laminate body guitars, the ones I've played didn't have intonation problems, and, most importantly, they sound good for an inexpensive guitars. |
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Posted: 9/20/2009 6:01:49 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I found someone selling a used Seagull S6 locally for $200. I might see about checking it out. That is a decent deal on a good guitar, you should definitely investigate it. Not knowing anything about guitars, what should I look for? |
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Posted: 9/20/2009 7:06:14 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I found someone selling a used Seagull S6 locally for $200. I might see about checking it out. That is a decent deal on a good guitar, you should definitely investigate it. Not knowing anything about guitars, what should I look for? Look for a rising bridge first, then check the neck relief. Then, strum some chords. You should have a point of reference, but if you don't, just see does it sound good to you. The S6 is very likely to fit your needs, they are outstanding guitars for the price point. |
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Posted: 9/20/2009 7:07:45 PM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
Quoted:
It seems like the Seagull S6 is a good guitar from what Ive been hearing. Looks like those can be had for around 300 or so. I have a Seagull S6+Spruce. Very nice guitar for the price. +1 ... love mine. 
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Posted: 9/20/2009 7:08:59 PM EDT
[#34]
Craigslist is a great idea.
A thousand people in your area had the same idea you did. They wanted to play guitar, and then they bought one. It's now sitting in their closet. Their loss = your gain. Don't sweat all the details yet. |
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