Help with guitar purchase

[zionzr2]

I'm trying to find a guitar for my wife. She does not currently know how to play but really wants to learn.I want to get her an Acoustic/Electric guitar. I have been looking a little bit but don't really know enough about guitars. I hope some of you might be able to give me some input. I think I'm looking in the $500-$750 range. I want it to be good quality and will last but also something a beginner could use.Also would need a few accessories such as a hard case, strap, capo, spare strings.I appreciate your input

[northvibe]

I can ask my roommate about a beginner one, but I bet the best way is to get a nice brand name one used. Then if she gets real into it she can upgrade to a nice one, and if she doesnt you didnt spend to much money but have a name brand nice used guitar

[Mrizzle05]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/game...t.htmThats what you get to practice!

[joatmon]

pawn shop I got an Ovation electroacoustic at one for ~$100. I also got a GIbson Les Paul standard for $350

[zionzr2]

here are a couple i have found that i am looking athttp://www.musiciansfriend.com...16442http://www.musiciansfriend.com...18106

[mspalmer]

I'm also a huge fan of muciansfriend.com. I bought my Gibson SG from them for a great price. I've always wanted to troll the pawn shops in the area but have never taken the time. As far as a learning guitar. Don't get anything too cheap because it will be that much more difficult when you are trying to learn and your hand will take a beating and may cause frustration and the loss of desire to continue playing/practicing. When I pick up my first guitar and play I can hardly play it because the action is so high. I've been happily playing my Taylor for 7 years but it is not really a starter guitar (due to the price) but would be a great one to learn on if you want to spend the money. I think an Ovation or Epiphone or Takamine would be good places to start and then move up to a Gibson, Martin, Fender, or Taylor.Good luck and happy picking,Mike

[Atomic]

I don't know much about acoustic guitars, since I spent all my youth on electrics.Don't buy a bottom of the line model, the ones you selected seem like pretty good choices.Definitely go for the hard shell case, and keep the receipts for everything.Before you get one, check out your yellow pages for music shops, and see who does guitar setup.A little bit of money spent to have the instrument setup correctly will help, as there is nothing worse than trying to use an improperly setup piece of equipment, and it should be easier to learn if things like the action (essentially the distance from the strings to the frets) is too high.And don't forget to buy an electronic tuner with the rest of your accessories. Tuning will be much much simpler that way. You should be able to get a reasonable one for about $30, probably even less.Good luck to her, and tell her not to get discouraged; after a bunch of practice (I'm on 30+years, lol) all of a sudden, her playing will become easier, and make sense.

[tangerine]

grab a washburn lyon. I just started trying to learn to play since I'm still stuck in the house unable to do anything. My mom is an online shop-aholic and got me one on seventhavenue.com was $180 for the guitar, case, amp, strap, extra strings/picks and a learning DVD.

[808 Vibes]

My hon, a musician, says you don't need to spend that much on a beginner guitar. Washburn, Rogue (entry level Fenders) and several other lines from musiciansfriend.com should be good but he wouldn't get an Ovation because of their necks. A thin neck makes it easier to play. Also if you get an acoustic/electric, put on light gauge electric strings such as Ernie Ball Super Slinky. Stay away from bronze acoustic strings-they're way too thick and heavy.

[drunkenmaxx]

hold on, i will email drunkengirlfriend and tell her to check this thread out. she loves guitars.

[drunkengirlfriend]

First of all you should really start with just an acoustic.. I wouldn't buy a $500.00 guitar for a person who is just learning. A better suggestion would be spend a couple hundred on a fender squire accoustic then you can afford all of the extras you mentioned... a case is not that cheap (you want a hard one for sure) Since you don't know much about guitars if you decide to buy used bring someone who knows them with you. Another great thing you could do is get her lessons...even just to get the begining stuff changing your own strings will reck your nerves if you don't know what you are doing. If you are still dead set on an electric acoustic here is my current dream that is well within you 5-7 range http://www.ibanez.com/acoustic...30EMS you can find these at any good shops or they can order them. Think about a squire though and lessons. Oh and tell her it does hurt your fingers when you start. Let me know if you have anyother questions. I'm not a pro but I just started playing a couple of years ago so I remember being brand new

[ZubenElGenubi]

{Zuben blows on his fingers like Tom Hanks does in "You've Got Mail"}I can help you! I've been an acoustic guitarist for over 20 years and get asked about beginner guitars a lot. I'll be underscoring some of the good points that have already been made, but hope to give you some new ones to consider.Price: You've got the right idea about the $500-$750 price range as long as you're including all the accessories and extras you mentioned. A good hardshell case will run about $100; strap - $15; capo - $15 (I recommend Kyser); strings - $9/set. You'll also want to consider a tuner (less than $30), picks (a dozen or so...$5), and a nice wipedown cloth ($5). So, right there, you're looking at about $200 for the "extras" and that puts your guitar price in the $300-550 range.Shopping: I HIGHLY recommend that you and she buy this guitar in-person for three reasons. First, she'll need to find a guitar that "fits" her. Dreadnaughts (like your examples) sound great, but if she's shorter than 5'6", they might be too large for her. Second, an acoustic guitar is an organic product and will vary in sound and feel from instrument to instrument, even within the same model. The differences may be subtle and not even describable, but they can be sensed even by a beginner. Third, you'll want to find a good guitar store that will help you with set up and assistance as you go along. They'll likely be a good contact for finding a guitar teacher as well.This will be a lot easier and more fun if she's actively involved in choosing her first guitar. (If it is to be a surprise, just give her a fancy, home-made "gift certificate" good for one incredible guitar shopping spree.)Brands: For beginners, I really like Takamine, Yamaha, and Alvarez. As much as I love Taylor & Martin, I'm not big fans of their entry-level guitars. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Takamine. They're rock solid and have the best sound for the price. Alvarez acoustics are less expensive and sound good.Body Style: There are basically two major types: dreadnaught (like your examples) and concert (see link for example: http://www.musiciansfriend.com...18736). Dreadnaughts are larger and have a fuller sound than concerts. Both types can be found with cutaways (where you can access the higher parts of the neck), but I don't recommend a cutaway-style for a beginner guitar.You mentioned looking for an electro-acoustic. Unless you've already got a really nice guitar amp or PA (or are definitely planning on getting them), I'd get a straight acoustic. For the same price, you'll be able to get better quality in terms of materials and craftsmanship. You can always add a pickup later if you're so inclined.Strings: Here's where I differ from others. I recommend light or medium phosphor bronze strings by D'Addario (EJ16 or EJ17). Bronze strings sound much better than nickel. Heavier gauge strings are harder to play, yes, but will keep their intonation better than light strings. In the long run, learning to play on heavier, bronze strings will improve her hand strength and toughen up those fingertips!Also, I recommend GHS "Fast Fret"; it's a string cleaner/reconditioner that will extend the life of your strings and make them a little easier to play ($5-6)A great online resource for owner-based reviews is Harmony Central:http://reviews.harmony-central...turerOnce you narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 instruments, you might see what others say about them.Ultimately, you want to get a guitar that sounds good enough - and feels comfortable enough - to want to play every day! Lastly, once she starts practicing, I recommend no more than 30 minutes a day for the first couple of months. Building callouses and strengthening those hand muscles takes time and is not pain-free. But it will get better as long as she doesn't overdo it.-Glenn

[zionzr2]

UPDATE:I really appreciate all the input from everyone.Well we are the proud owners of a Talkamine EG530SSC. Purchased at a Guitar Center Store. The guy who helped me out was awesome. He gave me a great deal on everything. Guitar, Hard Case, strap, Strings, Humidifier, Cloth & polish, learning Book w/dvd, service plan.My wife was totally surprised and was actually speechless. She has had it now for about 3 weeks. I gave it to her just a few days before our anniversary. I was going to give it to her during our church band practice session but it was canceled at the last minute so i gave it to her anyway. She is already doing quite well with it. she has a great aptitude for music. Practicing not quite every night but most. She once put almost 3 hours of practice time in one session. She is playing through the pain a bit and knows it will take a little time to get those callouses built-up. She is picking up chords quite quickly and has already searching out songs and chords for songs she knows.I let our worship leader play it in church last Sunday with it connected to the sound system and it sounds awesome.

[Baltovibe]

I just bought an acoustic guitar with accessories at a Guitar Center store. Being a beginner also, I had to seek out a few sales people until I found one that had the patience and time to help me. While there, I noticed a cute girl negotiating the prices with one of the male salesmen, and watching him give her a big discount on everything! I usually pay full price on everything, assuming that an item marked with a price is the selling price. But after seeing that girl work her magic, I started to negotiate also, and received about 30% off on everything without much trouble. There must be a lot of profit margin built-in on musical equipment!

[ajconover]

EDIT: Oops... I missed the post where zionzr2 announced the purchase of the guitar! Anyway.... Hopefully my comment will still be useful to someone else.Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Brands: For beginners, I really like Takamine, Yamaha, and Alvarez. As much as I love Taylor & Martin, I'm not big fans of their entry-level guitars. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Takamine. They're rock solid and have the best sound for the price. Alvarez acoustics are less expensive and sound good.I would definitely look into an Alvarez "starter kit". They make a pretty decent beginner acoustic guitar which I bought for my girlfriend a number of years ago. It came with a gig bag (soft case), strap, extra strings, an assortment of differently weighted picks, some tutorial materials, and some basic cleaning supplies (which helps instill some good "maintenance and care" habits) -- the total price tag was around $250. With good strings, it really sounds very full and bright and the action was at a level suitable for a beginner. (Building up some calluses is all part of the processes ).You don't get a hard-shell case with that package, but hard cases aren't really necessary (IMHO) unless you plan on letting it sit in storage or are actually carting it around to performances in a vehicle loaded up with tons of other gear... I would consider holding off on the hard case (or finding a used one) until you actually have a need for one.... they can be quite expensive for a good one.As for the "electric" portion, I have a "Dean Markley" style pickup which works very well when I want to lay down some tracks with my acoustic. (I'm mostly a Bass player, so I just use the acoustic to capture ideas that a real guitar player might be able to expand upon).

[ZubenElGenubi]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »Well we are the proud owners of a Talkamine EG530SSC. Purchased at a Guitar Center Store. The guy who helped me out was awesome. He gave me a great deal on everything. Guitar, Hard Case, strap, Strings, Humidifier, Cloth & polish, learning Book w/dvd, service plan.Sweet! That guitar retails at the top end of your price range; hope you got a good deal w/ Guitar Center (I love that place).Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »I let our worship leader play it in church last Sunday with it connected to the sound system and it sounds awesome.Which reminds me of a funny story. My dad helped me buy my first nice acoustic guitar (Alvarez 5086 acoustic/electric) and a couple of months later went to see me perform at a local venue. I loaned the guitar to another player at the show and while that guy was performing, my dad leaned over to me and said, "Oh, THAT'S what it supposed to sound like!" PWND!