What is a good beginner's acoustic guitar for an adult?

Question

I am a 27 year old female, interested in playing an acoustic guitar. I would like to spend under $200. Am I being too cheap?

Answer 1

Hi. I am a player myself, and here's some CORRECT advice.... don't buy a really cheap guitar...you'll regret it. Cheap guitars like the Walmart/department store cheapos... First Act, etc. generally are hard to play because they are not well made or properly set up, and will cause you to get frustrated and quit. Then you'll have a pricey dust catcher sitting in the corner.

Shy away from pawn shops too unless you know guitars (and what to look for in a guitar) REALLY well. Most items that get hocked at a pawn shop are well used and may have problems. And when you buy it, there's generally no returns so if it's a piece of junk, you're stuck with it. (same thing with amps). For a first guitar you want something that's dependable.

Go to your local guitar store and tell them that you are a beginner and that you have X dollars that you can spend. These guys are all players themselves and love to see new players come in. They can show you several options in your price range, both new and used, and unlike department stores, you can try them out before you buy. They also have starter groupings with a guitar, case, and accessories to get you started. Additionally, I recommend buying an electronic guitar tuner...you will be able to accurately tune every time, plus you will "educate" your ear to know the way a properly tuned guitar is supposed to sound.

The people at the store will tell you this themselves, but I'll say it here also...no two guitars are exactly alike, nor do they all play alike. What you want is a guitar that has good "action" (ease of fingering the strings up and down the neck) and of course good tone and sound. Don't buy the guitar based on which one looks coolest...buy it based on its playability.

Good Luck and have fun! Hope this helped.

Answer 2

We bought an acoustic guitar from WalMart... First Act brand... when they first came out with it.... it was $80, and included the softside case. It's a full size guitar, looks good, and sounds good. I know it sounds silly to think of buying one from WalMart, but they surprised me with the quality of this guitar.

Strings are important too.... if you put cheap strings on an expensive guitar... you will notice a difference.... the better strings have more 'winding' on them, and feel much better than a lot of the lesser quality strings out there.

Our guitar is on its second student now, hehehe...

You might also think of looking for a used guitar...either at a music store, local ads, or even eBay.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Yamaha puts out a starter kit that comes with everything you need (strap, picks, xtra strings, etc...). I think it even comes with a beginners booklet. It costs about 150.00, and will have a better sound and longevity than anything you'll get at Walmart. Should be able to pick it up at any music store, or order it from musiciansfriend.com.

Answer 4

buy a used one at a pawnshop and save money AND NOT SUPPORT CORPORATE EVILS SUCH AS WALMART! you can find one for a hundred bucks or less and will last longer than walmarts chinese junk guitars

Answer 5

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