What is the best brand of acoustic guitars for beginners or first time buyers?

Question

I want to buy an acoustic guitar but I don't know where to start looking. I need a guitar that's very good but still inexpensive (maybe around $100 is fine with me). Also, I am an absolute beginner in guitar. Thanks in advance!

Someone from my guitar class at school mentioned a brand, I think it was Staccato?? I don't know for sure but it started with an S....anyone heard of it??.....

Answer 1

I'd recommend eBay personally. You should be able to get a quality guitar there used for about what you'd have to pay for something new. Stick with brands with a reputation such as Ovation, Martin, Takamine, Fender or Ephiphone and remember, it's not looks that matter so steer clear of stuff that looks like it should be in the $1000 dollar range but lists at $39.99...in musical instruments you only get what you pay for and nobody wants to pay for garbage.

Answer 2

I personally like a Harmony guitar I have. I am not sure how much it is worth, but I like the size, shape, and feel of it.

You can often find decent guitars at flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales. Keep an eye out for Gibsons and Fenders, which NEVER lose value, not to mention they are GREAT guitars. Keep an eye out in the classifieds, too. eBay is another good place to look, but it may not be reliable.

I currently own both a Fender Squire and a Harmony Stella guitar. Personally, I like the Stella (not unlike this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-STELLA-Harmony-H6128-Acoustic-guitar-w-case_W0QQitemZ250039422212QQihZ015QQcategoryZ85851QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting ) better, but really it's the player's choice.

If you have small hands, you might want to consider a student guitar, which is 3/4 the size of a regular guitar.

You may also want to consider steel strings or nylon strings. Nylon is much easier on the untrained, uncallused hands, but you will have to tune it a lot more, which could be difficult if you can't match pitches. Steel strings will last longer and you will only need to tune them once in a while, but you will feel the pain (and I mean PAIN) of a long 2 hour practice. The Squire that I have has nylon for the three thin, cutting strings and steel for the three deep, dull strings. The only disadvantage is uneven tuning.

Oh, and the left handed thing? Pull a Jimi Hendrix- learn to play it upside down :D

Answer 3

There are some pretty good cheap beginner ones that you can just then replace with a better one later when you learn more. You can get a Rouge RA-100D Dreadnought for $79.95. Thats a good beginner guitar. But you can just get the Ibanez IJV50 JamPack Quick Start bundle packt for $99.99. It has the IbanezV50 guitar, a strap, a gig bag, an electric tuner, and an accessory pouch. Its cheap and its a good beginner guitar. Ibanez are good guitars plus its not like you need a really good one to start on, you can buy a better one later. Plus this way you also have the gig bag, strap, and the tuner which is important so you can always be in tune and change tunings. Check it out on websites like www.musiciansfriend.com or better yet see if they're on www.sweetwater.com because they offer free Fedex shipping no matter how much you spend and theyre fast. Usually only takes 2 days to get to your house.

Answer 4

When buying a first guitar, buy the best guitar that you can afford. Don't look for a new one as you'll be able to get a better used one for the same money.

Bring an experienced acoustic guitar player with you. Look for proper intonation, playability and any defects. The strings should be low to the neck but without buzz.

An instrument that sounds good and is easy to play will encourage you to play all the more. A cheap guitar (and $100 for a new guitar is actually really cheap) is going to be more difficult to play, may not have good intonation (It is not in tune in all positions along the neck) and may soon suffer from warping and other defects.

Also, invest in good strings. To take it easy on your fingers while learning, you might want to try a lighter string. My favorite light strings are Martin silk and steel. I like the light sound from these strings, and they're easy on the fingers. The downside is that they don't last as long as bronze wound strings, but everything has trade-offs.

When learning, the fingers on your left hand will suffer. (I'm assuming you're right-handed; if left-handed you're going to pay even more for a guitar). My advantage is to keep playing and soon your fingers will toughen up. Some people recommend putting super-glue on your fingers to prevent them from hurting as much, but I've never tried it.

Anyway, good luck, and I hope you have as many years of happiness as I have from playing.

--Dee

Answer 5

A very good guitar is going to be more than $150. I would stick around that range, though, because if you're a beginner, you don't want to get something really good and either never play it or give up playing. If you're sure you want to play guitar, and you will be playing for a while, then yes, get a good solid guitar. The best brands in my experience are Taylor and Martin.

Answer 6

I really liked my Yamaha acoustic. I don't remember the exact type number or name, but it was moderately priced at Guitar Center. I love it :D

Answer 7

Epiphone if you are buying one new. But I would look for a better brand name one that is used. Fender, Washburn, Dean, Ibanez, or Gibson would be a good used one to find.

Answer 8

DO NOT BUY ESTEBAN. I bought one when I first started and I couldn't even sell it to a used guitar store. Just a piece of advice.

Answer 9

go into your local music store and try them!!!

fender, epiphone, ibanez.....they all make inexpensive beginner guitars. but you should put them in your hands before you pick one and never buy from an infomercial or ebay.

Answer 10

true any old guitar to put some music in is great some of my favorite guitars have been cheapos