buying a guitar??

Question

anyone know any good beginning guitars for not too much money? and where to find them

Answer 1

I play and teach on the side, so...

Don't look at the brand on the headstock, listen to what comes out of the soundhole. Narrow down your choices within your budget, get a friend who plays and go down to the local guitar supermarket. Have your friend play the same music through your prospects, and see which one 'grabs'.
You might want to think about going shopping on the last day of the month- at the superstores, the sales crew is trying to wrap up their sales for the month, and if you're ready to buy-and can show the cash- you can usually get them either to knock off 10-20% for a floor demo(point out a small nick or two) and maybe even throw in some strings, strap, picks, tuner, metronome, etc. Also, even if you're bargaining, a setup should come with the price of the guitar, as well as a grace period where you can bring the guitar back for an adjustment at no charge.
You also might want to look for a used guitar- bring your friend, if you like the sound, start by offering about 60-70% of the asking price. When your friend plays, have him say things like, "Nice, but the intonation's a little off, could use strings and a setup..." That's usually good for knocking $50 off the asking price.

a good resource for beginners is
www.playguitarmagazine.com

Good Luck,
Seamus

PS-If someone in your shoes was to ask me "What guitar should I buy", I'd say a Seagull S6-great sound for the money! I'd like to offer a bit of advice that may be slightly off topic. Once you have some basics down(can read basic music/tab,know some chords and can change chords at 'normal' speed, etc.) find someone who's at about your current skill level, share the music/tab/chords for a song or two, familiarize yourself with the material, and get together for a jam session. Do this on a regular basis, and I guarantee that you'll both get better much faster than if you were sitting in your room with your headphones on.
Remember- Music is a social activity-if you're trying to do it alone, you probably won't get very far-

Answer 2

If you prefer electric guitars, I'd just go and get an electric - they're both tuned the same and played the same way. In fact, you may find an electric easier as a beginner because the 'action' (that's guitar geek for how high the strings are, and how hard you have to squeeze to get a note out) is often lower on an electric. On the other hand, acoustics are generally cheaper - which means if you decide guitar is not for you then you haven't spent so much money. One word of advice either way - obviously don't buy anything too expensive, but don't go for the cheapest option either. There are some really terrible-sounding cheapies out there which are also really uncomfortable to play and could easily put a beginner off when they'd be happy with a slightly more expensive but more comfortable model. In terms of electrics, there are some particularly good and reliable beginner-to-mid level models made by Peavey, Squier and Yamaha. I started with a Peavey Predator Plus and would recommend that to anyone starting out. Of course, that's just my opinion - maybe go into the shop and ask what they think, maybe get them to give you a few demonstrations of the different guitars on sale.

Answer 3

i think that the thing you should do is go play some guitars first (music stores, pawn shops), see what you think sounds and feels right... so many variables. I own a $300 dollar yamaha (used, from a pawn shop) that i play way more than my $1500 taylor, just because it's gone everywhere with me for 10 years. You do get what you pay for, but as long as it will stay in tune, it's comfortable, and you like it you'll tend to stick with it. Fender has the "squire" series strats and teles... epiphone has good lower end stuff for the $$. yamaha is a good acoustic brand, as well as takamine... first act has a line of guitars at wal mart if you are really budget conscious, but i've never played one so i don't know what you would be getting into there

Answer 4

My first guitar was an ibanez s470. I'd recommend one to anyone learning to play. Hell I'd recommend one to anyone. But those are close to 500. You might want to look on ebay to find some good deals on guitars. If you buy one from a store, I wouldn't recommend anything less than 400.

Answer 5

Acoustic or electric?

for acoustic, I'd go for a Carlo Robelli.

For electric, i'd go for a Jackson