What is the best starter guitar?

Question

I want to get a guitar for Christmas but I don't know what the best type is. I think I want to start with acoustic. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Some things to be aware of: 1) nylon strings are kinder to your fingers at first, but steel strings give a brighter sound.
2) You cannot have long, pretty nails on your left hand. 3) Your fingers will hurt a lot when you start, but it soon wears off.
That having been said, you best bet is to go to your local music shop with whoever is buying the present( so you know how much you can spend!) If possible, take a knowledgeable friend with you. Get him/her to playdifferent guitars for you, and see which one you like the sound of. Hold it yourself in playing position and see if it feels comfortable. Try pushing the strings down on to the fingerboard to see how easy it is to do. Maybe your friend can demonstrate a simple chord shape you could try. If no friend, ask the assistant. If possible, you also need a gig bag and a tuner. Maybe the shop will have a deal it can do you. Hope this helps, and enjoy!

Answer 2

Electric is easier, so I recommend acoustic. Never spend more than $150 bucks on a hobby you haven't taken up yet. It could be a big waste of money. Find something used or just cheap. You'll know if you like it regardless of the guitar and early on you won't be able to hear the difference between a $150 guitar and $1500 guitar

Of course, if it is Christmas present, I don't know...it's free anyway I suppose. Shoot for the stars.

Answer 3

I tell all my students to start with a Yamaha acoustic...you can get a very nice sounding one at the Guitar Center for $200.00. even less on sale, and their very good at giving you a deal if you ask. Why spend all the money on something that you may not even like after you get into it....with electric you need an amp etc....and who wants to hear some practicing on an electric guitar....they don't sound good until you know how to play....and with an acoustic you can play it anytime without bothering anyone....and first of all you have to see if you have the talent for playing and the ability to put up with the pain in your fingers and hands....you have to develop callouses to be able to play without pain....and that could take a few months...and for women....the nails on your left hand have to be very short ....I think if you play the Yamaha or have one of the clerks play it for you you'll be pleased with the sound...Yamaha has come a long way with their inexpensive guitars.....just have them demonstrate all that they have as they all have a little different sound and action....sit and play individual notes on the one that you decide on to make sure that there are no buzzes and that the strings are easy to press down....if it's to hard try another one, good luck, and happy playing, bye !!!!!

Answer 4

Good, relatively inexpensive acoustic guitar brands for beginners: Yamaha, Epiphone, Ibanez, Blueridge, Washburn. Figure on them costing between $250-350, new (of course, you could get lucky and find a used one in good shape for less). Anything too much cheaper than that will almost certainly sound lousy, be made of cheap materials that fall apart quickly, and be pretty much unplayable. Stay away from Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best Buy, and HSN network (Esteban's infomercials) as sources of guitars -- the guitar-shaped-objects on sale in those locations are basically unplayable toys.

You don't want to spend a lot of money on a really good guitar until you know you're going to stick with it for the next several years -- but $300 is NOT a lot of money to spend on a beginner-level instrument, and if you buy one of the brand names I mentioned above, you'll have a decent sounding, playable instrument to start on, and be able to sell it if you decide not to stick with the guitar and get most of your money back on the sale.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Get an acoustic because that hardens up your fingers and gives you caluses faster, in about a month if you can play acoustic without your fingers hurting, playing electric guitar with be a thrill and not hard at all, it will be like pressing air! And it will give your electric a better sound because you press harder!