OK so I’ll admit, I’m lazy. I already know I should search.
Anyway.
It occurred to me yesterday that I could buy my 15 year old son an acoustic guitar and teach him a few chords, then we could play some tunes together, as a change from my sitting alone with the computer playing along with CDs.
I’m not looking for anything virtuoso from him, just steady rhythm and a few chords. He might like to do that.
So I guess I would like a recommendation for a guitar that would be nice enough, stay in tune (that’s most important) and probably have nylon strings (he’s a fingernail biter) and one that’s entry level but not “cheap”, if you know what I mean. At least, I’d like some idea of something that I could go into the local music store and ask for, or look for on the 'net.
Sorry to ask if this has been done to death, but there are an awful lot of guitars out there. When I was a teenager, I simply went to the local music store and bought the first guitar I saw that was in my budget, and it was beautiful, played great and served me well. I wish I still had it, it is lost somewhere in the mists of time now…
What’s your price range, and do you want a “disposable” guitar, or something that will last through beginner and intermediate levels, and could sell when he’s ready to upgrade? Come to think of it, that’s just same question reworded!
-Mike Brennan
Because the mountain dulcimer would also fit in with your plans. I could give you instructions to get your son playing D, G and A chords in 5 minutes. And harpmaker has fantastic quality “student” dulcimer he makes and sells for $100 (we use these with our students). We host him on our site, just go to “marketing” and “Sweet Woods Dulcimers” on the left side of the homepage.
I have a mountain dulcimer, Missy, thanks.
Nobody seemed too sold on it at my house. I think a guitar would appeal more to my teenage son, being a bit more “mainstream”, if you know what I mean…
Mike, I really don’t go for “disposable” instruments, so something relatively nice for the price is my preferred MO. As far as price, I guess “reasonable” is the best I can say right now. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that I might pick it up from time to time myself.
It would be good if it can be had in USA.
Screech, tell me more. I don’t think the boy needs something that can be plugged in right now, however.
Mary;
Make sure its a solid spruce top. You should find Alvarez and Washburns in a very reasonable price range. One brand that I’ve been impressed with recently is Blueridge. They seem to do a good job of bridging the gap between entry level and professional instruments, so they’re a little more expensive. I’ve never liked Fender or Epiphone, which is what you find a lot of, at least around here.
Having said that, the most important thing is to trust your ears and ignore the name on the headstock. Most folks looking for guitars don’t beleive they can tell a good guitar from a bad one. You have to listen to 15+ guitars but eventually you will start to hear the subtleties in the tones. You will be able to tell a good sounding guitar from a bad one, as well as what kind of sounds you like - warm and rich (Martin) or bright and sparkly (Taylor).
The mechanical things to look for are strings close enough to the fretboard to be easily playable without fret buzz, and straightness of the neck. Also make sure the tuners are tight and work smoothly.
When evaluating the tone of a specific guitar you also need to make sure its tuned up to pitch. Often in a music store you’ll find guitars tuned a semitone or even a whole tone flat. This gives the false impression that the guitar is easier to play and has a more open sound, especially in the bottom end. Also, note how new the strings are. Old dirty or rusty strings will sound duller. Old strings are also an indication of how long that guitar has been on the wall. The dealer might be a little more negotiable if he’s having a hard time moving that guitar. If you’re getting serious about a guitar ask the dealer if he or she will put new strings on it before you make your final decision.
When I was in college a friend of mine brought his new made-in-Japan guitar to me to see what I thought of it. I took one look at it, never heard of this off-brand name and thought “Aw Jim, what kind of junk did you waste your 200 bucks on”. Then I started playing it. It was a great guitar! I had never heard of that brand before but as the years went by they made a pretty good name for themselves - Takemine.
To make a long story short, ignore the name and trust your ears.
I just re-read what i wrote and i see the error in what i said. The APX5NA does still plug in, it has a very good bridge pick up in it. The APX9NA has the same bridge pick up but also has a microphone inside it to blend into the main pick up to give a nice touch of depth to the sound.
In my opinion, the APX5NA is a very good entry level guitar that will see a player well through their first few years.
And as Mike mentioned Takemine, it reminded me that there was a thread a while ago about nylon strung guitars…
A nylon string guitar is a little easier on the fingers at first, but after a few weeks of practice your fingers will toughen up and it won’t be an issue. A nylon string guitar has a lovely sound, but its much more limited in what it can do well. In an earlier post you said you wanted something a little more “mainstream” for him, presumably so he can play other styles of music too if he takes an interest. If that’s the case, I would recommend a steel string guitar. Its much more “standard”.
-Mike
a well-setup steel string guitar is not significantly “harder” on the fingers than nylon strings. generally if there seems to be significant wear and tear on the fingers, the real problem is that they’re pushing the strings down too hard.
Mary,
After everybody has stated their preferences for one guitar model or another I have my one bit of advice. Before you buy any guitar, whether nylon or steel strung, have it checked out by someone who knows guitars. The best would be to bring a guitar-playing friend to the shop to check out several instruments. The reason I suggest this approach is that every guitar maker occasionally makes a clunker. I have played hand-made $5,000 guitars from famous makers that were completely dead, and I’ve played factory-made $500 guitars that were wonderful. Ideally, the last thing you should look at on a guitar is the maker’s name. Since this isn’t an ideal world, the names of reliable makers can narrow down your choices. But the final decision should be made without regard to who, or what factory, made the instrument. In the end, sound and playability are the two most important factors.
Mike
As IrishPiper42 mentions, try to go for a solid spruce top as opposed to a laminate top. This can be a little tricky if you’re not used to reading ads because often they’ll say ‘genuine spruce top’ or just ‘spruce top’ but you want to see the word ‘solid’. Alot of the entry level yamahas and other makes will probably be laminate tops.
If you get the guitar at a music shop make sure they’ll adjust the action (how far the strings are from the frets) for you, even at some point after you buy it. As someone mentioned it’s a good idea to bring along someone familiar with acoustic guitars to give you some feedback on the guitar. Some guitars are hard to play/fret and others will play like a dream. Once you decide on a guitar you will also probably want to change the strings from what may be factory mediums to perhaps something like D’Addario light acoustic strings. Ask the shop if they’d put the fresh strings on for you and perhaps give you a quick heads up on doing this as you’ll want to put on fresh ones every few months or so depending on how much the guitar is being played.
