Guitars

MG · Post by MG » October 6, 2004 5:12 pm

I need a little help from the guitar players out there. Our 13 year old son has asked for a guitar for Christmas. He has not yet decided whether he wants an electric or acoustic guitar. What are some good entry-level guitars on the market? Are any of the package deals worthwhile? Thanks for your help.

12Volt · Post by **12Volt** » October 6, 2004 5:55 pm

You can check out www.musiciansfriend.com and look around.

They have many "value packages" depending on what you are looking for.

IsleReef · Post by **IsleReef** » October 6, 2004 6:20 pm

As a keyboardist/guitarist,............ I would go with an acoustic guitar to start him off with, but the most important thing is for a guitar teacher who will teach him classically..................... Trust me as a musician, classical is the way to be taught......... I was a classicaly trained pianest from age 6 until I graduated high school and would not have my kids do it any other way......... Also I thank my mom for not letting me quit when I wanted to..........

captain strongo · Post by **captain strongo** » October 6, 2004 6:29 pm

Hands down, no questions asked, go with an acoustic/electric guitar. It is best of both worlds. For a beginner I would check out Alvarez guitars.

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 8:59 pm

I have 11 guitars and my favorite is an electric/acoustic guitar. It has the cutaway at the bottom for easy access to all frets and its a little bit smaller than the jumbo sized acoustics that i have. But for a first guitar it would depend on how he's being taught. I had a guitar teacher who was classically trained, but realized that kids who are in their teens, so I learned what I wanted to learn. If that is the case, I'd go with an electric guitar, they are much smaller and easier to learn on. I also wouldn't buy anything over $200 because I'd say a lot of people give up at it, so I wouldn't go out and buy an expensive guitar. If they want something that looks cool, go with a Squire Strat or Telecaster, or an Epiphone model Les Paul.

A1A BOUND · Post by **A1A BOUND** » October 6, 2004 9:03 pm

captain strongo wrote:Hands down, no questions asked, go with an acoustic/electric guitar. It is best of both worlds. For a beginner I would check out Alvarez guitars.

i agree. however, buy a used one and get a good one. it is really discouraging play a piece of sh*t guitar. alvarez is ok, they are 100.00 - 200.00 used.

it is not easy to learn on an electric.

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 9:11 pm

A1A BOUND wrote:
captain strongo wrote:Hands down, no questions asked, go with an acoustic/electric guitar. It is best of both worlds. For a beginner I would check out Alvarez guitars.
i agree. however, buy a used one and get a good one. it is really discouraging play a piece of sh*t guitar. alvarez is ok, they are 100.00 - 200.00 used.

it is not easy to learn on an electric.

I disagree. The strings are smaller, the neck is slimmer, and the body is smaller as well. I found learning on an electric easier. Although now that I'm a good guitar player I prefer acoustics. I do agree that a good guitar is a lot better to learn on, so used may be the way to go simply because spending alot on a guitar may not be a good idea, until he's sure he likes it. Sometimes learning to play can be discouraging because it does take a lot of practice and not everyone is willing to commit.

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 9:15 pm

I know Fender makes a Squire Stratocaster package that comes with the guitar, a 15-watt amp, a strap, a patchcord, tuner, picks, and a book. They are fairly reasonable too.

Key Lime Lee · Post by **Key Lime Lee** » October 6, 2004 9:28 pm

Electric or acoustic really depends on what interests your son...

In retrospect, I would have chosen to learn on an acoustic because the strength you gain from having to fret correctly makes it easier to play electric.... learning on electric can lead you to be lazy in your fretting which can be a tough habit to break.

But what's most important when they start is keeping them interested enough to endure the learning curve. And if that means they want an electric, then go that way.

I would shoot for something in the $200-250 range. Much less and it's going to be a piece of crap and honestly it will be impossible to learn on a guitar with poor intonation, high action and loose tuning pegs. Learning on a cheap guitar is like learning to drive standard on a truck clutch... no need to make it more frustrating.

Fender's Squire series is decent for electrics in that price range, the Epiphones are decent as well. Acoustics in that range... the Takamine G series is good for the $$, and the Guild and Yamaha acoustics are pretty good.

No $200 electric through a 15" solid state amp is ever going to sound like what your son hears on the radio... there's a reason I plug a $1500 Les Paul Custom into my $1000 Marshall JCM-800 50 watt tube amp and the Marshall 4x12 speaker cabinet. But if your son digs noise, they will make noise....

As far as whether to be classically trained or not... again, I think it's a matter of what interests them. I personally only survived six or seven weeks of lessons before I got bored... I wasn't ready to learn the mixolydian mode - I just wanted to play the opening riff to Sunday Bloody Sunday.... see what he thinks and go from there...

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 9:42 pm

Key Lime Lee wrote:Electric or acoustic really depends on what interests your son...

In retrospect, I would have chosen to learn on an acoustic because the strength you gain from having to fret correctly makes it easier to play electric.... learning on electric can lead you to be lazy in your fretting which can be a tough habit to break.

But what's most important when they start is keeping them interested enough to endure the learning curve. And if that means they want an electric, then go that way.

I would shoot for something in the $200-250 range. Much less and it's going to be a piece of crap and honestly it will be impossible to learn on a guitar with poor intonation, high action and loose tuning pegs. Learning on a cheap guitar is like learning to drive standard on a truck clutch... no need to make it more frustrating.

Fender's Squire series is decent for electrics in that price range, the Epiphones are decent as well. Acoustics in that range... the Takamine G series is good for the $$, and the Guild and Yamaha acoustics are pretty good.

No $200 electric through a 15" solid state amp is ever going to sound like what your son hears on the radio... there's a reason I plug a $1500 Les Paul Custom into my $1000 Marshall JCM-800 50 watt tube amp and the Marshall 4x12 speaker cabinet. But if your son digs noise, they will make noise....

As far as whether to be classically trained or not... again, I think it's a matter of what interests them. I personally only survived six or seven weeks of lessons before I got bored... I wasn't ready to learn the mixolydian mode - I just wanted to play the opening riff to Sunday Bloody Sunday.... see what he thinks and go from there...

High action is always a problem. I've noticed it on just about any guitar under $200. It makes it sound like s*** and a lot harder to play too. I must agree in these choices of guitars. Ovation also has a line of more affordable acoustic guitars called Applause, they have a good sound. My Epiphone is a good guitar with a good sound and they are a little bit more, but well worth it. Acoustics sound a lot better and they are primarily what I play, but some kids wanna make noise and have fun, in which case the Squire package is a good deal. Plus then you'll only get 15 watts of noice instead of 50.

Key Lime Lee · Post by **Key Lime Lee** » October 6, 2004 9:51 pm

Yeah, but Ovations have those annoying round backs...

I say that despite the fact that I know the guys who started the company....

Don't get me wrong - I love my acoustics. I find that I write on those and those are the ones I keep out... My Takamine EN-10C has over 1000 shows on it (and it shows) and my Tak FP-360SC sounds better than the day I bought it

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » October 6, 2004 9:53 pm

I agree with the $200 minimum. A lot of good guitar stores will run a special that includes a few lessons as part of the purchase price. I think acoustic is better to start because it's easier to switch to electric than vice versa.

captainjoe · Post by **captainjoe** » October 6, 2004 9:58 pm

If money is no object, I just saw on the news today that Sir Paul is auctioning off two guitars. One of them is what he wrote "Yesterday" on.

Just a thought!

brahmafear · Post by **brahmafear** » October 6, 2004 10:10 pm

Coming from a person who has owned a Takamine F-365MS since 1975 and only knows the basic chords...........I recomend acoustic. I always enjoy playing with friends that are guitarists..........geeze....... they make me feel like I fit right in!!!!!!!!!!!!

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 11:03 pm

Key Lime Lee wrote:Yeah, but Ovations have those annoying round backs... I say that despite the fact that I know the guys who started the company....

Don't get me wrong - I love my acoustics. I find that I write on those and those are the ones I keep out... My Takamine EN-10C has over 1000 shows on it (and it shows) and my Tak FP-360SC sounds better than the day I bought it

I never understood the round backs. I'm not a fan. If I hadn't have gotten a really good deal on an Ovation 12-string I don't know if I would have gotten that model. But at the same time, it has a pretty good sound. I think nothing sounds better than an acoustic twelve string guitar. The round back kinda takes away from the natural wood look. Based on sound alone though, its a good guitar.

Lastplaneout · Post by **Lastplaneout** » October 6, 2004 11:08 pm

can always go with that Esteban special on TV...hsaha...J/K

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 6, 2004 11:14 pm

Lastplaneout wrote:can always go with that Esteban special on TV...hsaha...J/K

I saw that infomercial the other day. Roy Clark used to have a similar infomercial. Somehow I think all you're getting is a piece of s***. Probably something similar to those $60 guitars they sell at Radio Shack.

Tiki Bar · Post by **Tiki Bar** » October 7, 2004 12:42 am

My brother collects guitars, but only "good ones" - I think he has over 30 at this point. I've heard him talking about some of the issues discussed here, but it is Latin to me. All I know is, it seems to me he knows quality guitars.

My point? Sorry - it's late - I ramble even more than normal, and make a long story longer! But I digress...

He has found most of his guitars at garage sales and thrift stores, for much less than they are worth. He has put TLC into restoring some "antiques", but most are mint when he finds them. This could be an option if you know any guitarists, but I guess if that were the case, you wouldn't have to ask here.

aahhhhhhhh - never mind!

tdparrothead · Post by **tdparrothead** » October 7, 2004 12:47 am

Tiki Bar wrote:My brother collects guitars, but only "good ones" - I think he has over 30 at this point. I've heard him talking about some of the issues discussed here, but it is Latin to me. All I know is, it seems to me he knows quality guitars.

My point? Sorry - it's late - I ramble even more than normal, and make a long story longer! But I digress...

He has found most of his guitars at garage sales and thrift stores, for much less than they are worth. He has put TLC into restoring some "antiques", but most are mint when he finds them. This could be an option if you know any guitarists, but I guess if that were the case, you wouldn't have to ask here.

aahhhhhhhh - never mind!

There are great deals on guitars out there. I have found a few of mine used at reasonable prices only to find out they are worth quite a bit more. It basically requires time and patience and money. My collection is at 11. Maybe once I finish school and get a real job, I'll get more. Of course then comes the dilemma of finding somewhere to put them.

MG · Post by MG » October 7, 2004 10:58 am

I really appreciate everyone's input.

I think two things got him interested in playing guitar:

1. a guitar player was added to play in the pit at the high school football games.

and

2. I took him to see Jimmy at Jones Beach this year and he got to watch Peter. Mac, and Jimmy play live.

By the way, he already plays clarinet and alto clarinet in the middle school band, tenor sax and baritone sax in the middle school jazz band, clarinet and marimba in the high school compettition marching band, and has three years of private piano lessons. His band director is now talking about starting him on flute and having him play clarinet in the middle school dixieland jazz band that is being formed.

He is also the oldest of my keets so if doesn't stick with guitar, hopefully one of his two younger brothers or his sister will pick it up.

Thanks again and I will keep everyone posted as to what we buy.