4 ms·

+1 on getting good gear from day 1. Being a "guitar guy" people always ask me to recommend a starting kit when their kids are starting to play. I always tell th

+1 on getting good gear from day 1. Being a "guitar guy" people always ask me to recommend a starting kit when their kids are starting to play. I always tell them, look, spend twice as much as a crappy beginner set on a decent used Fender + decent amp. This will make playing much more fun and the chance that they will continue to play is much higher and if they don't catch the bug? No biggie, sell it for the same amount as you bought it for. They ALWAYS go "yeeeeeah I wasn't looking to spend that much" and lo and behold the kid gets bored of it in three months and the parents are stuck with an usellable guitar.

SwellJoe 9y ago
To add to this: If you have a friend that plays guitar (preferably one who plays well), ask them to go to the music store with you to pick out a low cost, high quality, instrument. I've gladly done this for several friends over the years. And, it's surprising what you can find on the very low end of the market these days. Yamaha has some fantastic cheap guitars, for example. $200-$300 will get you a new, entirely playable, acoustic or electric guitar. I have a $2000+ Gibson J45, and I often play my girlfriend's $250 Yamaha...it's really not a bad guitar, at all. I have no real complaints about it; it obviously isn't as nice as my J45, but hell, it cost a 9th as much (she actually got it free...someone who moved out of an apartment left it behind). Having an experienced friend with you will help make sure the instrument is setup correctly (that can be an issue, and you shouldn't buy a new instrument that isn't), that it sounds nice and plays comfortably, etc. There is some variability in quality across instruments, and they're made of natural materials with variable densities and characteristics, so even if you read a bunch of reviews and go buy the best reviewed one, an experienced friend can help pick the best one of that model in the store.
baby 9y ago
I have a different take, I always advise people to get the cheapest guitar they can find, a second hand one if possible (because for the price you'll get better quality). I've bought guitars for 50$ that were really good guitar for myself, so I can't see why you wouldn't be able to start with that.
- chairmanmow 9y ago
  Not sure that's great advice for someone who doesn't know how to play. Sure you can get a decent guitar for that price, but if you don't know how to play it, it's hard to tell. I would wager at least 60% of those guitars in that price range need to be sent to a tech to be set-up so that a beginner doesn't get frustrated.
- beat 9y ago
  Ugh, no! I love a good bargain guitar myself, but I can also tell what's a diamond in the rough, versus what's just bad. I can tell what repairs are needed, etc. A lot of cheap guitars are unplayable, and can never be made to play well and sound good, no matter how much effort you put into them. Just because usable cheap guitars exist does not mean that all, or even many cheap guitars are usable.
  - baby 9y ago
    > A lot of cheap guitars are unplayable I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference, and I think that's also a discouraging sentence for people who are wondering if they should try learning guitar.
    - Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
      > I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference Yup. My first (and only!) guitar is an Ibanez Gio. I paid $55 for it and a practice amp. The amp sounded like garbage, but piped through a $100 Peavey Vyper or through Rocksmith and it sounds pretty good. But I'm an extreme noob. I imagine an experienced player could pick up on all the shitty sounds it produces. The only time I ever notice it sounding bad is when the strings need replacing and the pitch of a note wobbles all over the place and they go out of tune in 15 minutes of playing.
    - xsmasher 9y ago
      Data point: I bought a used mandolin on craigslist for my first instrument; it had such a high action that it was literally unplayable unless you were a robot with clamps for hands, but I didn't know know that because I was a newbie.
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SwellJoe 9y ago

To add to this: If you have a friend that plays guitar (preferably one who plays well), ask them to go to the music store with you to pick out a low cost, high quality, instrument. I've gladly done this for several friends over the years. And, it's surprising what you can find on the very low end of the market these days. Yamaha has some fantastic cheap guitars, for example. $200-$300 will get you a new, entirely playable, acoustic or electric guitar. I have a $2000+ Gibson J45, and I often play my girlfriend's $250 Yamaha...it's really not a bad guitar, at all. I have no real complaints about it; it obviously isn't as nice as my J45, but hell, it cost a 9th as much (she actually got it free...someone who moved out of an apartment left it behind). Having an experienced friend with you will help make sure the instrument is setup correctly (that can be an issue, and you shouldn't buy a new instrument that isn't), that it sounds nice and plays comfortably, etc. There is some variability in quality across instruments, and they're made of natural materials with variable densities and characteristics, so even if you read a bunch of reviews and go buy the best reviewed one, an experienced friend can help pick the best one of that model in the store.

baby 9y ago

I have a different take, I always advise people to get the cheapest guitar they can find, a second hand one if possible (because for the price you'll get better quality). I've bought guitars for 50$ that were really good guitar for myself, so I can't see why you wouldn't be able to start with that.

chairmanmow 9y ago
Not sure that's great advice for someone who doesn't know how to play. Sure you can get a decent guitar for that price, but if you don't know how to play it, it's hard to tell. I would wager at least 60% of those guitars in that price range need to be sent to a tech to be set-up so that a beginner doesn't get frustrated.
beat 9y ago
Ugh, no! I love a good bargain guitar myself, but I can also tell what's a diamond in the rough, versus what's just bad. I can tell what repairs are needed, etc. A lot of cheap guitars are unplayable, and can never be made to play well and sound good, no matter how much effort you put into them. Just because usable cheap guitars exist does not mean that all, or even many cheap guitars are usable.
- baby 9y ago
  > A lot of cheap guitars are unplayable I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference, and I think that's also a discouraging sentence for people who are wondering if they should try learning guitar.
  - Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
    > I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference Yup. My first (and only!) guitar is an Ibanez Gio. I paid $55 for it and a practice amp. The amp sounded like garbage, but piped through a $100 Peavey Vyper or through Rocksmith and it sounds pretty good. But I'm an extreme noob. I imagine an experienced player could pick up on all the shitty sounds it produces. The only time I ever notice it sounding bad is when the strings need replacing and the pitch of a note wobbles all over the place and they go out of tune in 15 minutes of playing.
  - xsmasher 9y ago
    Data point: I bought a used mandolin on craigslist for my first instrument; it had such a high action that it was literally unplayable unless you were a robot with clamps for hands, but I didn't know know that because I was a newbie.

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