Acoustic Guitar

If you''re just learning get a used one for < $100

One thing to look out for is the saddle height. If the saddle (white part at the bottom of the strings) looks really low, the guitar has probably had a lot of really quick and dirty repair work done on it.

Hey I bought a Yamaha beginners guitar that is of good quality from Musicians Friend.com. It was part of a package that came with a digital tuner (a must have for a beginner IMO) extra strings, case etc. It is $199 right now. This is the direct link to it. Click

If you want a high quality guitar for a good price, check out Seagull guitars. Sound qualities up ther with the best and prices comparable to the not-so-best.

A cheap guitar is OK to get started. But once you get good, it''s really worth it to dish out that money and get a really nice one. Try going down to your local music store, and check out some of the used ones if you want a good price.

Search the internet for small time manufacturers- people who make them by hand (almost as a hobby) often do a better job at a low price, and you can get exactly the sound you want. It''ll probably be a long wait though.

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Don''t buy a cheap guitar - _especially_ if you''re learning. A well-sounding guitar is more fun to practice with and lasts much longer. Basically, if you buy a poor guitar, you''ll learn slowly at first and later have to buy a good one anyway.

Bastardos The Great - Proud owner of a good electric guitar

I''ve heard there are two kinds of acoustic guitar. Classical and Pop. Although the two guitars are very similar, the differences are the neck widths. Classical has wider neck widths. Correct? If so, I was thinking of getting this kind of guitar because I am interested in finger-picking rather than just chords...

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Classical''s generally have nylon strings, whereas non-classicals generally have steel strings. Yes, Classical''s necks are wider (most of the time).

You can tell a classical guitar, becaues its tuning knobs face backwards...

Usually a pop guitar, the tuning knobs face outwards...

Am I right in thinking finger-picking on classicals is easier?

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I would say so!

Pros and Cons of Classical vs. Steel String (Pop)

Classical

Pros:
-You sound classicl
-Easier to finger pick
-You get all the snobbery that comes with it
-Sounds warmer (though a good Martin steel string will sound better than a no name classical)

Cons:
-Not as loud
-Usually not as much neck access


Steel String

Pros:
-LOUD
-More fret access (usually)
-smaller neck (find an electric guitar and youll know the width)

Cons:
-Sometimes doesnt sound as good
-Harder to finger pick because um, it''s steal and not nylon
-Will hurt more at the begining

I started with an electric and moved to an acoustic, the acoustic to electric applies there too! It''s all about callouses and finger muscle memory

Although its a matter of opinion, both classical acoustics and steel-string acoustics have their uses..

Classical ones just sound great Especially the ones that have a bit of spanish flavor in them, which makes them sound mesmerizing. I like to strum chords more on classical, because of the amazing sound that the nylon chords make.

Steel-string ones also have a really good sound. It is definitely louder (like RedSweater said) and the strings have a bit more vibration, giving them a lasting ring. Lead is a little easier to play on these ones because its difficult to bend on nylon strings.

I like them both, they both have great sounds. I recommend you try out both of them to get a feel for what you want.

u probably shouldn''t start on a steel string if you are just learning, as your fingers will be bleeding after the first week.

i bought my first acoustic guitar for 120AUS, and six years down the track it still is fine. though i would love to get a nice steel string acoustic/electric eventually.

i am also the proud owner of a v. nice electric guitar made by my father, who is a luthier and classical guitarist.

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AHHH!! Now I can''t decide again!! Let''s make it easy... What guitar do the Barenaked Ladies and John Mayer use?

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My favorite guitar (and I''ve played 5 of them fairly often, between my parents having 3, me having one, and my husband having one) is my husband''s Fender Dreadnought acoustic.

It''s a steel string.

One of the advantages of a steel string that I haven''t heard mentioned is the fact that you can stick an amplifier in a steel string (my husband has this little black box thing that he sticks in the hole of the guitar body to pick up the vibrations). You can''t do that on non-metal strings. I wouldn''t suggest getting a guitar with a pickup installed in it because despite the convenience, it can wreck the sound, and I''ve had friends rip their guitar apart accidentally by stepping on the cord, and it''s pretty difficult to impossible to fix that. If you step on the cord of a removeable pickup like my husband''s it will just knock the pickup out, not hurt the guitar.

I wouldn''t suggest putting steel strings on a guitar that''s meant to only have nylon, you can break it. The neck wasn''t meant to handle that kind of strain. If you want to use nylon cords on a steel string it should be fine.

Always check to make sure that there hasn''t been repair work done on the neck, especially down where the neck joins with the body.

Never buy a guitar with a crack in it. Ever.

If you''re going to used stores, you can tell a higher quality guitar by the inlay. Is the inlay around the hole in the body real or just a decal? Is there inlay on the fingerboard?

String lockers are wonderful things. So are fine tuning pegs. String lockers are little things up at the top of the neck where the fingerboard starts, that clamp down so the string can''t untune. Fine tuning pegs are down on the guitar body where the string connects to the body, and they look like little metal finger-screws. I''m not actually sure if you can get lockers on an acoustic... we''re going to install them on our electric... we do have the fine tune pegs on the acoustic though.

The one thing you should know about steel strings, though, is it''s going to tear your fingers up pretty bad when you start. Nylon will too, but not as bad as steel. You need those callouses though.

Oh, and whatever you do... get your guitar a decent case.

-fel

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Original post by felisandria
One of the advantages of a steel string that I haven''t heard mentioned is the fact that you can stick an amplifier in a steel string (my husband has this little black box thing that he sticks in the hole of the guitar body to pick up the vibrations). You can''t do that on non-metal strings.

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Non-permanent seashell pickups and piezo pickups will function quite well for picking up nylon strings; although you can expect feedback problems if the volume is too high; in which case you should check out Yamaha''s solid-body classicals.

quote:

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I wouldn''t suggest putting steel strings on a guitar that''s meant to only have nylon, you can break it. The neck wasn''t meant to handle that kind of strain. If you want to use nylon cords on a steel string it should be fine.

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Unfortunately, it''s quite difficult to find nylon strings with a ball end .

quote:

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String lockers are wonderful things. So are fine tuning pegs. String lockers are little things up at the top of the neck where the fingerboard starts, that clamp down so the string can''t untune. Fine tuning pegs are down on the guitar body where the string connects to the body, and they look like little metal finger-screws. I''m not actually sure if you can get lockers on an acoustic... we''re going to install them on our electric... we do have the fine tune pegs on the acoustic though.

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You can get locking heads for an acoustic guitar, I believe Sperzel makes acoustic heads, but I''m not positive; I''d be really interested to see your acoustic, I''ve never seen fine-tuners on anything except a Floyd Rose in my life! I''m going to have to look into acoustics with fine-tuners now

-=skjin=-

Again, I think my previous question answered would help me decide... The Steel Strings you like so much Fel? Those would be a pop guitar right? Can you finger-pick on those?

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AH! MY BRAIN IS GOING TO SELF-DETONATE! -- Yours Truly (Jan, 2003)



[edited by - Tazel on June 5, 2003 3:03:25 PM]

You *can* fingerpick on *any* guitar. The smaller neck doesn't make it impossible to pick decently. Just listen to heavy metal like Hammerfall or Sonata Arctica and you'll know.

I think electronic / pop guitars are easier to play than classical guitars. The string height (distance between string and neck) is smaller on an electronic/pop, so you don't have to press that much, and it tolerates much more imperfecticity (is that a word?) of your picking. Also the smaller neck makes playing picking and chords easier, IMHO.

I'm a semi-beginner myself (1.5 years) and only own a Yamaha Pacific electronic guitar, but I've played the cool Western guitar of a friend and the classical guitar of my mom.

PS: I can't believe I just gave advice to someone with a Bayern München pic in his signature...

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[edited by - randomZ on June 5, 2003 3:32:06 PM]