Guitar

Guitar

Re: Guitar Posted by satchmo on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 4:40am
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 4:40am
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
My wife signed us up for some guitar lessons. She's quite excited
about the whole thing. Her birthday is coming up next month, and
I am thinking about buying her a guitar.

However, the problem is that I don't know anything about buying a
guitar. So I am pleading for any helpful tips and guide in
selecting one. If any of the SnarkPit member is a guitar
aficianado, please drop me some hints.

It has to be a regular guitar (non-electric), and it doesn't have to be
top-of-the-line. We're both beginners. But I don't want a
cheap-o piece of junk either.

Thanks in advance.

[Edit]: How's this one?
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Guitar Posted by Crono on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 4:57am
Crono
6628 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 4:57am
Crono
super admin
6628 posts 700 snarkmarks Registered: Dec 19th 2003 Location: Oregon, USA
Acoustic. There is no "regular". I'd suggest an Ibanez acoustic. Like an AW100 or something, make sure it's a dreadnought (wishbones are nice too). It's the one I got! It sound great and should cost less then $200. Check your local guitar center (something as such)!

Something else that might be nice would be an acoustic adapter, the reason I don't suggest getting an electric acoustic is that they usually sound more dull and less full. However, you can find them. It's just ... you can't really suggest a guitar unless you've already played. You really have to go look around and play with them, see how they sound. Just try out chords to check the sound. Usually if they sound full and rich with the A and D chords, it should be pretty nice.

I kind of like the AW300, it's way more expensive, but it feels more "classical", kind of little more "tangy" sounding, which is nice if you like that sort of thing.

Anyway, hope that helps.

Oh, also, recently, insanely enough, I saw an ad for Guitar Center which showed a Takamine for about $130 ... I know, my jaw dropped too. Takamine sounds pretty. So do martin's. But they're usually way too expensive.

As for that Epiphone, I have no idea how it sounds. Usually Epiphone is good, but they're just cheaper Gibson guitars and I really think Gibson acoustics sound like mud covered in s**t. Fenders sound pretty bad too. Too deep, in my opinion.
Blame it on Microsoft, God does.
Re: Guitar Posted by Dr Brasso on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 7:07am
Dr Brasso
1878 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 7:07am
1878 posts 198 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 30th 2003 Occupation: cad drafter Location: Omaha,NE
satch, the problem with acoustics, imho, is that unless ya wanna spend 1500 bucks on one, yer gonna have to compromise a bit.....what do you want to do?....play chords up and down the fretboard, or are you leaning towards learnig scales and modes and really learning how to "play"..? is it a hobby? goals man.....lol i say these things because all the variables make a decision sound. ive had cheap guitars that sounded great, with unique tones and feel, but only playable with correct intonation to the 7th fret.....lol ya see one ya like, run yer eyeball down it to check the neck area....looking for straightness, twist, stress cracking etc...intonation......the fact that the a at the open string should sound exactly one octive higher at the 12th fret.....yada yada yada......sorry, i ramble.

Doc B... :dodgy:
Re: Guitar Posted by Junkyard God on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 3:33pm
Junkyard God
654 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 3:33pm
654 posts 81 snarkmarks Registered: Oct 27th 2004 Occupation: Stoner/mucisian/level design Location: The Nether Regions
to be honsest ,don't ask for advice for this kind of stuff, everyone has other opinions and everyone plays otherstuff for their own reasons, just go to a store and try out all the guitars that look nice and are affordable and pick the nicest playing / sounding one.

If you ask for opinions some people will go for signatre models becouse it's played by a pro, some go for gibson, some for fender, it's all in what YOU like to play.

Personaly i would say a squire with a price of round 500-600 euros / dollars would be sufficient, it's affordable and it playes neat and sounds good, you can just have someone oil the next, lower action etc. if you want that, but as i said, it's all personal taste.
Hell, is an half-filled auditorium
Re: Guitar Posted by satchmo on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 5:47pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 5:47pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Thanks guys. Now I have some decent ideas, and I have a place to start looking.

I have never played any musical instrument (including guitar), so I am
just a n00b when it comes to that. My wife has played the violin
before, but that was many decades ago.

Thanks again.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Guitar Posted by omegaslayer on Sat Sep 17th 2005 at 7:06pm
omegaslayer
2481 posts
Posted 2005-09-17 7:06pm
2481 posts 595 snarkmarks Registered: Jan 16th 2004 Occupation: Sr. DevOPS Engineer Location: Seattle, WA
What you do is you go into a store that sells them, then you walk
through their selection. You pick up each one and mess around with it.
What you want to look for is if it sounds good (to you), and when you
look at it, it inspires you to pick it up and just mess around with it.
These are the key things my instuctor told me to look for when picking
one out (I ended up getting a Dean =P). It doesn't have to be electric,
or acoustic (although it sounds much better IMO), but just something
that matches the player.

Also some other things to consider when your planning on taking lessons:

A metrinome (electric) - baiscs is get rhythm down

Electric tuner - Just for beginers untill you learn how to tune a guitar by sound.
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