what is the best $100 acoustic guitar to get started with
i also want to be able to pick up this guitar locally. i'm not interested in online shopping.
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M$27 Answers
It would be a waste of money to try another guitar in my opinion... Did all of you suggesting a new guitar even read the question?
After you get the guitar back practice until your fingers hurt a bit, but not so much that they bleed. The finger tips will be sore until you build calluses, but that is completely normal. After a few weeks you'll build that "muscle memory" and will no longer have that awkward feeling when trying to form chords.
Good luck!
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M$
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M$But before you go out and spend $100 on any acoustic guitar, I would recommend measuring a copy of each fret bar from a well-tuned acoustic guitar your teacher may have. You can use a straight stick or a rod just as long as it is long enough for you to mark the distance from one end of the string to the other end. Also fill in the marks for each fret bar accurately including the very last one (most important).
Then when you find an acoustic guitar that looks appealing within the $100 range, use your stick or rod against the guitar strings to see if the distance and marks all match (especially the last fret bar). Any marks you find on the guitar that deviate from the alignment of the reference marks you've made, will cause tuning difficulties and off-note/key sound problems.
If you find any marks that do not align with your reference marks, don't buy the acoustic guitar no matter what brand or cost.
Good luck!
Learned the hard way trying to tune another acoustic guitar for hours by swapping various string widths. Only to realize the last fret bar was unusually longer (1/2 inch difference) which was the real culprit.
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M$
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M$http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Jasmine-by-Takamine-S35-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=516451
Musician Friend
My own experience
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M$
Buy this one, and as soon as you get any good, upgrade. You'll spend more time tuning a cheap guitar than should really be necessary. But sometimes its worth it to get your fingers accustomed and to teach you how to tune it. You'll be doing it ALOT. ;)
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M$
My hunch is that what your teacher was suggesting was that you begin with a "classical" or "flamenco" style guitar, instead of the steel string Ovation you've got. The reason is that a classical guitar has nylon strings, which are much easier for a beginner's fingers to handle comfortably, plus it will have a wider fingerboard, so it would be easier to hit the string you want without hitting the wrong ones.
Lots of music stores have cheap classical guitars, so you should consider going to a couple of used music stores and seeing if you like them better. Ask the person at the store specifically for a "nylon string" guitar and they'll probably have something on hand you can try.
It used to be that you'd get the advice that eventually you'll have to make the switch to a steel string, which is going to be louder and perhaps better quality. If you go that route you may just be postponing the hurt fingers until some future time, so you might just prefer to suck it up now.
These days, however, there are some pretty cool nylon-stringed guitars out there, including acoustic/electrics, so it's possible you'd develop into a pretty good player sticking entirely with a nylon string. For instance, Willie Nelson is a really good guitarist and has played the same classical guitar for decades.
F
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M$
You've already got a good guitar. If your Ovation isn't performing for you, you're better off going to a professional guitar technician and get them to set it up for you. And it'll usually cost you less than $100!
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M$I got a free Carlo Robelli acoustic when I purchased my drumset through Sam Ash about 6 years ago, and it still plays great. I had to put new string on it (the strings it came with sounded awful) but the guitar itself doesn't sound half bad.
Squire (by the makers of Fender) guitars can also be found for pretty cheap and are generally not too shabby.
Don't listen to people who say a guitar under $100 isn't worth your money. A cheap guitar is a great thing for those looking to learn or those who aren't quite sure they want to make this a serious hobby yet.
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M$Personal knowledge from years of guitar playing.
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M$1) Check out local pawn shops. You may be able to get a much better guitar used at a pawn shop than you would get at a store. As far as acoustic guitars go, they sound better with age.
2) Consider a classical guitar. They are much easier to play. Spending only $100 on a steel stringed acoustic may turn you away from playing. I understand everyone has a budget and you should stick to that budget. Just know that cheaper guitars are actually harder to play.
3) Consider a Kramer acoustic.
http://www.musicyo.com/category.asp?cat=Acoustic%20Guitars&search=1
They have some really good quality guitars for such a low price.
In the end, know that your $100 purchase will be a starter and as you progress, you'll find yourself craving a better instrument. Good luck and happy strumming.
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M$
Good luck and merry christmas! :)
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M$
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M$You should go to your local guitar store and try a few out. See what sounds good to you. You could ask if your guitar teacher could come with you to help you from a technical perspective, and ask the opinion of the workers in the store. It's hard to recommend the "best" guitar because everyone is different and has different preferences, so it's a really good idea to have a play around and see for yourself.
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M$
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M$The Epiphone AJ-1 Acoustic Guitar (Guitar Center #518681) or Epiphone PR-150 Acoustic Guitar (Guitar Center #101832319 - Natural Finish or #101832319 - Vintage Sunburst) are great guitars for $119.00. If you want to spend a few more bucks, the Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar [I own this one] comes in three finishes (Vintage Sunburst #518569, Natural #518569, Black #518569) for $129.00.
You might also want to consider some of the many value pack deals for acoustic guitars from mfgrs. like Fender, Yamaha, Epiphone, and Ibanez.
They typically come with picks, strap, tuner, string winder, instructional CD or DVD, and sometimes extra set(s) of strings.
Yamaha (GigMaker Acoustic Guitar Pack - $149.99) and Ibanez (Jam Pack Solid-Top Acoustic Guitar Pack - $149.99), with the Yamaha being an outstanding value for the dollar - even has a $20.00 rebate!
See if you're close to a Sam Ash store as well, each store will match or beat each others' price, so you can play each against the other for the best deal.
Good Luck and Happy Rockin!
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M$Most, if not all Guitar Centers have this 'package' as well as other major music stores.
www.guitarcenter.com
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M$
You would be best off finding a second hand guitar for around that price, I would suggest something like the Epiphone AJ-100, it should get you started.
Good luck...
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M$http://www.wwbw.com/Ibanez-IJV50-Jam-pack-Acoustic-Guitar-Package-i145363.music
The Ibanez Quickstart pack is a great and easy way to get your feet wet in the world of acoustic guitar playing. Includes a V50 acoustic guitar, strap, gigbag, tuner and accessory pouch. Receive a free instructional DVD when you register your pack online.
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M$
Tip 1
Sight along the neck to make sure it's reasonably straight - both cheap & expensive guitar necks can bow or twist, causing string buzz.
Tip 2
On low-cost guitars, the most common problem involves a thing called "intonation" - which is often not good. A guitar has good intonation if each string sounds the same note (one octave higher) at the 12th fret. In other words, tune the E string perfectly to E. Then gently press that same string down at the 12th fret. A guitar tuner should still register it as an E string. You do the same with all six strings.
If intonation is out - and on low-cost guitars - it sadly often is on at least one or two strings, you will be unable to tune it. Playing a chord down on the first three frets or so may sound OK but the higher you work up the neck, the worse it will sound.
But I do have a question. Rather than buy a new guitar, why not ask your teacher about fitting light-gauge strings to your Ovation? They cost far less than another guitar & you can swap over to a string weight of your choice when your strength increases.
All the best with your playing! Nothing gives more pleasure than creating your own music!
Mark.
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M$Play some, and see which you like the sound of when playing a few chords, scales, or what have you...
if you do not like the sound of any of them, then maybe pay a little more money until you find one that like the sound of.
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M$
I've played $30,000 classical guitars and so forth but my advice would be splurge the $500 and get whatever brand some people have listed here -- but don't make the mistake of basing your decision on "popularity". The other thing is, don't be so hard on yourself with the Ovation -- you may not be ready but you need to practice well. . .
If you're going to buy a guitar the important thing is to go into the store and play them yourself and see what feels good for your hands and to also get a feel for the sounds its producing. Spending this moderate amount of money will ensure that you stay interested and will keep you motivated, if I had a student with that Esteban guitar I would break it and demand they get a new guitar -- simply because it becomes frustrating for the novice to play something so poorly built, and once you learn the most basic of techniques you'll be pissed when they don't sound as good. A $500 guitar will at least get you to the next stage in one piece (my first classical was a $500 Yamaha CG500 acoustic/electric) and hopefully enthused enough to spend some more dough on a better axe . . . it takes a lot of diligence and hard work to play the guitar, if you have that Ovation you may not be 'ready' for it just yet, but if you discipline yourself and practice well with concentration you'll be ready and the Ovation will be your 'practice' guitar when you're thinking of moving up to a professional model etc. . .
College trained classical guitar performance, rock bands, have taught workshops, 14+ years of experience, etc.
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M$
thanks for the reply. we (my teacher) talked about this at one time and i figured it would cost a bit more than $50 total. i think i'm going to try this out first. my only concern is that i think the fingerboard is a bit smaller than most acoustics and i have pretty big fingers. i have been building pretty good calluses by practicing every day and can play pretty well on my friends beater guitar that he takes to the beach.
Glad to see you seem to have resolved it for less than $100! As for the neck, it probably wasn't twisted as much as being out of adjustment; most guitars have a truss rod that allows the owner or a tech to adjust the neck relative to the strings with a wrench. I wouldn't suggest tinkering with it yourself however until you're fairly experienced with setting up guitars.
I can certainly see you having issues with an out of adjustment neck, high action, and heavy gauge strings. Hopefully this will do the trick for you!