[I_Harf]

I have talked to many teachers about this and they all have there own opinion. acoustic is harder to play on and will probably in the long run be better, for if you ever do get an electric, it'll be easy...yet the obvious reverse I hear is, learn the chords! and its definitely easier to learn position on a thinner neck...

I would make a pick soley on what you can find and how good it looks, lol, but that's specifically just me.

On a random side note...a red '58 Gibson Les Paul that Jimmy Page supposidly played on for 6 months sold for $66 grand at a recent charity auction...god I'd drool over one of those.

Isaiah

 

[jboehle]

That Seagull S6 acoustic looks quite nice and has gotten really good reviews, as a particularly good value for the $$. There is a Seagull dealer a couple of miles from where I work, I think I will stop by there on my way home tonight and check them out.

But I LOVE the look of the Epiphone Les Pauls!

-Jason

 

[cpw]

I agree that the Seagull acoustic is a good buy.
For electric check the Peavey stuff as well as the Mexican Fender stuff.
There really is quite a bit of stuff out there in that price range if you shop smart.
Check Musicians Friend for price info. They'll be tough to beat but many stores will match.
CPW

 

[KR...]

Check out some websites of great companies:

http://www.antonioaparicio.com
http://www.martinguitar.com
http://www.gibson.com

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant If only Tuberoller would give that advice.

Oh, uh, uhm... Sorry, man - don't know how that could happen. Maybe mbriant and TenaciousO have blended into a Tuberoller by fast scrolling? Hmmm, no... Probably I just see Tuberollers everywhere. Oh my... Help - I need a new brain!

Anyway, it was good advice.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

(working at home today - convenient, but highly distracting...

)

 

[jboehle]

Been reading about a Washburn D-10S as well. It sounds like an even better buy than the Seagull. The Seagull's cedar top scares me away, I think I'd rather have spruce - more durable (particularly with the off-chance that one of my kids grabs it and starts banging on it).

I went to a local shop last night and all they showed me was an Ibanez spruce-top (but laminate sides). That was really all they had in my price range. The only other thing they had was a Fender DG20, but from everything I've read, the low-end Fender acoustics are hit and miss, as are the low-end Ibanez.

I'm going to hit a couple of shops in Kansas City today, to check out the Seagull and Washburn lines.

Can anyone describe how to play a chord or two to me so I can do a rudimentary sound comparison between the different ones I am considering?

-Jason

 

[Jahn]

laminate...it's fine for the back and sides but make sure you at least get a solid spruce top. is there any way you can get a bargain basement Taylor, no frills? Or an intro Martin? IMHO There's no such thing as a bad one of either, even the intro lines. let me look around...

AH! The "Big Baby" Taylor Acoustic Guitar has a 14/15 scale Dreadnought with a solid spruce top and laminate back and sides and sells new for $335, so on ebay you can probably find one under $200 shipped -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...750435111&rd=1

there are others on ebay too that are worth keeping an eye on.

Ah do NOT get the Martin "Sigma" series. Not real Martins imho. The DM and DX series are ok tho, so if you want to go Martin, a bit of a stretch can probably get you a used DM or DX near the 300 mark.

 

[cpw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboehle Can anyone describe how to play a chord or two to me so I can do a rudimentary sound comparison between the different ones I am considering? -Jason

Just get the salesman to strum it so you can stand in front and listen. They love to play and show off;that's why they work there!
CPW

 

[jboehle]

Yeah, I saw the Taylor Big Baby when looking around last night. One of the dealers I am going to visit today is a Taylor dealer, hopefully they will have one in stock for me to take a look at. Are Taylor's really that good? I only ask because I've read mixed reviews of their lower end models.

-Jason

 

[mojoman]

I have a Taylor Baby that I use for a travel guitar that I like a lot.

My son has a Martin 000-X1. You can get those new for between $450 - $500. I think this is an awesome guitar for the money. Plays great, sounds good. It has a solid spruce top that should age well. Comes with a nice hardshell case too.

 

[jboehle]

The Taylor Big Baby sounded pretty good, but the build and construction was not near as nice as any of the others I looked at. It felt like if you looked at it wrong it would fall apart.

The Seagull S6 sounded pretty good as well, but the dealer wouldn't really negotiate on the price and as such put it a bit out of my budget, when including the hardshell case. Also I was concerned about the cedar top not being as durable as a spruce top. It's hard for me to compare the Seagull to the others' sound as it was at a different shop.

The Ibanez model I played around with felt fine and sounded fine but the shop I tried it out at didn't really have anything else in the price range to compare with, plus I've read about Ibanez low-end acoustics being very hit-and-miss, quality-wise.

I compared the Washburn D10S against the Taylor Big Baby and couldn't hear a difference. Granted, I wasn't the one doing the playing - I just asked the salesman to play the same bit on both guitars so I could compare. The Washburn D10S seemed much more sturdily built than the Taylor Big Baby. The dealer had several D10S' to choose from, which was nice for me to be able to pick the one with the straightest top grain and good action.

The durability of the guitar was a big issue for me, as I have kids and just in case one of them got ahold of it, I wouldn't want them easily marking up a Seagull cedar top or breaking a Taylor so easily.

I ended up with the Washburn D10S, for $199. I don't think you can go wrong with the Washburn at this price. Even if I decide I'm ready for bigger and better things within a couple of years, I won't be out much money, and it should resell pretty well. I can't wait to get home tonight and start learning!

I picked up a hard case for it at $80, bringing in my total with tax just under $300. I got some free picks from the store, but figure I will try some different ones out over the next couple of months. What picks do you guys recommend?

So, where do I go from here? I have a little bit of music theory stored up in my head from when I played the violin in grade school and the piano in middle school. I should be able to pick up reading music again fairly quickly. I have some books from Amazon on the way: Fretboard Logic SE, The Guitar Handbook, and Edly's Music Theory for Practical People. Any other books you guys would recommend? What about online lessons? Any free ones out there? Any great music to listen to for beginning guitarists?

-Jason

 

[Lion Zion]

My recommendation is to go with private lessons. At least initially. There are tons of really good teachers out there and the lessons really pay off in the long run. They can teach you the important fundamentals and you can take off with instruction books later, after you get the basics nailed by a good/patient teacher. I started lessons (electric) three years ago and it has been truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

 

[Jahn]

grats on your new guitar, and enjoy! let us know how it goes!

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboehle The Taylor Big Baby sounded pretty good, but the build and construction was not near as nice as any of the others I looked at. It felt like if you looked at it wrong it would fall apart.

This is funny, before I read this post, I was about to post that you should consider the Taylor Big Baby. I had a lesson tonight and noticed a really nice acoustic on the wall. It was a Taylor Big Baby for $349. My teacher is a big fan of Taylor. I don't think you need to sweat the guitar you get at this point. Just focus on learning. It sounds like you got a nice guitar at a great price for just starting out. I take private lessons from a guy who teaches full time out of his home. He is very knowledgeable and is a nice guy as well. I have no musical background at all which scared me off from learning an instrument. I am 44 and started about 14 months ago. I've learned a lot about reading music but not too much. I use tabs which makes life so much easier. Find a good teacher and you will be happy. Enjoy.