Peachie Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Hi everyone! Would you mind sharing some suggestions as to what would be a good beginner acoustic? I had considered getting a certain cutaway package deal as seen on TV but American Legacy didn't seem to be a well known brand so I wanted to check other options first. Washburn? Fender? ...is cutaway better? I know a $250 guitar won't sound like a $10,000 one but any input would be helpful. I also heard of a spin off brand of a well known brand that put's a different label on their guitars that they consider seconds cause the wood has some cosmetic imperfections. I can't remember the name though. Thanks ya'll!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAM Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 In my opinion, for a beginner, the most important thing to consider when buying your first guitar is the "action" or playability of the guitar. It must be easy & comfortable to play the neck. This can indeed be found in a guitar in the 200 - 300 dollar range. If it's too hard to play, you're not going to have any fun learning. Fender, Yamaha, Washburn, Ibanez all have decent "starter" guitars. My advice would be to go to a music store and try them out before you buy and see what feels comfortable to you. Buying from the online stores could be a problem as a lot of times, the guitars aren't "setup" properly before they're shipped to you. As far as a cutaway goes, they look nice and give you room to play notes in the higher octaves, but beginners usually never get past the 3rd or 5th fret for the first year or two. Just my 2 cents (but also relying on my 40 years of playing experience). Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 A couple of my friends who started playing within the past several years swear by guitars that are made, set up and sold by Denny Zager (of Zager-Evans "In The Year 2525" fame). Denny's now a luthier who specializes in making acoustic guitars playable for everybody. He sets the action very low, with lighter gauge strings, and uses slightly wider but shallower necks to allow for easier fingering (especially by smaller hands). I've played a Martin that he modified, and it was the easiest playing acoustic I've ever experienced (although still not as easy as a good electric...). Denny sells a lot of his guitars through Ebay...they're not cheap for beginners (I think his cheapest are in the $300-350 or so range), but they're much easier on the fingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachie Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 MAM & JohnO, thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raspberrywine Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Stay away from the Esteban beginners guitars sold on the home shopping networks. These guitars are more useful as bird feeders or lawn ornaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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