[Closed] Guitar advice

Find a mate who plays and take them shopping.

Try LOTS. Electric? Acoustic?

Guitars are very personal and the "feel" can be as important as the sound. I've got fingers like a tree frog for instance and big hands so a deep wide neck is good for me.

And then go onto Youtube and search guitar lessons - there are some excellent ones on there (and they're free).

go to a shop and try different types of guitars - acoustic, electric, classical, flamenco etc and different manufacturers. Speak to them about wood materials and construction techniques etc from this form an opinion of what kind of guitar/maker you like. Much variation in woods, techniques in cheap guitars see also. Some look flash - sutaways, bounded kneck, flashy tuning heads - these cost money and mean guitars like this should be dearer. no idea re electrics as I have never owned one. Pick ups ??
Bit like asking which bike for Llandegla up to you really see what floats your boat- you should have some musical ear left to help you choose 😉

Accoustic. My brother plays a bit but he didn't seem to know much about it really 🙄

Blimey, I didn't realise this was going to be complicated. I was hoping it would just be a matter of someone saying that for someone with my requirements I should be looking for X and considering A and B from manufacturers D and E.

Mabe I need to go to a shop afterall.

it isnt complicated at all. just go and get one from a shop , the geezers are normally musos so should see you right. tell 'em what kinda stuff you want to play, and off you go. anything made by yamaha probably won't be tat.

Agreed, it isn't complicated. BUT, I would still take a mate who can play with you.

You need to hold it (oooh-errr) and try to play it. Can you borrow one from anyone for a few weeks first?

My nex door neighbour is a music teacher so perhaps that is a good place to start. I was thinking of asking him for some lessons if I got stuck b
ut perhaps I'll speak to him before I go shopping. Having had a look around, it is less expensive than I was expecting so I'll probably get a new one anyway.

Yahama or Martin are a good place to start. Should look to spend £100-£150

Yahama or Martin are a good place to start. Should look to spend £100-£150

You're not going to get a Martin for £150 and their cheap models are pretty poor anyway against the competitors at that end of the market

My mate is working up through the rock guitar grades, having started at 2, and really enjoying it. He bought a new American Fender Stratocaster - very nice guitar for very reasonable money ~£500.

Personally, I want want one of these lovelys, but they are pricy at £800 (not the guy!):
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Find a mate who plays and take them shopping.

Try LOTS.

I agree.

Don't necessarily take shop staff comment verbatim, they will have their own ideas and you won't necessarily agree. It's a personal thing and if you have a reasonable ear you'll easily detect the sonic differences while you can establish a preferred neck and body shape after trying some out.

The choice can be bewildering, even among acoustics. Yamaha are reliable, good VFM, though there are other brands at that end of the market now too.

Always, always, always try it out with a capo as well once tuned up - if one or more strings go out of tune too much the intonation is off so put it back. Ditto checking bridge adjustment - if it buzzes up the neck or is too hard to play barre chords it's not set up correctly.

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Get a cheap secondhand one and start playing. You'll only know what you like once you've got some more time under your fingers but until that happens you need to play something! Steel string acoustic is best for sitting around and singing to. If you know someone who plays then get them to help. If not you'll have to trust shop staff. Ask them about intonation, action, relief and deadspots and see if they look confused!

I'm planning on going to the guitar shop near work at some point and trying to figure out which one I want and then I'll talk to Mrs OJ about a christmas present. They have a few ex-demos on offer as well so there may be a bargain available.

They seemto have about 100 to choose from so there should be something i like.

Yeh, just get something cheap off ebay or local classifieds. Steel stringed acoustic, think my acoustic cos about £30 (dont play it much though)

Have a play, learn some chords, keep practicing for ever.

You dont need an expensive guitar to be able to play well. Its just like mountain biking - people spend loads of money on the best gear and their still shit.

Sounds weird but if you're just starting out stuff like depth and tone aren't massively important. You need something that's comfy to hold plays nicely doesn't go out of tune overnight and makes you want to play. Friend of mine still plays a £60 Argos catalogue one and plays it better than a lot of people with guitars costing ten times as much. I can't afford anything more than the Yamaha I got at school. It buzzes a bit but that just means to make it stop my technique has to be spot on.

Mind you I've got a list for when I win the lottery!!

If you're near my house, you can borrow one of mine... 🙂

Other than that, the most important thing is to make sure the action (basically how hard the strings are to press down) is as light as possible. It's hard, finger-denting stuff learning to play guitar and you want something that's not going to put you off your strumming. Stuff like tone and resonance comes later (then you can go bonkers and buy far too many guitars like I've done!). So, a decent entry-level guitar from a guitar shop will probably be fine for you.

And, just like bikes, if you get one in a nice colour/style you like, you're far more likely to play it than a whizz-bang one that you don't like to look at... Who said you have to be rational? 🙂