I want to start playing guitar

But where do i start, its one of thoses things I have always wanted to do and my daughter does now, so was planning on getting an accoustic, but which one, I have googled and looked on ebay, but there are thousands,dont want to spend the earth but something half decent

If you felt the desire to go electric I could do you a stupidly good deal on a Fender Strat and Fender (upgraded speakers) Dual Chorus Amp?

(sorry, my email: admin at oldghosts dot co dot uk)

easier with an electric lower action strings not like cheese wire (why did I just say that I only have a classical? or a classical as lower string tension but bigger(wider) neck and higher action.
IN the £100 ish range you are getting something mass produced and some are nice sounding and some are not in tune along the kneck. best to work out how much you want to pay and take someone who plays with you

How about a round-backed Ovation acoustic – Martin Barre plays one to great effect and they start at around <£500. (And they all have pickups!) I think they will all sound good.

I don’t play guitar (much) and I want one!

chek out http://www.justonguitar.com It’s an awesome site that will teach you for free right up to when you’re a guitar hero! really check it out

sorry justinguitar.com

Realistically, what do i need to spend, to start off with?

£150 + ie top end of the bottom end or second hand the mid range ish?
Like bikes you can pay what you want for one but it is a lot harder than it looks at the start you are basicaly rubbish imagine if it took you a year just to do a simple trail without falling off would you have stuck at it.
Ignore this if you have tons of money and then £500 +(though mine was only £300 but sound is beautiful)

do you have big fingers or little fingers?

finger nails or no nails?

tradesman or office worker hands?

favourite styles of music?

do you want to read, understand and play music or play enough to have fun or even sing along to?

Hiya, I’m a fairly good guitarist and have helped quite a few friends buy their first guitar. The best advice is to go to your local music shop and a few. Try not to get talked into anything by the salesperson though, and try lots of all price ranges. Guitars can varry massively with different woods and finish quality – especially with the cheaper models.

If you find a few you like, go away and look up prices then go back and barter a bit you’ll often get a better deal by asking them to do you a deal with a case and basic accessories than purely on price although they should still let you knock them down a bit.

Anyway, then make sure you buy the one you played – not the one from the stock room. Like I said, they varry a lot and although the one from out the back won’t have been played, the action might be horrible of neck bent, etc!

Buying from you local music shop might still cost a bit extra but if you’re a beginner it’s probably worth it as they should set it up for you and you can take it back if you have any problems.

Personally I think Acoustic is absoluetly the best way to start. If you do progress to electric, the great – it’ll feel easier! But eitherway, you’ll have a good grounding in technique and it’s easier to practice without plugging in and all that hassle. Plus, it’ll stop you getting tempted to play sloppy power chords with loads of distortion hiding your poor technique!!

I taught myself, but if you can afford it lessons are a good investment – but in terms of teachers go on a personal recommendation if you can, and if you don’t get on with them, just move on. If you want to teach yourself, ask your local music shop to recommend you a book or two – there are plenty of good ones, although I just bought a chord book – taught myself them and then starting playing songs I knew. It’s not rocket science!

Cool, well that’s probably enough to be going on with! If you want more advice then feel free to send me a mail with some specific questions – I’d be more than happy to help out a budding guitarist! (monkeytennis42ATyahooDOTcom)

Btw, guitar is great fun – give it a proper go and you won’t regret it – honest!

For a first guitar a few years ago I would have said get an electric, fun, easy to play , good for the ego.

Trouble is , unless its always plugged in, and the amp set up , it can be too much hassle to just pick it up when the mood takes you. ( Just after a ride or a session at the pub normally!)

However, a good acoustic is more rewarding, always accessible, plus looks good in any living room 🙂 even if never played.

Its amazing what you can get these days! £145 can buy you a solid top, (as opposed to a nasty laminate) consistent quality acoustic, with a smooth action.

Check out this bargain Yamaha FG700MS acoustic

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage3/product_id/10096

A beginner friend of mine just bought a very similar one from a shop, its was well set up from the box and the sound was clear and bright not mushy like some other ‘big name’ acoustic at around the same price.

That said, if Heavy,Death or nu metal with drop-D tunings that tickles your ears, then get an electric with Hum-Buckers and invest in a big amp plus a BOSS-HM2 pedal. Also if planning to join a starting out band, electrics are the way to go. ( Will need big 60watt+ amp of course)

Even though I have been playing guitar for over 15 years I have only got into acoustic in the last 5. Mainly because I can’t sing and liked to impress people with what I thought were cool solo’s embellished with bends,pull-off’s and hammer-ons, over-processed through a multitude of expensive FX pedals with drum machine.

Another factor why I have gone acousticis that girl-friend(s) always thought I was a dick prancing around the living room doing bad renditions of ‘Rage against the machine’ etc. They much prefer me doing the acoustic covers of Radiohead and Snow Patrol these days. ( Remember to pull the ‘moody deep, internally tortured’ face whilst playing for max effect)

Oh well! good luck learning the guitar.

Hi i been playing for just over a year now, and at 39yrs old it’s a struggle, but i stuck with it and can now play some funky tunes.

I made the mistake of trying to run before i could walk, and had to backtrack, LEARN SIMPLE MAJOR CHORDS FIRST, i tried the barre chord route to start and got in a muddle.

By learning open major chords you’ll be knocking out easy tunes in no time.

Electro acoustic guitars are a good compromise, i got a Crafter FX55O EQ and love it.

If you’re anywhere near Swindon I could probably lend you one and the wife & I could give a few basic lessons for nowt? hell you might even get a cup of coffee! 🙂

MrNutt, tell me more about the Fender
rocketdoguk{at]gmail.com

Answering your earlier question – £150 is a realistic budget for a decent acoustic to start on. To be honest you can get a lot for your money these days and their isn’t loads of difference between my £1600 Martin and my friend’s £250 Yamaha (not to a beginner anyway). However, there is a lot of difference between a £200 Yamaha and a £90 Chinese nasty thing!

Something like the Yamaha Gunthur recommended would be ideal. (Can’t go too wrong with a Yamaha) Do try a few out at your LMS though as the body shapes varry a fair bit and so some are much more comfortable than others.

Oh and btw, buy a cheap tuner (£15) too – you won’t regret it!

Oh and btw, I agree with Gunthur re the acoustic vs electric thing… my husband does the whole ‘Pracing around the living room playing Rage Against the Machine’ thing I must admit I don’t find it in any way attractive…

Bless him! 😉

try Coda Music – all solid wood Johnson Carolina guitars for less than £200 and great quality

RD YHM 🙂