Inexpensive beginner acoustic guitar

[ledhedsymbols]

I've decided to learn to play guitar. It's a long-time ambition, but I haven't got much to spend on it. If I stick with it, I'll upgrade later on but for the moment my budget will be $150 or less. Suggestion? Used or new?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by ledhedsymbols

I've decided to learn to play guitar. It's a long-time ambition, but I haven't got much to spend on it. If I stick with it, I'll upgrade later on but for the moment my budget will be $150 or less. Suggestion? Used or new?

I would go craigslist or something and buy a used guitar.
At this price range- 2 things become important-
1. Knowing what a quality guitar sounds/plays like.
2. A good setup.

$150 will not buy much.- It is below the price point of anything predictably semi decent. It's like paying $500 for a car- for that price you are buying someone else's problem.
Guitars aren't like cars- It's not like a stamped piece of detroit steel which is more or less identical to another piece of detroit steel. Guitars (even mass produced ones) are more or less individual entities- for example- I have played $1000+ Martin guitars that play and sound like crap- and some that are sublime. Taylor guitars are more consistent than many in acoustic circles- but they are still above the $150 range. In $150 range- you get a crapshot. It's like going into a gas station and paying $5 for wine. It will probably taste bad, regardless of brand.

So this gets to point 1- do you have a feel yourself/ or friend that knows what a good guitar sounds plays like- If you have a friend that does- enlist them to go with you on your search to provide feedback.
Point 2- a good setup- In this price range- the biggest room for improvement is getting a good setup- usually strings are too high, etc... and spending some time on nut and bridge work makes all the difference. In a "new $150 guitar- this means ripping out the plastic nut and saddle and switching to bone. On a used guitar- you might get his included, however on a used guitar, you also need to be able to evaluate neck pitch and pulling from the body (at least on acoustic guitars.)

Again- $150 is below a predictable "good" price point. If I had to buy a guitar in this category, I would go USED and look in yard sales/ etc. to find a rare gem- but that is where you need to either have the experience to know what you like, or someone else who has the experience to tell you what is good.
Good luck!
Ron

[DanielDudley]

I'd get a good musician to go with me and choose a Yamaha. They are good Guitars, but some are better than others. A good player will quickly find the better playing unit.

[stomachmonkey]

Used.

Craigslist, garage sales, your local Facebook trading group, pawn shops.

You can get a "starter kit" most anywhere for $99.00 that will include a guitar, bag, instructional book and or DVD.

Most of the cheap used stuff you'll find is one of those starter kits that got bought and used 2-3 times then collected dust.

Guitars to some degree are like clothes in that a really expensive suit may not fit you as well or comfortably as something "off the rack" so important to pick them up and see if they "fit"

I have some really nice expensive guitars that I don't play as often as some cheaper "every day" gear I have simply because I prefer the feel of the every day stuff.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I also wanted to repeat- GET A FRIEND THAT KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! My dad just gave my daughter- (3 years old) her first guitar. She LOVES it, however the frets are literally in cut the wrong place on the fretboard- I build guitars- and this guitar will NEVER play any song in tune because it was constructed wrong. Does she care? Heck no- but you will care- get experience on your side.

[cashflyer]

Get a friend who knows good guitars to go with you. That way he can try to steer you toward the expensive ones that he is too cheap to buy for himself, in hopes that you will give up and let him have it at a bargain.

You absolutely need a Martin or Dean D16 series, or a Taylor 714.
You'll never be able to play on anything less.


Green text implied...

[ledhedsymbols]

Got it, I know a couple guys. I'll make sure I do that. I understand that at my low price point I'm not going to get anything that's a really great guitar. If I stick with it, in a few months I'll spend more and get something nicer once I know what I want.

I'll start scouring Craigslist.

[Cajundaddy]

Find a good used Yamaha or Seagull. Decent quality and readily available. New $150 guitars are nearly unplayable and are bound to disappoint IMO. If after 1 year you decide you don't want to play, you can resell the guitar for nearly what you paid so there is little risk. The floor for a decent new guitar is around $400. Below that quality falls pretty fast.

This is a pretty sweet deal if it plays well:
Seagull S6 with HSC

[Por_sha911]

As a brand new beginner, you need to worry more about learning to play than sounding like a rock star. ANY guitar that will hold tuning will be fine to start. An acoustic will help you build callouses faster. Skip the electronics and effects for now. They sound good but hide whether you are learning how to play well. Buy a cheap used guitar and see if you like to play.

Learn the keyboard, build callouses, learn how to read music, practice practice practice. Then, buy a good guitar and send the old one to goodwill.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Another idea: if you have friends who have experience with guitars- see if any of them have a spare guitar they don't use to borrow(buy perhaps?!?) for a couple of months while you start perfecting your chops. Most guitar players will have something stuck in a closet somewhere that they aren't really playing anymore. This might give you the time to learn enough to have an opinion on what you will like/might like when you looking for your own guitar.

[Nostril Cheese]

Yamaha and Washburn make good stuff.

Made in Korea is a good thing for cheaper guitars.

[ledhedsymbols]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

As a brand new beginner, you need to worry more about learning to play than sounding like a rock star. ANY guitar that will hold tuning will be fine to start. An acoustic will help you build callouses faster. Skip the electronics and effects for now. They sound good but hide whether you are learning how to play well. Buy a cheap used guitar and see if you like to play.

Learn the keyboard, build callouses, learn how to read music, practice practice practice. Then, buy a good guitar and send the old one to goodwill.

Rock star will come later. I intend to give an acoustic a go for a few months. If I stick with it and enjoy it, I'll upgrade.

[craigster59]

Since you have friends who play, have them bring over an extra acoustic giutar (trust me they have one, even if the Wife doesn't know). Have them show you a few chords (A,E,D) and get the feel of the nut and neck shape. This will help you get the feeling for a neck that fits your hands.

Takamine, Yamaha and Seagull you can't go wrong with for entry level. Always available on CL and great guitars for the $$. Dreadnaught are usually what's available, but an OM or 000 or 00 are more "couch" guitars if you want to just strum and pick while you relax.

[Head416]

I would get something like this Acoustic Promotional Guitar Epiphone Model AJ-100 then spend the extra budget getting it setup at a local shop.

Some of these guys answering you are really good guitar players, and know far more than me. But I've been playing a couple years and I don't have any guitars that cost $500. I would start cheap and if your skills get to the point where you can benefit from a better guitar that will be the time to shell out the bucks.

Spending the extra money for a setup job will make it playable, especially for a beginner.

[stomachmonkey]

https://skagit.craigslist.org/msg/5119839740.html

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

I'd get a good musician to go with me and choose a Yamaha. They are good Guitars, but some are better than others. A good player will quickly find the better playing unit.

Good advice. Rarely will you go wrong with Yamaha. Take a friend.

[campbellcj]

I agree that at your price point, a used name-brand will be your best value. See if there's a reputable music store in your area that carries used or consignment instruments and will patiently work with you to find a good fit; and/or find a knowledgeable friend with the heart of a teacher as others suggested too. Be cautious of any Craigslist/garage sale guitars that seem too good to be true as they may have expensive or irreparable issues. Have fun and enjoy the journey! I'm 3 years in and loving it - our living room is essentially a music room now.

[snbush67]

Takamine are decent , this is in your price range you can expect some dings, etc.

Takamine G 240 Guitar

Edit: looks like it was already posted above so credit goes to stomachmonkey. But I am adding my + 1.

[VaSteve]

+1 for Yamaha. Just be careful on CL. Some people abuse things or just don't know what they are doing.

I bought my first Yamaha 20 years ago at a pawn shop. Action was sky high. $20 at the guitar shop Set me right. I still have it.

[john walker's workshop]

Go electric. So much easier to get started on over an acoustic. If you don't get something decent to start on, it will hold you back and you may just say screw it.