Quote:
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?
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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