https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:55:45 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338957 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:02:25 +0000 GuitarCenter was having its Labor Day weekend sale.
I went today and looked at some acoustics. The store was very crowded because of the sale and the extended weekend.
I picked up and played about a dozen acoustics.
One of the two I liked best was from the Yamaha APX line . . . I didn't catch the rest of the number.
The other was the Epiphone Hummingbird . . . when I started bumping elbows with other customers, I decided to leave . . . so I didn't try the "electric" part of the electric-acoustics.
I didn't like the way my fingers stuck to the strings though . . . I'm used to my fingers gliding off the D'Adarrios on my electric.]]> Opinions and Polls KR2 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338957 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338891 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:16:45 +0000
When I was shopping around for my first acoustic, just over a year ago, I made a list of some supposedly good guitars. This was cribbed from various guitar forums, and so on. Anyhow, I came up with this:

Sub £150
Vintage V300, V400
Cort Earth 70, Earth 72

Sub £200
Cort Earth 100, Earth 100R, Earth 102R
Tanglewood TW28STR DLX, TW115S
Crafter D6, D7, GA6, GA7
Vintage V200, V800

I didn't keep links or anything, sorry; it was purely an aide memoire. I may have been a bit of a brand snob and deliberately left off Yamaha! :oops:

Anyway, when shopping - try as many as you can get your hands on. Yes, it will feel embarrassing trying out the couple of chords you know - I was only confident with the open E chord when I first shopped! However, maybe get to a shortlist of guitars, and then get one of the shop assistants to play something on each of them. Then you can try and judge the sound from the audience perspective, too.

Whereabouts in the UK will you be shopping - have you some stores in mind?]]> Opinions and Polls faultythinking https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338891 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338629 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:39:28 +0000 Opinions and Polls MK1974 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338629 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338611 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:33:13 +0000
http://www.heartwoodguitar.com/Guitar%20Music%20for%20Web/Denver,%20John%20-%20Take%20Me%20Home%20Country%20Roads.htm]]> Opinions and Polls KR2 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/paged/2/#post-338611 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338602 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:19:26 +0000
The Encore sounds interesting. And you have convinced me to just pick one up and start playing what I can, or asking the assistant to demonstrate.

I'm not sure I should admit this, but my ultimate aim would be to play some John Denver songs – he is my dad's favourite and is hardwired into me – so a folksy sound might be fine.

Thanks again.]]> Opinions and Polls MK1974 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338602 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338582 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:32:03 +0000
Just casting my mind back a few years to when I started playing again - my (re-)entry level guitar was an Encore, from my step-daughter's catalogue - couldn't afford to buy one except on a weekly basis. I didn't actually expect much from it, but I was pleasantly surprised - fairly mellow tone, and even barre chords weren't that bad up to about the 7th fret. When I upgraded, it was to a Yamaha with a cutaway - I kept the Encore for quite a while, used it -in open G tuning - for slide. It looked like a pretty cheap guitar, next to the Yamaha - but there was very little difference in tone and playability, at least to my ears.

These are just the entry level guitars I've actually had experience of playing; obviously, there are many other brands, but I couldn't comment on something I've never tried.

If you're nervous about showing off your chops (or lack of!) in the guitar shop, ask one of the assistants to play for you - something along the lines of "I've only just started to play, I'd like to hear it in the hands of an experienced guitarist who can actually get some music out of it..." will appeal to the showman/woman in said assistant; they'll be only too happy to roadtest it for you and make it sound good!

:D :D :D

Vic]]> Opinions and Polls Vic Lewis VL https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338582 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338578 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:48:37 +0000
Although you won't be able to hear yourself over that annoying kid that keeps playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight. :lol: I don't even work at a music store and can testify to that.]]> Opinions and Polls bluesy https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338578 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338526 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:03:31 +0000

And welcome to Guitarnoise! 8)]]> Opinions and Polls Scrybe https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338526 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338524 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:02:10 +0000
Try not to go in on a Saturday - if you can cop an hour or so off work during lunch or something, a weekday is much much quieter, especially with the kids back in school. This means the palce will be quieter, meaning both that the staff will be less stressed (and thus nicer, I hope! lol) and you wont be drowned out by the annoying kid playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight.

Also, the only thing that really annoys staff in guitar shops is that annoying kid who insists on playing the same metal riff over and over at crazy volumes for two hours straight. He comes in every Saturday. He sometimes even brings his mates in to watch. Even they find his antics annoying. And he's been playing that same riff every Saturday for the last six months without buying anything more than a plectrum or two, and always uses the best gear he can persuade us to let him loose on.

Seriously though, repeating the same tune/chords on several acoustics is infinitely nicer than someone doing it on a loud electric. And, as long as it isn't Smoke On The Water, Smells Like Teen Spirit, or Stairway To Heaven, it usually doesn't bother us. Those ones get played so often I'd leave them out of your 'performance' (and trust me, if you go in on a tuesday or wednesday, chances are the store will have taken new stock and the sales guys will be too busy updating inventories, storing them, discussing new models, etc. to really pay enough attention to your playing to get annoyed by it).]]> Opinions and Polls Scrybe https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338524 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338517 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:35:15 +0000
Many music stores also have "acoustic rooms" - private rooms for listening to and playing guitars. Take advantage of them.

Also, don't let the sales person tell you what sounds good. If it sounds good to you, that is what matters.

Get them to throw in a few extras too... strings, a few picks, soft case?, strap? no tax... etc. Doesn't hurt to ask, and they want you back. Also ask about a trade up program if you want to buy something better later.

It also wouldn't hurt to play a couple of higher end guitars... so you can actually hear what a really good guitar sounds like. In the beginning, I didn't know there was that big a difference... until a sales guy put a $4000 Taylor in my hands. Wow.]]> Opinions and Polls lue42 https://guitarnoise.forum/opinions-and-polls/buying-a-beginners-guitar/#post-338517