Acoustic Guitars

[- English -]

Hi people im thinking of buying an acoustic guitar. Baring in mind ive never played a musical instrument in my life, i think this could be a fun little hobby. I was wandering if anyone who knows a bit about them could perhaps show me some nice cheap ones to get started with. I was thinking about £50ish for my first one, and if i progress after a while ill perhaps buy a better one. Im not going to have music lessons or anything, it will all be self learning. Ive got a friend who knows how to play them a bit so we plan to use Skype and he can show me some stuff

Thanks!

 

[fettoken]

Hi people im thinking of buying an acoustic guitar. Baring in mind ive never played a musical instrument in my life, i think this could be a fun little hobby. I was wandering if anyone who knows a bit about them could perhaps show me some nice cheap ones to get started with. I was thinking about £50ish for my first one, and if i progress after a while ill perhaps buy a better one. Im not going to have music lessons or anything, it will all be self learning. Ive got a friend who knows how to play them a bit so we plan to use Skype and he can show me some stuff

Thanks!

Doesn't really matter which brand you choose (unless its too expensive). Try finding one that you feel comfortable holding and sounds somewhat what you expect it to sound.

 

[- English -]

I was just gonna order one offline. The type of music I want it to play would be in the style of johnny cash I guess lol.

YouTube - Johnny Cash - Cocaine Blues

 

[fettoken]

I was just gonna order one offline. The type of music I want it to play would be in the style of johnny cash I guess lol.

YouTube - Johnny Cash - Cocaine Blues

Ordet.... offline.. are you insane!??!?! Go down to a store and buy one.

 

[kirennia]

As a first guitar, I'd recommend one with a moderately high action (distance from the strings to the neck) and an acoustic is definitely the way to go.

Too many people, myself included, start on easier to play guitars and as a result, when they pick up other guitars, can't play them as effectively as they should without a fair amount of practice. A higher action will also help to build up finger strength.

As for the price range, £50 will pick you up a surprisingly good quality guitar but I'd definitely recommend going into a shop to get one just so you know what feels nicest for you (how nicely it lays on your thigh when sitting down and it's fully ..... o dear, can't really get out of this sounding wrong now ..... upright).

If you really want to buy online, I bought this one for my nephew for christmas and it's fantastic quality, even disregarding the price (£55 + p&p):

Black/blue:
musical instrument store | fender, gibson, tanglewood and yamaha guitars | Soundpad UK

Here's the list if you wanted to check the different colours. Starts at the bottom of page 4, ends at the top of page 5:
musical instrument store | fender, gibson, tanglewood and yamaha guitars | Soundpad UK


It's a little lower action then I'd suggest for a beginner, easier to play but I severely doubt you'd be disappointed. I bought it in store though

 

[- English -]

Cool thanks Kir, i do like the look of them lol

Whats the different in high and low string?. Like i said ive never played one before so if you can reconmend what would be best for me, then i guess thats the way to go.

 

[Aoami]

I'm gonna have to disagree with kir and say a £50 guitar is a waste of time and money. I'd be looking to spend no less than £100, probably on a yamaha, even if it is your first.

Yamaha F370 Acoustic Guitar, Natural at Gear4Music.com

edit - i'd also disagree that high action guitars are the way to go, because usually it's just a sign of cheapness.

edit2 - it's also usually impossible to lower the action on cheap acoustics because the nuts are fixed.

 

[fettoken]

Cool thanks Kir, i do like the look of them lol

Whats the different in high and low string?. Like i said ive never played one before so if you can reconmend what would be best for me, then i guess thats the way to go.

Low string means less space between the guitar neck and the strings, while high string are with more space. So with more space between the neck and strings you need more finger strength to press down the string(s).

Then, if you make the transition between acoustic and electric guitar (most electric guitars have very low space between the neck and string), it will be easier.

 

[kirennia]

Cool thanks Kir, i do like the look of them lol

Whats the different in high and low string?. Like i said ive never played one before so if you can reconmend what would be best for me, then i guess thats the way to go.

I'm gonna have to disagree with kir and say a £50 guitar is a waste of time and money. I'd be looking to spend no less than £100, probably on a yamaha, even if it is your first.

edit - i'd also disagree that high action guitars are the way to go, because usually it's just a sign of cheapness.

edit2 - it's also usually impossible to lower the action on cheap acoustics because the nuts are fixed.

Then, if you make the transition between acoustic and electric guitar (most electric guitars have very low space between the neck and string), it will be easier.

This is the reasoning behind it. Lower actions when you first start playing the guitar teach you some very bad habits which can take a long time to get out of. I'm not just talking about habits which will slow down your playing or anything, more things for health reasons.

A friend of mine went off to a guitar institute for 3 months and came back with some simple practical tips for avoiding early onset of arthritis and carpel tunnel. Tips such as placing your thumb further down the back of the neck to get more flexibility in movement and never arching the top joint of a finger downwards, both of which are very useful ways to gain speed, endurance and avoid health issues.

The reason for me saying this? With a light action, early on in playing you wont adopt either of these practices as you'll find pretty quickly that you can get a better sound (initially) by not doing them (try and bar all 6 strings with a low action guitar and then a high action one and see what your finger does when you do so to get the equivalent quality of notes). As a result, you'll keep up with these methods and it becomes difficult to relearn your way of playing when you ever have to play a higher action guitar or play for any long period of time without cramps.

That's why I'd always suggest, medium action acoustic when you start then moving onto a lower action electric which you will find hugely easier to play, but then you'll have the right practices to go with it. Some people don't like to think about theory and/or think it wont happen to them. Since 4 of my friends came back at different times from a music based degree course, all with irreversible damage to their arms/wrists which has effected their play style permanently, I've changed my tune.

Most of that is from bad practice in other areas but that's beside the point, setting yourself up right early on is always the way to go... the rest can come later

 

[fl3a]

but if someone is just interested in getting a guitar so they learn to play a couple of chords so they can play campfire songs and easy stuff for their own amusement with no plans of ever starting soloing/shredding/playing technically demanding stuff one could just as well buy something that makes their early going easy - a low action acoustic guitar. if you are only playing a couple of hours a week (if even that) of basic chords i really doubt you will be in danger of developing carpal tunnel / arthritis.

i started on a high action acoustic with the same reasoning as you said, and i dont regret it, but then again i also had plans of playing more technically advanced stuff. if someone only wants to play a small amount for their own amusement i see no fault in getting something that is easy to play on from the get go.

 

[kirennia]

but if someone is just interested in getting a guitar so they learn to play a couple of chords so they can play campfire songs and easy stuff for their own amusement with no plans of ever starting soloing/shredding/playing technically demanding stuff one could just as well buy something that makes their early going easy - a low action acoustic guitar. if you are only playing a couple of hours a week (if even that) of basic chords i really doubt you will be in danger of developing carpal tunnel / arthritis.

i started on a high action acoustic with the same reasoning as you said, and i dont regret it, but then again i also had plans of playing more technically advanced stuff. if someone only wants to play a small amount for their own amusement i see no fault in getting something that is easy to play on from the get go.

The last thing I'd assume people would want to do though is to start doing simple chords then find out they have to completely change their play style to play anything different without risking injury or playing badly.

This isn't just a reference to shredding or anything like that, I mean the funny part of it is, the only shredder of the lot of them is completely fine; it's classical music, soloing, endurance etc etc... basically all decent music expect chord 1, chord 2, rinse, repeat. Even that, bar chording incorrectly can cause damage though and you'll get more bum nots not playing right in the mid-long term...

I'm not saying English specifically is going to go off and try to become the next jimi hendrix (I don't know in all honesty), there's just no harm in buying an early guitar which will improve your technique so that if you want to improve beyond the basics, you're able to. You wouldn't for example buy a fiat punto as your first car if had in its clause that was all you were ever allowed to drive, just because its a bit easier then another car... even if you don't intend to race with it.

The exception to this is if you generally have low strength in your fingers because of some medical factor or they're just very thin in which case, you'd definitely need lessons if you wanted to progress well.

 

[fettoken]

It is actually pretty fun to start off on a realtively cheap guitar, that doesn't play too good. And when you get better and buy a new guitar, with better strings and what not, when you notice the huge difference sound-wise and handling, you will feel really satisfied.

 

[fl3a]

You wouldn't for example buy a fiat punto as your first car if had in its clause that was all you were ever allowed to drive, just because its a bit easier then another car... even if you don't intend to race with it.

i think a more fitting example would be buying a cruiser bicycle instead of a bmx bicycle, while the bmx will work you out more and teach you more control over the regular bike, i think that for the person who just wants to go out for a ride in the sun the cruiser would suit a whole lot better

 

[kirennia]

Cool thanks Kir, i do like the look of them lol

Whats the different in high and low string?. Like i said ive never played one before so if you can reconmend what would be best for me, then i guess thats the way to go.

Some high action strings are just ridiculous and make the whole guitar very bad to play, even for any experts... they're just something to steer clear of.

On the flip side, I'd recommend one which basically isn't too low either. You need to be able to play individual notes without straining your fingers, right from the word go. Chords will hurt but that's part of learning the technique. But not one which you barely need any pressure in order to play all 6 notes together.

I hope this talk doesn't put you off at all, basically, you aren't going to go far wrong with a price range like that and going for an acoustic as generally, the ones with lower actions are more expensive and that's a good thing.

 

[Aoami]

I have to agree with Flea. Unless you want to become Satrini theres no point going for a high action guitar and learning every little bit of theory there is. I've been a casual player for 10 years and have suffered from no health issues.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

I used to play years ago but gave it up in favour of sports - did grade 6 in Classical guitar. I shudder still when i think of learning 20+ scales...

Dont pay more than £50 for one to start with. It's like going out and buying a sports car as a learner driver. Not worth the money and you're going to damage it anyway!

Go to a local second hand music store (you will not notice the quality difference until you've been playing a while - like a few years), pick up one for about £40-60. If you want to stretch your budget a bit you should be able to get a really good one for £80.

Word to the wise: buy several spare strings for each of the thinner 3, and at least one of each for the thicker 3. You will snap them a lot until you get the hang of playing especially if you're doing chords.

Also be prepared for your fingertips to bleed / be sore a little a bit for the first few weeks/months of playing (unless you're a manual worker and have tough hands). It's normal. Don't learn to play with a plectrum, it will severely hamper your ability to do the more complex pieces on acoustic.

Finally, carpal tunnel is very very very unlikely unless you have a pre-existing condition. You're not belting the strings hard even on the chords, it's fairly gentle (the acoustic properties of the guitar and strings do a lot of the work for you).

It's also worth doing a few finger-strength exercises to allow you to play for long periods without getting cramp/tired. A good cheap one is to try and crush a tennis ball using your fingertips repeatedly.

 

[kirennia]

I have to agree with Flea. Unless you want to become Satrini theres no point going for a high action guitar and learning every little bit of theory there is. I've been a casual player for 10 years and have suffered from no health issues.

I'm not saying learn theory, I can't even read music... and I'm also not saying a high action guitar, just not one which is pretty much perfect else you'll end up regretting it.

Just out of interest, what was your first guitar?

Finally, carpal tunnel is very very very unlikely unless you have a pre-existing condition. You're not belting the strings hard even on the chords, it's fairly gentle (the acoustic properties of the guitar and strings do a lot of the work for you).

Again, not sure if this is posted because of my comments but that's not what I was talking about, I was just referencing it.

Low action first guitar = very fast initial learning, picking up lots of bad habits and eventually hitting a brick wall which you wont pass without either damaging yourself or changing your technique.

Mid action first guitar = slightly slower initial learning, bad habits are ironed out purely by the physical makeup of your hands... no theory required. After a little while you'll progress much much quicker then if you have those habits. Oh and you'll also have a much MUCH easier time picking up other instruments e.g. if you're around a friends house playing theirs and also, the move to an electric will be very easy.

Action too high on first guitar = no progress and lots of pain.

i think a more fitting example would be buying a cruiser bicycle instead of a bmx bicycle, while the bmx will work you out more and teach you more control over the regular bike, i think that for the person who just wants to go out for a ride in the sun the cruiser would suit a whole lot better

Not sure of the difference in bikes, they're all the same to be, which I'm guessing is your point for an average joe Fair enough if it's a fad and you're not going to play the guitar for more then 6 months before you stop playing more then once a month and never wish to progress, then I would recommend a low action guitar. I just know how nice it is to be able to play other peoples guitars as well though and just how addictive playing can be when you get the craving to play

 

[Aoami]

I'm not saying learn theory, I can't even read music... and I'm also not saying a high action guitar, just not one which is pretty much perfect else you'll end up regretting it.

Just out of interest, what was your first guitar?

First guitar was a squire strat, my first acoustic was a yamaha f310 which i still love to bits now even if it is held together by duct tape