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Good first guitar?

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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
I've been wanting a guitar for a while now, but don't know whats good. I found a Ibanez AW-100 for $160 on craigslist in good shape.


But what are some makes and models I should look at? Price cap is $300 max, but I'm brokeish so I'm thinking used and the best value for the least money is important.

I kind of like folk-ish music if gives any ideas on sound characteristics I might like
Sep 28 2012 11:56PM
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arnie_grape
Posts: 3429 - Karma: 11,382
get a 7 string don't fuck around.
Sep 29 2012 12:02AM
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NotoriousT.S.E
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 439
Epiphone pr150. Its the best deal and sounds amazing. I personally dont know much but my friend has played his whole life and says it sounds like $1000 guitar quality. I got it in may and havnt stopped playing its one of the best purchase iv made.

Sep 29 2012 12:09AM
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Bread_Fish
Posts: 760 - Karma: 71
Have you played eletric before or are you just starting off???? I would say for a first guitar that a Yamaha would not be bad, ibanez's are good too but check the condish ive never bought a guitar on craigslist. Make sure not to get a mitchell, they suck, any guitar you get check the action of the strings, or how hard they are to press down, check by pressing the first fret and compare it with others priced the same. Dude folk guitar is fucking awesome youll love it. Ive been playin folk and indie for a while now. Also if you get the used one slap some martin mediums on there they are good for finger picking.
Sep 29 2012 12:09AM
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wilson_seeds
Posts: 84 - Karma: 69
I recently found a very nice Ovation acoustic a local pawn shop. Its retail price was 800 but they were selling it for 200. They knew nothing about guitars so i asked if he could go down to 150 and he did.

Go to pawn shops and look around a little bit. you would be surprised what kind deals you can find on great guitars.
Sep 29 2012 12:16AM
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CheddarJack
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 7,380
Fender Strat Pack. No doubt.

You can pick it up for
Sep 29 2012 12:20AM
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homestar
Posts: 2124 - Karma: 4,197
Epiphone SG or Les Paul. You could easily find either one for under $400 and they sound great.
Sep 29 2012 12:31AM
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Guck
Posts: 528 - Karma: 221
If you have the opportunity, go to a local Guitar store. To me at least, I definitely like to play instruments before buying them, guitars especially. You really get a good feel that way. Even if you don't know how to play, just go there and mess around.
Sep 29 2012 12:34AM
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Bread_Fish
Posts: 760 - Karma: 71
Yea go to the guitar center the people there are chill af. Theres like no pressure to buy at all you could go in and play all day they wouldnt care. i
Sep 29 2012 12:41AM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
The best guitar is the one that feels good in your hands. Everything else is secondary.

Try some out in person before making any decisions.

Also, a proper setup and fret level/dressing can turn a $300 instrument into a $2,000 one.
Sep 29 2012 1:09AM
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cool_name
Posts: 4295 - Karma: 3,131
its a long shot but if you live in vancouver bc i will sell you mine with an amp for 150
Sep 29 2012 11:59AM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
7 is for pussies. It is all about the 9 strings nowadays (Agile makes them).



seriously though, I recommend going to a guitar store and just trying a bunch of different things. See what you like. That is the only way to go IMO. And don't ask for advice on NS. Move over to some actual guitar forums where people can really help you. I highly recommend sevenstring.org - though that is mostly a metal forum (after all it is called sevenstring), but they have an acoustic forum on the site and people know their shit there.
Sep 29 2012 12:03PM
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Cebra
Posts: 505 - Karma: 35
Get a cheap one! Like Yamaha, not that bad
Sep 29 2012 12:10PM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
i got the cheapest shit at ebay with amp in february. thing was probably something around 100 $ or so.

obviously not a "good" guitar. but if youre just starting off, its easily good enough. especially if youre not sure if you will stay with it.

so far, i cant say anything bad about it. if you play it right and get good settings, it sounds good. i am not necessarily a fanatic (like 10-15 minutes on average per day), but i have fun with my guitar and i would buy it again, because the price is just impossible to beat.

Click for larger image
Sep 29 2012 12:16PM
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steezbox
Posts: 1394 - Karma: 701
^Acoustic is definitely the way to go with a first guitar. Not to mention, it isn't nearly as satisfying to play an electric when you start out. Unfortunately you have to drop MUCH more money on electrics if you want to have it to sound at least decent. Shit amps and pickups are not nice to listen to.
Sep 29 2012 12:22PM
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NotGhood
Posts: 2809 - Karma: 1,255
a washburn oscar schmidt, great guitar to learn on
Sep 29 2012 1:02PM
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BlackCupid
Posts: 1533 - Karma: 9
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Starcaster-Electric-Guitar-Starter/dp/B00403NKA0

Get that.

I remember my first day of guitar lessons, I came in and the teacher had the exact same guitar as me. It's a very solid guitar. It's cheap and it'll last you awhile.
Sep 29 2012 2:20PM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
MY first guitar was a Schecter Damien 6. It cost me around $400 and it was a great guitar to start out with.

Schecter makes some really nice guitars for under 500 bucks and is definitely worth checking out. Don't buy any korean or chinese knock off guitars cause they're all shit. I'd also stay away from the squier series by fender. A mexican strat is much nicer than the squiers and not too much more money.

If you have any other questions about anything just PM me cause I love to talk about guitars.
Sep 29 2012 7:01PM
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saskskier
Posts: 4772 - Karma: 9,984
I hate Ovation guitars. I don't like the way they sound and I always feel like they slide out when I'm playing.

That said, you got a pretty solid deal and if you like it, that's awesome.
Sep 29 2012 7:10PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
When it comes to budget guitars, Alvarez are by far the nicest instruments. They feel like $800+ guitars and can be had for around $300. Make sure you budget in a proper setup and fret level/dress by an old luthier (big shops suck at setups). I can't stress the importance of the setup enough...
Sep 29 2012 7:48PM
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sir_drums_a_lot
Posts: 335 - Karma: 14
save up another 200 and get a fender strat, that guitar'll take you anywhere.
Sep 29 2012 8:58PM
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LoathesRaisins
Posts: 3612 - Karma: 4,735
Click for larger image
Sep 29 2012 9:12PM
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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
Thanks for all the replies, its helped a lot.

One thing I think I should point out is I'm only interested in acoustic guitars, don't have anything against electric but its not what I'm interested in.

The other thing is Im in a small town, no Guitar center with in reasonable distance, there is a small music place I'll do look at though but probably not a huge selection.

The other thing is I plan on traveling with this guitar a lot, and will primarily be played when I have down time or kept in the car or my buddies house and busted out when were all just chilling sitting around smoking or drinking or whatever.

So in order to not completely lose my shit when it gets knocked over by some drunk kid, Im thinking of finding something relatively nice but get it used and sub $300 hopefully $200 so I'll keep good care of it but if some accident happens like it gets knocked over....no worries.
Sep 30 2012 12:41AM
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DIPSY
Posts: 36 - Karma: -30
ARMADA PIPECLEANERS OR

SUBARU WRX
Sep 30 2012 12:43AM
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Anathema
Posts: 21048 - Karma: 5,061
check out esp guitars. the ltd series is the more affordable line and i've played a few different ones and they sound pretty damn good. i personally like the ec and m series.
Sep 30 2012 12:48AM
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SwagasaurusRex
Posts: 635 - Karma: 333
Look at Paul Reed Smith guitars on Ebay. For ones in your price range they will unlikely be in pristine condition as they are generally expensive, but they play fantastic and sound amazing.
Sep 30 2012 12:56AM
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SwagasaurusRex
Posts: 635 - Karma: 333
This is about the best I could find for your price range. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRS-SE-EG-Electric-Guitar-/370628460390?pt=Guitar&hash=item564b2d7f66
Sep 30 2012 1:00AM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
PRS guitars under $3k are notoriously bad, borderline-Gibson in shoddy worksmanship. Not even worth the hassel. They make amazing guitars, but only if you want to pay for it.
Sep 30 2012 1:12AM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Even the high end PRS guitars have been falling in quality lately IMO. It seems to me like their number one concern is getting that perfect paintjob (which they do a fantastic job at). But every time i've played a 3,000-5,000 dollar PRS, I've found plenty of other guitars that sound just as good, if not better for much cheaper.


Sep 30 2012 1:17PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
In my experience, new guitars over $2k aren't any nicer than $1k models. They're just pretty looking. One of the best guitars I've ever played was $300...
Sep 30 2012 5:36PM
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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
Hey thanks. But like I said, acoustic.
Sep 30 2012 11:14PM
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grapejuice3000+
Posts: 2132 - Karma: 1,985
my first guitar was a gretsch country gentleman, id say thats a good first one.
Oct 1 2012 11:12AM
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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
ok one last bump

Martin makes a 3/4 size for $300

would it be okay to learn on that? I'm not small or anything, its just cheaper and seems more portable.
Oct 2 2012 8:29PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
go with a squire strat or tele

epiphone makes good shit to thats reasonably priced, im sure you can find a used les paul or es335 or something.

but for all around versatile, good, cheap, (semi) reliable first guitar, gotta go with a squire strat.
Oct 2 2012 8:31PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
shit, didnt see you wanted acoustic.
i dont know really anything about cheap acoustics, i have a couple normans and i love them but normans start around 400 i think

i would say check out the used shit and as was said above, the feel of the guitar comes before everything. just play around and if you like it, and it sounds good, go for it.

also, strings make a huge difference with acoustics. if the guitar has shitty old strings it will sound like garbage no matter what but even an old laminated plywood thing will sound semi-nice with brand new strings.
Oct 2 2012 8:36PM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
so all you guitar freaks, how long do strings last?

like if you had 100 of them, how often would you change them? weekly? annually? or every 10 years?

obviously a weird question but i am just trying to figure out some kind of timeframe to switch strings/look out for "declining sound quality"
Oct 2 2012 8:49PM
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arnie_grape
Posts: 3429 - Karma: 11,382
ideally you should change them every month or two, but you don't really have to.
they will get dirty and make your fingers smell, won't sound as nice either.
Oct 2 2012 9:05PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
depends on the strings, how oily/sweaty your hands are, how much you play etc

i just notice the feel, my fingers dont slide on the strings anymore, theres all this friction. if you look close they lose their shine and start to go black, bits of dead skin get all stuck in the ridges of the four "bumpy" strings (the ones with a coil of wire wrapped around) and you can actually rub this dusty dead skin off. which is gross but does help.

and the tone goes. they dont reverberate as long, the warmth is gone from the string and they just sound rotten/dead

regular acoustic strings last me roughly a month, 2 MAX depending on how much i play. i buy elixir strings, theyre coated in some shit but they sounds great outta the pack and last at least twice as long as normal d'addario bronzes. i change the elixirs probably once every 2-3 months on my go-to guitar

if you dont play very often, you may not notice your strings are dead until you replace em. strings are cheap and make such a huge difference. gotta change em regularly
Oct 2 2012 9:12PM
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stoggieman
Posts: 315 - Karma: 78
Got a Yamaha FG-700S for my first acoustic a few months ago. Sounds pretty awesome for only about $200. I would snag one and then when you get better after playing this instrument for a while and if you want to continue playing, upgrade to a Martin or Gibson or something. I'm probably gonna keep my Yamaha for a while and then hopefully snag a nice Martin once I get better.
Oct 2 2012 9:57PM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
thanks and k to you string freaks up there
Oct 3 2012 8:08AM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Ya it all depends on how much you play them. When im doing lots of gigs, i might change them every two weeks even. You can definitely hear the sound quality change and when that happens its time for a new set. At least with an acoustic guitar, you wont have to deal with breaking a string (typically at least). Oh and PLEASE dont leave the ends of the strings flying everywhere like some people do. String ends are like guitar pubes, keep them trimmed and short!
Oct 3 2012 10:10AM
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ALaw
Posts: 2616 - Karma: 1,552
change your fucking icon
Oct 4 2012 12:23PM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Ummm look at my name then look at yours...
Oct 4 2012 12:47PM
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NotoriousT.S.E
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 439
Slightly off topic but whats youre guys favorite songs to play/ style. Recently for me iv enjoyed some simple zeppelin songs ( tangerine, hey hey what can i do) and some blind melon ( change and no rain of course) but my favorite is probably Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison, such a fun tune.
Oct 4 2012 1:10PM
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SwagasaurusRex
Posts: 635 - Karma: 333
I always have a great time playing some Iron Maiden stuff. The Trooper is such a fun song to play. Its fast but it isn't ridiculous.
Oct 4 2012 1:15PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
my style is mostly plucked folky shit in open tunings. im very influenced by tallest man on earth, so i have spent the last 2 years pretty much learning to play like that.

open tunings are great too because once you know the tuning and scale really well, you can just improvise for hours and it never gets boring haha
Oct 4 2012 1:15PM
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Blue blues blues oh mad do i love the blues. When i play bass i love the jazzy shit like jaco and the classics from the real book. So much freedom in jazz and blues
Oct 4 2012 1:17PM
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NotoriousT.S.E
Posts: 1014 - Karma: 439
^^ Hmm all great stuff
Oct 4 2012 1:22PM
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B.Aussie
Posts: 5851 - Karma: 4,522
Threads
Oct 5 2012 8:38AM
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Stickity
Posts: 7750 - Karma: 769
get an acoustic so you can get actual finger strength. my first acoustic was $100 and it's great. folk-y music is so much fun to play once you get the hang of open chords and finger picking. it's also nice being able to play anywhere and people can sing along. don't get caught up in prices or big names, just go to a store, and look around. if you have no experience playing, talk to them about getting a first guitar and ask if they could demo a few of them for you. get whatever has a sound that catches your ear and for what you consider a reasonable price.
Oct 5 2012 8:44AM
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Stickity
Posts: 7750 - Karma: 769
sorry for the dub post but i hate guitar center. i feel like their salesmen are instructed to go out and blow kids' minds with insane playing so they think that guitar will make them play that good. that's sure what happened to me even though i still love my bass i got that day. they also seem really arrogant around here. i know the owners of another 2 stores by me and they're definitely more relaxed and willing to find what fits your needs
Oct 5 2012 8:48AM
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