New to the World of Guitars, but REALLY wants to learn!

Godslittlerosebud

I'm a newbie and this is my first post. I want to learn guitar and become a Christian Music Singer. Here is what I need to know:

1. I need to get a good guitar, but I do NOT want to spend a lot for my first guitar. My absolute max is about $150. What brand should I get? What model?
2. What accesories would you reccomend?
3. Should I get steel or nylon strings?

If you can think of other things that I need to know, please tell me!

In Christ,

Rose

ABKB · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:00 am Post subject:

Hi Rose
I am a "newbie" myself to this board, but I have been playing for 30 years now. If I may offer some advice. First, for $150 about the only kind of guitar your going to get is a bad guitar, which will only make it harder for you to learn. You maybe might be able to find a real deal on Ebay or used or something like that, but the odds are you would wind up with a bad guitar. So I can only caution you to try and save some more money to at least get in the $300-$400 range for a decent acoustic guitar. It would make learning easier for you and save you much pain in the fingers. Most "good" acoustic guitars start in the $400-$1000 range.

As for steel or nylon string (classical type) guitar. Most players choose steel types. It is the most widely used type (though most serious guitarists have at least one classical guitar around). There are benifits to both types though. It will be your desision in the end. Classical guitars (nylon strings) are easy on the fingers as the strings are "softer". This can be helpful to beggining guitarists until they get calluses on the fingertips. The downside of classical guitars is the necks are wider and harder for small hands to get around. I dont know your age or how big your hands are, so that's up to you. The advantage with a steel type string guitar is that your hand strength and fingertips will develop quicker because the strings are "harder", and the neck of the guitar is less wide.

As far as model, play several and find the one you like the most for what you can afford. I might advise you more if you were going to spend say $1000 or more on a guitar, but for your budget you would be best just going to some music stores and seeing what they have to offer. Sometimes you can find a deal out there. The only accesories you would need right now is a pick, some prayer, and the time to learn. Try and find a good teacher in your area who can point you in the right direction. Learning guitar is a hard task, and the first year or two can be very difficult with little reward. But if you really want to do this and if you stick with it (I have seen way too many people drop out after they cant play like thier favorite rock star in 6 months) it will be a reward that stays with you till we all see Jesus face to face.

God bless Rose and good luck.

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 2:12 pm Post subject:

Ouch. And Double Ouch. well, I'll just have to search EBAY! I would really appreciate you giving me some more brands, maybe a list of 5-10 good ones? Uff da, I don't even have more than $150!

ABKB · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:18 pm Post subject:

Hello Rose
Some good brands for you.
Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Takanime (cant remember the spelling to that, but Takanime is close)
Any of those brands are great guitars, but if you find one for $150, something will be wrong with them.
Some cheaper brands
Mitchell, Fender, Washburn, Ibanez.
These brands are as cheap as I would recomend to anybody, especially to somebody starting out. They can go from anywhere between $150-$700.

Honestly Rose, anything cheaper than that I just cant reccomend to you. I have a Mitchell that I bought for $350, and it's a decent guitar, but it is hard to play and does not sound half as good as the better brands. I can play it only because I have been playing for a while and have some finger strength. For a begginer the cheaper the guitar, the harder it will be for you to play on. Not impossible mind you, just harder.

If somebody else here has some other reccomendations, they might be able to help as well.

Good luck Rose and God bless!

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 4:56 am Post subject:

Are there any particular models you can recomend? (BTW, can I have other opinions, too?)

Herb · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:33 pm Post subject:

I can't speak firsthand, but if you're looking for an acoustic, I've been told that Seagull makes a very fine guitar for not much money. Don't know where to tell you to find them, either.

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:46 am Post subject:

Okay, I pretty much know what guitar I'm getting! On the CSN Forums, one of the Moderators suggested this guitar, which he has actualy played. What do you guys think? Make sure to read the reviews! And here's what Micheal has to say about it:

ABKB · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:18 am Post subject:

I do think it would be a good begginer guitar. Nice find Rose. If you get good on guitar, then I would get a better one, but this would be a good starter.

Good luck and God bless!

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:28 am Post subject:

ABKB · Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 6:01 am Post subject:

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:50 am Post subject:

What size pick should I get?

Herb · Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 3:17 pm Post subject:

Go to a store and try out several different kinds. Use the one that feels the most comfortable in your hand. Don't listen to anyone saying "this is better" or "that won't work", try them until you find the one that feels good to you. It's you're hand that has to be comfortable, no one else's.

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:03 am Post subject:

markm2553 · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 3:03 am Post subject:

A girl in our Youth Group has a Jasmine. It's not a bad guitar, she really like it. As far as picks, you will want to stay thin to start with. I have always used a Dunlop Tortex red I think it's .50mm. You may have trouble holding onto a pick to start with, everyone does, try using a hole punch and put a hole in it.

The Jasmine is good enough to get you started for sure, setup is key. The girl at Youth Group bought her's from a local music store, they did a good job setting it up for her. I don't know what your situation is, but if you can buy it local I think your better off.
Check out a site called; frets.com, it will explain setup and alot more, much better than I can here. Good luck with your search.

BTW: When your ready, there is a great series of books put out by Worship Together (the How to Series). Right now there are four in the series, I have all four. The books give you the words, chords, and a CD with a sample of each song. There are 40 songs in each book, all modern P&W songs you have heard before. Cost is about $20 a book.

Godslittlerosebud · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:30 am Post subject: