I know some of this was covered in the original atf thread, but i feel a separate thread for people to poast there beginner guitar questions could be helpful. i have been playing for a while, but still consider myself a beginner so do hesitate to ask any questions here. setup, tuning, technique, or style, there are a lot of people checking this forum that can answer your questions and are willing to help. ask away.

What are the best guitars for beginners?

I think it's more important to have the guitar setup the best it can possibly be.

A lot of cheapo guitars are just awful out of the factory.

Usually by being way too high in terms of string height to the fretboard.

This is a sure fire way to kill your enthusiasm as a beginner.

That being said is it acoustic or electric you want and what price range?

It will make all the difference.

I know pretty average guitarists who have plenty of money and own some amazing guitars over 3k + in value. Needless to say it would be easier to play a Les Paul out of the factory than it would a 100 buck no name, but not all of us have that sort of cash!

Yeah, I was unsure about whether I should get acoustic or electric. I was thinking less than $500 because I do not know if I will enjoy it or keep with it. So less than $500 seems reasonable for entertainment.

You def should be able to find a nice starter guitar for less than $500. I think its silly to spend a ton on a guitar when you dont even know how to play. Obv, you wanna get one with good action and that will stay in tune. I recommend spending a little now and getting a nice one the second time you buy one.

Try finding a decent acoustic for around $300ish. I would skip the electronics in it because it will just raise the price. Play it for a while until you are convinced that you are gonna stick with it. Once you know for sure that you are gonna continue with guitar, and once you have gained some skills, go buy a nicer one.

Thanks for your response, I was thinking that acoustic would be a good choice since I would not have to worry about amps and other electronics.

i got the fender squire kit for $200. included a guitar, amp, music stand, case, and tuner. it needs a good setup and i am working on that, but otherwise has been a great starter tool.

That sounds great. Did you know how to get the correct settings for the amp? Would it be hard to understand if you never used an amp?

Thats a good idea. All that stuff will just cost you more money anyways.


Plus, you can take an acoustic anywhere and play. Playing outside is a great imo.


Just buy one and try it. All you have to do is practice. There are no short cuts. But its fun and its something you can do forever.

it is a super simple amp. it has a treble, bass, and volume knob, and a distortion button. not a whole lot to it. not hard to understand at all. i still don't know a whole lot about electric guitar, but play on this almost every day. great for the money.

Great, thanks.

Ok electric vs acoustic:

I guess a lot of people start of learning on acoustic as they are portable (no amp required) and also the (generally) cheaper option.

If you buy something decent, tire of it, and then want to sell it, you are more likely to get your $$ back if you have a quality instrument.

If you can I would avoid Korean and other Taiwanese etc made guitars. This may be difficult as all of the cheaper options (even of "name" brands) seem to come from this part of the world. (I have a Korean car though and it's awesome!!)

Japan made quality copies in the 60's 70' 80's etc but I am not convinced that the newer asian makers have that ability.

I have a range of makes and the one I don't really like is Korean. The ones I have that are good are USA made, Australian made or Japanese made.

Like I said in the other thread I would probably try out some second hand guitars.

Do you have pawnbrokers or second hand dealers nearby?

Sometimes you can find some gems at decent prices.

It may help to have someone who knows about guitars with you at the time.

If you aren't comfortable with playing them and knowing how they play, then having someone who does will help big time. This is the mistake I made with my first few guitars. I bought them with little knowledge and/or assistance and made a couple of mistakes.

What country are you from? USA?

You generally get more options there than say Australia in my experience, so that makes a difference too.

i bought a classical first, and got frustrated. put it in my closet. several years later i bought an acoustic. got frustrated, and set it aside. then i was drunk one night on here and remembered that i heard that electric was easier to learn, so i went for the kit. i am at a frustrated point, but have more resources around now to keep me going. electric is def easier in terms of fretting notes, and 'forgiveness' of mistakes. i want to eventually be able to just pick up the acoustic and play.

How do you get frustrated on a classical lol? Nylon strings are the easiest on the fingers although the wide neck does kinda suck

@ jmitch:

yeah I think that's pretty spot on

I mean barre chords or power chords just sound awesome on an electric, even when you are learning.

Not so much on an acoustic.

I still have moments of doubt and frustrations even though I do this for a living - maybe it's because of that.

At the moment I feel I suck as a musician and haven't really grown.

I see other musicians and see how amazing they are and I feel a bit inadequate.

I am more a vocalist than a guitarist so I guess I just have to focus on that the most and try to keep improving as a guitarist.

I guess what I am getting at is that we are all, at some point, in the same boat.


@gambit

because classicals suck when you are trying to bust out smoke on the water et al, but possibly good for stairway