# Which guitar to pick for a beginner?



## Steve Bonham (Sep 27, 2019)

Hi, I have played crappy acoustic guitars before, and learned on one as a matter of fact. I have found that the cheaper the guitar, the harder it is to play, especially for a beginner just learning to play the acoustic guitar. I mean how on cheap guitars, the neck is really skinny, and there's not much room to put your fingers on the strings, and the strings aren't the highest quality, they're hard to press down etc. I'm talking about guitars you can get for 150-300 bucks, that have to compromise quality for price... Can anyone recommend a guitar that is in the 600+ dollar range that would have room to put your fingers on the strings, has a nice sound, and is good for beginners to learn the ropes on? I want to get into the guitar thing, but unfortunately the guitar I learned on was a piece of crap, and I recently bought a used guitar but wasn't impressed with the way the guitar played. I would still like to take up the guitar, as it is a skill I would like to have to keep myself occupied in the future. Thanks for any help.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

you could try a lighter gauge of strings....Or look for anything made by Yamaha


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Anything from the Godin family can be found used at the $300 level.
Art & Luthier
Simon & Patrick
Seagull
Norman


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## Private Hudson (Jan 27, 2018)

knight_yyz said:


> you could try a lighter gauge of strings....Or look for anything made by Yamaha


+1 

Lighter strings and have the action lowered. You could get a new Seagull in that range with a setup.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

It’s not so much that the cheap guitars are harder to play. Guitar is just plain hard to learn to play. All the things you describe you’ll pretty much feel on any guitar you pick up to one degree or another. Focus less on the guitar and just play.

If you’re determined to get a new guitar...great. Just play a whole bunch and buy the one that you find most comfortable that you think is really cool. Whatever it takes to make you want to pick it up and play. THAT’S the most important thing.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

There's not going to be much of a difference in the quality of the strings from one guitar to the next. You can't really buy "bad strings". Possibly what you are experiencing are guitars where the strings are too high off the fretboard causing you to have to press harder on them than you should be. Or it's possible that guitar is simply hard to play and if you don't have the callouses built up, it hurts whether the guitar is $100 or $10,000. It's like starting to work out for the first time ever. It doesn't matter if it's a fancy gym or the local YMCA. It's going to hurt for a while.

Lastly you certainly don't have to spend $600 to get a good guitar. Anything in the Yamaha FG700-FG800 line are awesome beginner to intermediate guitars and I often see them for as low as $160 on Kijiji. A brand new FG800 is only $300.

Also I can tell you that my $400 Yamaha FG830 is really no different to play than my $3000 Martin D-18. They just sound different.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Steve Bonham said:


> they're hard to press down


This comes down to set up.
I taught a good friend's daughter and she had the same problem.
I tried her guitar and the strings were ~1/8" above the first fret.
I took it home with me and filed down the nut (underside) to make it more playable.
Her lessons improved dramatically after that.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

laristotle said:


> Anything from the Godin family can be found used at the $300 level.
> Art & Luthier
> Simon & Patrick
> Seagull
> Norman


These are good student guitars although you’d need to play a few make sure you get a good one.

I have a Norman B20(6) bought in 2000 and it has held up very well structurally, easy to play and sounds well enough for the price.

Reason I bought it was that I went in to get strings and tried a few of these guitars - this one was on sale and too good to leave behind.

I need to move it on but only bcs I don’t play it anymore and I have too many guitars.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Wardo said:


> Norman B20


Had two of these. Gave one to my cousin's son.
Hard to let go. Played really nice.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Have to echo the suggestion of a Godin brand.
Some do get more pricey--but a good used one should do the trick.

Also consider body size & shape
If you're small bodied a Dreadnaught may not be right for a first guitar, on the other hand a parlour sized may not be the right choice either.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Many say electric as it’s easier on the fingers. And cooler too!!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Steve Bonham said:


> Hi, I have played crappy acoustic guitars before, and learned on one as a matter of fact. I have found that the cheaper the guitar, the harder it is to play, especially for a beginner just learning to play the acoustic guitar. I mean how on cheap guitars, the *neck is really skinny*, and there's not much room to put your fingers on the strings, ......


I wonder if the issues is because, as an adult starting to play, your fingers are big and it's hard to suddenly have the dexterity and fine motor skills that take years to develop (many of us started as youngsters with smaller fingers). The majority of guitars in the range you are talking about are going to be 1-11/16" neck widths with perhaps a few at 1-3/4", if you're lucky. 

Your best bet may be to try a classical guitar (nylon strings). It may not float yer boat for sound but the wider, flatter fretboard and the softer strings may help you get going. Once you're comfortable with that, you can go back to a steel string, 'narrower neck' guitar.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Steve: I don't know where you live but if you can get over to The Acoustic Room in Hamilton and try out an Alvarez AP60, AP70 or the MP60/66/70 you should like them They are priced lower than they should be for the quality built into them. I also wouldn't hesitate to buy one online but others have a different opinion on this.

alvarezguitars.com/instruments/guitars/

www.theacousticroom.ca/store/


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Usual good brands were already recommended by others...

I want to stress that ACTION may be too high (even on almost ANY brand new guitar) : In my opinion, action is probably the most overlooked issue and the one that makes a guitar to be forgotten in a wardrobe.

How you can see that ? If you can put a nickel between the strings and first fret or if the guitar claerly plays easier with a capo at first fret, the action is too high and need adjustment.

If the neck aim under the bridge, be it bowed or not, it is a construction issue needing a costly neck reset and action can probably not be adjusted correctly (and shaving the nut at bridge is probably useless).


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## Larry (Sep 3, 2016)

Decide what you want to spend, get one that feels comfortable in size to your fretting hand, than get the action set up.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Larry said:


> Decide what you want to spend, get one that feels comfortable in size to your fretting hand, than get the action set up.


Excellent advice. IMHO, when someone asks for advice on their first guitar, this is really all that needs to be said.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

laristotle said:


> Anything from the Godin family can be found used at the $300 level.
> Art & Luthier
> Simon & Patrick
> Seagull
> Norman


This. Or a Yamaha F series.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Steve Bonham said:


> the cheaper the guitar, the harder it is to play,


That used to be true. 

What are you hoping to play? Country strumming and playing the melody on Christmas carol arrangements work best on different guitars. 

j


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

I don't think you need to spend anywhere near $600 to find a good quality starter guitar. 

Yamaha makes some of the very best in this category. They have a knack for eliminating money-wasting bling to focus on good quality at an affordable price, and have some very nice instruments in the $200-250 range that play very well and sound great too.

If you know anyone who has played acoustic guitar for some years, it might be helpful to take them with you to the store and help you evaluate the available models that fit into your price range.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

A guitar has to be pretty bad ( and they are out there) to be the root cause of playability issues. Neck preference is a personal choice, I have very slim Ovations to very fat Ryoji's. I would go to your local big-box guitar store like L&M and try a bunch to get an idea of what your hand likes. Your budget will get you a very nice guitar, Everyones recommends above I agree with too, and you can not go wrong with a solid top Yamaha.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Just one more suggestion. If you find a new guitar you like, you might want to check if there are some used ones in your area. A lot of used guitars are in mint shape for 1/2 the price of a new one. If you are interested in saving a few hundred, it would be worth a look. A guitar a few years older will sound better than a new one as well.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

Any cheap Yamaha, laminate top (super important for a beginner) with a good setup. 150$ guitar, 50$ setup. Light or med light strings. Quality gig bag.

The top and bag are important - winter lessons, campfires, school use, etc.
C


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

cboutilier said:


> This. Or a Yamaha F series.


This or a tanglewood twr dce /similar. That or a nice yamaha can be had brand new for 300 bucks. Have one of each, play them all the time.

While not as popular a nice used ovation can be found in pawn shops for very reasonable and they play beautifully imo.


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