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whatever you do buy him a tuner. lessons would be awesome too if he really wants to learn. are his hands big enough to fit the frets?
My son wants one for Christmas. He's 12. I guess he'll want an acoustic rather than electric or classical.
Other than that I'm not sure what brands or types to look for.
whatever you do buy him a tuner. lessons would be awesome too if he really wants to learn. are his hands big enough to fit the frets?
Yamaha makes some of the best built, quality low cost instruments. I would defintley look at that brand. Can he handle a full size or does he need a 3/4 size? Price point?
I'm not sure, but his hands are almost as big as mine, and he's about 5'3", so he's a decent size kid.
Brand wise though, some I've seen are Yamaha, Fender, Ibanez. There's a couple others I can't think of off hand, I think Alvarez is one.
Price point is hard to say, but I was looking at pawn shops so I can get a decent deal. Ideally I'd like to buy something good enough that when/if he gets something nicer, he can hand down whatever we buy him to his younger brother.
Ok well then he can probably use a full size one. Amount of your budget?
Well probably in the 100.00 range. I've seen plenty of decent looking acoustic guitars of the brands I've mentioned at the pawn shops at that price point. I could probably go up to 150.00 though.
It's one of those things though that I don't know how much he'll take to it so I'd be happier at 100.
I wouldn't assume he wants an acoustic.
I would almost bet an electric would excite a 12 year old a little more than an acoustic.
My best tip for you would be to buy him something...in the intermediate range--rather than just a cheapie.
For example, you could find a really cheap..99 dollar guitar...but those are made cheaply, the action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard) is too high, it probably hurts your hands after a half hour or so, and may go out of tune pretty quickly.
The money you save may not be worth the fact that it could discourage your kid from continuing to learn.
An expensive guitar may be worth the money but if your kid loses interest-then it will be money thrown away.
An intermediate priced guitar will get you the most bang for the buck and is an instrument that is good enough to learn on and even something he will want to keep playing as he gets better.
I would look at the -made in mexico-Fender Stratocasters- and a used one in good condition makes a lot of sense. When buying an electric guitar-buying used with a scratch or ding-saves you a lot of cash and will have no bearing on how it sounds-provided it hasn't been modified or abused.
A small Fender combo amplifier like a Super Champ XD will complete the set and will keep any 12 year old busy and excited for quite some time.
(look up some youtubes of the Super Champ xd---to be wowed by what it can do,)
Finally, someone mentioned a tuner and lessons....that is sound advice.
I definitely don't want to get him one of those First Act Target/Walmart guitars, I've read the same thing about the problems with the action.
At a pawn shop you can get a 175.00 guitar for a hundred or so and that would be pretty good. I'm pretty sure he wants an acoustic because that's what his relatives have.
I've read Fenders are good, but not the Squier, the Stratocaster like you mentioned.
he'll get tired of it and it'll be collecting dust in 2 months. why waste the money.
Dave Mustaine, lol.
Fender is decent in acoustic guitars but they really shine with electrics(not Squier). With that price range you are looking at a laminate top acoustic. Laminate can put up with a lot of abuse but the sound will not be as good as one with a solid top and will never 'ripen' with age as a solid top would do. With that said, along with Yamaha, Takamine makes decent laminate top guitar along with Fender. You will probably look at getting a starter pack then as this will come with everything you need besides a tuner to get started... and you NEED a tuner. Do not get an eletric-acoustic at that price as it will most likely sound like big foot with his hand stuck in a disposal. Throw on some decent bronze strings as the ones that come with most starter guitars are junk, this will make a huge difference in sound.
Action can be changed on ANY guitar, it's just a little more difficult and time consuming to change it on an acoustic. You can always take it to a shop or have your relatives that play set up the guitar because it's likely to come out of the box/pawn shop needing one anyways.
I know you're trying to find a median of quality and price because he's new but playing a bad sounding instrument with super high action isn't fun and will likely make him quit. If it sounds good, he's more likely to play it and stick with it.
Lessons are a great idea and if his relatives already play, that would help a bunch.
www.justinguitar.com is a free site and is the best guitar learning free site barnone. From beginner to professional. This can help him get started along with youtube how-to-play-this-song lessons.
Craigslist is also a great place to look for used equipment. SA is close to hippie town(Austin) and is full of used guitars for sale, so check there also.
You don't think I can find a nice used 100.00 guitar at a pawn shop that will sound good? If it's a 100.00 guitar at the pawn shop it's likely a 200.00 guitar brand new.
I understand your reasonings for not wanting to spend a ton of money, but it really does make a big difference. A lesser quality guitar can seriously ruin the fun and desire for a beginner just getting started. If he ends up not taking to the guitar you can always sell a quality instrument to a pawn store or through craigslist.
I was recently looking for an inexpensive but somewhat decent acoustic as my secondary guitar. Ended up getting a nice deal on a used Yamaha acoustic electric from Guitar Center. Looked at some Fenders, Ibanez and some other pricier models, but liked the Yamaha the best. Have no complaints about it at all. Great tone, nice action and always stays in tune. Based on my experience I'd highly recommend a Yamaha.
Things to consider ...
Acoustic? or acoustic electric? I decided on the acoustic/electric for it's flexibility. Can plug it into my amp or computer, or take it to the lake and just use it as an acoustic. Of course then you're likely to need to make an amp purchase at some point down the road.
In my particular case, one of the things I liked best about my Yamaha was it's fit. It has a thinner profile that I really liked, wasn't so big and bulky. Might be something to consider if it's for s younger child.
And you're probably gonna want to take whatever you buy to a guitar shop to get it professionally setup.
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/msg/2104055852.html
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/msg/2096792130.html (A Squire I hear those are meh)
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/msg/2090550871.html (Acoustic Electric)
Sounds like the consensus is that my price range is too low. How much should I be looking to spend new and used?
Let's just keep in mind that I'm the Deal King, so I'll whatever you think I'll have to spend I'll be able to spend less and still get what I'm looking for.
I bought a Sony 1080P LCD HDTV a few years ago for 600.00. At the time it was an 1800.00 TV. My house is filled with stuff I got dirt cheap.
My nephew has been playing guitar for damn near as long as I can remember, he definitely knows how to replace strings, tune, etc.
1) Never buy anything with the word STARcaster on it
2) I do not have any experience with Squire acoustics
3) Doesn't say the model but if it cost $350 new then it's probably good. It looks smaller and slimmer so this might be good for a child.
Yeah you can find one at that price point that will play and sound decent, just don't expect it to excel at anything. When he hears his instructor play something or watches a video on how to play a song, then he tries to play it, it's not going to have the same sound and it's a bit dissapointing.
What I'am playing on right now is a Yamaha FG700s($200). This is one of the cheapest solid top guitars you can buy and is the most sold acoustic guitar in America(for good reason). It sounds good out of the box but will sound awesome with a string change. Yamaha ships them with their own ty strings, but Yamahas quality to price ratio is one of the best.
The only gripes is the action although not high isn't low to begin with. It's also a full size dreadnought, so it's not small.
I put on some good strings, changed the saddle to bone, filed the nut, polished the frets. It now has really low action with no buzz, plays and sounds like a dream.
I've seen these used for as low as a $100-150. Fender CD60's and Washburn WD's are another good option although laminate top, they sound and play good for what they are. Sub $100 used. Takamine Jasmines are another option for a sub $100 used guitar but will have a laminate top.
Last edited by 4>0rings; 12-11-2010 at 02:06 AM.
I'd stay away from the Squire's. Had one when I was a kid ... hated it.
New, i'd say you'd ideally want to be in the 300-400 range. Used price for that will obviously differ. And I would absolutely buy a used instrument. Check into guitar center. They have an online viewable inventory of their used stuff. But pawn shops and craigslist will likely offer better deals in the long run.
I'd hold off on the lessons....that'll only likely discourage him from having any fun with it(unless he's determined to do so)
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I understand that being self-taught isn't possible for just anyone....but I would first give him a chance to experiment on his own and with friends who might be playing instruments too. If he truly aquires an interest and a gift, he can decide whether or not to recieve formal teaching.
I was a self taught drummer,and i learned 90% of what i needed to know on my own thru relentless practice for 2 years....then i took lessons for about a year in order to get a fresh input on things,and also to learn the basics of reading simple music.
I also am a self-taught guitar player(thx to hanging around ALOT of other guitar players over the years).
Q: Does he have friends who are getting into playing music too? Is a garage band with the neighbors kids in his future?
The reason i ask is that if so,he'll learn more from being around other guitar players than he ever will reading from a book,or from a teacher who probably doesn't give a .
Last edited by mojorizen7; 12-11-2010 at 02:13 AM.
its harder to self-teach yourself when youre only 12 though
I noticed that last one was pretty slim. The post isn't new so he might not still have it but it's something to keep in mind and at least use as a pricing guide.
Any other tips or suggestions?
I'm sure I could find a Yamaha FG700s in the 100-125 range. As for lessons, we won't be in a rush with the holidays but we'll see in the future.
Last edited by PM5K; 12-11-2010 at 02:37 AM.
stay within the six stringed variety
Disagree. I was 14.....and not the exception as far as all the musicians i've grown up with and met thru the years.
Its like playing sports,except that a lack of physical gifts doesn't figure into it.
If a child can get fully interested in music or sports before things like girls,cars,booze and drugs becomes the focus, it stays with you. Thats my take anyway.
Last edited by mojorizen7; 12-11-2010 at 05:25 AM.
Age has nothing to do with it. You either like it or don't. I took one guitar lesson when I was a few years into my private lessons of drumming. It wasn't for me.
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