After last post about this brand, I really wasn't sure what to buy for my teens who are learning in school and want to practice at home. I get the whole "buy a nicer guitar for a better playing experience so they'll stick with it" idea, but I also just wanted something they could play and see if they want to go to a nicer guitar in time.
I ended up taking the risk and buying one of these on the comment that it wasn't a toy guitar- we have one of those and it's pretty crappy.
This guitar came yesterday and I just got done goofing around on it with my kids. It's not wood, seems like a plastic material (may be in the listing what it is EDIT: per another poster it's laminated wood- a bunch of thin layers of wood glued together), but it seems like a great guitar for practicing and for beginners. I enjoyed playing with it and the kids really like it too.
I'm very pleased with it and am glad I bought it.
A poor quality guitar will making learning to play a very frustrating experience.
Buying a guitar really is like buying shoes. You don't know till you try it on.
Thankfully there's YouTube and you can hear how a guitar sounds now. But that doesn't explain how it feels in the hand.
A guitar could sound decent but that could be because the review person is skilled and can make anything sound good. For me when I hear reviews, if I hear extra buzzing on the strings, that's generally a no no for me.
It's possible to upgrade the bridge, saddle and nut from plastic to bone or tusq to improve the sound and tone, and shaving down the heights of the saddle and nut so the strings aren't so high so it's really easy to play on. But do not under any circumstances sand down guitar frets. They are supposed to have a round curve to them. Once they're gone they will buzz for eternity.
I started on a piece of junk guitar when I was 14 and had a guitar book and taught myself. It was an awesome way to spend time and make friends. You can learn so much faster today though with all the video instructions on YouTube or in person or online lessons.
So wait, you didn't start playing with a $1,200 Martin "beginner" guitar? Don't let the other posters find out!
My problem was a slight lack of rhythm made strumming a bit of a challenge. I could learn basic songs and play them (thanks D, C, and G) but moving to more complex songs was difficult.
My guess is that this would.be ideal as a gift guitar from a guitarist that could do some bsic set up. Adjust truss rood (if there is one)/file nut/change strings, maybe swap out the tuners for some amazon soecials.... that sort of thing...
...you may get lucky and it'll be fair out of the box or it may not...
some would say that an all laminate guitar is "bad" but I think many/most of the people that get this guitar would likely not take care of it or even know how too.. not thier fault they are new after all.. especially the relative humidity..... and laminate is more stable and would not change as much.... so I think thats a plus actually... jm2cw....
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11-18-2022 at 07:04 AM.
Well, I guess I know enough about guitars to add a few comments. Right now, I own 14 of them. Classical, folk, electric. Some cheapos, some Martins, a Taylor, a Rickenbacher. I've played on and off for over fifty years. The most important factor in starting out as a guitar player is the desire to learn how to play. It will indeed be hard at first. Your fingers will hurt as you bend them into unnatural positions. Your soft, uncalloused fingertips will hurt until they become toughened up. You will be frustrated by your initial inability to produce clear notes. This will be the case on even the best guitars. Electrics will be the easiest to learn on. Many people say classicals are easier to learn on than folk. While classicals have less tension and thus require less pressure to hold down the strings against the frets, their wider fingerboards and usually thicker necks can make them more challenging for some beginners. As for me, I started on a plywood hand-me-down guitar that felt like it would slice my fingertips in half. It was a terrible, cheap guitar called a "Stella." Turning to the guitars for sale, they seem fine for a beginner. The important aspects are: the frets must be accurately positioned, both so that the notes are true as you go up the neck, and that there is no buzzing. The edges should be properly finished on the frets so that they don't rasp your hand as you move up and down the neck. The fingerboard should be flat, not dished or humped, and not twisted. The strings should be close enough to the frets so that they are not overly difficult to press down. This is referred to as "action." If the guitar fails in any of these aspects, you should return it. Insofar as sound, it is hard to make a truly unpleasant sounding guitar. Of course, when you play an inferior guitar next to a fine guitar, the differences will be obvious. Still, even my cheapest guitars make pleasant sounds, and I play them all. The guitars here seem like excellent investments for a beginner. They are inexpensive enough to give it a try, but seem well made enough to be reasonably playable. Every guitar will be different, though, so you may wind up with a poor guitar because of a manufacturing error or problems with the raw materials. My advice is to learn a simple song or two to get started. This will give you a sense of accomplishment (and the opportunity to accompany yourself vocally) while you are struggling to master the mechanics of playing. Finally, if you succeed in learning the instrument, you can sell it and use the proceeds to buy something superior when the time is right.
Good luck with your playing!
So wait, you didn't start playing with a $1,200 Martin "beginner" guitar? Don't let the other posters find out!
Ha ha. Yeah, this guitar is way better than thr one I started learning on. It always cracked me up when I would meet people who had much more expensive guitars but couldn't really play.
My guess is that this would.be ideal as a gift guitar from a guitarist that could do some bsic set up. Adjust truss rood (if there is one)/file nut/change strings, maybe swap out the tuners for some amazon soecials.... that sort of thing...
...you may get lucky and it'll be fair out of the box or it may not...
some would say that an all laminate guitar is "bad" but I think many/most of the people that get this guitar would likely not take care of it or even know how too.. not thier fault they are new after all.. especially the relative humidity..... and laminate is more stable and would not change as much.... so I think thats a plus actually... jm2cw....
Yeah, I used to say laminates were junk, but they're very stable, and sometimes you get one that sounds pretty good. Nice thing is that if it sounds good, it's not going to change much over time. Great for a guitar that you're not going to take much care of, and if you live in a place with iwnter months and forced air, the change from humid to dry can be pretty rough on solid top guitars.
That's a question only you can answer. Like most things in life, some learn faster than others and so have to work harder and more diligently at it. But, do know that any player ever to walk the planet started exactly where every else started; No knowledge, no skills, and sounding like every other beginner sounds when they first started.
My advice:
- Do NOT start on a classical guitar unless the styles of music you want to play are most conducive to playing on that style of guitar. It's far more uncomfortable and difficult to get acclimated to than a conventional acoustic guitar due to the neck size and shape... wide and flat, by comparison.
- Learn basic techniques like fretting a note cleanly, particularly learn how hard you do NOT have to press down for a clean note -- most of us start out death gripping the guitar neck to fret a note and it's a habit you'll have to unlearn to play smoothly and (eventually) faster.
- Start to learn basic chord shapes on the first few frets of the neck (aka. 'cowboy chords'). They help you develop basic technique for fretting multiple notes together, they sound good, and you'll start learning how to strum, strum in different patterns, etc.
- DO NOT try to jump straight into 'lead' guitar. It's tempting, but you'll be like the dude at the gym who has huge arms and skinny legs. Learn how to play rhythm first. Timing, playing 'in time', playing in different time signatures. It's KING. All the best lead guitar players on the planet have this basic foundation and, imo, it's the cart you need to put together before you put a horse in front of it.
- Don't chase every 'shortcut' YouTube ads telling you that you can play like the wind in a short period of time using 'tricks' or however they're packaging their snake oil. I wouldn't even take lessons at first. Not today. Start with some basics for free from someone on YouTube like JustinGuitar, get those basic skills under your fingers and as soon as you can start learning basic melodies to songs you like (to hold your interest, because practicing 'technique' on its own is a turn off for many).
- Eventually, once you're comfortable enough holding the guitar, strumming basic patterns, have a few clean-ish chords under your fingers, can fret single notes comfortably, consider taking some paid lessons. There ARE some great on-line courses, best to find one that has some accountability for progression (submit your homework or live session type of things), or find a local teacher -- one that's NOT going to jam a classical guitar in your head and start out with nothing but boring stuff (no pain, no gain!). It's a recipe for quitting for too many early players. IMO, JustinGuitar might be the best teaching style to start out with for most beginners. He will teach you 'easy' versions of songs, which can be key to holding interest at the onset of learning. There are other great courses and teachers to choose from, but beware those promising quick-fix success.
- Do it because it's enjoyable. If you can't enjoy the learning process your probability of developing to the point where you like what you hear yourself playing then it's a pure uphill battle to get there and, again, many people quit because of it.
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I ended up taking the risk and buying one of these on the comment that it wasn't a toy guitar- we have one of those and it's pretty crappy.
This guitar came yesterday and I just got done goofing around on it with my kids. It's not wood, seems like a plastic material (may be in the listing what it is EDIT: per another poster it's laminated wood- a bunch of thin layers of wood glued together), but it seems like a great guitar for practicing and for beginners. I enjoyed playing with it and the kids really like it too.
I'm very pleased with it and am glad I bought it.
https://www.amazon.com/Hangers-Ac...4123&psc=1
For $70 you could buy things far less interesting to hang on your wall than a guitar. :-)
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Is the acoustic pack with case worth the extra $16 if you're starting with nothing for a kid?
Are all 3 finishes exactly the same, including wood type, except for the color of the finish? Thanks!
You could dress like El Kabong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BfcYp9
Got the non-sunburst myself last time around, been very pleased with it thus far
Thankfully there's YouTube and you can hear how a guitar sounds now. But that doesn't explain how it feels in the hand.
A guitar could sound decent but that could be because the review person is skilled and can make anything sound good. For me when I hear reviews, if I hear extra buzzing on the strings, that's generally a no no for me.
It's possible to upgrade the bridge, saddle and nut from plastic to bone or tusq to improve the sound and tone, and shaving down the heights of the saddle and nut so the strings aren't so high so it's really easy to play on. But do not under any circumstances sand down guitar frets. They are supposed to have a round curve to them. Once they're gone they will buzz for eternity.
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My problem was a slight lack of rhythm made strumming a bit of a challenge. I could learn basic songs and play them (thanks D, C, and G) but moving to more complex songs was difficult.
Edit- commas.
...you may get lucky and it'll be fair out of the box or it may not...
some would say that an all laminate guitar is "bad" but I think many/most of the people that get this guitar would likely not take care of it or even know how too.. not thier fault they are new after all.. especially the relative humidity..... and laminate is more stable and would not change as much.... so I think thats a plus actually... jm2cw....
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank realchristmas
Good luck with your playing!
Ha ha. Yeah, this guitar is way better than thr one I started learning on. It always cracked me up when I would meet people who had much more expensive guitars but couldn't really play.
...you may get lucky and it'll be fair out of the box or it may not...
some would say that an all laminate guitar is "bad" but I think many/most of the people that get this guitar would likely not take care of it or even know how too.. not thier fault they are new after all.. especially the relative humidity..... and laminate is more stable and would not change as much.... so I think thats a plus actually... jm2cw....
Yeah, I used to say laminates were junk, but they're very stable, and sometimes you get one that sounds pretty good. Nice thing is that if it sounds good, it's not going to change much over time. Great for a guitar that you're not going to take much care of, and if you live in a place with iwnter months and forced air, the change from humid to dry can be pretty rough on solid top guitars.
My advice:
- Do NOT start on a classical guitar unless the styles of music you want to play are most conducive to playing on that style of guitar. It's far more uncomfortable and difficult to get acclimated to than a conventional acoustic guitar due to the neck size and shape... wide and flat, by comparison.
- Learn basic techniques like fretting a note cleanly, particularly learn how hard you do NOT have to press down for a clean note -- most of us start out death gripping the guitar neck to fret a note and it's a habit you'll have to unlearn to play smoothly and (eventually) faster.
- Start to learn basic chord shapes on the first few frets of the neck (aka. 'cowboy chords'). They help you develop basic technique for fretting multiple notes together, they sound good, and you'll start learning how to strum, strum in different patterns, etc.
- DO NOT try to jump straight into 'lead' guitar. It's tempting, but you'll be like the dude at the gym who has huge arms and skinny legs. Learn how to play rhythm first. Timing, playing 'in time', playing in different time signatures. It's KING. All the best lead guitar players on the planet have this basic foundation and, imo, it's the cart you need to put together before you put a horse in front of it.
- Don't chase every 'shortcut' YouTube ads telling you that you can play like the wind in a short period of time using 'tricks' or however they're packaging their snake oil. I wouldn't even take lessons at first. Not today. Start with some basics for free from someone on YouTube like JustinGuitar, get those basic skills under your fingers and as soon as you can start learning basic melodies to songs you like (to hold your interest, because practicing 'technique' on its own is a turn off for many).
- Eventually, once you're comfortable enough holding the guitar, strumming basic patterns, have a few clean-ish chords under your fingers, can fret single notes comfortably, consider taking some paid lessons. There ARE some great on-line courses, best to find one that has some accountability for progression (submit your homework or live session type of things), or find a local teacher -- one that's NOT going to jam a classical guitar in your head and start out with nothing but boring stuff (no pain, no gain!). It's a recipe for quitting for too many early players. IMO, JustinGuitar might be the best teaching style to start out with for most beginners. He will teach you 'easy' versions of songs, which can be key to holding interest at the onset of learning. There are other great courses and teachers to choose from, but beware those promising quick-fix success.
- Do it because it's enjoyable. If you can't enjoy the learning process your probability of developing to the point where you like what you hear yourself playing then it's a pure uphill battle to get there and, again, many people quit because of it.
TMI for everyone on a Saturday morning, I'm sure.
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