Buying A "New To Me" Guitar In The Next Few Days, Feedback Please

[buzz_187]

Hey guys!! So, i've been bitten by the guitar bug and i'm starting my collection after receiving my very first one on Christmas this past year. The one i have is a Spencer SO-SG500 and is perfectly fine and playable for a beginner but, when i walk up the street to my father's house and play his Washburn, i play sooooo much better, and its just more fun, when i play better! So i'm buying another, and want some help since im relatively new to everything guitar! I guess, i could tell ya a couple of things that i like about my dad's Washburn:

first and foremost, is the thing that seemingly lets me play better, and that is the width of the neck. It feels wider than my Spencer, and therefore, i can hit notes/chords cleaner. The spencer has alot less space between strings and is actually pretty difficult for me play, but i guess practicing on my Spencer is EXACTLY what makes the Washburn easy to play?!?!? Wow, just had a revelation as im typing this, lol, but anyways.... Does any of this make sense?? and is there a standard width to guitar necks?

Secondly is the sound..... sooooo much cleaner and louder imo! Now, louder is not neccessarily better in my opinion, but i dont have to strike the strings as hard, and that IS a plus since i bang em pretty damn hard on the Spencer. And when i focus on how hard i gotta pluck to get the sound, my mind wanders from the task at hand.

Third: The price....my dad has told me that he gave around $250 for his at the gibson store at opryland here in Nashville, so im guessing that is the normal price for that model, which i dont know what model it is. My wife has put me on a $200 cap so thats what i got to work. So...hopefully i can get some good feedback/direction here on brands and models for the buck! Any info is greatly appreciated, thanks so much in advance!!!

-Brad

[johnrfeeney]

washburn would be good, so would a fender and a mitchell for the price you named

sometimes a pawn shop will have good used acoustics also

[buzz_187]

thanks for the info, mitchell...hmmm never heard of that brand, obviously that doesnt mean A thing though, lol, they sound good?

And oh yeah, i forgot to ask in first post, how are the fender acoustic guitars???? pretty good? And also ive seen a few Yamaha's in my range, what about them, good quality?

[dennisg]

Hi Buzz,

I'm thinking you'll get more relevant answers if we know what the upper end of your budget is and what kind of playing (strumming or finger picking) you intend to do most. A strummer is likely to want a bigger-bodied guitar (dreadnaught, jumbo, or grand symphony size) while a finger picker will usually want a smaller-bodied guitar (grand concert or grand auditorium). Yes, you can finger pick a larger body and strum a smaller one, but they're optimized for a particular type of playing. By the way, the body sizes I mention are what Taylor calls them; other manufacturers call them something else, but this info should get you started.

Generally, what determines the spacing between the strings is the saddle (where the strings sit on the bridge) width and the nut (where the strings sit at the other end of the guitar) width. You'll usually find the widest string spacing on a nylon-string guitar, but some steel-string guitars can be found with wider saddle and nut widths.

Finally -- and it's not my intention to spend your money -- your second guitar (like a second wife) is usually the one you'll live with for a long, long time. With that in mind, research this purchase very carefully by going to guitar shops, chatting with the salespeople, watching what other people pick up and play, and then playing various guitars yourself. Both Taylor and Martin make guitars that sell for well under a thousand dollars, and they happen to be excellent guitars. You can also find very good used guitars on Craigslist and eBay (but Craigslist gives you the opportunity to try the guitar first; eBay doesn't). That means you can buy a very good used guitar for a lot less than what you'd pay for a new one. To the best of your financial ability, buy a guitar you think is better than your current ability, because you'll eventually grow into it. The mistake too many people make is buying a guitar they quickly grow out of. So, my advice: if you have to save for a better guitar, consider doing that. Once you pay for it and play it for awhile, you'll know you made the right decision.

Play lots of guitars. Buy the one that speaks to you -- unless you're a paranoid schizophrenic, in which case you've already got enough voices in your head telling you what to do.

Hope this helps.

[AcousticAl]

Hey there Brad,

I had a yamaha F-310 that played really well our of the box without needing any adjustment. Cost about $130. I played it in a few uploads on here at the beginning of TG.

I replaced it with a Fender cd220sce acoustic/electric-- also played on my later uploads. But that sounds like it's out of your (wife's) price range at about $450.

Good luck!

[smips65]

Your budget will limit you somewhat, but there are gems to be found, in that range.

Don't know where you live, or how big a city, but look into the local Craigslist, used instrument sites, and if your close enough to a Guitar Center, or better yet a MusicGoRound, look these over.


A Takamine Jasmine is really not a bad "beater" guitar.

As suggested earlier, play them and find the one that talks to you.

The fact that you like the wider necks, suggests you have larger hands, so embrace that.

[wrench]

You ask the unanswerable question, Brad. But my 2 cents goes like this.

Your Spencer is an entry level guitar that may play a little easier with some setup work. We can help you with that here if you want to try it yourself, or you can have it done for about $60. This won't make the guitar sound better, just play better. For your budgeted amount of $200, you can only get another starter guitar, although you could get one with a solid top, which may be worth pursuing because solid tops will sound better over time. My starter is a Yamaha FG700S, and it is amazing for $200, but it's no Martin, Taylor, or Gibson. I also worked on this guitar a lot. I have been non-stop guitar shopping for the last 16 months, and it is my opinion you need to at spend at least $500 to get a guitar significantly better than your starter. And at that point, you really need to know more about the size neck you want to play and the body type you want.

Brad, I can't emphasize enough how hard selecting a guitar can be. I have an envelope filled with enough cash to buy ANY guitar I could possibly want. I traveled to 8 states with that envelope over the last 5 months playing guitars. I still have the envelope, 3 Yamahas, and no clue other than I am certainly not good enough to play a Martin, Taylor, or Gibson.

Good luck, buddy!

[tom18]

Brad,
You heard some great advice from those that responded before me. The only thing that I would add is that with diligence and practice you will improve at whatever you attempt. Unfortunately a bargain bin item (guitar, kayak, tennis racquet, skis, whatever....) will not. Spend enough (but not more) to get something really playable and then grow with it. And keep us posted on your progress.
Tom

[haoli25]

Very good advice here for you Brad. The only thing I would add is, go to several guitar shops and play, and play, and play. As Dennis said, find the one that speaks to you. If it is beyond your current budget, SAVE for it! It may not hurt to mention to friends and family that all additions to your 'guitar fund' are welcome; including birthday gifts, Father's Day gift, etc. Good luck in your search my friend.

....and Dan, you are good enough for a Taylor, Martin, or Gibson.



Bill

[wiley]

Hohner,

Yea, the same folks that are one of the largest manufacturers of Harmonicas.

They are within your range, in fact my local shop (well, not so local anymore) has begun carrying them and we did a blind test against a Baby Taylor, the Hohner won at $250.

Be aware, there are a few different types, the one I am familiar with is called the "Essential Plus Series" and comes in a few colors and Styles. Normally around $250-$350. Personally, I like the sound and feel, check the Hohner website or Musician's friend where you can get some details.

I will say they (Hohner) supposedly (and apparently) has a new technique they are using to match tops (solid sitka spruce)/sides/backs (mahogany) for compatibility (Called 'frequency matching'. They are the only ones I know of (and have seen proof of this) that individually intonate both the saddle (that white piece in the bridge) and the Nut (that white piece on the top of the fretboard) that means the entire neck stays "in tune" as you play up and down it. They call this "Earvana Compensated Tuning System". I also know they do this individually, on each guitar, as we checked several different guitars of the same make/model and found each had a different 'compensation'.

They have a 1-3/4" nut width which is a bit wider than "normal". Seagull's normal line (they make what they call a 'thin' line) has a 1.80" nut width. Most 'classical' (Nylon string) guitars have a 2>2.15" nut width.

Like has been said, you first need to figure out what 'style' you are going to play, strumming, fingerpicking, etc. before really settling on a choice. Even these come in various styles/sizes. You can get these in;

1) Dreadnaught
2) Parlor
3) Folk
4) Mini Jumbo
5) Classical

Some with cutaways. I have seen some with built-in Electronics, but according to 'my guy' they are back logged. Also, be aware if you buy one between now and July 31st, they offer a free 'gig bag' by mail-in-rebate.

Only 'problem' I have seen is the tuning nuts (those things you turn to tune the strings) are not of any 'known' manufacturer. Whether or not they are good or not, I have no clue. "My guy" says they stay in tune really well, so probably OK.

My second pick would be a Yamaha, I have owned a couple and they are still around, seem to hold up really well. One belongs to my 11 year old grand daughter and I gave less than $100. New. *3/4 size and a 'beater' for kids* Doesn't 'hold' tune all that well yet, not bad either.

Another 'hint' you may wish to try. I recently put some "Silk & Steel" strings on this guitar. Really, they are meant for fingerpicking and they are fairly expensive for strings (Around $11 a set for the 'upper' line ones, $8 a set for the 'normal')But they do feel wonderful and the tone changes to a deeper (more Bassy) type of thing.

And, even as the guitar is new, you will still need to check the 'setup', although the Hohner's I played were well done out of the box.