Want to learn guitar

What is a good starter Guitar?

Acoustic? Electric? A/E? Price range?

It all depends on what you're looking for....

Well, That depends...What kinda music do you like? If you are into country or southern rock, i'd get a strat or similiar guitar, Pickups are a lot more common...if you ware into rock and heavier types of music..I'd get a les paul or any guitar with humbuckers........

as far as acoustics go, a Talemen acoustic electric is nice, its an acoustic but it has the neck and feel of an electric........

I have 5 Epiphone SG-400's and i am looking at a 5th...so i am Gibson SG Bias

As far as starter guitars, I DO NOT recommend those start packs you can get at music stores, That come with both a guitar and an amp...Because if you are serious about it. that Amp and guitar will get old really fast......Any decent guitar will run you around 200 dollars.....You can get a good amp for 150-200 bucks........I still use a Fender Champion 30 i bought in 1995 as my main amp. it was 250 bucks i think.......

epiphone or Squier would probably be your best bet as a decent beginning guitar..

JP

Hell, I got a hundred-dollar Peavy pack and it still runs good. That's looking at a little more than three, four years? Yeah, man. If you go with a BRAND-NAME starter pack you'll probably have better luck.

-Jeff

i recommend those acoustic starter packs to my new students if they start out and dont already have a guitar. for around $200, they get an acoustic guitar, a soft case, a strap, and some other goodies that you should just throw away (electronic POS tuner, teach yourself guitar book, strings).

two of my students have gotten the gibson acoustic starter pack. comes with all that stuff above. its a full size dreadnought guitar. and it doesnt sound half bad! if you invest another $30 in some GOOD strings and a tuner, and do a halfway decent setup (adjusting truss rod, altering saddle height, etc), you'll be in a good place to start. i would recommend some ernie ball slinky acoustic titanium light strings (11,15,22,30,42,52). after a good set up, youve got a nice entry level guitar for less than $250.

but i also always say that if you can afford it, get the best you can afford. go to your local shops and shop around... a lot. keep a mental note of the guitars that tickled you. go back to those guitars. play them over and over again. spend time with them. you dont have to know how to play yet. if you spend enough time just plucking the different notes, when you find that one guitar that BELONGS TO YOU... you will know.

Also, an important thing people miss. You might want to try and learn some different things. Easy solos, common chords...things like that. That way, when you're going to shop for your guitar, you already have a general idea of what you're doing. When that happens, you really get to see which guitars are more comfortable. Like me, I like my strings to be a bit more spread out than close together.

EleoCasil said:

What is a good starter Guitar?

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Red ones are pretty.

deach said:

Red ones are pretty.

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haha I was thinking pink but red is good to! haha J/K lol

go to your local music store with someone whom you trust and who knows how to play.

jonathanjones said:

Anyone who learns guitar on their own, has a fool for a teacher. If you REALLY want to learn the guitar then you need a teacher at least for a first few lessons just to get you started.

People who try to self teach for free off the internet, eventually have to HIRE A TEACHER just to correct all the mistakes they will make trying to learn on their own... it's hire a teacher now or hire a teacher later... but you WILL eventually HIRE A TEACHER... if you ever hope to be any good at it.

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Plenty of professionals are self taught, a lot of them have never had lessons.

I myself have yet to take a lesson for the guitar. I may not have proper technique, but it works for me.

In the low-budget sector, Yamahas are always worth a look. If you want an e-guitar, don't buy any starter packs. Either the guitar is crap or the amp or both.
And, no, you don't need a teacher to learn an instrument. I teach myself piano, ukulele and guitar and I feel that I make plenty of progress with all of them. Of course you will make mistakes, but you will always correct them over time. Nowadays, there is so much material on the internet that you will be able to learn any technique without a real teacher. Just look at this website and all those lessons.

jonathanjones said:

Anyone who learns guitar on their own, has a fool for a teacher. If you REALLY want to learn the guitar then you need a teacher at least for a first few lessons just to get you started.

People who try to self teach for free off the internet, eventually have to HIRE A TEACHER just to correct all the mistakes they will make trying to learn on their own... it's hire a teacher now or hire a teacher later... but you WILL eventually HIRE A TEACHER... if you ever hope to be any good at it.

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Well, Jonathan, I'm curious.

1. Are you a guitar teacher?
2. Have you tried online lessons: I.E. the lessons Aldrine teaches here for uke?
3. What is your background playing guitar, since you are a new poster here?
4. Do you read/play/write TAB?
5. Did you know Aldrine is a teacher?
6. Sid you know there are THOUSANDS of teachers on this forum? (Every time I learn something on this forum I was just "taught" and the poster was my "teacher". We are never too old to "learn". I'm 59 and still learning.)

Some may not learn on their own. Others do. I started playing the guitar in the 1960's. It took me exactly 14 minutes (I timed it. The newstand <that's what we called bookstore's back in the day> owner told me he would refund me the price of the book if I could not play a song in 30 minutes) to play my first song! A week later I was playing guitar and singing in my school and was instantly "cool". I still have that book. It was written by the former guitarist of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. I did play clarinet and sang in school bands and choirs, prior to that, so I understood music and music theory.

I'm not trying to discount the value of a teacher. It will accelerate the learning curve for most. Why can't a teacher be teaching in a YouTube video, for example. You would be amazed at some of the world's best guitarists that are self taught.

Welcome to the forum, Jonathan! Ric

Here's the book:

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?q...or=Mottola&browse=1&cm_sp=works*listing*title

Here's a couple of self taught guitarists:

Jimi Hendrix
James Burton
Eric Clapton
Taylor Swift
Eddie Van Halen
Prince
BB King
Wes Montgomery
Ed Bickert
Esteban
Luis Villegas
Django Reinhardt

This is a very short list. There are many more. Ric

It completely depends if you are musically inclined to begin with. I've been singing since I was a little kid, and I have good pitch so it was relatively easy for me to teach myself the guitar. I simply played what I was hearing and went from there. Others may need some direction and a teacher necessary. Nothing wrong with getting some instruction.