Noob needs guitar advice

So I'm a musical noob in all regards....and here I have the desire to learn how to play guitar. So I need some advice on how to start out. I have no desire to play in a band nor go on tour; I just want to strum a little on the back porch, once in a while. Acoustic is what I have in mind. Something inexpensive, pure beginner level. Some say that electrics are great as I could plug in headphones and jam away w/o bothering anyone, but that's more than I want to get in to for now. I have hit Amazon and seen quite a few inexpensive guitars listed. But I don't know the pros/cons of them. Regardless, I doubt my ear will know much difference. I can always move up once I have a feel, if I get to that level.

So anyone who can offer some advice, I'd appreciate it!

 

1957 Martin...you'll love it.

 

Prewar 1937. Best sounding guitar I've ever heard.

 

^^^^
nice...

 

Hit your local guitar center and start from there..........

Grab something for like 100 bucks 70% of the time you end up selling after you have realize your not going to be like Slash.....

I started on a Martin.......best IMO Best wishes!

 

There are a bunch of great beginner guitars that are pretty inexpensive. In my experience with buying guitars online- be careful! A lot can happen to a guitar in transit, and sometimes when you get the guitar it is not set up correctly (which means it is harder to play, is never really in tune, and doesnt sound as great as it could) which could turn you away from playing. I am not sure about other people but i think craigslist is a great place to start you can see just what you want to spend and see how far your money can take you.

Just make sure you dont get a guitar that has been abused! Sometimes it is easy to tell- knicks, lots of buzzing on the fretboard, neck looks out of alignment stuff like that.

I also hate to send you down this road but for beginners there are some advantages like warranty- Guitar Center (NOOOOOOO EVIL EMPIRE) or your local guitar shop (YES!!). Ask some questions, see what guitars you like, and ask if they can push you in the right direction.

Some great starter guitars in my experience are: Yamaha FG700S, Takamine g340, epiphone dr100, Ibanez AC30

I hope this helps

 

I appreciate the replies! I'll look for some local shops and see what they have.

 

Dean makes a great acoustic guitar for a good price. Get a cutaway so you can have more fret exposure. But if you get good enough you will want to move up....and thats when you get a Taylor!

 

As a guy who was a noob and is still a noob after like 4-5 years of playing on and off: If you are actually serious about wanting to learn and won't quit right away, buy a half decent guitar. It's much more inspiring when you have nice tone.

You will realize quickly you can play 90% of popular music with just 4 chords. So that's cool, it may seem like you will never get good but you will develop muscle memory and our hand won't hurt as much after playing for long periods of time. You'll develop callouses on your finger tips. Try finger picking as well as playing with a pick. Learn how to tune to drop d because chugging out some heavy riffs is sooooooo easy in drop d. 1 finger power chords!! Youtube is your friend for lessons.

As far as guitars, I personally bought this : http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/114ce it costs me 1k. I also like Martin. Any Taylor or Martin is a good buy. I understand that's more like 500-600 bucks. I had the luxery of living with musicians and learning on their expensive instruments. ($3000 Taylor oh yeah baby)

Happy strumming and stick with it

 

ESP Harmony into a 50 watt Mesa Boogie Rectifier head

/ thread

 

Go with Crafter. They are the Takamine of the 21st Century. A lot of local shops sell them. They have great beginner models, and when you are ready to move up, they have pro-grade ones for around 1k. Been playing 40 years and like them better than Takamine, Guild or Gibson.

 

Is Seagull still making acoustics? My buddy had one back in the 90s and it was pretty nice and a good price. It also had a bridge pickup for running plugged in.

 

My brother in law bought the Esteban guitar and he actually loves it! I will catch him playing it rather than his Taylors!

 

Checked, Seagull is still in business.
Cheapest models are around $350 and they go up to around $800.

Canadian company and Canadian built.
Not US-made, but at least they aren't made in China, Taiwan, or Korea.

 

I've got a 37 year old Yamaha and every musician that picks it up is floored by the sound. You can usually find them on eBay for less than what anyone has suggested thus far and the older the wood the richer that tone will be. Of all the acoustics I've played ranging from 200-6000 my old Yamaha is still my favorite. For acoustics anyhow. I've got a music man petrucci signature that when played through the piezo acoustic simulator is a blast to play.

 

like other said, you can make an entry level yamaha sound really good....and if you're into folk, a $300 Mitchell is what i still use...2nd acoustic and the best one...sounds very indie and folkish...awesome for the beach, backyard and studio time...

 

Have an old Gibson from the 60s... Man that sounds good, anyways to start I would just go find a few local shops and ask for used guitars in decent-good shape and spend under 500 bucks.

 

Ovations can be had in the $400 range in guitar shops, the round back might throw you a bit but i've had mine for about ten years and two girlfriends and it still sounds good. They come with a pre amp, eq and tuner built in, ready to plug in when you want to get louder.
Seriously, like another poster said, most music is written in the same four or five chords EGACD (toss the F in there sometimes).
Hardest part of starting out is learning how to finger chords, building strength in your fretting fingers (esp the index finger), and building up calluses on your finger tips.
Take a few beginner lessons to teach you the correct way to finger the chords so you don't learn bad habits. Have fun!

 

bad habits, weird tunings, and going against the "proper" way is what makes my acoustic stuff so good...well, i like my music...

 

It's true, unconventional is sometimes the most musical you can get. Shoot just look at Hendricks. Just play with it man, have someone tune you to an open tuning and figure out how to play stuff you like to hear, you'll build up a good ear that way and want to learn it in standard. You can't go wrong. Just play!