Posted on 11/09/2017 8:39:02 AM PST by gop4lyf
Not necessarily. First thing is to learn how to play six strings learning the chord positions and scales and obtaining the ability to fret both cleanly. It’s a lot easier to do it with nine or ten gauge electric strings on a 24.75” scale thin neck than on a 25.5” thick acoustic neck. Once you can do it, grab a cheapo acoustic and play it. I used to use an old Martin flat top to build up hand and finger strength and after a day or so of flailing the Martin, I could just fly on the Les Paul and Tele. Bottom line is if you start to play, you’ll not be satisfied with just one six string. The disease is referred to as “GAS”. Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
“Plus electrics are much easier on the fingers to play due to the larger string diameters needed on acoustics to resonate the guitar top.”
That’s exactly why I would recommend people to learn on an acoustic. If you do, you build up more finger strength, and the acoustic is less forgiving if you fudge the fingering of chords as well. After that, switching to electric is a breeze. If you do it the other way around, you will have a harder time playing the acoustic after you learn on an electric.
Buy a Baby Taylor from the get go. Used or new. It would be worth the purchase for learning.
Not really sarcasm though. I plan on practicing quite a bit. Thanks for the tip on fingertip bandaids.
Buy a used guitar that will play the music you enjoy. If electric, buy an electric.
Other stuff
The Fine art of Rock and Roll (book)
Instruction manuals by Troy Stetina (sp?)
used 10-20 watt amplifier (most of them have rock voices you can use) maybe 50 bucks.
A book on guitar maintenance and some cheap tools to modify the guitar to your likes. I found this really important.
later:
Guitar processor. Infinite voices. Euro is a good cheap brand.
Book on Double tap playing. Unbelievable what you can with that technique.
Play with the music you enjoy. Radio or platter. A real challenge.
I prefer Ibanez to Yamaha.
I would strongly suggest that you look for something used of good quality. $200 will only get you aggravation.
Option 2 is to take lessons where they might loan you a guitar that you can pay off over time, or buy eventually.
I tell parent not to buy a cheap guitar for their kids, as they will lose interest. These guitars are difficult to tune.
If you have a Guitar Center, go there and try out some guitars. Whatever the price, offer them 1/2.
Aria makes good guitars. This one needs a little cleaning up, new strings and to rescrew one of the tuners. If you have someone to work on the guitar it might work for you. Under $100.
Band-aids are sort of clumsy sore-finger fixes.
Try a bowl of ice water, when your fingertips start really hurting, soak them in the ice water for a minute or so, and then DRY THEM OFF, and keep picking.
Fingertips grow calluses to protect themselves, so to get really good ones, fast, just keep picking. I’ve known some students who gave up on beginning guitar because it “made their fingertips hurt.”
I’m 72, been playing guitar since I was about 10 years old, played in about 20 bands over the years, owned a lot of different guitars during that time.
I own about a dozen guitars, acoustic and electric, ranging from low to high end. Believe me, you would do well to buy the Yamaha. They have a bright tone and are fun to play.
GREAT!
Another hint.
Get THICK nylon finger nails from a nail salon. They should be flat and just beyond where the nail connects to the finger 1/8th or 3/16 ths in length for your fet board hand, slightly longer for your picking fingers. Picking fingers are more rounded.
Nylon wears better than your own finger nails.
One thing no one has mentioned (that I see right now anyway) is if you are buying used, or any guitar for that matter, is to be sure to check out the neck of the guitar. There are several ways they can be problematic. Most, but not all, have a metal rod that runs the length of the neck. This can allow for adjustments to the neck. But not all problems can be adjusted this way.
Sight down the neck from the nut to the bridge. A cork screwing neck might be usable but it’s often a problem that will continue to get worse. Avoid these. A neck bending slightly forward is not too big a deal - even helpful. One bending the other way can cause your strings to buzz on the frets. Either way (forward or backward) can usually be adjusted for. Also, pull the strings sideways and check for fret wear and for groves in the fret board. If groves are deep don’t buy. A new fret job might be in order or maybe not - but check these out.
I started on acoustic and have played both and enjoyed both very much. Most electrics will just play easier. Style of music is important as well. What do you want to be able to do? A classical guitar with nylon strings (or even silk and steel) will play easy too. Usually, classicals have a wider neck to allow for easier finger picking. I still use finger picking a lot even though I now mostly play electric. So, it’s a valuable skill to have under your belt.
Mostly, find a guitar YOU like as you will likely play it more. The important thing is to get your fingers on the fret board and learn to play for your own enjoyment. There is a universe of things to learn on the guitar. It is considered one of the more difficult instruments to totally master. It’s also one of the easiest to make “some kind of music” on. You never know where it may lead. Have fun and best of luck.
If you are in a college town go to a pawn shop and you might find something nice for a reasonable price.
So hey, I was thinking about this... do you have anyone you know who plays guitar? The best thing would be to have someone with some playing experience help you find a good guitar. Some guitars look beautiful and play like crap, and others look like crap and play beautifully. I’ve been at guitar shops that have 2-3 of the exact same model of guitar and one of them really stands out in playability. There is definitely an art element to all of this-which makes it really difficult for a beginner, so you have my empathy!
I think it is great that you want to learn! I’m in San Diego if you are anywhere near here.
I started guitar lessons a few months ago but wasn’t sure I’d like it so I bought a made-in-China “Rogue” brand used 3/4 size student guitar on eBay for fifty bucks. It has a decent sound but I’m looking forward to an upgrade now that my playing is beginning to move out of the “howling angry stray cats” category.
A friend who’s played guitar for a long time put some decent strings on it for me and that made a HUGE difference. The heavy cheap strings it came with were very hard on my callous-free fingers. I’ve had no problems with it not staying tuned.
I like playing so, with help from my friend, I’m starting to shop for an upgrade, but I’m glad I started with my cheap little guitar because now I know a little more about what I want, I can take my time upgrading, and I have a guitar for camping trips that I won’t worry about getting bumped or scratched.
Also, I like the small size because I’m a small person. I’m looking at parlor guitars as a possibility for an upgrade.
Have fun!
:-)
That looks very nice. The solid top mahogany and rosewood fretboard are both pluses, in my opinion.
Thanks but I have a Martin been playing 20 years
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