Guitar buying advice

[Buzzard]

My daughter has been been hinting for months that she'd like a guitar and I don't know anything about them. She's 13, loves music, and is in band and dance classes in school, and out.

Can someone recommend what to get for a beginner like herself and where? This'll likely be a Christmas present as well.

Thanks!

[Rerun]

My wife wanted to take up the guitar a few years ago so I did a lot of research on the subject of entry level guitars.

The consensus was that you got the biggest bang for your buck with the Yamaha FG700s or variations thereof.

http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/mus...product_lineup

[Senator Clay Davis]

Long and McQuade and AxeMusic are the best places for music gear in the city. Good beginner guitars would be something like an Epiphone or a Squier, decent price point and are made by Gibson and Fender respectively, the two biggest guitar makers. Ibanez and Jackson are also decent choices for starter guitars, but those guitars tend to be more for the metal folk.

[stang]

Electric or accoustic

[rd_aaron]

I would encourage buying an acoustic first.

[stang]

Bah. The best guitar to have a kid learn on is the one they will want to pickup and play. If she wants an acoustic then get the acoustic. If she wants an electric but you get her an acoustic there's a good chance she'll lose interest or give up when it get tough.

Plus and electric is a little easier on the finger to start with.

[Flabbibulin]

IMO, the most important thing to look for is a guitar that can be set up with low action (string height) without getting fret buzz. You can lower the action on essentially every guitar, but many cheap guitars will give you fret buzz when you do so.

The playability of the guitar is greatly effected by string height, especially for beginners, so getting a guitar set up with low action makes chording etc much easier.

Also make sure you throw on light strings.

And yes, L & M is your best bet imo.

[YYC in LAX]

As mentioned above, I would go to Axe Music or one of the two Long and McQuades (Royal Oak or by Chinook Mall) and just tell them the situation. They'll help you out for sure.

I would definitely recommend findin out if it's acoustic or eletric she wants though.

[polak]

Originally Posted by stang

Bah. The best guitar to have a kid learn on is the one they will want to pickup and play. If she wants an acoustic then get the acoustic. If she wants an electric but you get her an acoustic there's a good chance she'll lose interest or give up when it get tough.

This.

Buy her the type of guitar she wants. Not what the internet says is the best route "to learn".

There are a ton of entry level guitars that will suit her just fine. The difference between a $200-300 Squire, Peavey or Epiphone are completely negligable outside of looks.

[stang]

And if you have some time to wait for it....

Www.rondomusic.com makes some very nice guitars for the price. And there is a poster here named redline that will setup a guitar and make it play like butter. I've used him to do some work. (About 4 years ago now though)

[blankall]

Another vote for Long and McQuade.

When shopping for my last guitar I tried to buy from a smaller independent store. However, the sales reps there just did not seem to give a crap and they all seemed focussed on pushing brands that their particular store had a deal with. The sales reps at Long and McQuade were extremely knowledgable to the technical aspects of each guitar. Long and McQuade is also a non-commissioned sales environment, so they will help you pick the best guitar for you.

[normtwofinger]

If you can learn on an acoustic, I think it speeds up your development as a guitar player.

[polak]

This is a 13 year old girl.

Do the technical differences between a squire or epiphone really matter?

IMO, as long as the OP buys a REAL entry level guitar (not a toy like you'd get at futureshop) then he'll be fine.

If she starts to take it seriously then they can worry about technicalities, feel and sound when they upgrade to an intermediate level guitar.

If she loses intrest, then a REAL entry level guitar will still hold most of its value and you could sell it on Kijiji

One thing you should do is get soft strings. 13 year old girl probably doesn't want to destroy her fingers (although it's kind of unavoidable)

Originally Posted by normtwofinger

If you can learn on an acoustic, I think it speeds up your development as a guitar player.

The fastest route to development as a guitar player is the route SHE wants. Anything else will be the fastest route to collecting dust.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by polak

This is a 13 year old girl.

Do the technical differences between a squire or epiphone really matter?

IMO, as long as the OP buys a REAL entry level guitar (not a toy like you'd get at futureshop) then he'll be fine.

If she starts to take it seriously then they can worry about technicalities, feel and sound when they upgrade to an intermediate level guitar.

If she loses intrest, then a REAL entry level guitar will still hold most of its value and you could sell it on Kijiji

I'd buy one step up on a Fender Squire strat type though. The poor action on these low level guitars can really be a discouragement to play.

As you've stated most quality guitars will retain much of their value, so it's not totally throwing money away.

[polak]

Originally Posted by blankall

I'd buy one step up on a Fender Squire strat type though. The poor action on these low level guitars can really be a discouragement to play.

As you've stated most quality guitars will retain much of their value, so it's not totally throwing money away.

This is true.
If you want to step it up from the entry level you can, and then you SHOULD look into the specifics.

I'm just saying if you limit yourself to that entry price range, the differences between guitars are negligable. I'd be more concerned with the amp you buy.

[Top Shelf]

I just bought this acoustic, http://www.seagullguitars.com/seagul...al_series.html

It had really excellent reviews everywhere on the web that I looked, plus it is a Canadian company. Picked it up for around 350 so not sure if that is in your budget, but I think its an excellent guitar for the money

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

I just bought this acoustic, http://www.seagullguitars.com/seagul...al_series.html

It had really excellent reviews everywhere on the web that I looked, plus it is a Canadian company. Picked it up for around 350 so not sure if that is in your budget, but I think its an excellent guitar for the money

I also have heard great things about Seagull guitars.
Buy Canadian.

[Buzzard]

Thanks for everyone's advice.

I never even thought to ask, but I'm assuming acoustic. I might add whether she likes it or not, it WILL be acoustic....

So ballpark, what would a decent BEGINNER acoustic cost? I just don't wanna get talked into paying 2 or 3x more for something that she doesn't need at this point.

[polak]

You could always get her an electric with a quiet amp if thats what she wants.

[normtwofinger]

Or you could always do what you want.