posted
I want to play one for some reason. Though my left hand is small and stiff from the operation I had as a kid. So I need to play a left hand guitar. Does anyone know anything about guitars, the best cheapest one I can get as the obsession to play music is taking over my life.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Try and get an old guitar for free/cheap. If memory serves, you aren't making a lot of money and guitars are hardly a necessity for you.
So my suggestion is find any guitar you can get your hands on that's really cheap, and string it upside-down. It won't make any difference to the sound of the guitar and you'll be able to play it.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Snagging one off Ebay would be nice. I am temporarily making money, but because I am an idiot I am tempted to spend it... I dream of getting a Lowden for like 100 bucks, but it won't happen.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I can't reach all of the strings on a normal guitar... I've tried Playing left handed though is rather awkward. Cobain also played a reverse-string guitar too.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
No matter how you string it, it'll be awkward when you start playing. Until it becomes muscle memory, it'll feel weird, and your hands won't listen to you.
posted
But PC is right -- you don't need a special left-handed guitar. Just string a normal one backwards.
My dad once saw a performer who played a right-handed guitar left-handed. She would strum upwards so it sounded perfectly normal.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
You can find yourself a decent learner's guitar for under 100 dollars quite easily.
The question is, what kind of guitar are you looking for, acoustic or eletric?
For electrics you can look for a Fender Squire, those are usually priced below the 100 dollar range and you might actually find a few used ones if you look hard enough.
I'm not too into acoustics but I know a few things about them. Really all you need to learn how to play is a cheap guitar that'll get the job done and once you improve you can decide if you want to spend the money on something better. I would advise heavily against purchasing a nice, expensive, brand-name guitar if you'ven ever played guitar before. For all you know you'll hate it or drop it after a month of attempting to play it and your money will be sadly wasted.
Some things to look for when buying an used guitar:
- If it's electric, ask them to plug it in for you and play something. You need to know if the guitar jack works and you can plug it in to an amp.
- Look at the guitar's neck and make sure it's straight. A warped neck is a bad thing.
- Check the gear mechanisms for the strings, make sure they're not too worn down and that they offer at least some resistance to being turned.
- For an acoustic, make sure the body has no cracks or holes where there shouldn't be any.
- Electrics: Check the bridge (the place near the bottom of the quitar where all the strings are attached) and make sure it's level.
I know that's a lot but don't be overwhelmed, those are just some suggestions to make sure you get a good deal.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: But PC is right -- you don't need a special left-handed guitar. Just string a normal one backwards.
You need to adjust or replace the nut if you want to do this, otherwise you risk splitting it in one or more places. Heck, a friend of mine split the nut on his guitar by stringing very heavy gauge strings in the normal orientation.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
What I want is a nice acoustic guitar that sounds fairly good. I'd perfer a supergood guitar at a hyper cheap price. I always thought if I stringed it wrong, the strings wouldn't match up right or something...
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
No, you can actually get wherever you buy it from to string it backwards for you. Guitar stores are good about things like that. Put on light or medium strings and you shouldn't have to worry about changing the nut.
If you really want a nice guitar, it's not money wasted. Instruments don't depriciate like a lot of stuff, and a nice used guitar will hold its value well if you take care of it.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Which guitars have you tried and not been able to reach all the strings? Classical guitars have very wide necks for fingerboard work, and though it's hard to reach some chords on those, you'll find it's easier on some steel-strings. And it's really easy on a cute little electric.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: If you really want a nice guitar, it's not money wasted. Instruments don't depriciate like a lot of stuff, and a nice used guitar will hold its value well if you take care of it.
This is an untrue statement. With the sheer number of guitars available these days, the cost of an instrument that will retain its value (hand-made of exotic woods by a master luthier) is far beyond anything that the average musician can afford. Even a guitar in the $1000-2000 range is still too mass-produced to have any real value.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Annie: Which guitars have you tried and not been able to reach all the strings? Classical guitars have very wide necks for fingerboard work, and though it's hard to reach some chords on those, you'll find it's easier on some steel-strings. And it's really easy on a cute little electric.
A few. I reckon a custom one might help, but pinky and ring finger on my left hand don't work so well so only two fingers on my left hand are almost as strong as the right so when I type I just use those fingers and not the other ones as much. It was the same problem with the piano too.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I think you are probably right to learn to play it left-handed, though.
Although there was one guy who played the banjo right-handed with only one finger (his thumb) on his left hand. He was amazing.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm sorry, but my now financially-oriented mind boggles at the concept of a musical instrument being an "investment."
If you're talking about an investment in the enrichment of your life through learning to play music, okay, but don't talk about a guitar (easily the most produced instrument in the world) in pecuniary terms.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just got a really nice one for 20 dollars from a thrift store. I actually bought it intending to give it to a girl, but it was so nice I kept it for myself. Plus, I found out she has a boyfriend.
quote:If you really want a nice guitar, it's not money wasted. Instruments don't depriciate like a lot of stuff, and a nice used guitar will hold its value well if you take care of it.
Which part of this, exactly, is untrue? Nice guitars don't depriciate like a lot of stuff (like cars, big screen TVs, appliances, etc.). Nowhere did I say they don't depriciate, that would be an untrue statement. I'm not recommending buying a guitar, keeping it in the closet for 10 years, and selling it to make a bundle.
I'm saying exactly what I said - take care of it, it will hold its value well. You'll still sell it for less than you bought it for. But you'll have played a nice guitar in the interim.
And that is really my point. Nice guitars are easier to play, and thus, easier to learn on. This makes it more likely that you'll stick with it.
Some people may enjoy playing a subpar instrument, I'm not one of them. And I've never regretted a dollar I spent on my music.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
Another untrue statement. Unless you're talking about such a poorly made instrument it barely passes for a guitar, the quality of the instrument has little to nothing to do with its ease of play. A Taylor just sounds dead sexier than my middle-of-the-line Ibanez acoustic.
As for the instrument's value. I regularly see people try and sell guitars they purchased and have difficulty in getting a decent price for them. Guitars are just too mass-manufactured to be of any value and the long-term value of the instrument is not something that a financially-strapped beginner needs to concern themselves with.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
From personal experience I would advise against buying an expensive guitar right off the bat.
All you need is for it to sound right, just get something cheap and comfortable and you should be good to go Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Where was the first untrue statement again?
You want an untrue statement how about
quote:the quality of the instrument has little to nothing to do with its ease of play
Wow. I had to read that twice to make sure it actually said that. Poor guitars use cheap wood, have higher action, and lower quality pegs/bridges/nuts. How does that not make them harder to play?
quote:Unless you're talking about such a poorly made instrument it barely passes for a guitar
Isn't that the general recommendation here? You said up top to get any guitar that's "really cheap". I agreed with you. But don't deceive anyone that a 50 dollar Walmart guitar will play like a Taylor or Martin. That's a flat out lie.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote: the quality of the instrument has little to nothing to do with its ease of play
Not true at all, although for a beginner it doesn't make a lot of difference. My flute, a Germindheart, is a lot easier to play than a Bundy...I should know as I played a Bundy for years.
It is sort of like my pool cue. I play a LOT of pool, or at least I use to. A beginner won't notice much difference between a Kmart cue and my $1,200 custom cue, but I can do things with my custom cue that I can't with a Kmart cue. It is easier to play pool with it, at least once you get to specific level.
But I can beat most people even using a Kmart cue too. The cue doesn't play pool, I do...although a great cue makes it easier.
For most beginners a mid-level guitar is the best investment. That way they have an insturment that will grow with them but they aren't paying a lot right off the bat. I would take someone who knows something about guitars with you and hit the music shops and pawn shops....you can get some real quality guitars fairly cheap thre, as long as you know what to look for...
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote:Wow. I had to read that twice to make sure it actually said that. Poor guitars use cheap wood, have higher action, and lower quality pegs/bridges/nuts. How does that not make them harder to play?
Cheap wood is irrelevant to playablity. As long as it is assembled properly, there isn't a problem with the quality of the wood. It just won't sound as nice.
Action can be adjusted. Even the cheapest guitars I've seen lately have a truss rod.
So the guitar goes out of tune a little faster? If going out of tune made guitars difficult to play, no one would do it. Oh no! The guitar doesn't have a brass nut! Whatever shall we do? Wait, my guitar doesn't have a brass nut. It must suck.
My point is that a used, Korean-made guitar can be had for very little money and be just fine for a beginner. Most people can't even tell the difference between a $50 and a $500 guitar.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:For most beginners a mid-level guitar is the best investment. That way they have an insturment that will grow with them but they aren't paying a lot right off the bat. I would take someone who knows something about guitars with you and hit the music shops and pawn shops....you can get some real quality guitars fairly cheap thre, as long as you know what to look for...
Since about 90% of the people I know who take up guitar stop playing entirely after a week or two, I'd say that spending more than $50 a poor decision- especially when you could find a used cheapie that'll work just fine on craigslist.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Really, the best thing would be to find a friend who has an old, unused guitar laying around and borrow it for a few months. Find out if playing it is something that you enjoy and can stick to. Then consider purchasing an instrument. At that point I would steer the person away from a cheap instrument and have them consider saving up for a $600+ guitar.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm biding my time trying to see if I'm hungry enough to play. It seems like I just might be... I don't think I can listen obsessively to music much longer without wanting to play it.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
That's my main problem with cheap guitars. That's true, up to a point, with several caveats. The adjustment costs money if you don't know how to do it (do you think Synesthesia does?), and it still won't be ideal. Try as you like, the action on cheap guitars mostly sucks. Not that that will matter until you're a few months into it. But when you get to barre chords on a guitar with high action, that'll drive you crazy.
You're right, wood won't affect the playability. I play an acoustic/electric, and my shows are always amplified, so for me playability is the only thing that separates one guitar from another - how good of a sound can I get out of it.
Yeah, if you can borrow one for a couple of months till you either get into it or get tired, that's the way most people I know have done it. I've loaned my beater out to several friends.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I know of several guitars that are mid-level quality, and you can get a good beginner guitar for about 200-300, less if you get it used.
Why do you think there are so many guitars in pawn shops? Because a lot of people go out and buy a new guitar, then never play it.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've never seen a decent guitar in a pawn shop. I've always heard that you can get them there, but every time I've checked - nothing good. Maybe I'm just unlucky like that.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Still doing research. I'm going to work overtime at my new job and save up to buy myself a guitar for my birthday. It might be- Solid top instead of laminated. Spruce top or mahogony. Either a Washburn or a Taylor Possibly a dreadnought, way too large for me left hand 200-300 dollars. I need to figure out what the best brand is... I seem to be rather serious about this.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
What Taylor have you found for less than $600? A backpacker? Their low-end full-body acoustics usually clock in at over $1200
I still heartly do not recommend you buy a new guitar. You could get a decent used Washburn (they're mass-produced like hell) from Ebay for pennies comapred to its retail price.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
One more thing -- If you buy a used one from a pawn shop or EBay, take it to a shop and get it set up properly. It costs a little bit, but it's worth it.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
OK... but I'm not purely a liberal... Finding a good used guitar is going to be so hard... Shame some band I like can't just give me a guitar . Or at least the guitar picks. What I REALLY want is a decent old guitar with history for an excellent price... But, if by some fluke I got rich, I'd buy a Lowden. I tried them out in NY one time and they are great plus Acoustic Alchemy played those.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
I liked Primal's comment about cheaper Korean-made guitars. I have a Celebrity Ovation acoustic ($400 new) and I bought a Cort electric, which is basically a Gibson Les Paul knockoff ($500 new).
If you do buy new, Korean guitars like Cort sound and play as well as some of the bigger names in guitars, at a fraction of the price.
posted
I agree with Primal Curve, I suggest you look into getting it used. Guitars can last you a very long time even with minimal care. I still have the same guitar I started out with 5 years ago in very good condition and I probably take less care of it than some others.
How much are you planning to spend on it?
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hopefully not more than 200-300 dollars. Otherwise I will have to get up early every Saturday and work 7-3 overtime to get one. An online pawn shop has quite a few guitars on sale.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh I almost forgot. You might be able to haggle the price on a new guitar. I found some good internet sites on the guitar I wanted to buy, and threw some numbers at the salesman who sold me my electric. Basically, he took 10% off my entire order...
posted
Since Nathan got tired of me using his guitar, we picked up a used guitar for me at a music shop for a good price. I also kept up with it for more than two weeks.
But don't stop once you start. You get those calluses, but if you stop, they go away, and it's painful to get them back.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I bought two guitars for $7 at a garage sale on Saturday. They both need work and are not playable, but I've been wanting a junker guitar that I can use to learn how to work on a guitar. This should work fine.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Awesome. Learning to play guitar will hurt. I can't wait! now if I can just figure out how to teach myself to play... I wonder how Kaoru and Die learned to play guitar. MPH are you becoming a luthier?
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
mph, they sound perfect for what you want. Perhaps you can combign the two and make one workable guitar out of them.
I have heard good things about Takamine for a beginners guitar...they are about that price range, although they are not a great guitar. I have a friend who loves his, and he payed about $200 for the whole shebang at a shop...case and stand included.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
I myself am a self-taught guitarist. I did go to guitar lessons for few months some years back but they really did not teach me anything I hadn't already learned on my own.
I'm sure teaching yourself is harder than getting an instructor but it can be done. The way I went about it was mostly using the internet, I have some great guitar resource sites on my bookmarks I can share with you if you'd like.
Starting to play is really all about keeping things in perspective. Don't expect to be able to just pick up the guitar your first time and start playing a tune... it will be difficult work that requires a lot of time and practice. Your fingers need to get used to the motions, your hands need to be stronger and the tips of your fingers need to develop calluses... All part of playing
Start out with some finger excercises and then once your fingering is better try some simple songs. Practice the songs until you don't mess up at all and you have them memorized.
I would also suggest maybe looking into buying some books, just be sure to read the books a little before you buy them, make sure you're comfortable with them and you actually understand what's going on. No use buying a book written for expert guitar players when you haven't learned what a Barre chord is Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
The guitar I got was an Alvarez. Nathan takes MINE to play more than his now. I'm now able to play some simple songs and my fingering technique is getting better. There are some chords I still have difficulty playing because of my finger length.
Part of practice is developing muscle memory and that's what makes it easier to play the guitar. PC said in another thread to practice until it feels like your fingers are going to split, then practice until you can't anymore (or something along those lines). He was right. It makes the calluses develop.
I snagged a beginner's book when I was at the shop. If you don't pick one up there, there's many beginning guitar sites on the web.
But yeah...don't go all out for an expensive guitar when you're first learning. See if you really like it first. We encourage the same thing in fencing. Get the cheaper gear when you're a beginner, until you KNOW you'll stick with the sport. Then get the quality more expensive long lasting stuff.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Synesthesia, my son plays mostly on a 3/4 guitar. He is little. He also has one guitar strung with more flexible strings. (He likes to "bend")
Maybe softer strings would help?
My husband got his two main guitars on Ebay for about 60 dollars. In stores they are about 100. They are Turser Jay Jr.
Another (non guitar) suggestion, since your fingers are an issue for you, would be a ukelele. We have a Flea, which is cute and fun to play. But they also make ukes with six strings. they sound beautiful, and might be a good warm-up for your fingers.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
The cue doesn't play pool, I do...although a great cue makes it easier.![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
