Bad Guitars

:(

I have been messing around with guitars since I was 12, I am now 52. I have not seen very many what you would call bad acoustic guitars until the last two or three years, so I thought it would be nice to mention the really bad ones to save some beginners some grief. So here goes!


[1] ANY cheap guitar from Mexico. These are the ones that are bought right across the border. In my humble opinion made for show not playing.

[2] Any Brownsville. These are mainly carried by Sam Ash and others like them. They cannot take any kind of punishment. A little heat and the neck warps. The electronics in the acoustic electric models fries within days of buying it. A lot of kids at my church bought these as a beginner guitar and all but 1 out of 11 the electronics have quit. If you really need a beginner’s guitar and this is all you can afford stay away from the acoustic electric and go straight acoustic.

[3] Any Jasmine. These are made by Takamini, but at a much reduced cost and quality. A little heat and the neck warps have seen three do that. In my experience with them the guitar will not stay in tune. One of the guys I play with bought one for his son and he is for ever tuning it. One good thing is that according to the manufacturer the electronics in both guitars are the same. :p WOW

[4] The guitar advertised by Stephano or what ever his name is. Made by Brownsville although you will pay more for it because he advertises it. I have worked on more of these guitars for kids than any other! Bad news. The amp ain’t bad.

[5] Any Ibanez guitar under $250 US. You would be surprised how the quality jumps up when you go from $200 to $250! Like a completely different world. I have seen many $200 Ibanez guitars that just would not stay in tune, but none in the $250 range and above.

Some of the best $250 to $400 range guitars I have had experience with is:

Art&Lutherie

Ovation Celebrity

Ibanez (see above)

Takamini

Dean

Sigma (made by Martin) hard to find

Hope this helps some beginner. BTW Most shops will not take back guitars so be careful when buying one. Take a friend who knows something about guitars with you if you can. Shop till you drop before buying one!

I've never play an Ibanez acoustic that I liked.

So does this mean i should stay away from cheaper models made by more famous brand name manufacturers? Eg Applauses(Ovations) and Oscar Schmidts(Washburn)?

I think this thread is going to be slightly misleading to beginners...

An entry level guitar is just that... and it should be taken as such. Entry level guitars are designed for, nor should they be used for professional recordings or extended use into the late stages of someones musical career. Their main purpose is to simple give a beginner a basic instrument to learn the basic principles of playing a guitar. They're not meant to be played on stages and withstand the rigours of touring.

With that said... If you're buying an enrty level guitar (~$200 or less)... Remember these few things. Most all information that you read about a musical instrument is someones opinion. Obviously, someone who has been around a lot of guitars and plays guitar everyday has an opinion that is weighted much more than someone who has never touched a guitar. I encourage anyone that is getting into music to go to a music shop and pick up the guitar that you want to purchase. Even if you don't know how to play it. Pick it up, hold it... Strum the strings. If it sounds good to you, then there you go. It doesn't really matter what someone else thinks.

The common misconception about entry level guitars is that they should sound as good as a higher priced instrument or be as well built. Those are unreal expectations. There are better built and better sounding guitars within the entry level price range... but they still are going to sound and be built like entry level guitars. Wood, hardware, and labor all cost money to manufacturers... The more workmanship, better hardware, and better woods that are put into a guitar... the more it will cost... and the same goes for the less you spend. A cheap guitar will be made cheap.

Manufacturers like Squire, Epiphone, Oscar Schmidt, and Applause... among others are usually the safeest bet for a decent guitar at an entry level price... Why you ask? Well... they're made by companies who make guitars in large quantities. They can make guitars for less. Therefore they can put better components into the guitars... and sell them for less than a smaller manufacturer can. A Squire Strat will always remain as my number one choice for a beginning guitar players first electric guitar... as will a Squire acoustic. These instruments are worth what you pay for them. They don't get killer tone... but they're perfect for a young, or old, guitarist to cut their teeth on. You should expect a guitar like this to last you about 6-10 months before you should move on to a higher priced instrument and you should be proficient at playing guitar by that time. A lot of times people invest in an entry level guitar and don't stick with it... Or end up spendinga ton of money on a nice guitar and never gte use out of it... or don't even know how to play it.

I've owned a lot of guitars cheap and expensive... my friends and I have an extenxive collection in our studio... However, at the age of 22 I can't compare my time of experience with Andrew... I just think that everyone should understand that entry level guitars aren't suppose to be instruments that you buy and never have to buy another guitar because they're so outstanding. In the music world... much like any other industry... you get what you pay for.

Hope that clears some of that up.

:D

I agree with aschleman. He is right on. Maybe I should have reworded my post. I think what I was trying to say is that here in my part of the world Salesman sell young guitar players a bill of goods on guitars that are not made for heavy use.

Here in the San Antonio Area our great guitar shops with knowledgable people have just about all closed up. Hermes is gone, Texas Music is gone. Sam Ash has taken over. They sell some realy great guitars but they also sell some really really cheapos.

It really breaks my heart to have a young person come to me with guitar problems that cannot be fixed because the guitar was never mean for what they wanted to do and salesmen over stated what it would do. And it really makes their parents mad. Cheap guitars just cannot take the Texas heat and that is where the problems really come from.

Thanks for explaining it to us aschleman. I will attempt to do better in the future. If I could only type.

Very good post. One thing I always keep in mind....You can always buy inexpensive and upgrade as you grow. Predominately in the electric world althoguth I have had a new bridge and nut put on a few acoustics over the years. Though you cannot change the wood as easily.

I have met many amazing guitarists who still jam with some real junkers that have been tweaked over the years.

This is obviously mainly in the electric arena. Personally I would never recommend acoustic for a beginner primarily because I was forced to play one when I first started.

That said, as you improve you will find different things you like etc...I am just getting to this stage myself. I know generally what pickups I like, how I like my action set and what type of nut I like to have. Also, a crappy Ibanez with a set of grover tuners and a pickup replacement makes for a sweet axe.

I have two low end Ibanez electrics and love them both. 7/10 times I pick up one of my ibanez's over my American Strat. I just like the necks they put on the ibanez low end models.

Bottom line, dont let a salesmen sell you a guitar in a shop. Play them all. Find what you like best in your price range and buy it. If you have problems with it post here....the knowledge here is insane. These guys will help you tweak it into a super axe.

Anyhow, just the rantings of 24 years of beginners experiance. One day I hope to grow up and be an intermediate player.....maybe when I have played for 50 years that will happen.

Originally Posted by: andrew3in1
Thanks for explaining it to us aschleman. I will attempt to do better in the future. If I could only type.

No no no. Don't get me wrong. Your post ws very informative. I just tried to bring the other side out. I guess you kind of exposed the tip of the iceberg and I covered the rest! But your post was very informative and I agree with a lot of what you said... I hope you didn't get the wrong idea about my post. I just wanted to give a little more insight into entry level guitars rather than honing in on specific brands and guitars. I think this should be a great thread for beginners to read either way.

I own an Ibanez lower-end but not made in Mexico, acoustic and just love it. The quality and sound is good so far. It resounds with rich, crisp, clear tones with very good bass. It retains tuning and I only have to retune about every 4th day. I live in a cooler climate so that probably helps. :) But, I think for the person like me with a limited budget, that just wants to play for the sheer joy of playing and doesn't plan to go professional to play before a paying audience may be very happy with an Ibanez. I am. ;)

:D

I took it in the love you gave it aschleman. I guess I have more problems with pushy unkn owing salesmen than I do with cheap guitars. We could really use some honest ones down here.