Some Advice on First Guitars

What guitar should I get my son/daughter/myself, he/she/I'm just starting out.

I get asked this question often. And my responce may surprise some of you. I tell them to stay away from beginner guitars. IMHO these just arent worth the time and effort.

I tell them to get the best used instrument they can afford. Why? Because the way I look at things either one of two things are going to occur.

1. The beginner quickly tires of the instrument at which point, if you've got a cheap beginner guitar, you'll have have trouble selling it. On the other hand a decent used guitar (assuming it's being treated fairly nicely) will sell for as much as you paid for it.

2. The beginner takes to the instrument. Now they have something which will not cause frustration. The instrument will play in tune and have decent action.


Buy the best, forget the rest.

My two cents

Yeah - or a fender squire.... you don't get many used guitars for squire money that are as good as a squire in my experience (maybe I don't go to the right stores?)

Nearly all my guitars are used.... I like the idea that they come to me with a musical history, and each one has a story....

On the contrary...

I believe for a beginner to fully blossom as an all around guitar player with appreciation for the instrument, and appreciation for the music... they should first start on an entry level instrument. You are correct in making the assumption that a beginner guitarist will either take to the instrument or tire of it. However, most cases... in my personal experience... someone who starts playing and gets bored with it will most likely come back to it from time to time and grow tired once again... In most cases they never sell the guitar... They just don't have either the time or the patience to sit and practice... They take more of a "I'll do it tomorrow" or "One of these days I'm gonna..." approach to learning. If they go out and buy a more expensive guitar... they're out that amount of money because if they're too lazy to learn... they're probably too lazy to put it on ebay or take it to a pawn shop... And in most cases... used guitars... even mid range guitars don't have good resale values. I recommend any beginner start from scratch... The best thing my parents did for me was buy me the cheapest guitar on earth... at the time I didn't know the difference between a cheap imitation strat and an American Fender STRATOCASTER... I played that guitar until the frets were worn to the fretboard... and this is what I learned...

1. Entry level guitars are made poorly... making them harder to play... The action on my first guitar was so bad that my hands got stronger... and I learned how to bend stiff strings to pitch. Also, it didn't stay in tune very long and thats where I learned how to do my own set-ups, intonation, string changes, as well as basic wiring along with some other things...

2. Entry level guitars aren't made to be resold... I still have mine and it's such a sentimental piece of my collection. When I forget what it's like to no play a nice guitar... or I want to be reminded of where I came from... I plug her in and it doesn't take me long to realize how much that guitar taught me.

3. The appreciation factor... Growing up playing a crappy strat... I was never spoiled by a nice guitar... I knew what a bad guitar felt like... and as soon as I got my first American strat I knew what a good guitar should feel like... as soon as I started playing it I immediately felt like a better guitar player... I could play faster, I could bend easier, I could make chords easier... Everything was so much easier... since I had been playing on a cheap guitar with terrible action...

Those are my reasons why my kids will start out with a cheap guitar... It's not JUST about playing the guitar... It's also about learning that you have to start at the bottom... you have to work your way up. It's about making the best of what you got... and it's about the journey. When I look back that first guitar taught me quite a bit about other things besides just how to play the guitar.

It depends what you mean by a beginner guitar.
Like, if you mean a $20 ACME from Walmart, then yeah, it'll probably sound like crap, be out of tune and warp in less than a year and it'll end up at the bottom of your kids junk box.
If you mean a $100 Yamaha... totally different story. They're actually very well made for the price. Not just a great beginner guitar, but a cheap alternative for home studio use too.

It also depends on the age of the kid too. If you're talking about an 8 - 12 year old.. then $100 is about as much as you should bother paying because it's going to get scratched and thrown around. However, if you have a 16 year old, it's a different story again. They'll have more appreciation for the value of what they have, so a decent used quality instrument would be a great idea.

fender squire OR Aria

Totally agree with the previous. The fender squire strat is the way to go. In fact, go with a Squire strat pack, that way, you get a guitar and amp in one package. I'm 46 years old and when I was a kid lower priced guitars were toys. That is not as much so now. There is a lot of quality built in lower priced, entry level, name brand guitars. There are many guitarists I personally know who gig with these guitars. Go with the Squire Strat. Good guitar, good price. If they stay with it, then upgrade later when they no more about what suits their style.

I bought my squire in a package - the guitar was excellent, but the amp was too small, so I sold it immediately.

I'm using a line 6 spider combo now and it matches the fender squire nicely.

My friend randomly bought a les paul special II for about 20 bucks from his friend(he doesnt even play). I was playing the thing tonight and either its the marshall amp, or the guitar is just a nice little starter guitar. I have played starter guitars through nice amps before though(peavey raptor through a vox 30watt), and this was far better. The action was decent and I even set down my fender mustang to use it. It goes out of tune pretty easily, and it lacks some qualities that you would look for in a higher quality guitar obviously, but I wouldn't have been dissapointed if i had to start out with it.

I can't agree more with what adam said above. Rep points awarded :D .

If you pursue the instrument, having less than great stuff will always give you the desire to want more. Instead of just having the best guitar, you research and find better ones that you someday could have. You keep playing towards that, and when you do get it...the joy from getting it and the shift from a crappy instrument to a good one improves you playing and attitude towards playing.

I also like what he said about working on your own guitar. I mean, if you get an american strat, daddy won't want you playing with the screws and wires...cheap guitar, no such a big deal.

It's great you want to buy the kid a good instrument though...I agree with getting the squire. Most shops carry a line of cheap no name guitars that are cheap, but still relatively well made.