Would new strings make a big difference?

I'm new to guitar, and I recently bought a new Seagull Entourage 6-string ($300) from a small guitar shop in town because it was the best one they had in my price range. I don't know what brand of strings it came with, but they sounded and looked pretty good. Then today I was in another guitar shop in another town and tried a couple of Blueridge guitars ($800+) and I was amazed at how much different they felt. It was much easier to play and the strings felt like I needed much less pressure to play chords. Was this because of the difference between the overall cost of the guitars, or was it simply a matter of different size strings with different tension? I'm getting frustrated with learning on my Seagull because of the tights strings, and these other guitars felt better and I'm wondering if new strings would help me. Thanks.

Hi Gary,
I am still relatively new to the guitar myself but I can offer my own experience regarding beginner guitars and strings. My first guitar was in the same price range and also sounded decent but I brought it to a guitar shop for a setup and new strings. The set up fixed a high fret and the smaller gauge strings made it easier to play and hold down chords. it was well worth the $50 investment. little things like that can make a world of difference. I hope this helps.

First thing you should do when you get a guitar from a shop is put on new strings and set it up correctly. For Electric that means adjusting the pickups and bridge to the correct heights and setting up the intonation.

I use to run a guitar store so I know first hand that the guitars on the wall have been sitting there sometimes for up to a year or more under hot lights, with the same strings.. hanging in a place where hundreds of people keep picking it up and trying it with their greasy fingers.

Not to mention that the guitars that come from some manufacturers (particularly the lower priced 'combo' type of stuff) are usually out of tune and badly set up with a very cheap set of strings.

Another big difference in the playability of certain guitars is the quality of manufacturing. There's a reason for the difference in price between a $100 guitar and a $3,000 guitar for instance. Usually most beginners will spend about $100 to $300 on a guitar and think that's as good as it gets. They keep wondering why they can't get it to sound as good as the guys on albums or TV but never quite catch on the the fact that it's the guitar that's at fault and not necessarily your playing.

It's an acoustic, not electric. And the shop says they do free service for instruments bought there, so I'm thinking of taking it back in and getting new strings and make sure it's all set up good. I also know a guy who's a semi-professional guitarist, and he's coming over next weekend to check it out and give me his opinion. I don't expect my instrument to sound as good as the expensive ones. I was just surprised that something so basic as the feelings of the strings would be so different.

Sounds like a plan. :)

One thing I'd definitely suggest over the long term is to get yourself a decent book (or find a website) on guitar setup. You can take it in and have somebody else do it, but eventually you'll need to do it yourself because only you can tell for sure how you prefer the guitar to be set up and what gauge of strings you prefer. Plus, if you want to keep your guitar in top playing form, you should be changing the strings ever couple of months at the very least.
If you get to the point where you're playing professionally, you'll be changing strings on a nightly basis.

Plus there's a kind of feeling you get when you set up your own guitar. Like a combination of pride and satisfaction. You clean it up, put a little lemon oil on the fretboard... go wash your hands, change the strings, wash your hands again, tune it up and stretch the strings so they stay in tune. Put the guitar aside for 1/2 an hour and kinda think about it a bit.
Then you go pick it up and play your first song on the new strings and really step up your performance because you don't want to disappoint your new strings with bad playing. (?)

It's like yoga or meditation or something.
Or maybe I'm just weird.

get light strings. You don't have to push so hard with them. Also buy quality strings. I got something like carpletunnel from the heavier strings. It goes away but it sure hurts for awhile but then I was playing for 10 hrs a day everyday. so give yourself a rest every so often but don't give up.

Herb

Hi Gary-

I agree with Kevin: take the guitar shop up on their offer to set the guitar up. It can make a world of difference to make sure the neck is at the proper angle. Tell them you'd like for them to "lower the action". (that puts the strings closer to the fretboard, making them easier to press down)

That, and a new set of light gauge strings ought to do the trick.

Many of my students use Seagull Guitars. They are just fine for the price range, but like any acoustic, will require the occasional tweak to keep them friendly on the fingertips.

Keep us posted - Lisa

Originally Posted by: gary_g5Then today I was in another guitar shop in another town and tried a couple of Blueridge guitars ($800+) and I was amazed at how much different they felt.

Wow.... I bought my first guitar, a Blueridge, back in '91 or so. It was $250. Of course, I don't have it anymore. :(

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My first guitar was (is) a Vantage 6 string that I got for my birthday about 25 years ago. I think Vantage is pretty "economical" guitar, but my Dad knew how to pick them! Guitars like Dad's Gibson had maybe a richer sound, but I never played an acoustic with better action than my Vantage (even after refretting it myself). I still play it and it's seen a lot of miles.

Probably a little set up and you'll grow attached to it like I am to my old Vantage. :)