Help picking out a guitar

Bushi

I've been thinking of giving playing the acoustic guitar a shot. I've been thinking of picking up the Ibanez Dreadnought starter kit. Is this sufficient for just noodling around to see if I'm capable, or am I missing something critical? Thanks!

Godfather

I'd go with a La Patrie Etude model honestly; It's a little pricey for a starter model, but I guarantee you that it plays just as good as any thousand dollar guitar out there, and it holds up incredibly well.

My guitar teacher's been playing his for over 30 years now!

Rysca

When I started learning acoustic guitar ~10 years ago I went with an Ovation Celebrity and love it. At $279-$349 on Musician's Friend it's a bit more than the Ibanez you have listed, but I've never once regretted my decision to buy one.

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig

If you're just starting out, that guitar package sounds fine. I taught myself a few years ago, and if you're just starting out you have to be ungodly patient. You have no idea how hard it sucks when you are just starting out. If I can even make the most basic of suggestion, to go easy on your fingers I would suggest putting strings like these on your guitar. Everyone that I've taught who has played on my acoustic with those strings on tells me how much easier it is to play, and that builds your confidence. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Bushi

Thanks for the input, people. I'm going to go hit the local shops next week to see what they have to offer, but right now I'm still leaning toward that Ibanez, or maybe the cheap Mahogany Rogue off of Musiciansfriend. It doesn't come with all of the gear that the Ibanez does, but I like the look a lot more. The Ovation and the Etude are beautiful guitars, but a good bit out of the price range of a college student that's just looking to start up a new hobby.

Space Pickle

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig wrote: »

If you're just starting out, that guitar package sounds fine. I taught myself a few years ago, and if you're just starting out you have to be ungodly patient. You have no idea how hard it sucks when you are just starting out. If I can even make the most basic of suggestion, to go easy on your fingers I would suggest putting strings like these on your guitar. Everyone that I've taught who has played on my acoustic with those strings on tells me how much easier it is to play, and that builds your confidence. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Uh, you recommend putting 8's on an acoustic guitar? No offense, but that's incorrect. I don't even understand why people put 8's on electric guitars.

OP: Whatever guitar you buy make sure you take it to the local shop and have the tech do a set up (should run you $50 or $60). The instrument will need to be tweaked before it's really playable.

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig

Space Pickle wrote: »

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig wrote: »

If you're just starting out, that guitar package sounds fine. I taught myself a few years ago, and if you're just starting out you have to be ungodly patient. You have no idea how hard it sucks when you are just starting out. If I can even make the most basic of suggestion, to go easy on your fingers I would suggest putting strings like these on your guitar. Everyone that I've taught who has played on my acoustic with those strings on tells me how much easier it is to play, and that builds your confidence. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Uh, you recommend putting 8's on an acoustic guitar? No offense, but that's incorrect. I don't even understand why people put 8's on electric guitars.

OP: Whatever guitar you buy make sure you take it to the local shop and have the tech do a set up (should run you $50 or $60). The instrument will need to be tweaked before it's really playable.

Not to derail the thread, but every person I've taught I've had them prefer the 8s when they are starting out specifically because it's easy. But hey man different strokes for different folks.

davidbarry

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig wrote: »

Space Pickle wrote: »

1/2 man 1/2 bear 1/2 pig wrote: »

If you're just starting out, that guitar package sounds fine. I taught myself a few years ago, and if you're just starting out you have to be ungodly patient. You have no idea how hard it sucks when you are just starting out. If I can even make the most basic of suggestion, to go easy on your fingers I would suggest putting strings like these on your guitar. Everyone that I've taught who has played on my acoustic with those strings on tells me how much easier it is to play, and that builds your confidence. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Uh, you recommend putting 8's on an acoustic guitar? No offense, but that's incorrect. I don't even understand why people put 8's on electric guitars.

OP: Whatever guitar you buy make sure you take it to the local shop and have the tech do a set up (should run you $50 or $60). The instrument will need to be tweaked before it's really playable.

Not to derail the thread, but every person I've taught I've had them prefer the 8s when they are starting out specifically because it's easy. But hey man different strokes for different folks.

Same reason lots of people like starting out with nylons. Plus, learning to play with a light touch is a huge asset.

EggyToast

To the OP -- you shouldn't really worry about getting the "wrong" gear when you're starting out because it's pretty much a given that you won't know what you want to ultimately end up with when you're at the beginning.

After you play a bit, learn more about the instrument and the sound you prefer, that will guide you towards whatever other instrument you may end up with in the future, but since a lot of the sound is based on personal preference, you won't know what that is until you've been playing a bit. I have a friend who got a cheapy acoustic guitar in high school and played with it for about 4 years, and then ended up buying a very nice Yamaha guitar because the sound of the instrument was just what he was looking for based on his playing preference. It's relatively quiet but with a great sustain and very rich tone, and he's a singer-songwriter sort of person who typically does things with just his voice and the guitar, so that combination works well for him.

So yeah, if you're trying to save on money and experimenting to see if it's even your thing, go ahead with the ibanez -- ultimately it's a guitar and you'll see if you're into it and if you're into practicing. If it doesn't work out, you're not out that much money, and if it does work out, you didn't drop much on your first guitar so you won't be out much on the price of a second, nicer guitar that suits your style.

Epi

AS per my own experience I would recommend starting with a classical. The nylon strings are infinitely easier on the fingers and I love the softer, warm sound you get from them. My current classical is the Lucero LC200CE. You can grab it at almost any Guitar Center and it's super cheap. But don't let that fool you, it's an excellent instrument. I've loved (almost) every moment I've played on it.

Nappuccino

Rysca wrote: »

When I started learning acoustic guitar ~10 years ago I went with an Ovation Celebrity and love it. At $279-$349 on Musician's Friend it's a bit more than the Ibanez you have listed, but I've never once regretted my decision to buy one.

Not to start an argument or anything, but I have a similar ovation and, after I knew what a good guitar felt like, I felt like a fool for ever purchasing the Ovation. I mean, it got me through my first couple years ok, but I can't stand playing it anymore.

Its been a long time since I've played purely budget acoustics so I don't have a real good alternative, I just wanted to give my experience with an Ovation beginner's model too.