Looking for an acoustic guitar for a newb

[Jimmy Neutron]

I bought my son one last Christmas and have really enjoyed hearing him learn - enough to want to learn myself. Neither of us shares very well.

 

Looking at a Seagull S6 (about $300) - mainly because it is available in a darker color and the reviews are decent.

 

What features should I be looking for? The S6 I'm looking at doesn't have a pickguard, but I could add an aftermarket one. I bought my son a Fender Starcaster. He likes it and it sounds OK to me, if a little metalic. I don't like the shiny finish.

 

What say ye?

[Brentastic]

IMO, you need to decide on guitar body style and guitar tone. How big are you? Your size may determine which body style you prefer (I prefer dreadnaught). What tone do you like? You will have to play several guitars to figure it out but you may refer to some of your favorite players to give you a jump start. I prefer a deeper/bassy tone which is why my guitar is made with rosewood for the back and sides. I also play a dreadnaught round shoulder for the body style - this is a bigger guitar and plays louder than most. Other players prefer more high-end in their tone.

 

Another thing to consider is what environment will the guitar be exposed to. If you plan on humidifying in the winter and avoiding extreme elements then it is probably worth your while to get a solid wood guitar. With a solid wood, the tone will improve and adjust to your playing style over time, essentially growing with you. A laminate does not require such care and therefore will not improve over time. There are plenty of good sounding laminates, however.

 

Once you determine those things then you can worry about brand. Brand is of little significance until you know the tone you like and the body style that suits you best.

 

FWIW, although I don't own a Seagull but people who do always say great things. Also, play as many styles and wood types as possible (preferably in the same day) to really understand what you like.

Edited September 17, 2010 by Brentastic

[Jimmy Neutron]

IMO, you need to decide on guitar body style and guitar tone. How big are you? Your size may determine which body style you prefer (I prefer dreadnaught). What tone do you like? You will have to play several guitars to figure it out but you may refer to some of your favorite players to give you a jump start. I prefer a deeper/bassy tone which is why my guitar is made with rosewood for the back and sides. I also play a dreadnaught round shoulder for the body style - this is a bigger guitar and plays louder than most. Other players prefer more high-end in their tone.

 

Another thing to consider is what environment will the guitar be exposed to. If you plan on humidifying in the winter and avoiding extreme elements then it is probably worth your while to get a solid wood guitar. With a solid wood, the tone will improve and adjust to your playing style over time, essentially growing with you. A laminate does not require such care and therefore will not improve over time. There are plenty of good sounding laminates, however.

 

Once you determine those things then you can worry about brand. Brand is of little significance until you know the tone you like and the body style that suits you best.

 

FWIW, although I don't own a Seagull but people who do always say great things. Also, play as many styles and wood types as possible (preferably in the same day) to really understand what you like.

 

Thanks, Brent. It's hard for me to say what I like - I'm too new to the scene and don't play a lick. I'm 6'1, 240 lbs and have a long torso - I don't imagine there is a guitar out there too big for me.

 

I like a wide range of music and have been strongly drawn to blues lately - I'd love to learn to make those sounds. That said, I will probably learn a little of every genre and buy an elecrtric or two down the road.

[delusions of grandeur]

Thanks, Brent. It's hard for me to say what I like - I'm too new to the scene and don't play a lick. I'm 6'1, 240 lbs and have a long torso - I don't imagine there is a guitar out there too big for me.

 

I like a wide range of music and have been strongly drawn to blues lately - I'd love to learn to make those sounds. That said, I will probably learn a little of every genre and buy an elecrtric or two down the road.

 

I own a Seagull S6, and it sounds really beautiful, rich and bluesy. I'd searched around for a while, and didn't find a guitar that came close to matching its tone for around that price.

 

Only problem is, the humidity is a bitch down here in Georgia, and it's ended up having big-time neck issues. But this is the same with all acoustic guitars (and I probably don't know enough about preventing it), but the Seagull is the best I've seen for the money.

 

Please do you kid a favor once he progresses. A Starcaster just ain't gonna cut it.

[Jimmy Neutron]

I own a Seagull S6, and it sounds really beautiful, rich and bluesy. I'd searched around for a while, and didn't find a guitar that came close to matching its tone for around that price.

 

Only problem is, the humidity is a bitch down here in Georgia, and it's ended up having big-time neck issues. But this is the same with all acoustic guitars (and I probably don't know enough about preventing it), but the Seagull is the best I've seen for the money.

 

Please do you kid a favor once he progresses. A Starcaster just ain't gonna cut it.

 

Yeah, there is little doubt my son will be stealing my guitar if it is nicer than his. We're already planning an upgrade for him - just wanted to see if he liked guitar before we spent a lot of money on a good guitar. Kids have a way of losing interest in things, so we try to go in cheaply.

[Kid Cid]

Brent makes some good suggestions. I would approach this like any other audio gear. Take a day and visit as many music stores in you area as you can. Set a budget and then play every guitar under that dollar figure you can find. Listen for tone, and perhaps more importantly, for any buzzes or unnatural sounding things. Find out what body shape fits you best, you claim that one might not be too big for you, but the width of the body may feel funny or the slim line may be too small.

Do you plan on playing it sitting down or standing up? Get a strap on it and play it that way if you want to stand. The guitar will feel different hanging from you rather than in your lap.

Do you want a cutaway or standard body? The cutaway allows easier access to the upper frets, it may or may not be something your interested in now but it is worth thinking about.

Pure acoustic or acoustic/electric? You don't seem like the type to plug something into an amp but once again, you never know. Think about what you plan on doing and make the choice now.

If you have big hands, it may be worth your while to compare classical style guitars v modern style. The classical style guitars tend to have a wider neck and give you more room to get your fingers in. Some modern style guitars have a narrow neck. It can make them faster to play but it also makes things more crowded.

[Kid Cid]

Yeah, there is little doubt my son will be stealing my guitar if it is nicer than his. We're already planning an upgrade for him - just wanted to see if he liked guitar before we spent a lot of money on a good guitar. Kids have a way of losing interest in things, so we try to go in cheaply.

I recommend this to the parents of all my students. And if they don't listen to me I also make a note of who I'll be calling to make a cheap offer on a nice guitar in two years.

[Brentastic]

Thanks, Brent. It's hard for me to say what I like - I'm too new to the scene and don't play a lick. I'm 6'1, 240 lbs and have a long torso - I don't imagine there is a guitar out there too big for me.

 

I like a wide range of music and have been strongly drawn to blues lately - I'd love to learn to make those sounds. That said, I will probably learn a little of every genre and buy an elecrtric or two down the road.

That's exactly my size and build a dread will fit you nicely. I think you should look at some dreadnaught body styles or jumbos but honestly, I haven't played a jumbo that I like. People perceive jumbos to have a 'big' sound but all the dreads I've played are 'bigger' sounding than all the jumbos I've played. Epiphone makes a very good dread for cheap the model is called 'Masterbuilt' and they can be bought new for around $500 which means you should be able to find them used for around $300.

 

I just looked up the Seagull S6 and it's also a dread body style. The wood options wouldn't be the tone I like but everyone is different. I would suggest playing a bunch of dreads with different woods to see which tone you prefer. I imagine that Seagull is probably 'lighter' sounding than what I like but maybe you like that tone. Just play several to get a feel for what tone you like. Bottom line, you can find a quality solid wood git in your price range - it will be used but that's fine and I'd argue better most of the time.

Edited September 18, 2010 by Brentastic