So i'm an eighteen year old guy and if i could sum myself up in one word it would be 'confused'.Its always felt to me like the world is spinning too fast and finding my feet is a complicated task.I see life to be no more but a succession of unavoidable events and they seem to pass by with me hardly ever grasping its meaning.I'm not particularly religious but i'm still open-minded when it comes to that sort of thing.In all honesty,i'd have to say i'm a rather lonesome person too,but have learnt to make lemonade when given lemons.When it comes to my interest in advice,i'm not a very sympathetic person as honesty directs my advice.I enjoy listening to people and am fascinated by the amount of different personalities and have thus made it one of my lifelong dedications to understand people and the way their minds work.
Member Since: July 29, 2011
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Last Update: July 31, 2011
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JustJessOx
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okay, so a little background, i bought a cheap acoustic from a catalogue, and i self taught myself. it's been good, but it's really cheap, and the E and A string are sharp (is that right?) when i play in the 10th and 13th fret. point it, i've been given an oppurtunity to get a new guitar, being paid for by my parents (incredible!). i live in the UK, and it can be a MAXIMUM of £250. i want a really good one, but i'm not sure about how to judge it. plus, maybe i'm just weird, but it's so awkward going in and buying stuff form the music store. i end up just picking whatever they suggest, and i don't know if it's good or not. so if you could tell me about what i need in an elector acoustic guitar, what is best, what produces the best sound, what sound i should look for, what brands are good, etc. also some general properties on an elector acoustic, and anything else i need to buy for it. maintenence.. etc.
basically any advice.
i'm probably gonna buy my guitar from this place, so if you'd be nice enough to check it out and give me advice, i'd love you forever! if not, then jsut tell me your views. i realise that the ideal guitar varies for different people, but i write music, and whilst piano and my crappy acoustic sounds fine, i wanna start doing it a littl emore seriously.
one last thing, i know having a strap doens't matter mostly, but most aren't sold with one. is it easy to get it put on, cause some times i need to perform, and it's annoying using a bar stool.
thanks!!! (link)
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Ok so firstly,the fact that you intend on buying the guitar from a music store is the right thing to do.i don't have anythng against online shoping,but your first serious guitar should be handpicked.going to a store gives you the chance to try out various different guitars and you will have after purchase support.you do not have to be uncomfortable in going to a music store,but if you want my advice on that,i'd say to bring a friend along with you when you go,preferably a guitarist with a litle more experience than you.he will be able to ask all the right questions to your best interest.now to get to the guitar-the first thing you need to know is your woods,good acoustic guitars usually have the fretboard made out of ebony but rosewood wouldn't be a bad choice either.be sure to pick a solid-top guitar as they have a better tone and improve with age as oposed to veneer-top guitars.once you have the guitar in your hands,be sure to check for cracks,dull spots or blemishes in the finish.check the joint where the neck meets the body to asure it has no gaps.look at all the frets to make sure they're embedded in their slots and that the ends are smooth.play every note on the guitar and listen to each sound as you play,this will indicate loose hardware or a glue joint that failed.the next thing you'll want to do is get a feel for the guitar as each guitar differ in this regard.the guitar's feel will have a great impact on its playability and the best way to examine this is through comparing two or more guitars.examine the action and the neck's thickness.the action should be low enough for you to be able to play barre chords so that the strings dn't buzz against the frets.usually a high action is harder to play but sounds better as oposed to low action whicht is easy to play but can sometimes buzz when the strings are played too hard.ask the salesperson about the action etc if you dn't undrstand this.if you are small of stature and have small hands its better to consider a short-scale guitar as they are more comfortable to play.,you won't have to do insane finger stretches.next,you'll want to check the intonation,this is basicaly how well a string plays in tune when fretted.it has naught to do with the tuners,it has to do with whether the frets produce the right pitches.to check the guitar's intonation,play a 12th fret harmonic on each string and listen to how well it matches the fretted version of that note,they should be perfectly in tune.remember to listen to the guitar's sound,it has to appeal to you,have someone more experienced than you play it to see if you find the sound appealing.judge the guitars aesthetics,as a guitar should be treated as a lady it should be beautiful to you aswell.the last thing to do for you is to determine the guitar's growth potential.the better the instrument,the longer it'll take for you to outgrow it.so there you have it,i hope this helps you somewhat and from one musician to another - good luck!
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