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Electro Acoustic Guitar?? what should i get?
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!!!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Music?
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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Going into a music store, with no intention to immediately purchase, is a great way to ask for some basic information on guitars. Guitars are becoming very popular and the managers of such shops are full of this basic information. They can help you figure out what type you're interested in and may even let you try a few of them out.
Once you've figured that out then pick up some reliable guitar magazines like Musician's Friend: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
They, typically, have better deals on guitars and music equipment than shops do.
I have little personal experience with guitars so I can't offer much suggestion. Not many REAL musicians are on Advicenators at the moment so it might be hard for anyone to point you in the right place here. I highly suggest speaking to someone from the shop before even considering a purchase.
There are also communities and forums for people who are interested in playing the guitar. They can probaby set you in the right direction as well, but be prepared for their own personal opinions on what THEY like:
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Also, many name-brand guitars run pretty expensive so try to be mindful of that. A good fender, gibson, alvarez, washburn, epiphone, or peavey might be costly new. Sometimes it's OK to skip a namebrand and stick with something that "just works well" for what you're doing, since you aren't playing concerts just yet ;)
Hope you find exactly what you're looking for! :)
P.S. Oh, yes, straps are very simply to put onto the guitar. The strap may even come with a small instruction photo. If you have problems then there are MANY sites, including YouTube, that have instruction videos, audio, or typed information to help:
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