Good Student Acoustic Guitar

[soocool]

my sister''s son is turning 14 in a couple of months and she wants to buy him an acoustic student guitar for him to learn to play before investing lots of money just to find it sitting in the corner of his room. Can anyone recommend a good brand? Someone recommended Aria guitars (they run from $150 - $200).

 

[jet2ks]

Personally, I am not a fan of Aria. I stopped teaching music and guitar about 4 years ago, so maybe they have improved in the last couple of years, but the ones I saw just would not stay in tune because of poor materials and the fret work was horrid. The kids that played them were so frustrated because they couldn''t seem to get everything to work right.

The Fender package linked by SDL would be a good choice. Other good brands to look at would be Ibanez, Takamine and possibly Yamaha. My personal acoustic is a Takamine.

 

[Feralpenchant]

I personally like Seagull. But Fender and Gibson are great too.

 

[soocool]

Date: 3/3/2009 10:58:35 PM
Author: jet2ks
Personally, I am not a fan of Aria. I stopped teaching music and guitar about 4 years ago, so maybe they have improved in the last couple of years, but the ones I saw just would not stay in tune because of poor materials and the fret work was horrid. The kids that played them were so frustrated because they couldn''t seem to get everything to work right.

The Fender package linked by SDL would be a good choice. Other good brands to look at would be Ibanez, Takamine and possibly Yamaha. My personal acoustic is a Takamine.

jet2ks: After hearing that her cousin will be geting a guitar, my daughter wants one too. Do you think girls may be more comfortable with a 3/4 size or a full size guitar? She just turned 16 and her girlfriend has a 3/4 size and the girlfriend''s brother has a full size and my daughter said the 3/4 felt more comfortable to handle.

 

[soocool]

SDL: does your daughter have a full size or 3/4 size? Now my daughter wants a guitar after hearing her cousin is getting one, so perhaps my sister and I will put in 1 order to save on shipping if we buy on-line.

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 3/4/2009 9:52:50 AM
Author: soocool

Date: 3/3/2009 10:58:35 PM
Author: jet2ks
Personally, I am not a fan of Aria. I stopped teaching music and guitar about 4 years ago, so maybe they have improved in the last couple of years, but the ones I saw just would not stay in tune because of poor materials and the fret work was horrid. The kids that played them were so frustrated because they couldn''t seem to get everything to work right.

The Fender package linked by SDL would be a good choice. Other good brands to look at would be Ibanez, Takamine and possibly Yamaha. My personal acoustic is a Takamine.

jet2ks: After hearing that her cousin will be geting a guitar, my daughter wants one too. Do you think girls may be more comfortable with a 3/4 size or a full size guitar? She just turned 16 and her girlfriend has a 3/4 size and the girlfriend''s brother has a full size and my daughter said the 3/4 felt more comfortable to handle.

I would recommend a full size unless she is, uh, severely vertically challenged. Full size guitars play and sound better than a 3/4. The real difference is the neck length--if she can comfortably reach the first fret on a full size, then there would not be a problem. What you can do is look at different body shapes & sizes (the guitar, not the girl

) A jumbo has a large and deep body and can be hard to reach around, while a dreadnaught is a little smaller (and probably the most popular style). There are dozens of variations and the only way to find out would be to go to a music store and try some.

My first recommendation would be to try an Ovation. They have a rounded composite back and are generally shallower than a wood-bodied guitar, I''ve found that many girls prefer this shape for anatomical reasons. Here is a link to one from the same place that SDL linked so that you can compare. Ovations have a unique sound, but are good quality instruments.

The other reason to go with a full size is that "shrinkage" applies, just like with diamonds. After playing on a full size for a little while, it won''t seem as big.

The only students I ever had playing 3/4 guitars were elementary age, once they were in middle & high school, none had problems with a full size.

Hope this helps.

 

[all.of.the.above]

DBF is a musician and recommended This Ibanez , plus there is free shipping. He said he wants one for himself - this coming from a man who owns a $3000 Taylor acoustic...

Hope this helps!

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 3/4/2009 12:19:37 PM
Author: all.of.the.above
DBF is a musician and recommended This Ibanez , plus there is free shipping. He said he wants one for himself - this coming from a man who owns a $3000 Taylor acoustic...

Hope this helps!

Another good one. And Musician''s Friend is an excellent vendor to work with--I routinely ordered from them when teaching.