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  #16  
Old 04-03-2009, 04:55 PM
muonlepton muonlepton is offline
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Thanks for all the excellent replies. It seems that I have a lot of research to do before deciding. I will probably hit one of the music store later on this week to just test things out. My friend has a used guitar that he never really played (he said he got it for around $300 some time ago, maybe I'll check it out when he brings it someday).

I do notice some difficulties playing barred chords on my guitar, and also that I tend to touch other strings when fretting for other things. I can hold B, F without problems, but to do it chords after chords, it really make my thumb muscle tired. Also, when I strum instead of fingerpick, I need to hold the chord a lot tighter for it to sound really nice. Would a better guitar change these aspects somewhat? or do I just need better technique? (I guess I'll find out when I hit a music instructment store)

When I got my guitar, there wasn't any "setup" or anything... so should I request someone to "set it up" when getting a better guitar? or do they do it automatically?

Last edited by muonlepton; 04-03-2009 at 05:03 PM.
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  #17  
Old 04-03-2009, 11:44 PM
jwenting jwenting is offline
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what you describe sounds more like poor technique rather than the instrument (though a poor or poorly set up instrument won't help of course).

I've never had a store set up an instrument when I bought it without asking for it (and when I do they usually try to get out from under the work by claiming it's not needed, irrespective of the store or the instrument).
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  #18  
Old 04-04-2009, 12:07 AM
theroast theroast is offline
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Some of the advice I would take, some I would not.

1. There is no reason to play expensive guitars that are out of your price range. Would you go to a Porsche dealership when you know you are in the Honda price range? No. Why put yourself in this position. No harm in trying the nicer ones, just don't try 10 $300 guitars and then play a few Taylors. All you will do is confuse yourself and get frustrated.

2. Find your price range and stick to it. Do you want electronics? You can figure to add $50+ just for the same model with electronics. Don't jump above your max. Every good guitar shop will have models $50 apart from each other...There is always the "whats the next step up" guitar thats always just out of your price range

3. Don't cheat yourself with a bad guitar. Ex:Would you go up to bat with a one that is too heavy? Or Cracked? Yeah you might be able to make contact, but you will never hit it out of the infield. As stated before, make sure it feels and plays great to you! Don't have a salesman jam on it and say how great it is. Get your hands on it and play it.

There are plenty of great guitars out there...just stick to a reputable brand that actually makes their guitars(yamaha, alvarez, to name a couple) and you will be good to go. Also, choose a dealer that does repairs/warranties/etc...You can always take your guitar in if you have questions. Any reputable guitar in a sub $300 price range will be a noticeable upgrade over your Montana. For what its worth, Yamaha has an awesome Solid Top sub $200 that I always recommend.

As for the setup question...Yes, every guitar should be ready to play when you leave the store. Again, anyone that does reapairs "in-house" should give you a setup for free after the first few days or so, after it has been adjusting to the temps in your place. Just ask them about it and they should explain it to you. Guitar Centers do not do any repairs or handle any warranty claims.

Good luck!
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  #19  
Old 04-04-2009, 12:19 PM
muonlepton muonlepton is offline
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I just went to "SamAsh" today and tried out a bunch of their guitars. Wow, what a difference! I can easily play F , A#, Bm chords (it was very difficult to go from F->A# on my old guitar) and barred stuffs actually became a lot less straining on my thumb. Also, the strings feel a lot closer to the fret, and it is less likely for me to touch other strings while fretting. Now my old guitar just feels... meh..

Though the good ones were around 599. The store mostly had Epiphone and Ibanez around my price range, not many else. I also tried some more expensive ones and they felt good too. It was kind of hard for me to tell the difference between a $300 and $600 guitar though, but I think I'll stick to around $500. The sales person over there also said a case would cost ~$100, a bit steep I thought.. that'd add 100 to my price.

Last edited by muonlepton; 04-04-2009 at 12:25 PM.
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  #20  
Old 04-04-2009, 12:41 PM
muonlepton muonlepton is offline
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Btw, I searched for Seagull S6 online, it seems that the original version is $400, while the acoustic electric guitar version is $530. Why is there such a big difference? it is only because of the "electric" part? are the other features the same?
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  #21  
Old 04-04-2009, 12:52 PM
Jeff M Jeff M is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theroast View Post
Some of the advice I would take, some I would not.

1. There is no reason to play expensive guitars that are out of your price range. ...
Disagree 100% here.
Never play guitars more expensive than what you can buy at that moment??
How else will you learn about guitars?

Trying out higher end guitars is free. Educates you on the differences between guitar brands/designs, neck designs, etc.

Gives you some idea of what "good quality" means in a guitar that can be directly applied to less expensive models (that are not necessarily "bad quality).

If you don't know what "good" is how can you tell if what you are playing is "bad" or just you??

(If car dealers were set up so that multiple "brands" over different price points were all sold in the same building, you didn't need to wait for the salesperson to get the key....heck yeah, I'd test drive a Porsche if I had the chance!! I'd want to know what a "high performance" car is supposed to feel like....then go looking for a bit of that in my price range. Toyota, Honda make some great "performing" cars. )
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Last edited by Jeff M; 04-04-2009 at 12:58 PM.
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  #22  
Old 04-04-2009, 12:54 PM
Jeff M Jeff M is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muonlepton View Post
Btw, I searched for Seagull S6 online, it seems that the original version is $400, while the acoustic electric guitar version is $530. Why is there such a big difference? it is only because of the "electric" part? are the other features the same?
Electric amplification systems on acoustic guitars do add to the price.

If you aren't planning on playing plugged in, I recommend forget the amplification system.
If you are, my guess is it won't be for a while yet, at which point in time you can have a system put in your guitar (generally a better system than what it comes with if bought with the guitar, and for cheaper.)
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  #23  
Old 04-04-2009, 01:06 PM
muonlepton muonlepton is offline
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Awesome, thanks for the answer. One more quick question though, it seems that the guitars are generally cheaper online. I've bought plenty of stuffs online but what about guitars? If I found a model that feels good at a store, would it be a good idea to go buy them online for cheap? Also, should I be looking at some special stuff in a guitar case? would one that fits be good enough?
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  #24  
Old 04-04-2009, 02:11 PM
jwenting jwenting is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muonlepton View Post
Btw, I searched for Seagull S6 online, it seems that the original version is $400, while the acoustic electric guitar version is $530. Why is there such a big difference? it is only because of the "electric" part? are the other features the same?
yes, $130 for the amplifier is actually not a lot.
Taylor charges $300 (listprice)...
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  #25  
Old 04-04-2009, 02:13 PM
jwenting jwenting is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muonlepton View Post
Awesome, thanks for the answer. One more quick question though, it seems that the guitars are generally cheaper online. I've bought plenty of stuffs online but what about guitars? If I found a model that feels good at a store, would it be a good idea to go buy them online for cheap? Also, should I be looking at some special stuff in a guitar case? would one that fits be good enough?
you'd be stealing from that store. You'd be using them as a showroom for a website, which is dishonest and leads to stores going out of business and others banning customers from trying the goods.

You're forcing that store to spend a lot of money while knowing in advance you're not going to buy there.

You'd be a leech on your local economy.
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  #26  
Old 04-04-2009, 03:24 PM
theroast theroast is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwenting View Post
you'd be stealing from that store. You'd be using them as a showroom for a website, which is dishonest and leads to stores going out of business and others banning customers from trying the goods.

You're forcing that store to spend a lot of money while knowing in advance you're not going to buy there.

You'd be a leech on your local economy.
Exactly. Honestly, I don't know why you would try a guitar in a store and then buy online. Those guitars will sit in boxes in a warehouse and never get touched/setup. Then you get it and have to pay a local person to set it up. Its a rub in their face because they know you got it online when most of them will have it cheaper sitting in their store.

Above post said it perfectly. On top of that, at least where I am the local dealers smash internet prices because thats how they have to stay in business. A typical Taylor is 25% off of list...my stores are regularly 33%-40% on Taylors and Martins, do repairs and warranty in house, and are knowledgeable about the instruments they sell and don't just read off of some cue card attached to the guitar.
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  #27  
Old 04-04-2009, 03:31 PM
theroast theroast is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff M View Post
Disagree 100% here.
Never play guitars more expensive than what you can buy at that moment??
How else will you learn about guitars?

Trying out higher end guitars is free. Educates you on the differences between guitar brands/designs, neck designs, etc.

Gives you some idea of what "good quality" means in a guitar that can be directly applied to less expensive models (that are not necessarily "bad quality).

If you don't know what "good" is how can you tell if what you are playing is "bad" or just you??

(If car dealers were set up so that multiple "brands" over different price points were all sold in the same building, you didn't need to wait for the salesperson to get the key....heck yeah, I'd test drive a Porsche if I had the chance!! I'd want to know what a "high performance" car is supposed to feel like....then go looking for a bit of that in my price range. Toyota, Honda make some great "performing" cars. )
I understand your point of view here. I don't suggest it during a buying process only because you are giving yourself a reason for buyers remorse and thus wont end up happy with your purchase because you will always leave yourself wanting more or having the attitude of "if I only waited another 2 months, I could have upgraded."

A good guitar store will educate you on the models you are looking at and explain the difference between the guitars in your price range. Its all well and good to play higher end guitars, but playing a guitar with an ebony fretboard with all solid woods way out of your price range gives you no bearing on the guitar in your price range except that you are going to be buying a guitar that is nowhere near as good as that one. I don't know about you, but if I did it your way, I would always feel like a have a low quality, poorly made guitar because I ended up trying out guitars that I shouldnt have been trying. Everyone is different though.
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  #28  
Old 04-04-2009, 04:58 PM
muonlepton muonlepton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwenting View Post
you'd be stealing from that store. You'd be using them as a showroom for a website, which is dishonest and leads to stores going out of business and others banning customers from trying the goods.

You're forcing that store to spend a lot of money while knowing in advance you're not going to buy there.

You'd be a leech on your local economy.
Of course, that's an understandable view. I've done some more searches online and it seems that a lot of cheap stuffs on ebay are refurbishes from the factory. I don't mind the extra $20-30 in the store (just to have a peace of mind of having warranty), but if it's $100+ cheaper, then quite frankly, as a college student, I'd jump the gun to an online store. Though, I couldn't find that much of a price difference--the stuffs from guitar center seems rather reasonable.

I'll probably hit guitar center later on this week... and probably would ask a bunch of questions here regarding what specific model seems better (if you guys don't mind)

Currently, from online researches, I'm leaning toward the
Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500M
Martin DXK2 Koa (the look is just too awesome!)
Martin DX1
Yahama LL6 (comes with a case)
Seagull S6 (the entourage one is cheaper)

I am getting all excited now. I'll try them all when I get a chance at guitar center. What do you think about my shortlist though?

Last edited by muonlepton; 04-04-2009 at 06:50 PM. Reason: no price discussion rule
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  #29  
Old 04-04-2009, 06:14 PM
BHulkster BHulkster is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwenting View Post
you'd be stealing from that store. You'd be using them as a showroom for a website, which is dishonest and leads to stores going out of business and others banning customers from trying the goods.

You're forcing that store to spend a lot of money while knowing in advance you're not going to buy there.

You'd be a leech on your local economy.
Really? So if I buy a guitar online from one our AGF sponsors, like Jim at GuitarRodeo.com who usually gives a way better price than the store, I'd be:

- stealing?
- dishonest?
- a leach in my economy?

Hmmmmmm.....

Some strong words there buddy
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  #30  
Old 04-04-2009, 10:12 PM
RussL30 RussL30 is offline
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I disagree with the statement that one should never even try out a guitar above their price range. At the store where I bought my D18, they had a D18 GE and a D41 that were both twice the price of my D18 and I asked the salesman if I could play both of them to see what a guitar that nice sounded like.This was after I picked out my D18 and we both knew what that I couldn't buy that guitar, but I got to see what something like that sounds and feels like.
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