Newbie looking for thoughts/advice on guitars

[mawmow]

Welcome !

Do you want to strum or play fingerstyle ?
The choice will lead you to the nut width you need :
narrower for strumming, larger for fingerstyle.

For fingerstyle, I would add Seagull Performer. Good electronics.
The Eastman AC are also great. Electronics to be tried before buying though.

Both are well under one gran brand new.

[Roark Haver]

Mostly strumming, but I would like to learn finger style also.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Welcome to the Guitar Buyers Enabling Network!

I think the most important thing is to just get playing. I would start off with anything decent (Yamaha, Eastman...) and after awhile your personal preferences will make themselves apparent to you. Have fun!

[Sax Player Guy]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Roark, welcome to the AGF! It can be overwhelming knowing what to buy but I recommend going to the guitar stores and play as many guitars as you can because you never know what might inspire you. That said, I'd go with the Seagull or Art and Lutherie. Great guitars that always live up to their reputation. I'll also include a Simon & Patrick in there as well, which is also one of the Canadian made Godin guitars.

BTW, You've got a great PRS electric.

Lots of good advice in this thread. I'd like to reaffirm what Dru said. I saw this advice on this forum when I was in your shoes a couple of years ago, and it was really very helpful. I began to pop into every guitar store I could find. While on long road trips, when a town of any size approached I would grab my phone and say, "Siri, find me guitar stores in _______." Then I'd go in and try lots of guitars, regardless of price, because I just wanted to see what body size, neck shape, nut width, sound, etc. appealed to me. I did this for many months.

It can feel daunting, trying out guitars when you only know three or four chords, but I quickly got over that. If there was a good player in the room, I would introduce myself, explain that I was new to guitars and trying to find a good first instrument, and sometimes would ask a player to play a guitar for me so that I could hear how it sounded from the other side, and played well! People who are good are usually happy to share what they have learned with newbies, because they remember having been new to guitar themselves.

Anyway, enjoy the journey. So may great guitars out there. Of the ones you mentioned, I have an Art & Lutherie and I love it. It's out on a stand all the time, so I tend to grab it most frequently.

[phavriluk]

I concur with Brooklyn Bob. Go buy something that seems like it'll do the job for you without breaking the bank. Use it and see where your experience leads. And get lessons from an experienced instructor. You'll learn lots more than chord progressions.

[Roark Haver]

Originally Posted by Jim Comeaux

Welcome to the forum! You didn’t say in your original post what kind of music you want to play or what style you want to play. Either of those can greatly influence your choice of instruments. So, is it country, rock, foik, bluegrass, jazz or something else, and will you be flatpicking, fingerpicking, bottle neck/slide or what?

Primarily strumming but would like to learn finger style also. I have a wide musical pallet, so a general “all arounder” if such a thing exists.

[Clumsy chords]

Originally Posted by Sax Player Guy

Of the ones you mentioned, I have an Art & Lutherie and I love it. It's out on a stand all the time, so I tend to grab it most frequently.

Same here. My A&L Legacy sits right beside my couch, and I pick it up everyday. Really a great guitar for the price. Playable, sounds great, finish is stunning and it's cheap. Only a solid top, so some may be adverse to that, but it's a versatile OM shape, and comfy for couch playing.

[Stonehauler]

consider an Epiphone inspired by Gibson Acoustic J-45

Here is a link to the GC page. (no, I don't work there, and not even recommending you buy there just referencing it for you)
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphon...%20j45&index=5

Note, there are several J45s by Epiphone, you want this one as it's all solid wood.

[emtsteve]

Yeah, you need to play a few first to get a sense of what feels good to you. And I agree, don't sweat this purchase too much, if you stick with it there will be more. Your list has some excellent choices on it. I'd lean toward the Seagull S6 and be sure to try both the slim and wide necks to see which you prefer. The S6 is a workhorse and is a very good all-rounder. Another that I'd recommend but didn't' see on your list is the Taylor Academy series, the 10 is dread size and the 12 is grand concert. These are no frills guitars with Taylor's legendary playability that are intended for the beginner acoustic guitarist, and they sound great.

Good luck, have fun, and let us know what you get (NGD post with pics).

[ish5]

Don’t know if you’ve purchased yet but having just gone through a similar exercise I figured I’d weigh in. Be careful of paralysis by analysis on your decision and be careful of too much research on AGF. I played countless guitars and I got so caught up in specs and tone woods that I couldn’t pull the trigger. Then I came back here for more research and got more confused. I finally on a whim bought a Martin Djr-10e and I love it. What I realized was for a guitar to learn on A. comfort is key and B. No matter what it is and how much you spend it’s going to sound like crap for awhile.

I like the Martin for the short scale (makes the chords easier to reach and the strings easier to press) and the slimmer body size (it’s billed as a small dreadnaught, which is a large bodied guitar, but it’s slimmer than a traditional dread, so a little easier and more comfortable to hold). It’s also all solid wood for $500, which I liked as well, though many laminate guitars sound just as good.

The advice to play a lot of guitars is good, but don’t go overboard. Guitars hold their value somewhat if they’re kept in good shape so if you make the wrong choice it might cost you a little $ but it’s not the end of the world. Also, as a beginner I had no idea what worked for me. Now that I finally bought something I have a reference point and I know what is working because I’m playing it every day. You could buy the sweetest sounding guitar on the market but if it’s not comfortable you won’t want to play it.

Pull the trigger and start playing. You won’t regret it.

[phavriluk]

I think that's excellent advice from 'ish5'. This is way too easy to overthink. Gotta start somewhere, and copying what 'ish5' did makes a lot of sense to me. For most folks the 'jr' Martins are high-end instruments, and can easily offer a lifetime of satisfying play. And readily available.

[emtsteve]

Ironically, I just bought a Martin D Jr10 also on a whim. It is a fantastic little guitar that plays very easily. It would be a perfect first acoustic to learn on. Agree that at this stage, playability is king. Guitar is hard enough and a model that's easier to get good sound from will help you progress faster.

[ish5]

Originally Posted by emtsteve

Ironically, I just bought a Martin D Jr10 also on a whim. It is a fantastic little guitar that plays very easily. It would be a perfect first acoustic to learn on. Agree that at this stage, playability is king. Guitar is hard enough and a model that's easier to get good sound from will help you progress faster.

I'm loving mine Steve. The non electric version can be had for a little over $400, which to me is a steal for a solid wood guitar. I really don't think you can go wrong with this. I didn't get a setup. Did you find it needed one? What I may do is when the strings are ready to be changed I'll bring it in and see if it needs any other tweaks. I did recently get a set up done on a very old dred I have and it definitely made a difference, but that guitar is 25 years old.

[generalliamsayn]

lots of good advice here - especially hitting shops to play a bunch if that is a possibility for you - but I'd like to suggest that you consider buying a used guitar. You'll not only get more guitar for your money but you won't lose much (or anything!) should you decide to move on to something else.

[phavriluk]

Used guitar? Good value for the experienced. But from who? Used guitars are like used cars, there's lots out there for a reason. Mousetraps. There's lots of used instruments that will give problems to their next owners. At least a new instrument has a baseline for judgement, and there's many sources for them. Price ain't primary. Goal is to set a course that offers success, not frustration.