Need advice on picking out a new guitar

[Johnathan_A]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

I really like your whole thought process and keeping open to multiple styles. The fact that all guitars sound good right now is telling. I would suggest something you might rarely hear here in the land of enablers: hold off on the GAS for a while longer.

I would spend some time playing as many guitars as I could get my hands on. Travel to as many stores as you can comfortably reach and play as many as you can.

You reasonably need to determine:
The neck proportions that seem to fit your hand.
Short or long scale?
12 fret or 14 (13)?
Finish? (not important for me, but it is for some)
Wood/Tone?

If you were to ask me for recommendations for a fingerstyle guitar I would say rosewood with 1 3/4 (at least) nut, short scale with tons of sustain. But you might well be served with a completely different guitar.

After you've played a while longer and played a bunch of guitars you will start to have preferences. There are a great many choices.

Alternatively, if you have plenty of money you could buy just about anything, play it for a while and trade it in for the next one. Either way you will eventually arrive at guitar joy.

I would also suggest you never spend more for quality you can't hear. If it sounds good to you it is good for you.

Thank you! Yea I have come to the conclusion that I need to wait a little while. And once I have more playing time I am going to visit guitar stores around me and try out many guitars and then make a decision. Thank you for the recommendations and the advice. Yes, what you hear and feel from the guitar is more important.

[Johnathan_A]

Everyone,


Thank you for all the advice, comments and recommendations. This forum is filled with a lot of knowledge and experience.

Thanks,

Johnathan

[Bain]

I thought I would just add that 18 months ago I started playing , I had no idea what guitar to buy, just none , I knew no one that played, I just knew i wanted to learn . I bought a Martin junior , I thought the size was small enough for me I am not a very big guy, style wise again I had no idea , just learn the chords I thought ,just learn the notes, and go from there in which I did , Any way up to date ,I have just bought a Furch G23 , rosewood / ceder nice guitar , becouse now I know I want to fingerpick and do some strumming , and It fits into the way I want to progress and the Martin is now in DADGAD tuning still playing and finding my feet, moral of the story take your time it’s a great journey, one that I don’t want to end good luck 😎

[Merak]

I have been taking lessons for 6 months and have acquired all but one of my guitars in the last year, granted you probably don't need another guitar BUT...
Used guitars are a dime a dozen these days and have found having another guitar to play can break up some of the monotony of repetitive exercises. It has also given me the opportunity to play around with doing my own setups knowing I would have a backup if I murphied one. I switched to an electric for most of my lessons now as it is easier to play and quieter than the acoustics (Yes they have all had a proper setup). I do prefer the acoustic sound though. Have a blast!

[rstaight]

I agree with the idea of waiting. Only 4 months in and already talking $3000. Wait, it's great no fantastic, that you want to explore different styles.

You may find that the finger style you adopt that your Yamaha is suited to very well.

In high school I had a Gibson SG and a Camelot acoustic. Still have them. High school was the mid 70's.

I did not buy another guitar until 2007. I pickup an inexpensive Indiana. I thought for the money this is alright. I followed me home. Even though I was playing very little at the time.

Since December last year I have gotten 3 more acoustics. It was time to update the gear.

Now I am set for another 45 years.

Point is take your time. Get a firm grip on what direction your playing is going.

But it is fun going and playing all the different offerings out there.

[RGWelch]

Originally Posted by jkilgour2000

Sorry but this story doesn’t make much sense. They were comparing brand new 1500 Taylor guitars, which I would assume something in the 200 series considering the price, to a guitar that was over 40 years old. And the way the story is told with a slight hint of glee makes me think this is yet another Taylor slight injected into a pretty mild thread.

To the OP, yes, go try different guitars - as many as you can — but ignore the Taylor haters and get what you think is best for you.

As far as resale value, I don’t get caught up in that minutiae - because then you’re going in already second-guessing yourself

You are correct, the comparison is between two totally different guitars. Except what they paid for the Taylor was about the same as what a used J-45 might cost, at least a 70's or later model. So my point wasn't really about Taylor vs Gibson, but rather not to buy according to the name. Try before your buy. These guys had heard about Taylor, one guy bought one because it was more expensive than anything he'd ever bought before, then the other guy walked into the music store and said "sell me a Taylor". Neither ever looked at anything else, and both were sorry they didn't.

My other point was about the resale, and if you buy used, at least you won't take a resale hit. I just bought a brand new Yairi for $2,100. If I go to resale it, I'm sure I'd get far less than that. If it was a Martin, I could probably resale it for just a small amount less than I paid. Taylors, I don't know, but I don't see them holding value quite as well as a Martin. But that shouldn't be the only consideration, I agree. Playing it is the main consideration, if you feel good playing it and were able to compare it to other guitars directly, that's the best way to be satisfied. I'm satisfied with my Yairi for that reason, and don't ever plan to sell it. But I've been playing for over 30 years, on and off, so I'm comfortable knowing that.

[Johnathan_A]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Hey Johnathan, I forgot to say "Welcome to the AGF" earlier. Great to have you here!

The reason many are saying to slow down and play a bunch of guitars is so that you don't make the same mistakes we made when were were younger. There's also a sense of pride to say to your friends "I have a Martin", or "I have a X" but best to know if that's what you really want by playing some of those guitars first.

Good luck with your journey! It's a great one.

Thank you!

Yea, that is one thing I do not want to do, which is regret my purchase of an expensive guitar, I would rather take my time finding the right one. So for right now I am going to keep playing with the one I have and visit some guitar stores soon, once my skill develops a little more.

Thank you, it is a journey that I am enjoying.

[Tony Burns]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Then play that Yamaha for a few years until you find out. Being only four months in and already looking at $3000 guitars is a recipe for regret.

Great advice !

[Johnny K]

Knowing what I know now, I would not hesitate to buy a Martin 000-15sm. I've played a couple and they are fantastic guitars.

[Cheezeweggie]

I have probably bought twenty or so acoustic guitar in the past ten years and sold most of them. I was more concerned with the guitar itself than learning it. My advice to you is to get a good setup on the Yamaha and play it and learn to play. Play everyday if you can and worry more about developing your skills. When you are a good guitarist, treat yourself to a fine solid wood instrument and keep the Yamaha as a backup and a reminder to how hard you worked to become a great player. Oh, and find some other players that have similar interests in your style to jam with !

[franchelB]

I don't think there's anything wrong with a Yamaha FG-830 as a starter guitar.
And taking guitar lessons for only 4 months??
I had none of those things when I first started learning how to play. And it took me YEARS of playing other people's guitar before I finally bought one for myself!
Cherish this moment of learning the nuances of the guitar before starting on a buyer's journey...the experience will make the journey better.

[thechariot1x]

Welcome to AGF and your guitar journey! So, I'm going to suggest a middle ground here. I've been playing seriously for 5 yearsish. I first started when I was in middle or high school playing a rogue, then I stopped playing for the next 5 or 6 years until I picked it up again in college. At this time I bought a Schecter which sounded and played much much better than the rogue. The rogue just didn't sound good, it buzzed and it wouldn't hold tune while my schecter was actually fun to play and I felt like I had to work to make it buzz and it holds tune seemingly forever.

The point of that story is this: I would suggest getting yourself a nice all around mid tier guitar that you are happy with and enjoy playing. If that is the Yamaha that you currently have then great! But if it isn't (and you have the funds), then upgrade. Now I agree that buying a 3k guitar very well might end in regret down the road, but getting a nice basic Mid Tier guitar shouldn't; if nothing else this guitar can always be your backup (or alternate tuning guitar if you're like me and irrationally hate retuning). I would personally suggest looking in the 300-500 range (or whatever is a comfortable non-bank breaking range) and saving the big purchase for when you're really sure what you like and want to do. But if you don't like the Yamaha, I would definitely upgrade. Don't like your guitar playing be robbed of some of it's joy for lack of a instrument that you enjoy playing. I still wonder if I would have stuck with it in high school if I had been playing my schecter then rather than that crappy rogue.

Sorry for the long windedness,
TL: DR version: I would suggest going the middle road, save the big 1-3k purchase for when you know what you love, in the meantime if you don't like the Yamaha then upgrade to a nice mid tier guitar like a Seagull (SWS or S6) or Martin DRS.

[Johnathan_A]

Thank you again everyone for the recommendations and advice I appreciate them.

Originally Posted by Johnny K

Knowing what I know now, I would not hesitate to buy a Martin 000-15sm. I've played a couple and they are fantastic guitars.

Thank you for the recommendation, I will look into them more when I start looking later on down the road once I have more playing time.

Originally Posted by Cheezeweggie

I have probably bought twenty or so acoustic guitar in the past ten years and sold most of them. I was more concerned with the guitar itself than learning it. My advice to you is to get a good setup on the Yamaha and play it and learn to play. Play everyday if you can and worry more about developing your skills. When you are a good guitarist, treat yourself to a fine solid wood instrument and keep the Yamaha as a backup and a reminder to how hard you worked to become a great player. Oh, and find some other players that have similar interests in your style to jam with !

Thank you, Yea I am going to look around and find a place to get a good setup on my current guitar. I am going to hold off for now on purchasing a higher end guitar and wait until I develop my skill level. Thank you for all the advice and recommendations.

Johnathan

Originally Posted by thechariot1x

Welcome to AGF and your guitar journey! So, I'm going to suggest a middle ground here. I've been playing seriously for 5 yearsish. I first started when I was in middle or high school playing a rogue, then I stopped playing for the next 5 or 6 years until I picked it up again in college. At this time I bought a Schecter which sounded and played much much better than the rogue. The rogue just didn't sound good, it buzzed and it wouldn't hold tune while my schecter was actually fun to play and I felt like I had to work to make it buzz and it holds tune seemingly forever.

The point of that story is this: I would suggest getting yourself a nice all around mid tier guitar that you are happy with and enjoy playing. If that is the Yamaha that you currently have then great! But if it isn't (and you have the funds), then upgrade. Now I agree that buying a 3k guitar very well might end in regret down the road, but getting a nice basic Mid Tier guitar shouldn't; if nothing else this guitar can always be your backup (or alternate tuning guitar if you're like me and irrationally hate retuning). I would personally suggest looking in the 300-500 range (or whatever is a comfortable non-bank breaking range) and saving the big purchase for when you're really sure what you like and want to do. But if you don't like the Yamaha, I would definitely upgrade. Don't like your guitar playing be robbed of some of it's joy for lack of a instrument that you enjoy playing. I still wonder if I would have stuck with it in high school if I had been playing my schecter then rather than that crappy rogue.

Sorry for the long windedness,
TL: DR version: I would suggest going the middle road, save the big 1-3k purchase for when you know what you love, in the meantime if you don't like the Yamaha then upgrade to a nice mid tier guitar like a Seagull (SWS or S6) or Martin DRS.

Thank you. Yea I have reconsidered, and have decided to hold off on purchasing another guitar right now especially an expensive one. I am going to continue to develop my skill and later on visit local guitar stores to try a bunch out to find out what I like and if for some reason I find my self outgrowing/ not liking my current guitar I will probably upgrade to a mid tier guitar and hold off on the really expensive one for later once I know what I really want. The post was not to long, it was actually really helpful and I enjoyed reading it. I was actually looking into a seagull

Maritime SWS Concert Hall CW Semi-Gloss QIT

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...shadowed-burst

Thank you for the story, advice and recommendations I appreciate them.

Johnathan

[Broadus]

Another welcome to AGF, Johnathan!

You are wise to wait, but I understand the yearning for a new guitar, or new-to-you. I took up the instrument some twelve years ago, starting out with a Yamaha dread. I went through several guitars when I should have been concentrating on learning how to play. A couple of years later, I bought a used Martin OM-21, a great all-around guitar that I love to this day. In fact, I have only two guitars, the Martin that I keep at home and an Eastman OM that I keep in my study. I bought both about ten years ago and haven’t seriously considered another.

Were I to do it over, I hope I would have enough sense to focus on learning how to play for at least a couple of years and then seek out a quality mid-tier guitar (I’m calling my OM-21 mid-tier, but that may not be accurate), and there are lots of them. Buy quality, and play the heck out of it.

Your Yamaha is a really good guitar to learn how to play and get better and then some. My first was an FG730, if I recall correctly, and I loved its neck. And AGF is a great site, but not-so-great at staving off guitar lust.

[Arch Stanton]

An OM-anything will sound and play wonderful, it's a Martin. A Taylor 412-R will do the same (if you want the auditorium shape). Be careful about Seagull, i'm sure they are a fine quality guitar, but most are not solid back and sides. But they sure are affordable..

..and play as many as you can as long as you can.