Need help choosing first acoustic guitar!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chater-La
  • Start date Start date
One additional logistical thought: a possibility, instead of buying from an online retailer, might be to buy it over the phone from a music shop that's local to the recipient, and have a parent pick it up for her. Then you've at least got someone on the spot who will feel invested in having it set up properly and probably even tuned. I've never actually done this (then again, I've never bought a musical instrument from an online retailer either), but the shop should be happy to get your business, and decent ones generally care about the instrument being handed over in good shape to go. They'd also be happy to supply (okay, "sell") the associated things the recipient is going to need right off the bat and periodically going forward (like picks and strings).
 
miroslav said:
Carvin Cobalt

The C250S cedar-top is absolutely killer and will eat the Epiphones and baby Taylor for breakfast. :)

I have the C250S and the C350 and would like to get the C980 Jumbo at some point. Of my two, I use the 250S cedar-top most of the time, but occasionally, when I do two acoustic tracks, I'll use both for different tones. The 350 mahogany is a bit mellower/darker...though still nice guitar, but the cedar top just has this wonderful, well-balanced tone....and it plays like butter.

(They are including a HSC for free on the Carvin acoustics)

Carvin Cobalt Acoustic Guitars

Carvin Cobalt C250S Cedar-Top
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These are nice too...
 
sjjohnston said:
One additional logistical thought: a possibility, instead of buying from an online retailer, might be to buy it over the phone from a music shop that's local to the recipient, and have a parent pick it up for her. Then you've at least got someone on the spot who will feel invested in having it set up properly and probably even tuned. I've never actually done this (then again, I've never bought a musical instrument from an online retailer either), but the shop should be happy to get your business, and decent ones generally care about the instrument being handed over in good shape to go. They'd also be happy to supply (okay, "sell") the associated things the recipient is going to need right off the bat and periodically going forward (like picks and strings).
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That's a good idea. I'll have a think about it as I kind of want it be a surprise and just 'show up' at the door one day....but that needs to be balanced against setting and tuning the guitar. But like I said, the girl already plays the cello and the piano so she is not clueless about tuning and music theory...
 
Are you seriously thinking of buying a kid a guitar "blind"...:eek:

I know you have good intentions and all that but if I was you I would find one near you and ship it. Cheaper and more reliable in terms of outcome. Also forget the sunburst thing. A good sunburst is WAAAYYY out of your price range.

Damn I leave the place for a few months and it all goes to shit.:o
 
muttley600 said:
Are you seriously thinking of buying a kid a guitar "blind"...:eek:

I know you have good intentions and all that but if I was you I would find one near you and ship it. Cheaper and more reliable in terms of outcome. Also forget the sunburst thing. A good sunburst is WAAAYYY out of your price range.

Damn I leave the place for a few months and it all goes to shit.:o
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Nice to see ya back!!
 
muttley600 said:
I would find one near you and ship it.
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This works fine if it arrives at the other end in the same condition in which it left. Which it probably won't, unless the shipper buys a case that's good enough that it'll cost more than the guitar (and won't fit it right anyway). He might be able to get a halfway decent shipping box from the place he buys it, but that's not assured. Plus, if it arrives broken or askew it'll be nobody's problem but his, rather than his and the company that shipped it. You can dispute the charge for the whole purchase price if an item shipped by the seller arrives broken; if you shipped it, I suppose you can try not to pay for the shipping fee, for what that's worth.

The safest option is probably to buy it "blind" from a store that's local to the recipient, but if that's not doable, I'd mail order it from a company with a good reputation.
 
sjjohnston said:
This works fine if it arrives at the other end in the same condition in which it left. Which it probably won't, unless the shipper buys a case that's good enough that it'll cost more than the guitar (and won't fit it right anyway). He might be able to get a halfway decent shipping box from the place he buys it, but that's not assured. Plus, if it arrives broken or askew it'll be nobody's problem but his, rather than his and the company that shipped it. You can dispute the charge for the whole purchase price if an item shipped by the seller arrives broken; if you shipped it, I suppose you can try not to pay for the shipping fee, for what that's worth.

The safest option is probably to buy it "blind" from a store that's local to the recipient, but if that's not doable, I'd mail order it from a company with a good reputation.
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Nope. I've shipped thousands of guitars. It isn't a problem. Ignorance and fear is the problem. A better OP question would have been " I want to buy a guitar for a novice, I understand that buying blind is fraught with problems that are difficult to over come. If I select one near me what is the best way to ship it to destinationville...etc"
 
A female guitar player in my acoustic band plays a 000 sized guitar and its the perfect size for her-she is petite sized. Your niece would probably feel very comfortable with the 000.

Glad to see you again Muttley-this place has been slow and needed some Hell raising. And You the Man for the job!
 
:D

Yeah...this place is too easygoing without a resident curmudgeon.
 
Hi Muttley and welcome back! Considering I live outside the US and my niece lives in NY, shipping will be a bit difficult and fraught with more dangers than Sweetwater shipping it....

But maybe like someone says, it's better to find a local music shop and have her dad pick it up.....
 
i would recommend Ibanez Tallman , my GF gave me one as a gift and it is an amazing guitar
 
Chater-La said:
Hi Muttley and welcome back! Considering I live outside the US and my niece lives in NY, shipping will be a bit difficult and fraught with more dangers than Sweetwater shipping it....

But maybe like someone says, it's better to find a local music shop and have her dad pick it up.....
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I've shipped seven guitars to the States in the last year and everyone of them arrived safely in about 7-10 days. Each cost around £55. I can assume you are not open to the idea but it really is a no brainer.
 
chrisharris said:
Also very acceptable, Seagull guitars. Not sure they're in your price range, but I've always been impressed by them for beginner guitars.

I'm done. Good luck, lol.
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Seconding the Seagulls, and they make a guitar smaller than a dreadnaught, their name for it is a S6 FOLK. SLIGHTLY wider neck (not hard to play, at all,) and better balanced sound than a dreadnaught.
 
muttley600 said:
I've shipped seven guitars to the States in the last year and everyone of them arrived safely in about 7-10 days. Each cost around £55. I can assume you are not open to the idea but it really is a no brainer.
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Oh I am open to the idea! But where I live you can't find the variety of gear you get in the US and the price is like twice as much.
 
I don't know if this is too late or not, but check out Recording King Guitars.

I have Martins and Taylors, and a number of really nice multi thousand dollar guitars. But these recording kings are great, playable, inexpensive, sound wonderful. These are by far the best inexpensive guitars I've ever played. I've got one, my dad's got one, and a couple of other friends who are in some pretty big time bands play them, and we all love them and would not hesitate to play out with one.

They have a couple small body (full size) that are really nice and under $300. I'd recommend a full size just because they sound fuller (usually), and it's what everyone else plays, so she would feel comfortable playing other people's guitars. Any model is fine, just pick one and I'm sure you'll be happy (and she'll be happy)!
 
the yamaha apx500 is a great, small bodied acoustic electric in your range. you can get the black one for 300 and sunburst for 350.. it sounds great and is extremely comfortable
 
OK so I spoke to her parents who now think it is better to get her a full sized guitar as an investment for the future. So it's back to the drawing board: which full sized acoustic guitar for about $300 do you recommend?
 
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