Should your first guitar be a cheap acoustic guitar?

2008-05-27T18:06:00.003-05:00

Should your first guitar be an cheap acoustic guitar?

It may be tempting to want an expensive guitar that have names such as Les Paul, Gibson or the Fender Stratocaster, but if you are just starting out, you need to invest your money into learning to play the guitar and buy a cheap acoustic guitar.

I see many people get all excited about their decision to start playing the guitar and pluck down some serious money to get a really expensive guitar. Then they will show all their friends who will marvel over their awesome guitar. Or I see parents buying their children an expensive Fender, just because Johnny wants to start playing and become the next rock star.

After a few weeks or maybe a few months, I see these same people rush out to eBay and put their items up for sale. Don't get me wrong, I love when they put up these beautiful guitars on eBay, I find some awesome deals that way ;>)

The point is, to many people rush out and act impulsively, instead of buying the right guitar to start with and taking the time to learn to play it correctly. I would guess that over 75% of the people who act impulsively and buy that expensive guitar instead of a cheap acoustic guitar, ends up selling it, or just letting it collect dust in their closet for years.

And isn't it a shame to let a beautiful piece of equipment just collect dust in the closet. So if you are a beginner in the market for a guitar or you are looking for one for your children or someone you know, do us all a favor and purchase a cheap acoustic guitar and with the money you saved, buy little Johnny those lesson he needs to learn to play it.

Give him the gift of music and show him how to play it and the chances of him growing up loving to play will increase tremendously.

Save some money, buy a cheap acoustic guitar

Buying Tips - Cheap Acoustic Guitars

2008-05-26T06:54:00.000-05:00

How to buy a cheap acoustic guitar for under $400 without sacrificing quality? Now it's possible to have the best of both worlds, quality and inexpensive price.

The first component to look at when trying to buy a cheap acoustic guitar is the body's construction. The mass of the tone and sound is created from the top, or soundboard. The top changes the string vibrations into sound and then, the back and sides serve to amplify the sound.
The top is either constructed using a solid or laminated material. The laminated top is formed using several layers of thin wood pressed together. The laminated materialproduces a strong top, but compromises the quality of tone, making it the less expensive option.

The solid top is constructed on one piece of wood. This allows the wood to vibrate, or resonate, more freely creating the best sound and tone.

The most important factor in determing the sound, durability, and appearance of the acoustic guitar is the type of wood used in its creation. The type of wood also effects the final cost to produce the acoustic guitar. Here's a list of typical woods used in construction and how it effects the cost.

Less expensive priced woods:
Agathis - Known as commercial grade mahogany. it has tonal properties of mahogany but definitely inferior to mahogany.· Hardwood- or just plywood. Found on low-level squier strats. Inferior to Agathis as a tonewood.

Basswood- A fragile, light wood, damaged easily. Can also be considered as a mid-level wood. It has a warm bassy tone as implied in its name. Used mainly for rock, metal guitars.

Moderate priced woods:
Alder - Produces a full sound, commonly found on Stratocaster, lightweight. Alder gives you a broader spectrum of tones, which leads to the perception of a little less mids than Basswood.

Ash - There are two types of ash, swamp ash and Hard Ash. Swamp ash is a very light wood, commonly found on Stratocaster . It produces clear bell-like highs and strong lows. The disadvantage to ash is that two different ash bodies are more likely to sound different from one another then other types of woods. Hard ash has a bright tone and good sustain.· Maple- Maple is a strong and extremely dense, heavy wood. It is excellent for guitar necks and bodies because it can handle an inordinate amount of string tension.

Mahogany - The sound is warm and full with good sustain. Mahogany is a moderately dense and very durable wood. It is commonly used for the backs, sides and necks of acoustic guitars.

High-Priced woods:
Walnut - It is a very attractive wood and has a similar sound to maple but not as bright. It is quite a heavy wood. A walnut-backed guitar can have a unique warmth and tonal depth.

Rosewood - More commonly found on Fretboards than guitar bodies. Rosewood is an extremely heavy and oily wood and Rosewood bodied guitars are very rare. Not as bright as maple and possess a very dark color.

Here are some reviews of quality cheap acoustic guitars for under $400

Washburn DS10SB Acoustic Guitar
The Washburn guitar has a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides. It has a mahogany neck with a bound rosewood fretboard. It has a beautiful black finish. It is a dreadnought shape. The tuners are "Grover styled" and are pretty good. It stays in tune for days at a time It has an absolutely beautiful sound. Deep and full. It is the best sounded guitar of all the ones I've tried. Been playing for 4 years now, have had it for a year and would not trade it for anything.

Dean Tradition Acoustic Guitar
The neck shape is extremely comfortable to all and the rich even tones will make you want to sit and play for hours. Such a Bright Sound out of it. The Tone is just absolutely fabulous. I am very satisfied with this guitar and would highly recommend it to all beginners. Have had it over a year now never polished it and still looks like a million. No problems with any of the hardware, everything is real sturdy.

Yamaha 730S Acoustic Guitar
The level of detail and craftsmanship found in the 730S place this guitar in a class above the rest. Finish options available for this guitar include Natural, Tobacco Brown Sunburst, and Vintage Cherry Burst. The Yamaha FG series guitars are very responsive, you don't need to work the guitar, you just need to play it. A true pleasure to own and to play. I would rate this guitar a solid 9 out of 10.

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