Best Guitar For A Beginner/ Best Online Course

[Steffanovic]

I'd like to learn how to play the guitar but can't afford any private lessons, already invest in singing lessons which is still my priority but I'd love how to learn to play the guitar, so I'm looking for a good affordable guitar ( any brands in specific?) and a good online course. How long does it take to learn to play it properly?

[Dolce]

Get the best guitar you can afford -that feels most comfortable to you in the store= I know that most people say that you should start off with a cheap guitar in case you don't progress - but if you get a guitar you know you can always sell on E-Bay = then you will have an instrument you are proud to own and will take better care of it I reckon - and in turn the guitar will look after you. A lot also depends on the style of music you want to play - If you wanna be a Metal shredder, then Ibanez Guitars are worth checking out --The first guitar I bought was a Fender Stratocaster and I have always loved it - I bought a Taylor 110 acoustic-but I am selling it - cos I don't like it much. I won't have much problem selling it though.

I don't know about online courses cos I am self taught - but there are loads of great tutorials on YouTube - which sometimes are part of a course - which you can check out.

[Joe51]

Your really not going to get a guitar worth learning on for less than $120 US. And at that, you are getting the laminate versions, but many of them make decent beginner models. Washburn and Epiphone both have models in this price range that I looked at a while back. They seemed like they would be good enough. I ended up buying a second hand solid top for $220.

If you really want your guitar to sing, you need to shell out the extra dough for a solid top guitar. Listening to mine up against some of the beginner models out there, there is no comparison. Solid is better. Buyers tip - if it doesn't say its solid, you can bet it's not. Spruce laminate is still plywood. I've also heard bad things regarding the NATO being used in beginners models, but I have no experience to speak from there. A friend told me to him it stands for not a real tree.

As far as learning how to play one, this varies greatly with natural aptitude and coordination, but learning to play properly is a life long journey. Ive been playing for about a year and a half with no formal training, and I can pick up on many simple chord progressions and play through major pentatonic scale fairly fluently. There's also quite a bit, I just don't bother with, yet. How you progress will depend on what you want to do, and how much time you put into it.

good luck!

[BlackhawkFan]

I agree that plywood just doesn't sound as good as solid. But solid can be a PITA to maintain properly.

I'm not a good guitarist by any measure, but I've been playing for 35+ years, and owned high end solids and low end laminates. For playability, I'd look at the following in order:

Fretboard/neck -- Does it seem to fit your hand? Is it too fat/thin/wide/narrow? Hold the guitar the way it should be held and try playing a few chords and runs. If you don't know any, ask the guy at the store to show you how to play an open D, open C, and a barre chord. See how that feels to you. If the guitar fits, you shouldn't experience excessive stress in your fretting wrist.

Intonation -- pick a string and pluck it with your hand off the string. Then place a finger on the string at the 12th fret and pluck. You should hear the same pitch, only twice as high. Do this with several strings.

Body size/shape -- for the guitar to sit properly, the soundbox must be correctly sized for your body. Too big and you'll be reaching. Too small and you'll be searching. This is an intuitive knowledge, but bringing along a trusted buddy could help with the decision. Hold the guitar and ask your friend it you look cool with it. If yes, it probably fits.

If the strings seem high over the fretboard, that can be adjusted with the truss rod. If the strings aren't nylon, the neck should have a truss rod. Ask the store to adjust the neck before you give them money.

FWIW, I recently picked up a plywood top that has become my go to guitar. I play it almost every day and I love the way it sounds. It comes with a pickup so I can process the signal the way I want, and it seems to mic pretty well.

Ovation Celebrity. Cost me $200. Man, was I surprised.

[countfrogula]

There are quite a few online lesson sites, the one I picked was workshoplive. It has tons of very good lessons and is very organized and professional. I highly recommend it.

www.workshoplive.com