And as far as an acoustic guitar goes, an entry level alvarez should do nicely. I have two taylors and an alvarez and like my alvarez just as much as the other two. I think I paid around $200 for it about 6 years ago. I plays really well, sounds pretty good, and it came with a really decent hard shell case.

 

 

Nice guitar.

I have a 214 and a big baby. My 7 year old son is learning on the big baby. It's the perfect size for him.

 

Well I started when I was 11 or 12 and completly taught myself. I had a few lessons but they wern't the type of "Ok today we are learning..." I would always just ask my instructor how I'd play this blink182 song or that blink182 song haha. So I really never learned anything. I don't know how I did it but I am very good now. I am about to go to a recording studio to do some songs Ive written. I'll post them up when I'm done.

But at first it is very frustrating when you fingers wont go there yada yada. Start simple... no power chords just yet, use one finger on the main key. Then work on two. Then however many...

I also tried to take music theory after I played guitar. Confused the shit out of me. I said **** it. I naturally understand 4/4 time ect ect... just can't be taught terms ect.

 

this is what i play with:

taylor 510E


michael kelly patriot shadow

 

ive been playing guitar for 6-7 years now, started when i was like 12-13 somewhere in there, now im 19, almost 20, and have been absolutely obsessed with guitar playing for years so i believe i have some good advice to offer.

i started out on electric playing stuff like blink 182/greenday etc. (i was in middle school, gimme a break), and i actually suggest starting out on electric if you like rock at all. Acoustic is more difficult and with it you will have to focus on things such as perfect finger tip placement etc. and not be able to focus on actually learning how to move your hand/fingers and reading/playing music (you will also sound better on an electric/amp setup than an acoustic, and i believe thinking you sound good will motivate you to play more, as you will be thinking you are making more progress, and in turn, will)

Personally i also think lessons are somewhat overrated. i took lessons for 3 years from a very talented and skilled guitar player but i still feel i learned much more by just sitting, downloading tabs for songs i liked, and trying to learn/play along with them. eventually you will progress to harder and harder songs and you will get the elementary skills down.

you can probably find some very beginner lessons online for free (infact i know you can) that will help you with things such as the notes of the strings, where the octaves are, minor and major scales, and pentatonic scales (which are key for beginner rock solo-ing *think metallica*)

as for a beginners guitar (electric), ide steer clear of fender (although many people will tell you otherwise), as the lower end models do not stay in tune for the life of me. good beginner guitars (in my opinion) would include lower end jacksons, epiphones, ibanez, or ESP, as you can get a fairly good quality korean made guitar for a fair price. (steer clear of HUGE brand names, they often arent all they are cracked up to be, unless you buy the high end models *cough* GIBSON *cough*)

If you chose to start with electric (which i think is wise) i would say the best all around beginner amplifier on the market (for the price) will come from line 6. they are a very good bargain (esp used *ebay*) and can produce a huge array of sounds that anyone can enjoy.

if you are set on acoustic, a good beginner guitar is really in the eye of the beholder. i personally am an electric player, so when i purchased my first acoustic, i bought one for easy of playability (ie. lower action *distance between strings and neck of guitar*). many people will tell you to buy a taylor or martin etc, but these guitars are actually very difficult to play and are for more advanced players (although they sound amazing)

i wouldnt spend more than 300-500 on your first setup, just to make sure you like it. but do remember, playing guitar is a very expensive hobby, just like car modding. im 7 years or so in and have spent thousands, so be smart.

good luck and happy shredding bro

edit: i agree with above poster, you will suck for a long time but all the sudden you will get over massive plateaus. you will feel like youre not getting any better then all the sudden stuff will click so just stick with it. if you practice intensively and effectively you will be able to play most of the rock songs you listen to in a year. guarenteed.

 

ive been playin for 11 years, cant read 1 note, i go by ear on everything. Its def worth it but the main thing is PRACTICE. learn your chords and get famaliar with the guitar first, dont expect to be great at it to fast

 

Disagree on the fender part. I have two strats. One low end (mexican strat with two single coils and a hmbucker at the bridge) and one made in California. I paid like 350 bucks for the mexican strat and it plays great, sound really good (actually it screams!) and stays in tune. I play it way more than my american strat, just because it feels better.

I do agree with you about the acoustics.

So to the original poster, buy one that has good action. That is most important in my opinion. Of course it needs to sound good, but most acoustics above $200 do. And its not like you are going to be gigging anytime soon, so get an acoustic that is easy on your hands.

 

More to the point that babyray is alluding to;

Go to a good dealer. Don't go to a big box store unless you are DEAD SURE of what you're looking for.

Good dealers will include setup on the sale of most (if not all) of their guitars. They tend to return factory seconds and inferior products, and if the dealer is in good stead with the manufacturer, they get a better bin sort of the guitars ("Why is your Tele better than my Tele?").

 

i agree, smaller dealers >>>> corperate dealers (ie. guitar center)

to the guy above about the fender thing, maybe its just personal opinion, i know lots of people like them, and i may have just had bad experiences with lemons or factory f**k ups. i also just personally dont like their necks and i dont like the fact that their headstocks are parallel to the neck instead of angled back, makes for better sound and sustain if angled back IMO. to each his own