Help on choosing guitars

[HyuZ]

HI! To everyone here, I(beginner) am looking for Acoustic Guitar to play. May I know what are your recommendations, working around 150 - 200 budget (guitar alone). Pls include where to buy, ect.

Thanks in advance

 

[loldude333]

Please don't double post.......its a waste of server bandwidth.........simply wait for replies or do your own research.......to get you started, go to www.taylorguitars.com and click on the 'features' tab. Select 'woods' to see how each type of wood affects your tone. Please note that these are generalisations but they'll help you narrow your choices down in order to select the guitar you like best. Also, please go and read the forum posting guidelines. Thank you.

 

[ETF]

@loldude333

Lol, dude. Chill. Cut him some slack why don't you. He's new.

@HyuZ

Up your budget just a tiny bit (++ a few more hundreds) and get a, say Takamine acoustics. May be other mid to higher end acoustics or whatever there is in the market right now. There's no harm in getting a well-built guitar for your first. I'm just sayin'...

 

[HyuZ]

thanks for the info

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

@loldude333

Lol, dude. Chill. Cut him some slack why don't you. He's new.

@HyuZ

Up your budget just a tiny bit (++ a few more hundreds) and get a, say Takamine acoustics. May be other mid to higher end acoustics or whatever there is in the market right now. There's no harm in getting a well-built guitar for your first. I'm just sayin'...

Maybe we should, maybe we shouldn't... But hey man, it's written in the R&R no double posting...
Maybe TS should've read the R&R first eh.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

I'd recommend Samick acoustics, but I'm not sure if they're available anymore. Last I checked, they had a few more at Davis, though Samick-branded acoustics are technically not in production anymore. I think they're really good sounding guitars for the money.

Davis also has Fina guitars, but from what I've heard, their quality control has gone south quite a bit. Takamine would be a good choice if TS is able to up his budget.

Actually, there are a lot of choices for affordable guitars in Singapore.

 

[malvin456]

Well, to me, I don't believe in getting a mid-end or high-end guitar as your first guitar. Reason being that you'll have to learn the basics of taking care of a guitar first(E.g. Tuning,restringing, keeping/placing it properly and etc.). It definitely makes more sense to learn that on a cheaper guitar instead of a $500++ one. Once you know how to take care of a guitar properly and when your skills improve than get a better guitar. But back to your question, you should get a guitar that you're comfortable with(the width of the neck, shape of body, etc etc). As loldude has said go read up on the various woods. Different people like different tones(Bright or Mellow). You can probably go down to yamaha to try out their guitars. Their guitars are not bad for the prices and there are many. Just go down to the one and Plaza Sing and try some out. Another great brand is maestro, however, some of them do not come quite cheaply.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Strongly agree with malvin456. My reasons are:

1. Being a beginner, there's a chance you might lose interest. It would be a big waste if you buy a mid or higher-end guitar if this were to happen. I've seen it happen a lot.

2. Mid to higher-end acoustic guitars generally require more maintenance. Do research on solid woods and laminated woods for more information. Generally, more expensive acoustics come with solid woods, which sound better and get better with age, but they require maintenance that might be overly tedious to beginners, especially those who are unsure how to maintain them. Cheaper guitars use laminated woods, many of them sound pretty okay, and they barely require maintenance since laminated woods aren't affected by humidity as much.

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

I'd recommend Samick acoustics, but I'm not sure if they're available anymore. Last I checked, they had a few more at Davis, though Samick-branded acoustics are technically not in production anymore. I think they're really good sounding guitars for the money.

Davis also has Fina guitars, but from what I've heard, their quality control has gone south quite a bit. Takamine would be a good choice if TS is able to up his budget.

Actually, there are a lot of choices for affordable guitars in Singapore.

Hmm, they're officially under the title Greg Bennett guitars, which still uses the Samick name, but the model would be Greg Bennett. This happened some time ago already. IMO, Greg Bennett guitars (of which Samick are a subsidiary of) are good stuff.

 

[dotdotdot]

Yeah. Agree with the rest. Davis guitar is highly recommended by me. My first guitar was a lower end takamine. Got it for around 200 from Davis. However, don't be too restricted by what brands you have in mind, or what we recommend. Take some time to play at the store and see what kind of sound you like. After all, the sound preference is a personal thing. An $80 guitar can produce a sound you like.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Actually, I was referring to the pre-Greg Bennett Samicks, like the LW-015 and LW-028. But either Greg Bennett or pre-Greg Bennett Samick, both are recommended.

If I recall correctly, Greg Bennett is a subsidiary of Samick, not the other way around...

 

[donniedragon]

Strings

Besides sound & price of the guitar, do look into the strings as well.

U won't want your fingers to swell & bleed doncha.

Avoid gauge 12 strings as they would be too hard for your unseasoned finger tips to handle. Go for gauge 11, or even 10. But then again, thinner strings will bring out warmer tone, comparing to thicker strings brings out bassy tone - which sounds better for acoustics.