i want to buy a acoustic guitar but dunno how to choose

[mysterio123]

what should i look for when buying a 6-string acoustic guitar? i am a beginner. my friends said that i have to find a guitar that sounds good but i dunno what sounds good and by good does it mean to my own preferences or the guitar sounding good?

 

[9000]

ok let me start you off with the 2 main difference.
Acoustic Guitars they have Solid-Top Guitars and Laminated Top Guitars.
Acoustic guitars sound is based on the top of the guitar body.

Solid tops guitar are made from one solid piece of wood,this result solid top to vibrate more and casue a brighter tone than a laminated top.
oh and i heard solid top guitars as the wood age it sounds better.

Laminated top guitars are "plywood" tops,ususally use 2 or more woods for the top of the guitar.Resulting in less vibration and will not sound as bright as the solid top guitars.

For solid top guitars,you need to take better care of them,you have to humidify the guitar to prevent cracking.
Another thing is that Solid top guitars aint cheap.price ranges from 300 to over 1k++++++
While laminated tops you can get them less than 100 to say 300.

The 3 main bodies of an acoustic guitar.
Jumbo Body(Biggest)
Dreadnaught Body(Medium)
Grand Auditorium Body(Smallest)

Bigger the body the heavier the tone or more bass.But it depends on an individual.So head down to any shop to test these different kinds. But for beginners i would recommend dreadnaught Body.

 

[theunknown]

hi mysterio, i've made a setlist of what u can do.

1) i assume you know the difference between a classical and an acoustic guitar. if not, do read up on it. some difference are the headstock, the neck and the string used.

2) the three body shapes of acoustic guitar as 9000 has mentioned. read up on them. decide on one, and with or without cutaway.

3) pure acoustic or semi acoustic. basically one with electronics for amplication or not. read up on them.

4) budget! the most important thing. set one. go to a guitar shop like maestro, gauge the prices.

5) read up on whats the difference between laminated, solid top and full solid. prices get higher respectively.

6) go to maestro. ask the friendly salesman/girl, a guitar with much low frequency, another with much mids and another with much highs. from there see what kinda tone u would prefer. thats the SOUND.

 

[theGroovyMusic]

yep i would highly recommend a maestro for a beginner! the standard series are bang-for-bucks, and would really last you quite long before you move on to a better guitar~

 

[leow_john]

Hi mysterio123,

I'm John and am very new to this forum, but let me share with you 2 more useful tips for buying an acoustic guitar, to add on to theunknown's points

1.Action-
Refers to the distance of the strings from the fretboard. If it's too low, your strings will keep buzzing. On the other hand, if its too high you will have difficulty pressing the strings. For beginners, I always recommend getting a guitar with low action, so that its easier to press.

2.Quality of the guitar
Quite self explanatory, but don't get any guitar that has scratches, dents or cracks in the body.

On a last note, not that i don't support Maestro, but I am reluctant to buy their guitars as a friend of mine had her Maestro neck warped in just two weeks after buying it for no apparent reason a few years back. Maybe they have improved, but I still think lots more needs to be done for their QC.

Hope this helps!

 

[Jeraldine]

yeah i heard many bad stories of maestro's QC but still sonically it sounds quite good

 

[leow_john]

Oh yea I have to agree with you on that. I agree that their sound quality is not bad.. in fact, some of the resonance of their models can compare to a Taylor guitar

 

[Jeraldine]

still it's not comforting to know that a new guitar you just bought has some inherent defect that will surface in a few years LOL

 

[EugeneSmasher]

The strong point of Maestros is the tone. There were several Maestros I tried that sounded, felt and played a whole lot better than the lower-end Blueridges they also had. For me Maestro is a superior brand in terms of bang-for-buck.

leow_john: Was the problem fixed? After hearing that, I'm kinda worried since I might buy a Maestro someday... They sound so good!

 

[mrekoj]

not sure about the higher end models
bought a SD1, fret buzz appears at around 13/14 fret for some strings after a few month, just after the warranty is over (i'm so unlucky)

 

[csw]

not sure about the higher end models
bought a SD1, fret buzz appears at around 13/14 fret for some strings after a few month, just after the warranty is over (i'm so unlucky)

It's probably just too much relief in the neck. did you change the strings?

 

[mrekoj]

nope, it happened out of nowhere, nothing was done to the guitar before it happened...
i thought strings problem. i changed to a new set of strings, still same

i dont nkow how to set up acoustic guitar neither do i wanna spend 40 bucks to set up a low end guitar (set up cost around 1/5 of it's selling price), so i sold it cheaply to a keen young man

 

[theunknown]

Hi mysterio123,

I'm John and am very new to this forum, but let me share with you 2 more useful tips for buying an acoustic guitar, to add on to theunknown's points

1.Action-
Refers to the distance of the strings from the fretboard. If it's too low, your strings will keep buzzing. On the other hand, if its too high you will have difficulty pressing the strings. For beginners, I always recommend getting a guitar with low action, so that its easier to press.

2.Quality of the guitar
Quite self explanatory, but don't get any guitar that has scratches, dents or cracks in the body.

On a last note, not that i don't support Maestro, but I am reluctant to buy their guitars as a friend of mine had her Maestro neck warped in just two weeks after buying it for no apparent reason a few years back. Maybe they have improved, but I still think lots more needs to be done for their QC.

Hope this helps!

hi John, actually i was about to say both of the points you mentioned. but i guess action can be rectified through a proper set up and quality(or condition, u mean) are self explanatory. but well maybe i should have included those too.

hmm maestros are like that? i was thinking of getting either a maestro or a crafter. but maestros sure sound good though.

and those who have fret buzzes. did u restring ur guitar with the same original gauge? different thickness increases tension thus the warp and fret buzz. or do u lean ur guitar on the stand by the neck or headstock? a number of conditions contribute to neck warp. but i'm sure u guys know ur stuff! just reminding.

oh and where's TS? asked for help but never return.

 

[theGroovyMusic]

i'm not some spokesperson for maestro or anything, but i just got my ed-2 recently, and it seriously sounds better than some of the higher end acoustic models i have tried, the mid tone range is just right for me, pretty subjective actually. If maestro's not for you, you might wanna try custom acoustics, fina, cort, j&d or maybe takamines. you should spend a day or two browsing and trying these guitars with your friend or something, if you don't really know how to diffrentiate sounds and stuff.

 

[leow_john]

The strong point of Maestros is the tone. There were several Maestros I tried that sounded, felt and played a whole lot better than the lower-end Blueridges they also had. For me Maestro is a superior brand in terms of bang-for-buck.

leow_john: Was the problem fixed? After hearing that, I'm kinda worried since I might buy a Maestro someday... They sound so good!

EugeneSmasher: Seriously, I've got no updates how Maestro's QC has improved ever since..but what happened to my friend was like 3 years ago, and they gave her a replacement guitar..I guess they may have upped their QC tho..Just go ahead and buy, after all you should be covered with their warranty.