Hi everyone!
I am new here on the JustinGuitar Community. I am very excited to join in. I have just started my guitar journey. So I am looking forward to learning, sharing, and hopefully improving step by step with the help of this amazing community.
At this time, I am especially interested in finding the acoustic guitar for beginners. There are so many options out there that it feels a little overwhelming, so I would love to hear your experiences and recommendations. What was your first acoustic guitar, and would you recommend it? Are there certain brands or models that stand out as great for beginners?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you share. I am looking forward to being part of this community!
Hi Moe and welcome. I hope you have a lot of fun on your guitar journey. As for acoustic guitars for beginners - Iâve got an Ibanez V70-NT acoustic guitar, but itâs no longer being produced and I wouldnât really recommend it personally, as I find it difficult to play. Iâm certain that other guitarists here can recommend more suitable acoustic guitars for you.
I donât play acoustic so I can only help you by saying âbuy the best guitar you can affordâ and that this question has been asked very often and an answer has definitely been given that suits you ⌠at the top right you will see a search box/venster, ask your question and in this case it does not have to be so precise and you will find what you are looking for âŚ
my first acoustic was an Epiphone Acoustic electric AJ 220SCE , now I own a Fender sonoran mini
I just love this mini guitar , way easier to manipulate
Im more an electric guitar player , so the neck of an electric on an acoustic was perfect
there are many acoustic player in the community
they will certainly help you
maybe you can tell us your budget ?
its hard to guide someone without knowing how much you re ready to spend
the most important thing is : the guitar must suit you !
maybe your first step should be to go to a guitar shop and try different models
try them and find the one you feel comfortable with
Welcome to the community Moe! Selecting a âbestâ guitar is very subjective. Your budget is the first thing to consider. OthersâŚ
The size of the guitar based on the players size. Dreadnaughts can be a little tough for smaller people.
The shape and size of the neck is one of the most personal. If you have large hands a slim, narrow neck might be harder to play. If your hands are smaller a thick neck may be tough. The only way to test this is to try a variety of guitars.
The action (string height) is very important. If it is too high, it will by hard to play, too low you will get string buzz. Plan to budget in a possible setup.
There is also the âitâ factor. You want a guitar that makes you want to play it.
Good luck and enjoy shopping!
Excellent, youâve found a great place to learn to play and also find much support from others.
Thatâs pretty easy to believe. Too many choices out there these days.
Hopefully you have a music store close by.
Figure out your price range and go shopping. Have the music store staff give you a hand and show you several different guitars. Listen to their suggestions.
Agree with others. To me, playability is most important, size after that. My 1st guitar I had neither of these choices. I got what I got as I think it was a Christmas present when I was maybe 10 years old, round abouts.
A Harmony Stella back in 1970ish. And no, I wouldnât recommend it. It played horrible. The strings musta been 1/4ââ off the fretboard. It made my fingers bleed. With luck, this guitar is obsolete.
imho, check out some Epiphone or Alverez guitars. My second guitar was a Alverez 12 string. I still have that one and itâs still playable. My last couple of guitars have been Epiphones. A acoustic and a electric. I love them both and both are near daily played. Both were purchased used.
I will recommend my Epiphone masterbuilt DR-500MCE. But is obsolete and no longer made. But they can be found used. For a beginner they may be a bit pricey though ($400-500, used, round abouts). As guitars go, they are only kinda expensive. You could spend much more and not get much more for the money youâd spend on a DR-500. It plays near as easy as a electric and the tones are warm, rich and clean. Itâs also a acoustic/electric, but I play it mostly as a acoustic.
Food for thought. A acoustic/elec. may be a good idea if you are thinking of recording yourself. Also consider a single cutaway. My dr500 was my first and I really like the extra access to the upper fretboard.
Enjoy your time here. There is much to be learned and with guitar, best I can tell, the journey never ends.
Have fun. Thatâs the big thing to accomplish.
Hi Moe, welcome to the community. When I was first learning, a friend put me onto a guitar that had a slightly wider nut (the end of the fretboard where the tuners are) and it made such a difference for me. Chords that seemed impossible become just a bit difficult. So look at little details like that and fiddle with the guitars to see what suits you.
Yamaha makes some great acoustic gear.
If you have any guitar playing friends to guide you, buying 2nd hand can save you a lot of money.
Hi Moe, welcome to the community forum. I agree that you should type âacoustic guitar for beginnersâ in the search field of the community page (top right on the website) and you will find a lot of advice. You canât go wrong with Yamaha or Epiphone acoustics, but there are other good brands and you have to go to a music store to play some to see what feels good in your hands and comfortable to hold.
Hi Moe and welcome to our Community! I started on a Classical Guitar and canât give much advice on that. It seems a good idea to me going to a local shop and ask for advice as Jim @HappyCat suggests. See you around here!
Welcome Moe, you will love it. Keep at it, practice, practice, practice, and stay with it. Donât give up. Record yourself on video and look back on those and youâll see your own progress over short periods of time. I started with a Yamaha acoustic, about $200. I still have it and like it. I tried several other brands and sizes, as this oneâs a dreadnaught, and I thought it too large at first, although Iâm not a small person. Go to a good guitar store with lots of options and try them all to find the right fit for your needs. I was at the Justin Guitar course about 1.5 years, and got an electric guitar as well. Itâs much easier to play than the acoustic. Requires less force on the strings to make it sound well I think anyway. That was not expensive by any means either. I play for my own enjoyment, so I didnât need a super expensive guitar. Not yet anyway. Good luck. Looking forward to you posting a video of you playing one day on the site.
Hi Moe,
welcome to the community, I hope you enjoy it here.
The advice âbuy the best guitar you can affordâ can be misunderstood by beginners as pressure to spend as much money as possible on something they donât understand. Itâs better to see it as a warning against buying cheap, low-quality instruments. If you start with a solid budget instrument, it will accompany you throughout your life, and the expensive dream guitar(s) will come later when you know where your journey goes. Especially in the budget range, I would rely on the proven quality of the brands already mentioned, such as Yamaha or Ibanez, and I would also mention Takamine (mine is a GN51CE), which usually come with a good setup. Good music stores offer helpful advice before you buy and also provide setup services, so go for it if you have the opportunity.
Itâs a matter of taste which guitar you like visually, but it has to fit your body, so try it out before you buy it. Maybe you have the opportunity to try a few simple chords on a borrowed guitar from a friend or something, so that youâve already had a guitar in your hands and can better judge when buying one.
What has worked well for me is getting instruments that are at the low-price end of high-quality makers. A Taylor 114e, a Dean Zelinsky Tagliare Standard, and a PRS SE Hollowbody Standard. All of those makers sell much more expensive instruments, but still emphasize quality on their âentry-levelâ guitars.
Hello Moe.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. View by Categories.
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a âcommunityâ. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the Community Etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
If you want to record yourself to show your progress and / or seek feedback there is our ever popular Community Recordings section.
Behind the scenes there is a small and dedicated team who work to make the JustinGuitar experience as good as it can be. Check out the Onboarding sessions provided by Fanny. Justin also has a small group of Approved Teachers he recommends for people wanting 1-to-1 lessons to supplement his courses - of which I am privileged to be one.
That is plenty to be going on with. It is a vast community space so if you need help as you find your way around just ask.
Cheers. Richard
| Approved Teacher & Official Guide / Moderator |
⌠at the top right you will see a search box/venster, ask your question and in this case it does not have to be so precise and you will find what you are looking for ⌠
