@judi & @LadyOfTheCastle I haven’t been asked this before, about the guitar setup. I bought this guitar at guitar center years ago when I first wanted to start lessons (but then a loss in the family upended everything). I can’t remember but I think they did the strings in store? I surely don’t know how or what I’m looking for in terms of if it was setup for a beginner. Is that something you can tell by looking?
I’m reading that as “the strings haven’t been changed for years” 
It’s time to treat yourself to a fresh set of strings. I’ll bet money they put 12 gauge strings on it, unless you asked for a different gauge. As Judy said, you want 10 gauge strings as a beginner. Especially if you are struggling to get a clean note when fretting the first fret of the G string on an E chord. That shouldn’t be difficult- even for a beginner. You may even need to have the nut slots filed to lower the action on some or all of the strings.
P.S. I see you’re a lefty!
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@jacksprat Oh yes, it didn’t occur to me that strings would go bad over time? Total beginner here and this in particular seems very intimidating. I’m not even sure where to go… does Guitar City suffice? I just tell them I want 10 gauge strings for a beginner?
Honestly, I don’t even love this guitar but I didn’t want to spend money on a nicer one if I couldn’t prove to myself that I could stick with it. I had a really lovely right handed guitar that sounded much nicer, but as you noticed, I am indeed left handed.
I don’t know Tania. We don’t have them here, but any guitar shop employee should be able to change a set of strings. I would just get a set of relatively cheap 10g strings. No need for exotic coatings. They won’t improve your playing.
I change my own strings, which is something I recommend you aim to do too in the longer term.
@jacksprat I found my packaging from the strings and it appears that I have this same brand but it is J16. But again, it was years ago so I will take it in and have the strings changed out and try out J15 instead. I also have an unopened package of D’Addario EXP16 but if those are years old too, maybe that’s trash?
Hi again Tania, your main concern is the gauge of the strings. In the upper-right corner of the package @jacksprat Chris suggested, you’ll see “.010-.047 // Extra Light Guage”. That’s very important.
Regarding the entire set-up: you might ask how much they would charge for that. A setup typically includes a string change. It’s not so much “investing” in the current guitar as it is maintenance. I’m a Grade 3 beginner, and while I change the strings on my acoustic, I still take my guitars in for setups from time to time. It typically costs $50-$100 US (usually toward the lower end of the price scale).
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@judi Oh thanks, I missed the setup part of your comment until you mentioned that again. How often do you take it in for a “setup”? I’m so intimated at the idea of changing the strings myself, so I am glad to leave that for a bit haha.
EJ16 is 12 gauge. They definitely need to go. The unopened packet will be fine, but put them aside for when your fingers are stronger. Although frankly, once you have tried 10s I doubt you will ever go back.
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I have a setup done when I get a new guitar. I’ve found my electrics need attention more often after that initial setup, but not my acoustics so much. I’m learning to do this myself, and hope to be able to check these things when I change strings. But we’re getting way ahead of both of our abilities here! I’d expect if you get your guitar set up now, you’ll be good for a couple of years at least. You will, of course, need to change strings more often than that! You’ll find many, many conversations about this in this Community. Try searching “change strings” and “setup”. 
@judi Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I’m excited to try out the new strings.
To be clear: I do think you should get a setup when you have your strings changed. If I had a guitar for years and hadn’t played it, the first thing I’d do is take it in for a setup! Think of it as driving a car that has been in the garage for years. You’d take it in to have it looked over and “adjusted” before heading out on a trip.
@judi Ah, yes, I do agree. I didn’t mention it before, and I apologize if that was confusing, but that is my intention. Still I’m most excited to try to new strings. 
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I got my setup with 10 gauge strings done. Trying to get used to it. Honestly I feel like some of the strings are buzzing a whole lot more now than they were before (rarely) and it’s kind of driving me nuts. I’ll give it time though. I don’t do great with change lol.
Ah, on to phase 2 if the analysis! So if indeed you had a setup done (not just a string change), your guitar should play well. It’s possible / likely that the buzzing is due to not depressing the string close enough to the fret, or due to touching a string just a bit with an adjacent finger. This is totally normal for a beginner in Module 2, though you do want to resolve it! Post a photo of your E chord, and let us know which string is ringing.
I’m curious, though - how do the new, lower-gauge strings feel?
Tania, do your strings buzz when you play them without touching them with your left hand (edit: right hand for you - you’re a leftie 
)? In that case, your guitar is not set up right (you might just have gotten a string change instead of a full setup). If they do ring out clearly, you will have to analyse your finger position to find the problem.
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Lighter strings produce less bending force on the neck, which causes the neck to bend backwards. That will reduce the string to fret height, which could cause buzzing. Did the guitar shop check the neck relief after they changed the strings? If not, the truss rod might need adjusting.
Hi Tania. Below is a link to a web site called The Acoustic Guitarist. It has a range of articles for new players on guitar types, design, gear and maintenance (set up, changing your strings, tuning, etc.) as well as some basic lessons. Justin covers a lot of this in lessons, but if you like to learn by reading this is a great resource.
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