Student Guitar under $200

Subject: Student Guitar under $200
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 04:37 PM

I've started teaching guitar to the neighbor's 14 year old daughter. She is using a loaner, a Craftsman Travel Guitar. Her Dad wants to know what kind of guitar to get her. He is looking at under $200. The daughter is a Taylor Swift wannabe with the goal of playing in her room and maybe for some friends. No electronics needed. Any suggestions? I have suggested that Dad steer away from Dreadnought sizes.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Leadfingers
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 05:25 PM

There are a lot of perfectly playable acoustic guitars coming out of China - Stagg is one brand I am aware of - Cant help with Model though !

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: GUEST,jeff
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 06:04 PM

For under 200.00 the pickings in terms of playability will be pretty slim. Try local pawnshops, craigslist or private owner. The main thing is to get a guitar w/a solid top. For 200.00 you'll find laminated sides/back and depending on luck, research, experience, etc. you MAY find a guitar w/a solid top. If you find a dreadnaught w/a solid top for 200.00...get it! Make sure the action isn't too stiff and make sure to have it restrung w/x-light strings or even silk and steel. There's all solid wood Yamaha's, Alvarez and Washburns to found in pawnshops, sometimes for around 200.00...I know because I bought my son one a few years ago. It was an all solid wood Yamamha built as a copy of a Guild F-50. $250.00 w/a set of strings. GREAT sounding guitar. They're out there, but one has to scratch around a bit to find them. Good Luck!

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 06:36 PM

Plenty of pawn shops in Baltimore, Roger...

Go with her and find somethin'... There are plenty of playable geetars in that price range...

Don't go to none if they are in the John Hopkins part of town...

Bobert

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: bigchuck
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 07:19 PM

There are plenty of playable beginner guitars under $200. Ibanez and Fender both make beginner's packs with guitar, gigbag, tuner, strap, etc that sell for $99.95. Hohner makes decent sounding solid tops that we sell in the store for $189.00 (hw600 model). Go look around and play some. The Ibanez and fender models come with limited lifetime warrantys.
Quality at this level gets better every year. DON'T buy anything from the big box stores (Walmart, K-mart, Best Buy, etc.), they sell true crap.

Sandy Morse

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 10:00 PM

For my two cents worth The most important thing for a learner is playability. A low easy action is more important than sound quality because it will sound like crap anyway while learning. When ability improves find a better instrument. I second "DON'T buy anything from the big box stores (Walmart, K-mart, Best Buy, etc.), they sell true crap."

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 10:08 PM

Another trick that a friend used was to put on nylon strings in place of steel at first. It will have low volume and poor sound but it is much easier on tender fingers when learning chord formations. Also easier on parents ears during practice. :-}

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: GUEST,mudjack guest
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 10:28 PM

Add $49 to the price and check out Muscian's Friends deal, Solid woods with a free gift,(hardshell case). $249 for any solid wood constructed guitar is just incredible. Silver Creek T160 is the 000 size, A dreadnought is also available for the same price.
Mudjack

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 12:09 AM

Avoid the Rogue Guitars. Some serious junk there. Takemine had a decent student brand. easy to play D sized guitar called a Jasmine. I'd agree with the post from Mudjack. Get up over $200.00 and horizons open up.

Don

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 02:44 AM

To a beginner really two things take primacy. Playability and tunability. There are sellers on ebay EK selling new guitars from £25 ($50) plus despatch but of course one has no idea of the playability. Some of the thrift shops here are selling far east guitars for £50 that are playable (so long as you pick the right one) and sound tolerable down the bottom end of the fingerboard.

I would however say go steel string at once. Switching from nylon to steel later is an unnecessary hurdle to create. I would also say to go dreadnought at once. If you get used to a big-body then later when the sound does become important you can get a smaller one if you want and the transition will be painless. But if you have learnt on a parlour guitar and want the big boom it will be hard to switch up several sizes.

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 10:05 AM

How big are her hands? Fourteen year olds come in all sizes, from grown person size to little kid.

I recently decided my full-size guitar was not going to work for singing in church. I went to my local classical music store and bought a half-size classical by Austin for $125. Yes, it was made in China. I don't know what the top is made of. My friends are impressed with it (I haven't told them the price.) It stays in tune nicely.

I do use a thumb pick to get more sound out of it.

So if your student is small, she may like an Austin like mine.

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 04:10 PM

I appreciate the input and would gladly hear more. I was wondering about the Beginner Packs like Big Chuck mentioned. Would it be at all worthwhile to buy one and then have a luthier do a set up with light or extra-light strings?

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Fortunato
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 10:56 AM

roger,

set up may cost two hundred $. unplayable student guitars are a great way to weed out players, but I don't recommend that.

I recommend this: http://elderly.com/new_instruments/names/blueridge-br-43-%22000%22--BR43.htm

elderly sets them up well and you wind up with a very nice, playable guitar. The 000 size should be managable.
chance

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: bigchuck
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 11:08 AM

In my experience, the name brand (Fender, Ibanez, Alvarez) packages come through pretty good. We do check every one that comes through out before we put it out for sale (tune, check for high frets, excessive action, adjust truss rod, etc). We send anything that is not OK back. I would expect most small to medium size shops would do the same. We also match Musician's Friend prices. $200 for a basic setup is more than highway robbery, it is akin to something a congressman might commit.

Sandy Morse

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Fortunato
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 11:28 AM

Sandy are you near Baltimore so that Roger can do business with you?
regards
chance

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Grab
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 11:32 AM

Avoid:-

* Fender acoustics - they're almost all crap
* Round-backs - can be more comfortable, but mostly don't sound as good
* Anything with a brightly-dyed soundboard - they're usually cheap crap gussied up as eye-candy
* Anything in a "beginner pack" (although you should expect the shop to cut you a deal on a gig-bag, strap, spare strings and a few picks).

If you can get a solid-top, then do. Otherwise just see what sounds good. Crafter, the various Art & Luthier/Simon & Patrick/Norman badges, Takamine, Yamaha and Washburn are all creditable brands. Also make sure you're checking second-hand prices - no need to pay top dollar for a new instrument when you're starting.

My first "proper" guitar was a second-hand ply-top Crafter. The shop-owner was honest enough to give me a decent model which sounded good - I now know how lucky I was, since quality can be so variable at that end of the market. It's not in the same league as my Lowden, but it's a nice instrument and I still use it.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: Bert
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 11:34 AM

Try 'Sam Ash' they should have several choices in that price range. Just go along with her. You know what to look for.

Also, if you have a local music store you should give them a try first. They might well have some on consignment.

Subject: RE: Student Guitar under $200
From: harpmolly
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 11:36 AM

Art & Lutherie makes a great little solid top guitar called the Ami. I think the list price is over $200, but it should be findable lower than that, especially online. I can vouch for this as a great-sounding, easy to play entry-level guitar. And it's Canadian! :D Nice to know you can get a decent quality instrument without necessarily resorting to "overseas".

Good luck!

Molly