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What size of acoustic guitar whould I buy


Tom Jones

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Hi. Alan here, U mention acoustic say'g your new to guitar. You think acoustic fine, my opinion would be standard six string & 20 fret. Note playing acoustic's above 12th fret isn't easy as a  beginner. Then most of the published material and theory will fit and be relevant. Me I've a 20 fret acoustic (Takemine) a semi hollow + small headless Steinberger. When you buy check your comfortable with the strings to frets & clearance consistent is good and you can play clean notes. Having said this electric's are easier to play,  Anyway sounds like your just starting the guitar journey, take it easy and enjoy the learning, there's lots of support from fellow BTG members.

 

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Thank you Alan.   But isn't there a real difference in sound with an electric than an acoustic?  Plus got to have a amp.  Stupid questions to a pro like you, but I want the easiest to use guitar.  I'm 75 years old and trying something new.  And I've seen there are different next sizes.  What is the best size in my case?

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@Tom JonesI would recommend starting with a Yamaha acoustic or electric acoustic guitar. They have really good action and allow you to play clean notes. Another good guitar to start with is the Taylor 110CE electric acoustic. There are others that are good but those to seem to work out better for new players with people I know who have been learning as beginners. Yamahas work really well with the Guitars4Vets program here in Florida. They do a free 10 lesson workshop for veterans and teach them the basics of strumming and some chords to get them started. I send them here if they are interested in learning more. You can check with your local music store some recommend Ibanez electric guitars for beginner players.

Fred 🎸

Edited by Fred Soukup
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/20/2022 at 1:20 AM, Tom Jones said:

Thank you Alan.   But isn't there a real difference in sound with an electric than an acoustic?  Plus got to have a amp.  Stupid questions to a pro like you, but I want the easiest to use guitar.  I'm 75 years old and trying something new.  And I've seen there are different next sizes.  What is the best size in my case?

Heh. Im not a pro. Just student with BGT for 1 1/2 years. Me im 74 this year so were not far different. As far as guitars are concerned, maybe you consider a standard acoustic but choose the regular 20 fret size, having said that its not easy to play acoustics above 12th fret, as body gets in the way. Try several find one that has good string to fret space and you can make notes nice.  If you select an electric you will probably find it easier to play but of course you need an amp. Alot of us have spark amps, theyre good and give you alot of features, then of course you can get lots of effects, pedels etc. If you get hooked you'l probably end up with more than 1. Me ive a takemine acoustic, headless steinberger and a semi hollow (Les Paul type). There all different sounding.  So conclusion is just take it slowly doing what you think best for what youvyrying to achieve on guitar.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Any purchase yet ? Or is more direction needed ? Don't over think it , First Guitar should be under $500 and later on you can upgrade if interested .

No better time than now to get started . I have 35 years playing and glad i started young . 

  And just remember there is no age restriction and learning !

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Hi Total Disorder, Fred & u posted comment in June. Ive just re read them. As Fred says no need spend a fortune to start, but if ur going with acoustic best to buy one that has plug with pre amp output, then youve got flexibillity to use an amp (if you want). I had nice experience, recently away fr home wifes origin town, near 3 months.didnt take guitar with me. i'd bought an acoustic for daughter 8 years ago (but just left there) never used it (just a daughter want thing),  I took new nickle wound strings fitted & used it. Was very surprised how well it played & stayed in tune. So as Fred says basic guitars can be good, for me also using a basic cheap acoustic for a while did my playing good. Suggest maybe look at the Yamaha range, i know a few people who use and speak highly of them.

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21 hours ago, Total Disorder said:

As mentioned in my mail above its a personal choice, while away from home last 3 months ive been playing a basic acoustic myself. It does you good,  but having option of using other facilities (sounds) that you get by plugging into an amp (like Spark) just gives a different dimension to what you can achieve. if you just use a basic acoustic, and you did want to explore fearures there are Tonewood Amps that sit on the back held in place with strong magnets. If your interested at any time there's plenty of Ad's and you can easily google to find out more.

Enjoy your playing. Alan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi, Tom.

I'm 71, self-taught guitar in 1970 but put it away in the later '70s when family, work and general adulting got in the way.  During the shutdown two years ago I decided to take it up again and at my son-in-law's recommendation I bought a Yamaha FG830 fully acoustic guitar.  It looks nice, sounds and plays great and I paid around $400 for it in 2020.  

One thing you need to be aware of is that until they toughen up a bit, the fingertips of your fretting hand are going to be very sore as you're learning to play, For that reason I also bought a Squier Stratocaster (economy division of Fender Guitars).  It came as a kit with a small amp for about $160 (in 2020).  The strings on an electric are MUCH lower tension than on an acoustic so are much easier on your hands as you're learning.  The other advantage is, unplugged, you can practice late at night and not bother anybody.  

I would suggest you go to a store like Guitar Center where you can hold and try out various sizes and models and find out how they sound and what you're comfortable with. (If you're not comfortable with it you won't play it.)  

Oh, and buy a 6 string.  99.999% of the guitar music is written for them and it'll just make life easier.

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/19/2022 at 4:59 PM, Alan Desmond said:

Hi. Alan here, U mention acoustic say'g your new to guitar. You think acoustic fine, my opinion would be standard six string & 20 fret. Note playing acoustic's above 12th fret isn't easy as a  beginner. Then most of the published material and theory will fit and be relevant. Me I've a 20 fret acoustic (Takemine) a semi hollow + small headless Steinberger. When you buy check your comfortable with the strings to frets & clearance consistent is good and you can play clean notes. Having said this electric's are easier to play,  Anyway sounds like your just starting the guitar journey, take it easy and enjoy the learning, there's lots of support from fellow BTG members.

 

Agree on acoustic as a starting place.  Also try out several before buying. Your body is different than others. Some things will just be more ergonomic. I have a long torso. I'm slightly tall. Not overly long arms. Slim waist. My optimal guitar is not necessarily the same as yours. I've been fantasizing  about vintage super jumbo 400 style jazz boxes. But that would be a lot of $$ for something that could potentially be uncomfortable to play. I love the thought of a guitar with an 18" lower bout and a depth of 3"...but the reality is if I don't feel comfortable, that's an expensive piece of furniture. 

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Hi Tom. your old post from June popped up on the system again. So wondered after all the advice from myself and other members what you finally ended up with ???.  How are you getting on with the course so far, from my own experiences after about 6 months my finger dexterity had noticably improved and I was finding my way around the fretboard, you'll see I've posted a couple of easy songs to try with worksheets just lately, as posts & contributions from others was bit sparse

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