[312InchMagnum]

well, here is my spill...24 yrs old, know i want to get a guitar and start learning...no experience besides strumming a friends and learning a few chords when i go down to visit my hometown...but, really enjoyed what little i played...really want to keep the guitar at $200 since it's my first and i'm not sure what to expect and don't want to overdo it at first...here is my dilemma...no friends where i currently live that play that can help me go pick one out...only a couple chain stores where i live...

my musical interests are country, soft rock, christian...i'm assuming an acoustic or acoustic/electric would fit my needs...i would love to eventually plug an acoustic into an amp in the future and jam away to my favorite songs...i've been looking a ton at online stores and reading as many reviews as i can...there seems to be a lot of decent options at my price range...one that seems to get good reviews is the Washburn DK20CET Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar...i know at $200, i proally won't get anything real fancy with solid top, etc, but i'm confident i can get something to get me going...i hate to buy something online blindly, but going into a store to buy a guitar from a salesman when i cant even really play a lick doesn't seem very smart either...i wouldn't even really know what i'm looking for when i would play i'm tempted to just buy one online, get a tuner, some picks, take a few lessons, and give it my damnest...advice pllllleeeaaassseeeee

[GotDeeBlues]

You may have to stretch a little on the $200, but check into Samick, Yamaha, Seagull, and others have reasonably priced guitars which are well made for the money. Remember you will want to get a gag and probably a stand for it as well. Check Harmony Central for user reviews on what interests you. We'll answer what we can for you.

[Tekker]

Two of my guitar students have $150 Fender acoustics and they are surprisingly nice for $150. Fender makes some very nice inexpensive guitars. The action is very good and they sound quite good as well. The $150 model is not electric, I think the acoustic/electric models start at $300. Definitely add Fender to your list to check out.

Another student got an Epiphone for around the same price I think (maybe a little less) and it was complete JUNK! The action was terrible and it developed a split in the neck not long after he got it. He ended up returning it and got an electric.

-tkr

[karcey]

G'day Magnum, welcome to the forum. Learning for the complete beginner can be done on a wide variety of guitars, and the kind of guitar you get depends on 1. what you feel comfortable with and 2. who influences you.
I think in the first instance you need at least a salesman ... buying a musical instrument cold over the counter is too risky.
Guitar salesmen aren't all bad, in fact on this forum you'll find stories of how accommodating they can be. For my part I always make sure that any salesman who serves me can not only play guitar but play well. A lot of the salesmen in guitar shops also teach, so they have a better understanding of what a beginner needs.
Maybe you can drive to another town where there is a real guitar shop?
When you purchase a guitar, make sure the man plays it for you ... as you said, you don't have a friend to take along. The action should be low enough and the strings should ring true on each fret.
Check out both nylon string and steel string. Everyone has an opinion as to which is the best to begin on ... my advice here is to learn on the one that seems easiest to play. Notice I didn't say which one sounds best. You're going to spend many hours doing basic chords, scales and exercises. Your objective will be to get it to sound clean and get the fingers moving fast, and you don't need a $5000 guitar to do that. Blindfolded, most listeners couldn't pick a solid top from a laminate, so don't get suckered into that contest too early. If you buy accoustic electric with a pick-up there really is no difference between solid and laminate.
You WILL buy another guitar. In time as your interest develops you will progress to the next stage and get something which ideally suits your favoured music. That's when you spend wisely, because your hands and ears will be aware of what you're looking for. If you've not invested too much on your learner, you'll have more to spend later.
This is all just my opinion ... and you'll do whatever you feel is right. I wish you well.

[knight46]

Great advice above Magnum. One thing I would add, Yamaha's make a very affordable solid top in the FG200 series. But Karcey is correct...try to play as many as possible. This will give you the feel of the guitar and that is very important.

[allthumbs]

A Schmitt's Guitar would be in your price range. A solid beginners guitar. laminate top though.

[Maddog54]

I was in your position not long ago...I was between Fenders, Yamahas, Ibanez..etc... and looking at a lot of starter packs. I can tell you I've played the one that comes in the Fender pack(the DG-8 I believe) and its a really nice guitar for the price(around $200-comes with gigbag, tuner, strap...all the goodies). Yamaha has a gigmaker pack that comes with either a laminated top for around $150 or a solid top for around $200.

Another brand you might want to check out (somebody gonna choke me now) is Mitchell. I haven't seen them anywhere other than Guitar Center, however they are 'individual' meaning I've picked up more than one of the same model and got different sounds, six and twelve strings alike. I would imagine with a proper set up, these guitars can be a very good beginner rig as the solid top six string is around $130-150(the former if it is on sale, which it tends to be often).