[AeroHudson]

I am a guitar newb. I just starting playing on an old stratocaster loaned to me by a good friend on Tuesday of last week. After playing for a week, learning the 8 primary "cowboy" chords and spending about an hour at guitar center being in awe over the weekend I officially have the bug.

I am researching a future guitar purchase and want to spend from $200 to $300 on a guitar. From what I have read getting a solid top of some type should be a priority and I definitely want an acoustic guitar of some type. The question is should I by an electric acoustic or take the additional money it would take to get one and just get a better quality standard acoustic?

Any other suggestions on the brand of guitar would be helpful as well. My friend has a nice Takimine that is just gorgeous and I have seen some Fender, Ibanez and Ovatiob models that looks and sound pretty darn good.

Thanks in advance for the assistance!!

[allthumbs]

I have a Washburn Folk that I am happy with but, there are so many reasonably priced electro-acoustics to choose from. Your best bet is to play as many as you can till you find one that feels and plays well in your hands.

[TwistedLefty]

if you are just starting you may not really need to amplify your sound just yet.
i recommend you get as much "quality" as you can afford and concentrate on a straight acoustic.

check these out to start your search
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navig...ui tar&page=1

[AeroHudson]

Thanks for the feedback! The more I get into researching a guitar purchase the more I get the feeling I should invest the money in just a solid acoustic guitar and not the electronics in an EA version.

Can you give me some thoughts on the following guitar makers in the $200 to $300 price range?

- Fender
- Takamine
- Epiphone
- Ibanez
- Ovation
- Any other you can recommend??

Thanks again folks!!

[fly135]

If you think that you may be recording yourself in the near future then I would suggest getting an acoustic/electric. The clarity and fullness of sound you get from plugging in direct will be more difficult to get miced until you get a good mic, stand, preamp/mixer and some experience setting it up.

[scott58]

Look for one with an onboard tuner. I'll never be without that option again. Having said that, your budget will need to include alot more equipment with an acoustic/electric. Good amps aren't cheap, any effects will add to your costs etc etc. If $300 was the absolute max I could spend I'd probably go with a straight acoustic and i'd look used to get the most bang for my buck. Beware. buying a guitar becomes very addictive. In the last 6 months I've bought 3 guitars, 2 amps, modeler and just ordered a PA and don't think I'm done yet. Good luck.

[Dewy]

Dean makes some very reasonably priced electric/acoustics in that price range with onboard electronics and tuners.

I have to question if you'll be able to detect the difference between a $300 acoustic without the electronics, and one with the electronics simply by ear or feel. So I would suggest getting the electronics built in... gives you more options down the road for the same buck.

[AeroHudson]

Thanks everyone!

Another quick question...I mau have the opportunity to get a Takamine EG340SC for $299.99 which is normally $399.99. Is this a good buy I should jump on or should I still take the approach of sitting down and playing alot of models and then making my decision?

[fly135]

Go to your local guitar stores and try out as many of the guitars as you can. Take a friend that has some experience if possible.

[AeroHudson]

I have a friend that is a very good guitar player and we are planning on heading down to the local Guitar Center on Wednesday for a couple of hours so I can try out a couple and then see how they are really supposed to sound from him. I'm looking forward to it!

What I am hearing is to not get dead set on a model and just try out a bunch within the price range based on my requirements and go with the one that feels and sounds the best to me with of course some guidance and assistance from my friend.

Sounds like a solid plan to me.

[kbow]

I have recently purchased an acoustic electric classical guitar by Takamine and could not be happier. I play fingerstyle and this baby is sweet. Built in tuner and eq.

Musician's Friend is where I got it. My third guitar to purchase from them and am very pleased.

take care.
kbow

[AeroHudson]

I'm full of questions today!!

Another quick one...is it harder to learn how to play on a regular electric guitar vs. an acoustic model? I ask because I am learning on my friend's strat which has a 1 5/8" nut width while most Dreadnought guitars have a 1 11/16" nut width. I know it is only a sixteenth of an inch difference but I figured I would ask.

Also, now that I know what high action refers to, is a strat considered to be high action or low action? Will this make a difference in how smoothly I learn to play?

Thanks again everyone!!

[Dewy]

Too many variables in your sound with an electric in my humble opinion. Acoustic lets you focus on the playing of the guitar, while a great portion of dealing with an Electric guitar is jumping through "hoops" to get a certain sound.

Get an acoustic...

[fly135]

Acoustics and electrics are so different that you'll probably want (at least) one of each. The electric will be easier to fret. But IMO the acoustic will be easier to finger pick, more forgiving of mistakes, and you won't be tethered to an amp.

As Dewy suggested with the acoustic you'll just belt out the notes or chords and listen to them ring. With the electric you'll be twiddling with knobs on your amp trying to get it to sound better.

In the end it depends on what are your personal goals. If you want to play metal or guitar solos with bends then you'll need an electric. If you mainly want to strum chords and sing, or fingerpick then get an acoustic.

If you want to do everything then get both. My advice is get a decent acoustic, then pick up somebody's cheap Squire Strat/Practice amp that they are dumping on Craigslist because they didn't learn to play. You can make a easy playing good sounding guitar out of a cheap electric. But that can be difficult with a cheap acoustic.

[AeroHudson]

Thanks Fly! I am definitely more of the acoustic vibe kind of guy at the present time so your and other's advice is perfect for the type of music I want to play and gravitate to. Not to say that I may not be interested in an electric later on if / when I get any good.

Sounds like I need to keep saving a bit of money of the next couple of weeks and make several trips to the guitar store to pick out an instrument.