Looking for a starter guitar for my boy

Rayk

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Hope this is ok posted here ?

Think it’s time to try him out on guitar though he’s not expressed true interest he seems to like to strum the guitar while I’m playing .

Surprisingly he is very good on drums , took him to GC when was 9 Andre went into the drum room which had 2 nice drum sets up one also had midi pads and went to town I was dumb founded lol

But he doesn’t have a drive to play figure guitar would be an easier start to try out at a serious level then drums . Lol

Ok so thought about Guild , something like a orchestra or a 20 size .

I’d like to stay as cheap as possible lol

Doing a quick search I found a Recording king for 280 used Adirondack top and sold hog back and sides . When I checked Guilds they twice that if not more .

Anyway any advice from you folks woulld be great ;)
 

geoguy

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I'd look for an economical small-bodied Yamaha, and set it up for very low action.

Take him along while shopping, to see what fits his fretting hand.

But he'll probably still want a drum kit!
 

swiveltung

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Watch for nut width, many today are 1.75 and I think that's too wide for a kid. I agree, find a small body style/ lighter strings. There are some cheap ones out there that are decent, and ones that are terrible....you need to get out and play some though.
 

fronobulax

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Flea markets are littered with good instruments that well intentioned parents bought for their kids who eventually lost interest.

It depends upon the kid, but several kids I know who lasted more than a year on guitar started on electric guitars. There is definitely a coolness factor that contributes to the enjoyment.

Whatever the instrument, don't spend more than your can afford to "loose". You don't want to spend so much that you resent it if he doesn't stick with it.

Every time we talk about beginners there are always horror stories about high action instruments with metal strings and lousy, and unadjustable, intonation. So whatever you decide make sure it is easily playable by you.
 

txbumper57

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Maybe a new Guild Jumbo Junior? Great little guitars that can be had new for around $300-$350 and used for less than that. Option for Hog or Maple back and sides both with the Arched design. Shorter scale than normal which would be easier for younger hands when learning to fret barre chords and such. 1-11/16" nut width and nice low action on the factory setup on the one I played. Also the shorter than normal scale lends to less tension on the strings to reach standard tuning which means easier on the fingers for a beginner. They really sound amazing for the money and their overall size is relative to an Orchestra or 20 series. With the new price being around $300-$350 I still see them selling used for $250-$300 so if he doesn't take to guitar you can always recoup most of your investment out of it if you decide to resell it. Just a suggestion of course but I really like the one I played at my local shop.

TX
 
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Rayk

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Maybe a new Guild Jumbo Junior? Great little guitars that can be had new for around $300-$350 and used for less than that. Option for Hog or Maple back and sides both with the Arched design. Shorter scale than normal which would be easier for younger hands when learning to fret barre chords and such. 1-11/16" nut width and nice low action on the factory setup on the one I played. Also the shorter than normal scale lends to less tension on the strings to reach standard tuning which means easier on the fingers for a beginner. They really sound amazing for the money and their overall size is relative to an Orchestra or 20 series. With the new price being around $300-$350 I still see them selling used for $250-$300 so if he doesn't take to guitar you can always recoup most of your investment out of it if you decide to resell it. Just a suggestion of course but I really like the one I played at my local shop.

TX

Did think of that one I’ll look it up . ;)
 

Rayk

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Flea markets are littered with good instruments that well intentioned parents bought for their kids who eventually lost interest.

It depends upon the kid, but several kids I know who lasted more than a year on guitar started on electric guitars. There is definitely a coolness factor that contributes to the enjoyment.

Whatever the instrument, don't spend more than your can afford to "loose". You don't want to spend so much that you resent it if he doesn't stick with it.

Every time we talk about beginners there are always horror stories about high action instruments with metal strings and lousy, and unadjustable, intonation. So whatever you decide make sure it is easily playable by you.


Yeah , not going to buy junk I’m thinking if don’t like it I might as well play it lol
 

Sal

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You can find good deals on an Art & Lutherie Parlor guitar; either a Roadhouse or an Ami. 1.72" Nut Width
24.84” Scale. Laminate back and sides, solid top. Nice little guitars. You'll like it too and they're made in Canada!
 

Rayk

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You can find good deals on an Art & Lutherie Parlor guitar; either a Roadhouse or an Ami. 1.72" Nut Width
24.84” Scale. Laminate back and sides, solid top. Nice little guitars. You'll like it too and they're made in Canada!

I’ll check them out , thanks :)
 

Opsimath

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Hi Ray,

You're getting good advice from the experts, and I'm no expert. However, you mentioned Recording King and we have a Dirty Thirties, I think it's the 000 model - it's whatever the biggest one is. We had just signed up for guitar lessons and were looking for something "affordable" to use while my son's blue Yamaha was on backorder. It cost $200 new at a local mom and pop shop. I believe it's all mahogany, but I'm not sure. In any event it sounds nice enough that our teacher commented on it and wanted to know where we got it and how much it cost. I think he wanted to recommend it as a budget guitar for other students. It's the one I'm not afraid to take anywhere because it just didn't cost enough be concerned about. As I said, the sound is pretty nice but I think it gets a little muddy with really hard strumming, but for slow strumming and finger picking it seems to be pretty decent, especially for an inexpensive entry level guitar. I don't know how well it would fit an 11 year old since I don't know the specs on the guitar or the kid. :smile-new: I think the Dirty Thirties come in at least two or maybe three sizes. The shop had two sizes to choose from and I thought the larger one sounded better. I asked the shop employee to play it for us since we didn't even know how to hold a guitar much less play one, so I got to hear it from an audience point of view.

My son took lessons and enjoyed them, but he just never practiced, but even though could still do everything the teacher threw at him (can't say the same for me). The teacher said it was a shame he didn't practice because if he had applied himself he would have been one of the top students and no, he's not the kind of guy to play to mom's ego. He has been known to advise parents that their kids "are not ready yet" because he'd rather not have them spend their hard earned dollars on lessons to no avail. Anyway, we kept going until the teacher stopped teaching. My thought is that if my son ever decides in earnest that he wants to play, at least he won't be starting from scratch later on.

Best of luck to you and your son on finding a good guitar fit for him. Also I would be most interested to hear from time to time how things are going with his guitar playing, or whatever instrument he decides he wants to pursue.
 

beecee

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Guild SongBird. Buy mine, It will be good for developing strong back muscles too!! hehehehehehehe

Seriously the Jumbos are at GC used for under $300 all the time.

Or the mini Taylors??
 

dreadnut

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My son wanted to drum too! I bought him an entry level Pearl Forum kit, actually, he earned it by doing chores. He's a pretty good drummer.

But now, he's even more accomplished on guitar. Last one I bought for him was a Bedell which is an OK starter, but he's ready for a "good" acoustic guitar, which I will give him when he graduates from college in a couple months.

I also have a pretty nice inexpensive little "0" style "The Loar." I have it strung with Silk n Steels, plays like butter.

If you have a local GC, it would be nice to take him in and let him take a few for a test drive, if he finds one he likes he'll be more likely to play it frequently.

Good luck!
 

Rayk

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Sell the kid and let the new owners worry about it.

Lol Al you ain’t right !

Jumbo Junior is a great choice.
They compare very well with the Taylor starter guitars and it's a lot cheaper.

I was actually reading that in a review , B&S are laminated so in that regard it can take some beating .

Guild SongBird. Buy mine, It will be good for developing strong back muscles too!! hehehehehehehe

Seriously the Jumbos are at GC used for under $300 all the time.

Or the mini Taylors??

Man GC is useless to me . I never see deals at my local GC . It’s located to close to rich people . They won’t even negotiate on a online guitars no matter what their location . lol

My son wanted to drum too! I bought him an entry level Pearl Forum kit, actually, he earned it by doing chores. He's a pretty good drummer.

But now, he's even more accomplished on guitar. Last one I bought for him was a Bedell which is an OK starter, but he's ready for a "good" acoustic guitar, which I will give him when he graduates from college in a couple months.

I also have a pretty nice inexpensive little "0" style "The Loar." I have it strung with Silk n Steels, plays like butter.

If you have a local GC, it would be nice to take him in and let him take a few for a test drive, if he finds one he likes he'll be more likely to play it frequently.

Good luck!

I have few pics of our last GC visit the guitars he had in hand Were Gibson , Martins at 4,000 lol no joke maybe that’s why they locked them up so no one can play them ?

Hi Ray,

You're getting good advice from the experts, and I'm no expert. However, you mentioned Recording King and we have a Dirty Thirties, I think it's the 000 model - it's whatever the biggest one is. We had just signed up for guitar lessons and were looking for something "affordable" to use while my son's blue Yamaha was on backorder. It cost $200 new at a local mom and pop shop. I believe it's all mahogany, but I'm not sure. In any event it sounds nice enough that our teacher commented on it and wanted to know where we got it and how much it cost. I think he wanted to recommend it as a budget guitar for other students. It's the one I'm not afraid to take anywhere because it just didn't cost enough be concerned about. As I said, the sound is pretty nice but I think it gets a little muddy with really hard strumming, but for slow strumming and finger picking it seems to be pretty decent, especially for an inexpensive entry level guitar. I don't know how well it would fit an 11 year old since I don't know the specs on the guitar or the kid. :smile-new: I think the Dirty Thirties come in at least two or maybe three sizes. The shop had two sizes to choose from and I thought the larger one sounded better. I asked the shop employee to play it for us since we didn't even know how to hold a guitar much less play one, so I got to hear it from an audience point of view.

My son took lessons and enjoyed them, but he just never practiced, but even though could still do everything the teacher threw at him (can't say the same for me). The teacher said it was a shame he didn't practice because if he had applied himself he would have been one of the top students and no, he's not the kind of guy to play to mom's ego. He has been known to advise parents that their kids "are not ready yet" because he'd rather not have them spend their hard earned dollars on lessons to no avail. Anyway, we kept going until the teacher stopped teaching. My thought is that if my son ever decides in earnest that he wants to play, at least he won't be starting from scratch later on.

Best of luck to you and your son on finding a good guitar fit for him. Also I would be most interested to hear from time to time how things are going with his guitar playing, or whatever instrument he decides he wants to pursue.

Thanks , I can get a really good price on a RO 310 for under 300. I was hoping he wouldn’t like it lol I know I can’t help myself haha !
 
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