Guitar advice needed

[wheelingwv]

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but reasonable quality starter guitar for an 11-year old boy? Better to start first lessons w/ acoustic or electric?Are there smaller-sized axes for kids, and is it a good idea to begin learning on a less-than-standard sized instrument? (he's not a big kid, for his age).Any other advice?Thanks!WWV

[ggalen]

The main thing is to get him a decent quality instrument so that it is not extra hard to play because the strings are so high. That's just discouraging and can turn the child off to learning an instrument.Ask him whether he'd like electric or acoustic. It's got to be fun for him, after all.And if you do get him an electric, also get an effects unit. They aren't necessarily expensive (maybe just $60 to start), and make the electric a lot more fun to play.(edit:) Or get the Roland MicroCube amp.

[dgolding]

Check out this link http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid Thet have a 'Deal of the day" every day. 3/4 size guitars pop up quite frequently at good prices. You may have to wait until one comes around again, but it's worth checking every day, if you're not in a rush.

[horacejesse]

Here is my take on it, Wheel, and it is something I deal with almost everyday.What Galen said is true to my own beliefs. You want enough quality from the instrument so that it will tune up. Poor quality instruments are hard to play, besides never tuning up or sounding quite right.The other really important thing, which you hit on yourself, is matching the size of the instrument to the size of the person. Burl Ives can play a ukulele, but a tiny kid cannot play a full sized dreadnaught guitar comfortably, if at all. Short arms can barely reach to the most common position to finger chords. This goes for the electrics as well.Only if the kid has a clear preference for electric guitar without being asked whether he does, would I buy an electric guitar. If you lead him to an acoustic guitar and he kind of grimaces,...well, you know him pretty well, I assume. The intonation is much better, meaning the pitches are going to be truer. Hearing true pitches trains the ear better IMO.Next, I would steer toward nylon strings. Easiest on the hands, while at the same time forcing them to stretch, because these necks are slightly wider.There is an excellent miniature classical cutaway guitar (cannot remember if it is electric as well) that I know of. This particular guitar is the best of its kind I have seen. I don't know if it is called a 3/4 or a minature or a 1/2...or whatever...but I can find out its brand and model.Do not buy an Esteban guitar you see advertised on TV. Do not buy a guitar from one of the big box stores. It is best to get the advice on quality from one of your guitar playing friends.

[gatorjj]

I have an 11 year old son who I bequeathed my old Peavey guitar to earlier this year. It's a slightly shorter scale (24 3/4 maybe?) but he seems to do okay with it. It's just a tad bit big for him IMHO, but it's set it up where it's very easy to play and he does okay with it. It also has a trem and I gave him my PODxt so he has lots to play with, and enjoys it tremendously.My 2 younger girls (7 and 5) have indicated interest as well but that guitar is way too big for them. I just bought them one of these for Christmas Ibanez GRMGM21 and started working on the setup. I'm pretty happy with what I've seen of it thus far. I'm still working through the setup but the tone is good and it seems to be designed as a real guitar instead of a toy, albeit a low cost one.Make it as easy and fun as possible at that age, and get them hooked on playing music! I set them up in Drop D so even the little one feels like she's really making some serious rock 'n roll. Teach them a couple basic moves and jam with them. Find a song they like that's fairly simple and teach them how to play some of it. Sneak in some good habits here and there so when they get into the real stuff they are not starting from scratch. And when they get lessons, make sure the teacher keeps it interesting for them.Just my opinion, as a dad and former 10 year old who fought it all until he was 11 and finally found a teacher that made it fun!CheersJ.J.

[timmerblakely]

If it's an acoustic the child wants, I agree with the nylon string guitar. The string spacing makes chording a bit easier and the strings don't hurt young fingers nearly as much. You can usually get a decent playing one in the $150 neighborhood. But i recommend going to a store over musicians friend for the guitar. While musicians friend usually has the best prices, you never know the quality of the specific instrument that you are going to receive when you order online. It's better to be able to inspect the instrument in person before you buy and there is a lot of inconsistency in the lower priced instruments.For the electric, i recommend looking for a used Ibanez or Schector. They are usually put together well, play well, and sound fine. I recommend craigs list for this kind of thing. They will probably run around $300. I would stay away from the $200 and under new starter guitars. They usually play poorly and don't stay in tune. As for an amp to go with the guitar, i highly recommend the Roland Microcube. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigati ... icrocubeIt sounds great and has a lot of built in effects with good sounding presets. For $125, i think it's one of the best deals for a beginner amp. And it doesn't get loud enough to break windows so your hearing will stay intact.Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

[hummingbird]

Hi WWV - just thought I'd chime in here and say that I've been playing a Little Martin for 2 years now. It's a great little guitar, with wonderful warm tone, lightweight & easy on the shoulders. I play it because it doesn't seem to exacerbate my carpal tunnel, but I think would be a good 1/2 size guitar for children because it has such good tone. It's easy to travel with as well.cheersHummin'bird

[taxijon]

I have always recommended a Fender stratocaster for beginners. The necks seem a bit rounder and easier to hold chords on than my Ibanez' and ESP's. The Korean Squire stratacastors have shorter necks and are normally easier to handle for kids. Electrics are easier on the fingers than acoustics. I do not have much info in regards to acoustics. Most of the lower end acoustics need a little bit of work to be easily playable like sanding down the bridge. That being said If I had to go back and learn guitar again I would have probably went with a steel string acoustic. The reason is they are slighty harder to play than an electric guitar, but the switch to electric is much easier for me than from electric to acoustic. If you are getting help at a shop the most important thing I think between playable and hard to play is the action (the height of the strings off the fretboard). Make sure you express that when purchasing the guitar. I can't agree more with what was said above. Get a good teacher that makes playing guitar fun. I had a teacher I didn't jive with and it was a waste of money. Don't be afraid to try out multiple teachers to find the right one.

[sgs4u]

but is it difficult to play with the floor all slanted like that? Quote:Hi WWV - just thought I'd chime in here and say that I've been playing a Little Martin for 2 years now. It's a great little guitar, with wonderful warm tone, lightweight & easy on the shoulders. I play it because it doesn't seem to exacerbate my carpal tunnel, but I think would be a good 1/2 size guitar for children because it has such good tone. It's easy to travel with as well.cheersHummin'bird

[crs7string]

I'll second the Fender Strat idea. Fender has a package that includes a Strat, amp, strap, tuner etc. so you're ready to go out of the box. The amp also has a headphone out that mutes the speaker! I think they also include the headphones. All for around three hundred dollars. The guitar comes in several colors including a sparkle red.(I helped a friend buy a guitar for their 13 yr old a couple of months ago. This is possibly not what an 11 yr. old needs to hear, but the 13 yr. old seemed to like the idea of the Strat as a "cool way to meet chicks"Chuck