Buying Acoustic Guitars over $1,500

This post is a continuation of a series I've been doing on how to buy a guitar. You can read the other posts here:

Buying a Guitar 101

Buying a Guitar 102: Electrics

More Guitar Recommendations

Acoustic Guitars over $1,500

Now we're getting into the really good stuff. Once you hit this level, you're looking for hand-crafted instruments only, built right here in the US of A or Canada. I don't personally know of any premium quality guitar makers outside of the States or Canada. In this price-range, it's all up to personal preference regarding body style, tone quality, types of wood used, etc.

Personally, I prefer Gibsons uber alles (over all others). Next come Martins, then it's a toss-up between Seagulls and Taylors. I prefer the sound of Seagulls, but the Taylors appear to retain their value better. Remember, though, there are a lot more Taylors on the market right now, so conceivably that could mean they'll be worth less over time - which is not what you want when you're paying this kind of cash.

Guitars in this price-range - and especially over about the $2,500 threshold - are instruments that ought to appreciate in value over time. You aren't just buying a guitar - you're buying an investment. (And that means get it insured! Standard renters or homeowners policies often don't cover these items and require an additional rider.)

This price-range also means that you can seriously consider buying "used" - or as collectors say "vintage". The key here is to do your homework. Find out the make, model, and year of the guitar you're looking to purchase and then find out if the manufacturer fudged on quality or materials during those years, etc.

Go with your gut. If the instrument feels and sounds great, buy it. In some cases, you should do "blind" playing tests to see which ones you like best.

For vintage instruments, I steer clear of Craigslist, Ebay, and other online shops. I also steer clear of big-box retailers like Guitar Center and Sam Ash - especially in Chicago. (I actually don't buy anything from Sam Ash - ever.)

I go with guitar shops that specialize in vintage gear. And unfortunately, there aren't many like that in the Chicago area. Your best bet for vintage is to take a trip South. Make a weekend out of it. Go to Nashville. Even Guitar Center in Nashville has a killer vintage section (this is the only time I'd still consider a big shop for my purchase).

I don't have any specific shops in Nashville to recommend to you at the moment, but if you're serious about making the trip, I have a handful of musician friends who live down there and I'd be happy to get a few recommendations from them.

In addition to snagging a killer vintage instrument, there are other, great reasons for making the trip just to buy a guitar: the experience will be unforgettable, the prices are cheaper than Chicago (because of the high number of vintage pieces available), the variety is greater (you get to try out a ton of guitars before you decide what to buy), you'll meet and network with real musicians in Nashville.

Questions? Comments? Need to contact me? Visit my Guitar Lessons site and email away!

More Guitar Recommendations

If money is one of your biggest concerns, when buying a new guitar, I've put together a shortlist of my top picks.  Be sure to read my other articles (article 1 here and article 2 here) on buying a guitar, too.  Also, a quick search on musiciansfriend.com will probably get you a picture of each of these guitars (but *never* buy a guitar online!).  Without further ado, here we go...

Guitars for Under $200

1. Electric

• Epiphone Special Series (rock, metal)
• Squier telecaster or stratocaster (rock, blues, country)
• Peavey Raptor (rock, blues)
• Ibanez 

2. Electric Starter Kits/Packages

• Epiphone SG or Les Paul Jr.
• Squier
• Ibanez Metalpak

3. Acoustic

• Ibanez
• Washburn
• Alvarez
• Epiphone
• Mitchell

4. Steel-String Acoustic Starter Kits/Packages

• Fender
• Ibanez
• Epiphone
• Alvarez
• Mitchell

Guitars for Under $300

1. Electric

• ESP solid-body (rock)
• Squier telecaster or stratocaster (rock, blues, country)
• Ibanez

2. Acoustic

• Mitchell
• Alvarez
• Ibanez
• Takamine
• Epiphone

Guitars for Under $600

1. Electric

• Fender Standard Stratocaster (rock, blues, country)
• Epiphone Casino Semi-hollowbody (rock, jazz, country)
• Gretsch Electromatic Hollowbody (rock, jazz)
• Fender Deluxe Telecaster (rock, blues, country)
• Paul Reed Smith SE (rock, metal)
• ESP 400 Series (rock, metal)
• ESP Paramount (rock, metal)
• Epiphone Les Paul (rock, metal)
• Ibanez solid-body (rock, metal)
• Ibanez Artcore hollowbody (rock, blues, jazz, country)

2. Acoustic

• Seagull
• Ovation
• Alvarez
• Martin
• Taylor
• Ibanez

Guitars for Under $1,000

1. Electric

• Fender
• Gibson
• Gretsch
• PRS
• G and L
• Ibanez
• ESP
• Jackson

2. Acoustic

• Martin
• Taylor
• Seagull
• Gibson

Buying a Guitar 102: Electrics

Alrighty, so as I mentioned in my previous post, I most often recommend electric guitars for beginners. And yes, I understand that most parents would prefer not to shell out the $200+ for an electric up front, especially if: a) they don't know if their kid will stick with it and b) if they already have a hand-me-down acoustic lying around the house.

I'd like to start by talking just a bit about the different body types of electric guitars, then give a few recommendations.

There are essentially three main body types: the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul, and the Fender Telecaster. Almost all electrics can be described in terms of one or another; or at the least, one can say a guitar is "Strat-like".

The original Stratocaster was popularized by groups like the Beach Boys, and use spread to musicians like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Yngwie Malmsteen. The basic strat features three, single-coil pickups, a five-point toggle switch, and a pair of tone knobs.

Strats are often used for rock and roll, blues, and country, although there are exceptions. The Stratocaster body type is *the* classic guitar shape - it's timeless. And better yet, Strat-copies ("knock-offs") come in all prices. And don't feel like you have to buy a Fender (unless you plan to shell out the bucks for an American-made instrument). Most "strats" under $300 are pretty much all going to play the same.

The Gibson Les Paul is these days most often associated with the guitarist Slash. He's pretty much the LP poster child. But other famous players include Jimmy Page and Randy Rhoads. The Les Paul features two, humbucker pickups, which, along with a heavier wood used for the body, gives the instrument a warmer, thicker sound, as compared to either the Strat or Tele.

The Les Paul is often used for hard rock and heavy metal, though, again, there are exceptions. The only rub with the Les Paul is it's price tag. You won't find a quality "copy", like with the strats. You're looking at $900, easy, to pick one of these up.

Finally, the Fender Telecaster has found similar uses to that of the Stratocaster, though the Tele is more closely associated with country and country rock. Again, a pretty versatile instrument. A couple famous players include Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen (though they play all kinds of guitars). Again, no knock-offs here. Only the true, blue original will get you the sound, and it will set you back $600 or more.

As you can imagine, I'm not going to recommend a $600 guitar for a beginner. But what may be a bit unexpected is my final word on purchasing that first electric guitar. Abide by this one, simple mantra and you'll be okay:

Generally speaking, the more you spend, the better the instrument you'll get. So spend as much as you feel comfortable spending, and feel good about it - whatever the body type. Many of the "low-end" guitars are pretty similar, and it might even come down to something as simple as "I like that color and shape". That's okay.

There are several "starter kits" that are out there for beginners, and I'd definitely recommend an all-inclusive kit. Here are just a couple you might want to look at:

Fender SE Special Strat Pack

Epiphone Les Paul Special II

Two more final words here:

1. No matter what, don't let your child *sell* his first guitar down the road - especially if it's an electric. There's serious sentimental value there that he won't understand until years later.

2. Never buy a guitar online. You want to make sure the instrument feels comfortable in your hands, and that it sounds good to your ears. Every single guitar is just a little bit different, and it's important to check it out first by playing it in the store. Even if you don't really know what you're playing, you can still tell if it sounds "right". Again here, let your ears tell you if the guitar or amp is a quality one.

Buying a Guitar 101

For nearly every parent whose child wants to learn how to play the guitar, there is a single, nagging question: which guitar should I buy for my kid? The answer is not that simple, but with a little forethought, you can be sure to get a guitar that works best for you.

The first thing you need to know is that there are two, main types of guitars: electrics and acoustics. From there, each category gets broken down further. The two, big types of acoustic guitars are steel-string and nylon-string (or "classical").

It might seem obvious, but each, different type of guitar is used to play a different type of style. Electric guitars are typically associated with rock 'n' roll and playing guitar solos; steel-string acoustics are associated primarily with singer-songwriters, country stars, and delta blues; and classical guitars are (obviously) associated with classical and flamenco guitarists, like Andres Segovia and Paco De Lucia.

Furthermore, generally speaking, different types of guitars are easier or more difficult to play. Solid-body electric guitars are by far the easiest to play, so if your daughter has never played guitar before or is young (and doesn't yet have a lot of strength in her fingers), then I'd say this is the way to go. Classical guitars are the next easiest to play, because the strings are softer and easier to press down.

And finally, guitars come is different sizes, too - just like most other stringed instruments. In general, if your child is over 11 years old, I'd suggest a full-size instrument. (And when you go to a store to pick out an instrument, don't worry too much about trying to figure out if a certain guitar is full-size or not. Most of the time, guitars that aren't full-size will say so on the tag.)

So before you purchase a guitar, you have to ask yourself three questions:

1. What style of music does my child want to play, and what will he enjoy?

2. Is he big enough to wield a full-size guitar?

3. What are my expectations for my child - what styles or music do I hope for him to learn?

More info coming in the future. If you have any questions, post a comment!