What is the best acoustic guitar for a beginner?
Go with a Seagull I recommend an S6 for around $300. It's the closest thing you are going to get to a high end Martin without dishing out the big bucks. Although I personally bought an Ibanez as my first acoustic and I'm pleased. I do wish I would have dished out the extra 100 bucks for the Seagull which is an amazing guitar.
Check out how they are made on YouTube it's really amazing and that are beautiful guitars.
13 Answers
now, hang on.
I started learning on a beat up Ovation round-back (acoustic) that's about 20 years old now. You don't necessarily have to use the steel, copper or bronzed strings, you could try using nylons to help build up finger strength and the calluses you need to play a bit more comfortably. All in all though, go to a Best Buy or Sam Ash or any music store and play around with several guitar styles. See which ones are the most comfortable, give you the sound you want, and are within your budgetary range.
I started on the Indiana Scout and enjoyed it. However the "Fender CD-60";http://www.google.com/products?q=Fender+CD-60&aq=f is a great deal for a nice guitar
For a beginner, any of the major brand names like Ibanez, Martin, Ovation, Fender, Yamaha, etc. all offer great entry level guitars. Spend around $150-$350 no more than that IMO, just in case it turns out guitar isn't your thing.
You can often find beginner's packages like This from Fender and other brands, that include everything you'll need to get started. Although I would also recommend either taking a private lesson or two or find someone that has been playing for a few years to give you some tips.
An acoustic guitar is the best way to learn on. The reasoning behind this is that the neck on an acoustic is generally wider and your fingers will learn to be stretched further than if you practiced on an electric which has a thin neck. Once you get your basic chord skills down on an acoustic, you will def be able to shred up an electric. Moving onto brands for beginners. Honestly I think a fender or yamaha acoustic will be decently priced and both have very nice sounds for their lower end models. I would also not spend more than $300 on your first guitar. Goodluck!
As a beginner, I would recommend that you try out a friend's guitar first. If you're still serious about guitar, don't opt for the cheapest guitar out there. Instead look for a dreadnought body with a "solid" or "genuine" top. This will get you to the next level in terms of sound (over the cheapo guitars) and keep your interest in playing guitar for years to come. Figure to spend at minumum $150.
That said, a Yamaha or an Ibanez will get you started and keep you happy for a long time. I personally started on an Ibanez and I still play it on occasion.
If you have a bit more money, a Taylor has by far the best action (how hard/easy the strings are to press) of any guitar out there. If money isn't an object, the Taylor would be the best way to start off as a beginner.
First off, I would disagree that acoustic is not good to start with. Acoustic guitar is more difficult to play and make you really learn how to hit notes and chords cleanly. When you feel comfortable enough to try electric, it will be much simpler to hit bar chords, move up and down the neck, etc.
For the actual guitar, there are a lot of options out there. I would recommend not getting anything with a pickup (electric plug in) to start. Get a good solid guitar with good tone. You can find some nice used guitars sometimes if you are looking for something more premium for the buck. The brands I would put most stock in < $500 would be Takamine and Yamaha. I think I've seen Tahoma at about the $500 price point, and if you could track down one of those, you'd be very happy.
My experience started on a hand-me-down Ovation (yes, it was an acoustic electric, but all Ovations are - and it was free to play on). I hated the sound of the guitar, but I got my chops together on it. After I knew I was serious, I purchased a Taylor 210 with a case for around $900. What I'm saying is that you can get an amazing sounding guitar for under 1K, and it might be good to just get a beater for the time being to see how serious you want to get. IMO, get the best instrument you can afford (and want) at the time and you'll enjoy playing it even more.
I would not recommend starting out on acoustic as acoustic guitar is much harder on the fingers and a lot of people get discouraged. That being said, if you are set on it, you can't go wrong with a Martin and they have several models under $500.
For beginners, I would highly suggest a decent electric with a pretty good amp and that should get you going.