I´ve been playing the tin whistle now for a few years and I also play the piano. I´ve been thinking about getting a guitar for a long time and now it seems to be financially possible.
So, I´m looking for a good beginners guitar for about 400-500 dollars. Are there good guitars in that price range or does it have to cost a lot more?
Pretty much all I know is that, since I (hopefully) will be playing irish music on it, it should have all-metall strings. I also hope to play som pop songs, campfire songs, etc. on it.
In my experience, in your price range, you can’t go wrong with an Ibanez. Actually, for $500, you’d get quite a good one from Ibanez. Yamaha is also a name you might want to check out.
There are entry level Martins in that range, but they will use laminated wood as opposed to solid, and you won’t get much except the name Martin.
I would also stay away from Fender and Gibson in this price range.
Check out these links:
Whatever you do, do not buy online. It is much better to go to a store and try everything they have in a given price range. If you settle on one model, ask them if they have several of them in stock and if they do, try every single one: even within a same model, there may be differences. Good luck!
PS: If you have any questions, or need more info/advice, PM or email me. I’ll be glad to to help out.
you can get a sean patrick in that price range, damn fine guitar.
your best bet is to go to a few guitar stores and try out all their guitars in the price range you’re looking at and then pick the only that fits your hands well and looks the best to you.
I quit trying to play guitar after my oldest kid took it up. He can play like I wanted to.
Our bouzouki/tenro banjo player has that great big Martin guitar that we started with. My son played it occasionally, but noticeded the hesitation and wincing when he asked to play it.
He happened to go into a store in SC that was going out of business, and he picked up his Ovation for less than $300.
I like the sound of it over the Martin for both rhythm and melody. It isn’t as “muddy” sounding to me and lets melody pop out better when doing rhythm.
I think that, for the price, they are great guitars in the lower range. Once you get up to the higher range is where they start to sound like a cheep guitar. It can get quite tinny and annoying.
I just had occasion to check this week. At the moment it makes almost no difference. I think Canadians are currently about 6 cents better off in the dollar. $A and $US parity is still a way off but we’re headed in the right direction.
I think my “dislike” of them is based more on their feel than their sound. I really never got used to the plastic back. They also have a tendency to crack more easily than regular guitars (make sure your son keeps his properly humidified!..)
They do sort of “pop” on rhythm, but I don’t think they even qualify for fingerstyle.
But then again, like everything, matter of taste. If your son likes his and paid less then $300 for it, more power to him!..
Good advice. I have several Martins, Fenders and Gibsons in the arsenal. I love Martin D28s and 00028s and have one of each but these are way out of your price range. Ibanez are vastly underrated and very good for their price. Entry level Martins and Fenders especially just don’t cut it in my opinion.
I have an Epiphone (Gibson’s budget brand) acoustic/electric which is quite nice. I also have a Seagull which cost $400. Seagulls are made in Canada of cedar and are very nice for folk/acoustic music. I’m sure they make A/E models also, or you can install a pickup. Agree with whoever mentioned Yamahas, they’re wonderful too. I’m not a huge Ovation fan either.
Dan,
I think the most important thing you can do to get he best guitar for your money is to take along a friend who plays guitar and knows something about them. Pay him if you need to. You’ll save much more than you pay him. I played guitar for 25 years and I went with friends to buy a guitar for them several times. There is a lot that can go wrong when building a guitar and even the top brands put out a clunker every now and then. You don’t want to be their QC tester.
Dan, as a guitar player of 30 years now, I’ll give some advice on a good guitar and I hope you can find it useful. I’ve played a lot of guitars, owned a lot (still do) and found the best deal for the money in Seagull guitars and Simon & Patrick guitars. They are both hand made in Canada by the same parent company, Godin Guitars. Here’s Seagull’s website http://www.seagullguitars.com/intro.htm and here’s Simon & Patrick’s http://www.simonandpatrick.ca/. You will probably spend a little LESS than your budget to get one of these and you can’t match the sound for three times the money. Click on their dealer listings to find out where to get one near you. The differences between the two are mainly the neck widths. The Seagull is 1/16" wider at the nut (just where the strings cross from the neck to the headstock) than the Simon & Patrick. If you have smaller hands, get the S&P. I agree with Pthouron that you should stay away from any Fender and Gibson in that price range. Actually, I’d steer clear of nearly any Fender acoustic, that is just not their forte. I’m not crazy about Ibanez or Yamaha either. Most Asian import guitars, which Ibanez and Yamaha are, are very generic in their sound, not really special sounding. Most I’ve played sounded kinda dead, even with new strings. They tend to be overbraced inside. I’ve owned three Yamahas, but they were special models listing at upwards of $1400.
Now about specific models. It depends on what kind of music you plan to play. I’ve been teaching guitar for 15 years now, and most students end up playing one of two styles, either flatpicking (strumming) or fingerstyle. If you plan on being a strummer, get a dreadnought size guitar, such as a Seagull S6+ Cedar GT or a Simon & Patrick 6 Cedar. If you plan to fingerstyle, get one of their folk models (my favorites).
Here’s the best advice you can get. Play several guitars in your price range and buy the one that sings to you. It may something no one has yet recommended. But for my money, you know what my recommendations are. These are what I’ll play until I shell out $7500 for a custom handmade jobbie, or build what I want myself. I’m a budding luthier, so maybe in five years or so I’ll recommend one of my own guitars.
Scott, my Seagull is the S6 Folk, and I absolutely adore it! The intonation is perfect, and the sound is beautiful. $400 including hard case. I’ve played Martins and Gibsons I wasn’t as impressed with.
In your dreams, possibly. 
So many memories…
than your budget to get one of these and you can’t match the sound for three times the money. Click on their dealer listings to find out where to get one near you. The differences between the two are mainly the neck widths. The Seagull is 1/16" wider at the nut (just where the strings cross from the neck to the headstock) than the Simon & Patrick. If you have smaller hands, get the S&P. I agree with Pthouron that you should stay away from any Fender and Gibson in that price range. Actually, I’d steer clear of nearly any Fender acoustic, that is just not their forte. I’m not crazy about Ibanez or Yamaha either. Most Asian import guitars, which Ibanez and Yamaha are, are very generic in their sound, not really special sounding. Most I’ve played sounded kinda dead, even with new strings. They tend to be overbraced inside. I’ve owned three Yamahas, but they were special models listing at upwards of $1400.