acoustic guitar kit for beginner

before_hollywood

exactly what it says, i want a cheap full size acoustic with the strings and stuff, don't need a stand but a case and instructional learn to play dvd is a good idea cos i can't afford lessons at the moment (could but have a house to save for), seen a kit in argos for £50 but is this a good deal?

Fatal_Swan

I don't know about the Argos guitar in particular, but a couple of general thoughts for you...

On Argos the only set I can see for £50 with bad/DVD etc is the 'Herald Learn to Play Guitar Outfit'. If it's that one you're looking at, you should be aware that it's a classical guitar (nylon strings). Conventionally, 'acoustic guitar' usually refers to steel-stringed guitars nowadays. If your aim is to play popular or folk music then a steel-stringed guitar will suit you much better and give you a brighter, louder sound.

That said, some beginners might find them harder since the steel strings are less forgiving on the fingers than the nylon strings on a classical. I'd say that the fingers on your left hand will need to get toughened up from regular use to get very far on the guitar in any case, so go for the guitar you want to suit the music you're aiming for.

Personally I'd look beyond Argos and to an instrument dealer... I read on another thread recently about www.Thomann.de and their prices seem to be excellent value. For under £40 delivered you can get this, including a soft case! I don't know anything about this particular one but there are a couple of reviews here which are very promising indeed. For another £7 (but no bag), this one looks good too. I'm sure these will be much nicer instruments than the Argos one. If you're after a classical guitar, Thomann have several between £23 and £50.

I'd suggest you spend as much as you can on the instrument itself and not the accessories at this stage. You might not recognise it before you start to play, but (especially at the budget end) the quality of the instrument will really affect how much enjoyment you get out of it. You can always add a bag, strap, etc later on once you're sure the instrument's for you!. There are bound to be some useful resources for beginners on the net for free to teach you the basics without buying instructional DVDs until a bit further down the line, too.

LindseyM

I agree with Fatal Swan, you don't want to scrimp too much as it can affect the sound quality - saying that I've played on some v expensive guitars and my mid price range guitars sound and feel much better. Obviously, you need to know whether playing suits you so don't want to spend too much, but if you go for too cheap, you will end up paying out again once you get more experienced anyway.

Unless you are planning on playing classical guitar, I would definitely recommend getting the steel string acoustic to start off with. When I was learning, mine was a nylon string - when I then tried to play on a steel string, it killed my fingers! Now, I have a couple of each and can change over with no problems.

Also, for some good tutorials, i'd recommend e-chords.com, if you register with them, the videos are really good, and range from beginner to advanced - this is a good way to learn whole songs to keep you inspired. Also, try chordbook.com, I found their guitar scales really great and easy to learn.

Hope this helps, good luck!

before_hollywood

thanks for the tips guys (and girls), i didn't get the argos one in the end, it looked like a false economy (it was a classical with nylon strings) which looked like the poor/difficult type and would really test how i was going to get on more than i want at this stage. i visited a local guitar dealer and ended up paying £99 for a fender cd60 (i think), with all the stuff with it, including the instructional dvd, case, electronic tuner, strings and all that kind of stuff. i write lyrics and have done for 9 years so an acoustic i can play mainstream indie/rock/singer songwriter esque stuff on was what was needed, and the fender looked ideal, i shouldn't always go for the cheap option- i will learn (honest)

i probably paid more than i should have done cos they are a fender dealer but with hindsight i can't believe i looked at the argos one, looks garbage in comparison to mine (this one- http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/fender-cd-60/69426

billymac

I sourced a guitar from Sound Control for my niece at Christmas when it was £79; it is now reduced to £59 which is well worth the money - it is manufactured by Legacy for whom Sound Control are, I believe, the sole distributors http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12/pages/mod_1.12.1/pages/mod_1.12.1.1/pages/index.php?sku=1.1.1.2.1-200-15861. The link is for the natural colour, they also do the same pack in black.

The guitar is a full size dreadnought and comes in a pack with a Korg Tuner (by redemption), a bag, a stand and a few picks - although not mentioned on their website it did also come with an instructional DVD too.

I was initially a bit sceptical as I'd never heard of the make before however it played beautifully (felt like a much more expensive guitar and really nice D'Addario strings too which make all the difference) and is absolutely ideal as a starter guitar - most cheap guitars both look and sound very poor; the build quality and finish on this was excellent and it sounded great.

I play a £1,600 Taylor myself but was sorely tempted to get one of these as a spare; at the new price which I've just found when I checked the site this evening it's too good a deal to pass up - if you have a store near you go in and have a try; the Sound Control guys are usually very helpful.