Guitar Questions?

GlynD

jeanniebeanie wrote: »

Wow! Thank you kind sir!! I must show him your post! :rotfl:

Weight is an issue these days on the Les Paul, so latest addition to the family is a vintage PRS. He has Fenders too and a couple he built himself as well as semi-acoustics, acoustics and mandolins but the PRS is the one of the moment. Playing live, the Les Paul only features occasionally now. It would take him a week to recover otherwise!

The Les Paul always was a heavy beast although most expensive solid body guitars do have a bit of weight to them. The worst I ever experienced was the Burns Black Bison http://www.burnsguitars.com/bison62.php which weighed far more than even the Les Paul. Some say the Black Bison is the best British guitar ever produced.

z.n

We are 'experts' at buying step up musical instruments for DD. We set a budget based on what we can afford /see from the internet/advice given on threads like this/advice from music teacher. Then identify a really good music shop and give them a call to see how they sound-helpful/knowledgable about children's needs and which are a good make/not so good for what she wants to do. Check again on the internet and then go to the shop with a budget in mind. Take a packed lunch if necessary and devote as much time as necessary for child to try all options- a decent music shop will have no problem with this and will be supportive and helpful. They will be happy to offer plenty of models to try out and the associated add-ons like capos etc. Tell them the budget and let them guide daughter through the process. Let her choose the one that she likes best in her own time. She will know it when she finds it. Pay for it and off we go. If she is having lessons through school there is a vat free scheme which will reduce the price of a new instrument available in many counties-check your county music services page online. Some shops will also offer interest free installments on second hand instruments for students. For us this has meant a day trip to central London but the care and expertise of the specialist stores is fantastic and DD was treated with as much respect and care as a soloist at the Proms. We were really pleased that there was no effort to take advantage of our complete ignorance and DD had a great time choosing-she ended up costing about 2/3 of the maximum we had set. It has the added advantage that when we need to step up again we can go back and trade in the instrument purchased. Unless you really know what you are looking at this is the safest option IMO, especially if you want an instrument that will last.

aliasojo

z.n wrote: »

Take a packed lunch if necessary

:rotfl:

(sorry, that amused me. )


If she is having lessons through school there is a vat free scheme which will reduce the price of a new instrument available in many counties-check your county music services page online.

I know of this scheme, middle one was bought a set of bagpipes through the school some years ago which saved a reasonable sum.

As far as I am aware, that isn't an option here but I will phone the school specifically to ask/confirm this.

Thanks for all the tips.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

andygb wrote: »

If you live anywhere near London (or fancy a trip there), then I would recommend going to the area off the Charing Cross Road/Tottenham Court Road/Shaftesbury Avenue, because there are loads of music shops with thousands of guitars, both new and old.
I bought a S/H Squier Strat off Ebay a couple of years ago for £40, put a new set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings in, adjusted the action and it plays really well.
I would also recommend Yamaha, Fender and Ovation acoustic guitars, particularly the Yamaha which are great VFM.

Now you see, I wouldn't recommend anything around Denmark Street because they treated me like an imbecile when I was there. If they could be bothered to even acknowledge me, seeing as I'm not a bloke in my twenties wearing designer clothes.


I'll stick with my local shops. Not the touristy ones.

z.n

Just to clarify- if you are looking for an orchestral instrument then the specialist shops in London (for flute and trumpet in our case) were fantastic. No snobbery, just genuinely helpful expertise. No idea about the equivalent guitar shops though.

aliasojo

Thanks guys but I'm in Scotland, nowhere near London.

Info might help someone else though.

Savvy_Sue

Mr_Toad wrote: »

I've been playing guitar on and off for 30 years, I have quite a collection, you can never have too many guitars.

:rotfl: when did you get at DS3?

z.n wrote: »

Take a packed lunch if necessary

Sound advice ... I was once trapped in a guitar shop in NYC while DS3 chose a new guitar. Long hot morning ... and THEN we had the game of getting it home!

On the plus side, they threw in a soft bodied case, and a capo so that he could 'trap' the strings before he took the neck off to fit it in his suitcase.

dancingfairy

You could always ask the tutor if they have any pupils that have recently given up that are looking to sell their guitar?
Also you could try the free ads section of the local paper or gumtree.
Obviously if you want more control over it/to find the right one personally then you will probably need to consider a day trip to a shop to try loads out.
df

fluffymuffy

I've got a Raimundo 123 - http://www.classicalguitar.co.uk/onlinestore/classical_guitars_instrument_selection240.html
I had to get the bridge lowered when I first got it as I found the strings too high.
I keep it on a stand, or in a hard case.

I've just started teaching DD to play. She's got a http://www.amazon.co.uk/Valencia-3102-Size-Classical-Guitar/dp/B002R08N9G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1360415912&sr=8-4 - which is fantastic for a half sized instrument.

daska

Personally I'd suggest she tries before buying, especially if you're spending a reasonable amount. Most areas we've lived in have had a decent guitar shop, as a general rule of thumb the good ones are happy for players to try as many machines as they want and will help rather than push, so if you start to feel she's being put under pressure to make up her mind it's time to look for somewhere else. But having said that DS2s dad has a right mix of makes and styles and prices including a les paul as well as a lovely sounding electroacoustic he picked up for £5 at a car boot (personally my favourite is his zebra wood 12 string but he barely plays it as it's a git to string LOL)