Advice for Guitar for Son

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

My HS son took a guitar music class and has really liked it. We had some absolute POC kid guitar from years ago that he plays on at home. He actually is picks it up pretty quick and plays often so we though to encourage it we'd get him a guitar for 'Christmas'.

He said he wants an acostic guitar, but he implied because he thought it would be cheaper.

When it comes to guitars in Denver, what store is the Mlle High Shooting of guitars?

What is the BCM grade of guitar brands and models? Acoustic, electric and small amps?

Not looking to go PSA cost, don't want to spend Knights money- but not afraid to spend some cash on something worth it. So BCM balance of cost and niceness.

I can barely whistle, so I have no music skill besides iTunes.

Thanks

[rondog]

"I can barely whistle, so I have no music skill besides iTunes."

I can SO relate.....wish I could help, but I must sit back and watch.

[sbgixxer]

If he really wants an electric, there are plenty of inexpensive packages that will come with everything he needs. I'd say start with that to see if he likes it then move up if the interest is there. For $250ish, you could get what he needs. There are also acoustic/electric packages that, as the name implies, can do both. It depends more on the style of music he's interested in.

I started with an inexpensive Ibanez set-up probably 20 yrs ago and have been playing since. I've had 10+ guitars since but still have my original cheap Ibanez.

[Irving]

If you go with an acoustic, try to get one with an undercut to allow access to the high notes on the fret board. He'll really appreciate that.

[def90]

Guitar Center.

Been playing guitar since 1983.. I could go on for hours on the subject but as far as your needs are concerned here is my super basic response:

For electrics anything in the $800 range is going to be a very good guitar, you can even get really good guitars in the $400 to $800 range, it's amazing what they make and sell these days, guitars are one of the few items out there where quality has gone up and price has gone down. Ibanez makes a solid guitar at a great price point as well as ESP which now goes by the label of LTD, I would stay away from cheap (sub $1000) Fenders or Gibsons. Charvel would be the cream of the crop. Spending more than $1500 on an electric is wasting your money unless it's a collector Fender or Gibson.

On the acoustic side once again Ibanez makes a great acoustic for the $$ as well as Taylor and Takamine. Ovations are ok.. You should be able to get a decent acoustic for around $700, acoustic guitars are where you will likely spend more money than an electric. Martin acoustic guitars are awesome and what most people eventually move to that have played for a long time but other than the tonal qualities it may have will play no different than an Ibanez or Taylor.

There are a lot of used guitars available on craigslist, just need to know what you are looking at to determine if it's a good deal or not. but honestly guitars are so cheap these days I would just buy new if your kid is really interested in playing long term.

Once you buy a guitar and your kid continues on with it it is worth it to take it to a respectable guitar repair shop and have it set up correctly, it will be close out of the box but it won't be what it could be, they crank those things out and get them about 80% there and say that's good enough. What this is is they dress the frets, properly adjust the neck and the string height, this will make a worl of difference when playing it.

If you buy a cheap guitar it is going to play like shit and will not be an enjoyable experience for your kid.

[ray1970]

I am definitely not a musician but dabbled in it years ago so take my advice for whatever that?s worth.

Your kid is a beginner and probably doesn?t yet have the skills to tell the difference between a $400 guitar and a $1400 guitar. Spending big bucks isn?t really necessary at this stage of the game unless you just want to. (FYI- if I had every dollar I ever spent on equipment for my sons various hobbies throughout the years I?d be a rich man right now.)

Anyhow, my first (and only) guitar was one of the Fender Squiers. It was a Japanese made version of their American made Stratocaster. I likely played it just as well back then as I could have played something way more expensive and it didn?t break the bank when I bought it.

My brothers are real musicians (don?t have real jobs and have played and toured all over the world with people like Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughn, Trisha Yearwood, etc.) and the Squire was what they suggested I should get until I decided if I was going to be good at it or stick with it long term.

No matter what you get him I bet he will be stoked to have a decent guitar he can call his own.

[JohnnyEgo]

I bought my 9 year old a Fender Squier for Christmas last year, along with lessons. He still loves it. Will even volunteer to practice without me having to remind him, which is a behavior he does not engage in with anything else in his life, such as brushing his teeth. If he keeps it up for another year or two, I am sure he will outgrow it, and I will spend the money to get him something decent in the middle of the range. But for an electric guitar sized so a 9 year old can play it, it's worked out really well.

[ray1970]

But for an electric guitar sized so a 9 year old can play it, it's worked out really well.

Are the new Squire models scaled down or something? The one I had in the 1980?s was a full sized guitar.

[def90]

A Squire is the same size as any Fender that is the equivalent model, the difference is that they are built over seas with cheaper parts and materials.

Nothing worse than killing a kids excitement about playing guitar than buying them a cheap POS guitar with a shitty neck that has such a horrible shape and action height that it actually makes it hard to play on top of the fact that it will have zero sustain and will sound like shit.

[Mtneer]

How much does small hand size affect choice? My wife has been wanting to learn acoustic and the hints keep getting stronger.

I know nothing about guitars but enjoy watching the "British guitarist analyses" Youtube channel. He reviews some amazing stuff. Old school country pretty much blows everyone away.