KBennett

My 13 year old son is taking guitar at school and they said that he needs an acoustic guitar. What is a decent guitar for a beginner?

Is the "barely used" market a good way to go?

DU.DP.

i knew plenty of kids who took that class. you dont need anything fancy to start off with. get him a basic guitar then if he decides to stick with it they make a great gift for christmas or a birthday. i'd say slowly upgrade something nice.

67HotRod

I bought one from http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/ for my daughter. Sounds good and didn't break the bank.

Pentastar

I would find a guitar teacher in the area and consult him about a purchase.I would almost guarantee that he will know about a former student that is looking to see their guitar and at a good price as well.Ron G

old dog

NEAD TO BE CAREFUL BUYING A GATAR -USED - UNLESS ITS FROM SOME ONE KNOLAGABLE-
WHEN I WAS A KID I BOUGHT A (NATIONAL - WHICH IS A GIBSON SECOND LINE)
the neck wasn`t quite right and it made it quite hard to fret it properly -
had had it for a year before some one knolageable told me what the problem was.
by then i had knotches in the end of my fingers all the way to my knuckles
well it seamed that way
any how it would have been much easier if it had been correct !
CLAUDE

whitebuffalo

there was a place in NM i bought my mandolin from that had a upgrade policy.....where you could trade in one for another and get a pretty good return......

did the trade in thing on a fiddle also....seems like you got full purchase price back towards an upgrade? i dunno if they still do it....might be worth checking into



edit: it was called folkofthewood.com

tlcavvy

washburn makes reasonable guitars, what i started on.

cincydiesel

Guitar Hero!!!! Just kiddin.. Used is the way to go. Besides he might not even like after a couple of lessons.

tool

I second the Washburn.

I bought a Washburn a couple years ago after I got a hankering to start picking a little bit again. After I hadn't played since Highschool I didn't want to spend a pile on something in case it got left in the closet.

Solid spruce top, rosewood fretboard, mahogany back. The thing sounds pretty decent and was relatively inexpensive.

Good used is a great idea though as well, probably find a good quality instrument for less $$$.

Plus, acoustics tend to sound better with age and play.

CarlJensen

Washburn is a great idea, and find one used in good shape is the way to go. For the money, pretty well built with good bindings and a decent neck. Older Yamaha is pretty good too but people tend to ask too much for them.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/a...itars/6-string

KBennett

Thank you for the input.

I called my local pawn shop and he happens to have a used Washburn for $90 so will we head over there in the morning. The guy who runs the place is pretty cool and I'm sure that if we found any issues later on that he would take care of us.

I'll let you know how it goes.

06dodgedrw

just check the neck and every thing for cracks and nicks and if its warped or stained like it got wet and such and if you see wood glue or anything type stay away. if the strings are a used pretty good dont worry about it it just means the person before actually played it. also check out the local music shop that sells guitars and drums and such they will usually have good deals on new and used and most of them are out there for the music not the buck so they will help you out. you can find good quality guitars for 100bucks brand new plus he prolly cant tell the difference in sound and quality of 1 that cost 1000 or 1 that cost 100 so dont worry about it. i know i couldnt when i first started

KBennett

We picked up the Washburn at the pawn shop with a case. It is in really nice shape except for an area on the back that is lightly scratched. He took it to school before I could get pictures but I will try to get some this weekend when he gets home.

Thanks everybody for your input.