Thanks Kevin. I subbed a couple of days ago. I am a 74 year old newbie. Playing an acoustic for several months. Looking at purchasing a fender player plus Nashville in December. Hope I live long enough to play passably. Best of luck on your podcast.
Good for you! Please let us know how you’re progressing. I’m 66 and recently purchased a cheap Strat and a little Vox amp. Yep, I’m a huge Brian May fan but figure I’ll take Keef Richard’s job when he retires. Yes, I know he’ll never retire and I won’t live long enough to get that proficient but a girl can dream. Oh, my el cheapo Strat is wood grained not pink.
00:01 Best guitar is the one that makes you play more 01:38 Invest in a guitar that feels friendly and fun to play 03:19 Consider resale value when buying a guitar. 04:49 Differences in buying acoustic vs electric guitars and cost comparison 06:28 Consider your learning style when choosing between acoustic and electric guitar. 08:01 Consider Squire and PRS guitars for good value and quality 09:43 Consider higher budget for custom or vintage guitars for significant quality difference 11:31 Invest in solid wood guitars for better sound quality and consider American-made guitars for good playability. 13:14 Maximize your guitar purchase 14:58 Tips for a better guitar purchase
It still surprises me how new this channel is, you have the presence and production quality of a much larger one. Definetly agree about the importance of getting one that inspires you, I was close to getting a player plus nashville but ended up choosing an Epiphone es-335 because even though its half the price I was just more drawn to it, it arrived a couple of days ago and I couldn't be happier with it.
Man I absolutely love your videos.They are really good quality and very helpful.Your videos help me so much with guitar and you deserve a million subs.If not more!
Some additional thoughts: - resale value can depend heavily on brand. If it's well known, it's generally easier to sell and potentially get a higher price. - cost of an amp/silent practice; if you already own a computer, you can get a basic audio interface and use free (or cheap) plugins and get some great sounds. As an added bonus you can record to track progress and play with headphones.
One thing I disagree with is the jump from under 500 to 1500. So many great guitars in the 600-1000 category. Epiphone les Paul’s best bang for buck. Mexican strats/telecasters Squire classic vibe, 40th anniversary, Sterling cutless If you spend between 600-1000 on a guitar you will get an instrument that can last you for decades. Used market is great too, if you are new stick to your box stores used market. They have warranty and money back returns. Also, a big thing to consider is a professional setup. Get one after a month or two , they will adjust the guitar to your liking or give you advice on what you need. It’s the best 80 bucks you can spend on a luthier to setup your guitar.
I'm a proud owner of two Epiphone Les Paul Standards. One is a 1993 Korean made Cherry Burst, the same guitar used by Noel Gallagher to record the album Definitely Maybe. It was $380 from Craigslist. I'm planning to mod it with Seymour Duncan pickups (Saturday Night Specials) and American wiring. I'm not planning to sell either of my guitars and I like dog eared Epiphones. These two guitars through the right amp with loads of practice are perfect.
@@scottbrower9052how hard is it to do? I’m a noob too but i don’t want to fuck up an expensive guitar because i didn’t pay the extra. Any advice is appreciated
You brought up a good point about old school thinking that you should learn on an acoustic vs. Electric, if the instrument doesn't fit your style you're not going to play as often. I will say that having an acoustic is more on the fly mobile.. but it needs to be a decent one. I've played a few that were junkie and couldn't be set up, if you find a good one at a good price and is nice it's worth having. Electric guitars on the other hand in my opinion are just plain fun because they cover all genre of music, it's the amp that gives its voice and they can be dialed in for what ever sound you want. I started out on a late 60's harmony acoustic, the action was so high and the neck so twisted that I literally practiced till my fingers bled, I acquired great callouses but it certainly didn't make me better I didn't improve until I got my first Electric, it wasn't worth much but it was alot better than the harmony. This is a great video thanks for sharing it..two thumbs up 👍 👍
First time started playing 10 years back but didnt keep playing. Came back buying a squier classic vibe 50s, and judging from my past and bad experiences 10 years back and now, your suggestions are fantastic.
Started in Jan 2023 on an Epi Pro 1 acoustic. I practice/play every day. This Feb 2024 I purchased a Martin D10e. The action on the Martin was too high for me came from the factory and with 13’s. I had the action lowered and I moved to 11’s. This guitar is simply superb to play and sounds amazing. The Epi is my travel guitar (already done 4 trips) and the Martin is for at home. There is a big price difference but also a big difference in sound and playability. I’ve got friends that are pro players and I can see the justification for what they spend on their gear but for me, what I have is more than good enough. 👍
You were right when you said it's not that useful to get a teacher early on because I've been doing the JustinGuitar course while having a teacher at the same time, and on my own, I am learning a lot more than with my teacher. The good thing is I have someone to give me feedback, but it is not as useful as if I was more advanced. My teacher basically told me to learn the basic chords (A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, G) and he was really surprised when he saw me do them flawlessly just 1 week after and being able to do a few songs. I already have a guitar, but it's a used red jackson guitar with a blocked floyd rose tremolo, the whammy bar wasn't even on it when I bought it. It's great for learning but not so good for wanting to play a specific genre, it does the highs really well, but not really the mids and lows, according to my teacher.
Excellent advice, being an older newbie guitar player, starting with a low end inexpensive electric and having a year under my belt i wish i had seen this video before i started…
i really wanna see ur channel grow, you put so much effort into ur videos and u actually help (unlike some other big guitar RU-vidrs like BERNYTH), i think you should focus also on videos that more people would be interesting in watching because your content quality is top but i dont think everyone watches these kinds of videos when they play guitar, at least i personally dont but i still wanna see ur channel grow because you've got so much potential to be one of the best with how genuine you are and how good your content is, my idea is maybe videos that the guitar community struggles more with, like scales, techniques, picking speed, working with a metronome, transcribing
Heck yes! This is the THIRD “what to know before buying a guitar” type video and this is so much more helpful than the vague sponsored carp out there! Thank you! 🎼
Thanks for the perpective and knowledge. This is extremely helpful. Also, I miss the days when we could wash dishes for a summer in order to obtain our dream instrument. :) Your videos are great.
Love the advice. I’m just starting to learn but bought a $1,200 guitar years ago. I’m glad I bought something in that range because I had an older cheaper acoustic and struggle to enjoy playing it.
I live in Colorado which is really dry. A case allows for controlling humidity. If you want to keep your guitar in good condition you need to keep it in a decent humidity range.
Hi Kevin, Geat video as usual! I would like to know your opinion about classical guitars, there are some opinions about the befits (in terms of beginner friendly) about learn guitar on classicals. Thanks!
The classical guitar iam training on is my fathers 30 year old guitar I thought about buying a new electric guitar with money that iam collecting but then i thought it out and realised that the peice iam playing is important to my father and i cant just stop playing that guitar just becuase i want a fancy tananna type guitar so now iam learning classical music and i discovered that i love this peice that i have so much more than i thought
I totally agree with picking a guitar you WANT to play that has the sound you identify with. That's why I got my Taylor DLX BLK it's gorgeous, but has the most interesting and compelling sound I've ever heard.
I bought my Taylor 110ce for 799, and traded it in 12 years later towards my new one for $780 (new ones now go for $1199 CAD). So.... yes inflation. But I also played it for over 10 years.
I'm just recently getting back into playing guitar and have been on the look out for an acoustic. Sadly, my finances are not good for this kind of thing so I will be going cheap. I've been eyeballing the Yamaha FG820. I feel like that's the one for me. But even as cheap as it is, I still have to save up for it. If you happen to know anything about that particular model I'd love to hear your opinions on it.
My first guitar was a Epiphone Les Paul tobacco burst. I cut my fingers on that guitar (literally). Now I literally just bought a Fender Vintera II '60s Stratocaster and wow! I’ve only been playing for over a year but it was an amazing choice!
That’s a great choice! I’be had better luck with Fender/Squire than I’ve had with Gibson and Epiphone, interesting to see that it’s not just me. Thanks for watching and great choice on the guitar
If you're just starting out and don't have much money spare I've had a yamaha f310 for the past 5 or so years they go for about 120 brand new and 50 used and they definitely punch up would definitely recommend to any beginner
Thanks for the post. I’ve been learning/playing bass for about a year and I’m considering dipping my toe in the guitar world. Any advice other than what you already posted?
kevin, thank you for your help. been playing for 1.5 years, and slowly improving. if money was no object, i would "move up" to a taylor 414ce. but it always is. so what about the value of the yamaha AC3R / A3R or even the 5 series? half the price of the taylors, and my ears tell me they sound superb. same question for the yam FG3 OR FG5 dreads. or should i just save up for a taylor, either a 314ce or 414ce , and maybe used? thanks dale
Question for you- I’ve been learning on acoustic but am finally just starting to develop good consistent habits, knowledge, and skills I was wondering is there any milestone that you’d reccomend for learning acoustic before switching to electric?
This is amazing. Still don’t know why I watched it though, since I just got a new guitar… You mentioned in another video that you play in payed gigs. Do you have any tips on how to get those? I’ve gotten a couple, but nothing consistent. Thanks in advance
There’s a lot that goes into it and in the future I plan on making a full video on this topic but the short answer is that you’ve got to send a LOT of emails. The other thing is you’ve got to get good videos of you playing live. If a venue can see that you’re decent and the crowd is engaged, then they’re more likely to respond to your emails. It only takes one or two venues to book you regularly for you to stay busy
Hi, I just started learning like a week ago, I have a 200$ Ibanez acoustic guitar, should I buy something more expensive or can I learn on the one i have, it sounds good and I like it but, as I said, it's my first week and I never played anything before.
I have been playing guitar for 2 months I often get asked which kind of music I like on the guitar but I don't know what is jazz or pop or rock music can you please explain?
Just about to pick my first ever guitar tomorrow, Squire classic vibe 60's strat, I have put alot of research into this and for bang for buck I am convinced Im onto a winner, I chose this guitar as i feel from a bseline level its pretty decent, and instead of selling and upgrading to fender i plan to just change pickups and tuners and all that instead =D not chasing the brand "fender" as much as i want it on the headstock haha
I’m starting to watch this after I bought a Castilla on Facebook Marketplace for $90 and hoping im not an idiot 😂 it’s been fun and worked so far I guess! 🤷♂️
I have a 1991 Strat-Plus-Deluxe and a 1986 ES-335 and I never take them out of the house. I have 6 Harley Bentons that I play all of the time. If I ding one of those I don't get crazy about it. All 6 totaled together conservatively cost less than half of the Strat and a third of the 335. I love my HBs. *I would never buy a guitar with the "Affinity" badge.
If you mean semi hollows like the Gibson es-335 then I love those. I think they’re super cool and fun to play. If you mean acoustic guitars like the Fender Acoustasonic series, I don’t love them, but they’re surprisingly good, and maybe if it was into different kinds of music then I would like them more. If it were me for my money, I probably wouldn’t bat an eye at selling some guitars to get one quality guitar of higher quality
My Experience : I go to the store for an expensive Guitar I really want. Then I shied away from the really expensive Guitars, second guessing the prices. Well I set myself up for failure, because the Guitar I really wanted to buy I thought too much. I repeated that pattern for many times, over many years. Then I found the secret. Go for that $5,000 Martin you'll never regret it. (Or whatever you want). If you shy away making the big expense, you will regret it. Now you have a Guitar you really didn't want, and you repeat the pattern. Pull the trigger on the one you want. You'll never have to buy another. (Ideally, 1 Electric, (Gibson) and One Acoustic. (Martin) = Your done for life. You will be scared at the price, but for many years, you will enjoy it.
Fender month at my local shop. 0% financing for 12 months... so I had to go ahead and get a white aerodyne MIJ Strat. Heck yes. I already had an EOB strat, and a Lamboo Telecaster, so don't tell my wife! Lol.
Nothing against this video or the intent. You are doing a great job. "Built in America makes these guitars play very good" is where I have a disconnect . Quality control is global and not restricted to what is made in America!
I appreciate the respectful comment! Let me see if I can re-connect your disconnect: first of all, you’re right that quality control is not restricted to America. I should have clarified the reason that being built in America is a sign of quality. The big five guitar manufacturers (Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, and PRS) are all American companies, so they invest the most money into training luthiers that are based in America, they also put the most money into the materials that go into the (already more expensive) made in USA guitars. This is something you see across the music world and across all of manufacturing as a whole. Marshall is a British company so for Marshall a sign of quality is the made in UK tag. Even if we look outside of music this is true. It is generally considered that for Toyotas, made in Japan is a sign of quality. For Leica cameras, made in Germany is a sign of quality. It just so happens that the biggest and most mainstream guitar manufacturers are based in America, so for them, “made in USA” is a sign of quality. And foreign built guitars could be just as good or even better than the made in USA guitars, it’s just that the manufacturers don’t generally put the same money into them that they put into the USA guitars. I don’t mean to disparage the manufacturing of any country (as someone who has a degree in manufacturing, I absolutely respect the great manufacturing traditions of a number of countries that aren’t America), I only mean to point out that being manufactured in the home country is generally a sign of quality, and for these guitar brands the home country is America. Thanks for the comment and I hope I was able to clarify my position on this!
Comment #69 here. I am here after I bought a new to me guitar to start out on.. a Paul Reed Smith SE custom 24. So I'm glad to see you like that model. SE stands for Super Edition. 😂
Great question! Guitar manufacturers usually train the best luthiers (guitar builders) in their home country, and they’re usually looking to save on labor cost when they outsource to a foreign country. Almost all the major guitar manufacturers are American, so they train the best luthiers in America. This isn’t to say that a guitar built in Mexico, Indonesia, etc. can’t be great, it’s just that the manufacturers usually put the most effort into making the American stuff really good. This goes for other companies home countries as well. Marshall (amp company) is based in the UK, so a sign of quality for them is being made in UK. Thanks for watching and for the question!
Yesterday, I researched for hours everything I could about electric guitars and what I came to realize is that for someone who has the money, a 500$ guitar is a good starting point, and buying a 150$ guitar will usually give you lots of problems in the beginning that might make you want to play less often and the tone might be really bad for the songs you want to play. For rock music, a Stratocaster or a Les Paul will usually be best. The Strat is better for higher distortion rock while the Les Paul does the clean sound way better in my opinion. The telecaster is the most versatile but is not really a good choice if you're not interested in country music since it is its main purpose. The only country musician I like is Johnny Cash and he always used an acoustic so that's not a good reason to buy a telecaster. As for soloing, shredding and metal, an Ibanez will be best, so for a beginner starting out with rhythm guitar, it's not the best choice but for the beginner starting out with soloing, skipping the rhythm stuff, Steve Vai style, it is the best choice. Jackson guitars are another decent option and they do produce a lot of sound. When I bought my first guitar in 2016, the employee didn't know any of this so after I told him I like rock music and that I had a small budget, he recommended me a jackson dinky JS11 even though I told him my favorite genre is rock, and metal is like the very last (one I listen to on occasion) and it was a used guitar but he neglected to tell me that the previous owner blocked the tremolo and that the whammy bar was missing and since I had only bought it for Rocksmith at the time and eventually stopped playing for many years, I never realized that my guitar is low quality and worth maybe like 100 USD. So now I am looking into buying a Epiphone Les Paul for like 500-700 CAD, maybe something on sale if I can find it but definitely new. I prefer the Les Paul than the Strat because of its nicer clean tone, and the lack of a tremolo bridge which makes it easier to tune than a Strat. After that, I will buy an acoustic guitar, I just haven't done my research on that yet. As for my 3rd guitar, it will probably be an Ibanez.
I’m glad you’ve done your own research. Just as a friendly piece of advice, try to play at PRS McCarty 594 SE before you pull the trigger on that Epiphone Les Paul. It’s the PRS version of a Les Paul and I think you might like it a little more. But get whatever inspires you! Good luck!
@@kevinnickens A PRS SE McCarty 594 is 1279 CAD, that is way too expensive for my budget, like I said earlier, I am mainly looking at guitars which will cost me around 500 CAD. That is mainly because I am going back to college and moving into my own apartment, and although I have a couple thousand dollars saved up, it's not nearly enough for me to spend over 1000$ on a guitar, especially since I plan to get an acoustic eventually and possibly an Ibanez. After college, I'll definitely upgrade though. For now, I just want something that plays well and isn't some cheap 100$ thing made for a genre I'll rarely play (like the one I have now). However, there was a time just a few years ago where my financial situation was so good, I could have afforded it easily, maybe even a 2000$ guitar, because I lived with my parents and had saved up a lot of money over the years, but then I made some big purchases, and now I have to be more careful.
Ahh! Looks like pricing is a little different here in the US, and I didn’t realize you were talking about CAD instead of USD. Good luck finding the right guitar!
I've got an Epiphone Les Paul; Plus Top Pro version from about 10 years ago. It was pretty much half price, but only if I got the wine red colour. I thought it looked awesome and it plays great.
I impatiently bought a Squier that was originally $340 but sold as a used / demo model for a significantly lower price. By the time I bought cable, strap, tuner, metronome, headphone adapter, strings, winder / cutter, cleaning supplies, and fortunately, a borrowed amp, (but I still need fret guards and a wider strap for better comfort) -- I wished I'd spent more on the guitar and less on everything else. Now I want the no-brainer features that are excluded in the lower price range, like a better nut and locking tuners (maybe better pick-ups). These are excluded (even though nuts are cheap) so that buyers will want to upgrade their guitars and ultimately spend more upgrading the cheaper guitar, especially considering labour fees, than if they'd paid a few hundred more in the first place. I went in ready to buy instead of ready to ask questions and assess if I was getting good information, or sales pitches. Maybe step one was be patient. I will add that I made a good choice coming here for my beginner lessons!
For that money, you're better off visiting a guitar/music store and try out their Yamaha guitars. Yamaha's entry level acoustics costs about that much and they're well-built.
Yeah man, I would go for the Line 6 Spider V 20 MkII. It's $150 and It's a modeling amp, which means that it'll have a lot of different amp sounds in it. None of them will blow your socks off, but it's enough to try and see what you like, so you can invest in a better amp down the road if you want. It was my first amp and if I was a beginner today it's what I would get.
There should be left handed versions of most of the guitars I mentioned. You will probably have to order them, because guitar stores won’t have much stock. Also, and I’m sure you’ve heard this from other guitar teachers but it’s worth at least trying to learn right handed guitar even as a left handed person. Honestly, it’s not gonna be easy to start for left hand or right hand, and you can just play so many more guitars if you can play right handed
Too late... So i had an accoustic for years and now i bought an electric guitar, keyboard, djambe, flute, alien looking drum thingy, harmonica and kalimba :D
I bought my kids a cheap guitar from a supermarket the other day and thought you know what, I’ll get myself one as I’d like to start trying to learn. It was only £80 and after watching this it makes me want to throw it in the bin.
