NydiaMccartney answers:

Here are some brands to look for and try, Gibson, Ibanez, Kala, Koaloha, Keilani, Ovation, and Washburn/Oscar Schimdt. Ukuleles come in different ranges tone wise, those tones are soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass. A semi decent ukulele starts out at around seventy dollars. Two thousand dollars plus, for professional grade ukuleles. Anything below seventy is questionable, and those from fifty dollars and lower, aren’t worth the time to even glance at. These are good as a young child’s toy, but definitely not suitable for a beginner. They’re made from the cheapest quality materials that can be used,and are laminated (a.k.a. Plywood), also watch put for the new buzz word being used for plywood construction which is select.

You want to try as many different brands as possible, and if possible the tonal ranges. Selecting one is always best done with a hands on approach. Buying online is generally not recommended, and buying from retailers such as Target, Toys R Us, Walmart, or any other similar discount retailers, is strongly advised against buying. These are going to be poor quality,and something a luthier is not going to want to work on to make into a semi reliable, and semi playable instrument.

Somethings to look for are the comfort of the neck with the hand used to finger the frets with. The necks can possibly vary in width, as well as thickness. Since most ukuleles aren’t that big, the comfort with the size, while important, isn’t as big an issue as with larger instruments such as the guitar. But it still can play a role. Then there different types of strings used, Some are steel strung others nylon strung. The steel strung are considered by some the better quality. Also buying from a shop you can have any set up done there, at the time you buy it, if it’s needed, and possible for the one you’re buying. A shop also can answer any questions you have on the spot,which online is not that good,and in discount stores such as the ones named above, the clerks aren’t generally that knowledgeable about instruments.

NydiaMccartney answers:

The things that affect the tone quality of a guitar are , first and foremost , the quality of the wood, secondly the scale length, third , the construction method used (bolt on neck, set in neck or neck through body) and last but not least the players touch. Guitars made with cheap laminated wood and woods like balsa and such usually have a poor overall tone. I’ve had many people come to me with these cheap low grade wood guitars wanting me to put new pickups in them. I try to tell them that new pickups won’t help much but they usually don’t litsten and end up disappointed with the results. While things like new pickups or a higher quality string choice may help a little the truth is, a guitar made with poor wood will never have a good overall tone , no matter what you do with it. The scale length is also a big factor in tone. Not so much the quality of the tone but the difference in tone. You see in the guitar world the two main scale lengths are fender style which is 25 1/2 ” or gibson style which is 24 3/4 ”. The longer the scale length the more tension required to tune the guitar to pitch. So the fender guitar with the longer length will have a brighter , twangier tone than the gibson. The gibson will have a little fatter thicker tone with more sustain due to less string tension.That is why a fender with humbuckers will never sound like a gibson or a gibson with single coils will never never sound like a fender. You can change the pickups but you can’t change the scale length or the construction method. There are companies that use different tensions , namely PRS , ( 25”) but fender and gibson lengths are the most common. And of course how a player attacks the guitar makes a difference in tone as well. I realized this many years ago when i was just learning to play. I picked up a cheap guitar at a pawn shop and was messing with it thinking how crappy it sounded but after I put it down another guy who obviously had been playing for a long time picked it up and it sounded great. He had a much better feel for guitar then i did. I could go on forever on this subject but I think I’ve overstayed my time so good luck and have fun.

NydiaMccartney answers:

I assume you mean acoustic guitars. This answer is a little long so stick with me…

Tops- First, make sure that the top is SOLID. If it doesn’t specifically say the top is solid then it is either plywood or “laminated”:

Plywood means that the face of the material is the wood advertised, but the core of the material can be almost any other wood or material, usually in the form of 3 to 5 plies glued together. Think of multiple ply toilet paper. If nothing is mentioned about the construction, assume it is plywood.

If the term used is “laminated” then at least one face of the material is the wood stated and the core is of a high quality wood. The best laminated materials have both outer faces the same wood. This can easily be checked with a mirror inserted into the guitar.

Solid woods are just that. The wood selection is a single-thickness piece though it may have a joint running down the center of the piece. Often one side of a joined piece mirror-images the other side. This is called bookmatching. A bookmatched top is made by splitting a piece of wood and opening it up, laying it out like a book.

Most tops are made of differing grades of spruce or cedar. There have been some companies (like mine) that have experimented with woods like sycamore and other woods but this is rare to find. Spruce will give you a full range sound with good volume. Cedar tends to have a higher tone than spruce and crisper attack. My preference between the 2 is cedar.

The sides and back are responsible for tweaking the sound. Again, these can be solid, laminated, or plywood.

As a general rule, the harder a wood is the brighter and louder the sound. Maple, ironwood, or african blackwood give a very bright tone with a lot of volume.
Next comes American sycamore, cherry, laminated maple, laminated rosewood, and some others. This is the sound production I prefer.
Solid mahogany is very commonly used and is probably the most common solid side/back wood. It has a nice full range and good volume, and is especially nice when the guitar is micced or amplified.
The darkest sounding wood I know.. And I really don’t like it at all… Is solid brazilian or indian rosewood. Many Martins and Taylors have solid rosewood, and although it is absolutely beautiful to look at the sound is very dull and muddy.

Hope this helps… Good luck!

NydiaMccartney answers:

The Vintage V100 seems a hands-down winner based on price for features. The “Les Paul Type” category has several versions that really begin at the LP Jr level. A “Junior” has 1 pickup, 1 vol 1 tone. It is made of a laminated (plywood) body and the neck is attached with bolts. It has a flat “slab” body and a 1-peice Bridge/tialpeice combo. The next tier up is the LP Special II. Similar body and construction (ie slab, flat plywood and a bolt-on neck) but adds a 2nd pickup. The Vol/Tone is shared. The LP 100 adds in a 2nd Vol/Tone array so each pickup can be tailored for a particular sound which can then be switched among. The LP 100 also features a higher-grade body with a carved top that is more comfortable to play. The LP Studio comes in above that and is made of mahogony with a set neck but not a maple cap which would get you into LP Standard territory…ANYWAY, The Vintage V100 seems to be in line with an Epiphone LP Studio in terms of features but costs the same as the Special II..that’s pretty compelling. That the Vintage employs a set-neck rather than bolt-on neck is phenomenal for an axe in this price-range. This is preferred by most players as it (when correctly executed, at least) provides better tone and sustain and is easier to play. Bolt-on necks require a pretty beefy joint that can get in the way of playing at the upper positions. The Vintage is well-regarded and well-reviewed. I don’t have hands-on experience with it but it seems the best bang for the buck option. If I were your brother I would buy the Vintage. I live in the States though, and Vintage doesn’t seem to be available this side of the pond (unless ordered from a British retailer and the shipping turns astronomical…). I have a few Epiphones and love them but would have been happy to have the option of buying Vintage-and probably would have gone that route instead…And Yes…The 50 Quid to move from the LP Special II up to the Vintage is well worth the investment…The Westfield seems a better deal than the Epiphone product but is more like a Les Paul 100 as it has bolt-on neck. Feature-for-feature, pound for pound the Vintage beats ‘em all. He should just pick a color and order one off the Web. The use of Wilkinson hardware for bridge, tailpeice and tuning machines is another nice plus for the Vintage. With 150 budget he should be grateful to Vintage and get max value for his money by buying their product.

NydiaMccartney answers:

In my opinion, the tone wood(s) used for the construction are most important. Then the actual construction methods and the tuners are the next crucial elements.

Look for either a cedar or spruce top model. The sides and back are somewhat important too, but the top matters most.
Just try to avoid a laminate top at all costs.
Don’t buy a bolt-on neck. That’s also a sign of poor quality.
Look for Grover tuners, as they are pretty much the standard.
And make sure the neck has a truss rod for adjustments.

Surprisingly, some of the new beginner guitars don’t have truss rods and are likely destined for the fireplace.

I’d recommend a Takamine, Alvarez, Washburn, Yamaha or Epiphone for a beginner. Fender makes some decent acoustics too, but that’s not really what they do well. You should be able to find a good, used Takamine for $200 – $300.

Please don’t buy a Rogue brand guitar.

Make sure you have it set up by a local luthier or guitar repair shop. This should cost about $30 (including new strings).

Have the action (space between strings and fretboard) set up comfortably for you. I remember my first acoustic had the most horrible action, I could barely fret a note without my fingers bleeding!

Don’t be all concerned with buying a Taylor, Martin or Gibson. Remember, you’re just learning and will eventually trade up to a better instrument. What really matters is finding a guitar that is comfortable for you, is of good quality and fits your budget.

I would recommend asking your guitar teacher or a more experienced guitarist help with your decision.

Whatever the case, welcome to the fun and rewarding world of guitar!

Oh yeah, check out these websites too!
Www.sixstringbliss.com
www.guitarplayer.com
www.acousticguitar.com
www.guitargeek.com
www.musiciansfriend.com

you are welcome to IM if you have more questions.

NydiaMccartney answers:

If I knew what country you are in, then I could easily convert your currency, if outside of the U.S. To your currency. An acoustic is the best way to start out. With an acoustic, you’re going to focus on actually playing it, rather than getting distracted by the effects that you can generate with the various toys you can add to it. Also an acoustic will never fail you, where ever you go, they’re not dependent on an amplifier, and electric to be usable or heard. There are differences between classical and the standard acoustic but both are basically the same. A classical guitar usually won’t have a pick guard on it, as most are intended for what is called finger style play.

Stay away from the plywood, or laminate guitars, the quality isn’t as good, and over time, or under adverse conditions can begin to over time peel, in general they just won’t hold up as well as a solid wood construction will. Also they generally are heavier in weight. Another problem with cheap guitars is they have very little trade up value, for a better quality guitar as you improve in skill. Colors while nice can hide flaws sometimes. Solid wood on the other hand won’t peel. Stay away from the “student” guitars, as these are cheaply made usually, and would end up costing as much or more than one you had spent more to buy, as it would take a guitar luthier, to make it playable, and be set up properly. A cheap guitar (under one hundred dollars U.S.) makes a nice wall hanging and that’s about it.

As Lone Woof said a good guitar will cost a bit more, but there won’t be the same issues you can face with sat one that you bought for one hundred twenty five dollars in U.S. Currency. Going to a shop that sells guitars and is local is better as Petrusclavus pointed out. They will concentrate more on being sure you get what is good that you want, and also will work with you in many cases by letting you try them out, to see what feels the best as well as giving you the sound you want. No two guitars in the same model line, will always sound the same, there will be differences in them due to the grain of the wood and it’s density.

A nylon stringed guitar while easier to play on the fingers, can never have steel strings put on them, otherwise you can risk warping the neck as well as damaging the guitar,m as they materials used are going to be somewhat different in strength. However you can put nylon strings on a guitar that started out with steel strings. There will also be a different sound with the steel strings versus the nylon ones. So try both out but when you do settle on one, you might be better off with the steel strings, and converting to nylon, until you build up a bit of hand strength.

Edit point:

You can get a guitar in any color that you want. A good Ukelele, will start out at about one hundred fifty dollars U.S. Currency. Also they may be a passing fad, and in a few years no one will be playing much, and selling it could be difficult, and make it harder to recover more than a third of what you paid out for it.

NydiaMccartney answers:

The AM30 is a 3/4 size guitar intended for children of 9 or so, and from the retail price ($110-130) it will be all laminated (plywood) construction. You can certainly begin learning on it if it’s in decent shape, but I imagine you’ll want to upgrade to an adult size instrument fairly soon if you intend to stick with it.

A classical guitar IS acoustic – it doesn’t require electricity. However, if you intend to play rock, country, or folk, most likely you will want a steel-string acoustic guitar sooner or later. You can learn just as well on either type if the instrument is properly adjusted. Many people recommend learning on a classical guitar because nylon strings are “softer”, i.e. Lower tension. However, the strings on a classical are further from the fretboard and the neck is wider, so it sort of cancels out.

Your guitar requires nylon classical guitar strings – steel strings will destroy it very promptly.

NydiaMccartney answers:

MSRP is meaningless – just an excuse for retailers to boast about what a huge “discount” you’re supposedly getting. The actual retail price is the relevant number. If you’re selling it yourself (over craigslist or ebay or whatever), aim for about 60% of the retail price ($75-80 in this case) and don’t be surprised to be haggled down to half. You’re not a retail store that they can return it to if there’s something wrong with it, so that’s fair.

NydiaMccartney answers:

Cherry , Maple, & Alder are more likely used in guitar construction than Oak or Hickory, Alder would be good for a strat style guitar. Maple would lend itself to a more Gibson style axe Cherry would probably not be too bad there either. Not really familiar with many Beechwood guitars. Maple will give you really bright sound in general, as compared to the other woods which seem to be darker in sound quality. I made an electric guitar from laminated solid Alder (couldn’t get the shape from available stock in 1 piece), And it sounded quite nice w/ a single washburn humbucker. Did my last studio gig exclusively w/ that guitar