Guitar opinions?

[ablethevoice]

As many years as I've been a musician, I must admit to still being guitar and string illiterate.

My wife just bought (used from someone we trust) a "wired" acoustic guitar; that is, a standard acoustic guitar with pickups and volume/tone controls. We also got a 30W Gorilla amp (GB-30) with it.We gave the guy $80 for both.

I'm not so much asking about the amp - we know it's really a bass amp but it works and has plenty of tone control (bass/mid/high cut and boost). I'm wondering if the guitar is a POS, a mid grade or a very fine instrument? I'm not at all familiar with the Indiana brand.
The pix show the whole guitar, the head, the controls and the brand badge through the soundhole. The guy we bought it from removed the old strings so we're going to replace them with some Elixir extended life light gauge strings. The local music store is selling a full set for 50% off regular retail ($14.95 for the Christmas season).
Any comments on the instrument?

This is for our daughter who is a beginner so even if the instrument isn't the "Rolls-Royce" of guitars, that's OK with us and I doubt Brianna will know, either.

 

[fotno]

It's a beginner's guitar. I doubt it brought more than $200 to $300 brand new, but for $80 looks like you got a nice deal.

Shop around on those Elixirs, $14.95 sounds at the top of the range for those. When I catch them on sale they run around $10... I'm an Ernie Ball fan myself, which run around $6 a set.

 

[ablethevoice]

Thanks for the info. I didn't think we were getting anything too special or too crappy.

As to the strings, I know we could get E. Ball or D'Addario for about $8/set, but we figured, whatthehell... ya know? a few buck more for "extended life" strings?

Oh, and that $80 was with the amp, so I think we got a great deal.

 

[fotno]

I gathered that was guitar and amp together for $80. Like I said, good deal.

Strings-wise: The only reason that I mentioned Ernie Balls, is that after using a few sets of Elixirs I honestly can't see where they last any longer (and I've worn the frets off several guitars); and to my ear at least they're kinda muddy sounding.

 

[ablethevoice]

I gathered that was guitar and amp together for $80. Like I said, good deal.

Strings-wise: The only reason that I mentioned Ernie Balls, is that after using a few sets of Elixirs I honestly can't see where they last any longer (and I've worn the frets off several guitars); and to my ear at least they're kinda muddy sounding.

Interesting. I think I'll tell my wife to forget the Elixirs and go with E.B.'s instead. Again, thanks for the input.

 

[fotno]

You're very welcome.

 

[Urizen]

after using a few sets of Elixirs I honestly can't see where they last any longer (and I've worn the frets off several guitars); and to my ear at least they're kinda muddy sounding.

:yes: I've had the same experience with Elixers and other "treated" strings. They sounded dull to my ears, too. D'Addario Phosphor Bronze work well here.

Some keys to long string and guitar life:

1. Always wash your hands before playing.
2. Clean the strings, neck and guitar with a soft cloth after playing.
3. Store the guitar in it's case or gig bag.

That looks like a good starter guitar. I think every kid should learn to play some sort of musical instrument.

Good luck to Brianna and Happy Holidays!

 

[ic-racer]

Might not be bad to have someone check the action at the nut and saddle. If it is too high she may get frustrated and give it up. One thing I notice is that inexpensive guitars are harder to play.

Not to say you have not done the right thing. See how it goes, if she keeps with it, she will be able to pick out a better sounding and playing guitar in the future. If she gives it up, you are only out $80.

I have 4 toddler kids and have some cheap classical guitars for them all over the house. They usually use them as weapons, though. At least when they get older they may recognize a classical guitar and remember "I used to hit my little brother over the head with one of those..." It works out for me, also, because in just about every room there is a guitar that I can just pick up and play. But, certainly these cheaper instruments are harder to play.

 

[getright99]

i use ernie ball 'earthwood' strings, 13's, and i love them. they make light 'earthwoods' as well. the 'elixer' line falls short imo as well, when i throw on new strings i want to hear that "_____", whatever that noise is when you slide. with 'elixer' i never got that.

 

[JohnVF]

One thing to look out for when you get it strung is to see how easy (or not) it is to play. As ic-racer stated above, some inexpensive guitars are hard to play, though not all of them are. I experienced this a few days ago...my sister bought my niece a "Dean" brand acoustic guitar for Christmas, and I played it to show her how it would sound once she learned how to play. That thing was a bear. The action wasn't very high but man, it was really hard to not buzz every fret and the thing sounded tinny. She thought it sounded good, but I'm kind of irked at my family's 'family friend' who sold that guitar to my sister. It wasn't very expensive, relative to say, a Taylor, but for a similar price she could have gotten a Yamaha or Epiphone that would have sounded nicer and been easier to play. So..anyway...just see if it's easy to play. I'd hate to have somebody's life-long love of the guitar cut short at the beginning because of a bad instrument.

 

[similost]

This is something I've always wondered about too.. They call them beginner guitars, but every one I've ever touched was a real bitch to try and play... My first guitar and only bass were both unreal.. Heavy action, buzzing frets, wouldn't stay in tune...

No wonder so many give up at first.. I don't understand why beginner guitars aren't more user friendly.. I understand price has a lot to do with quality, but sure seems they could set them up better..

 

[getright99]

my first acoustic was a gibson which i got 'set -up' before i ever played it. my fingers still bled. spent hours shaking my wrist out. 'beginner' guitars are cheaply constructed, but beginner guitarists aren't going to get around the pains of being a beginner, no matter what they're playing. high action can be avoided, even on a cheap guitar. if it was easy everybody would play guitar.

 

[bluelake07]

Here is the guitar:

http://www.music44.com/Merchant2/me...reen=PROD&Store_Code=X&Product_Code=MAD-BK-SH

This is a laminated wood guitar, fine for a beginner. Quality guitars have solid wood soundboards (tops) and the highest quality guitars are all solid wood.

 

[fotno]

This is something I've always wondered about too.. They call them beginner guitars, but every one I've ever touched was a real bitch to try and play... My first guitar and only bass were both unreal.. Heavy action, buzzing frets, wouldn't stay in tune...

No wonder so many give up at first.. I don't understand why beginner guitars aren't more user friendly.. I understand price has a lot to do with quality, but sure seems they could set them up better..

Beginner guitars have several cost cutting measures in common IME. Ply instead of solid wood, cheap machines instead of expensive, and almost no set up to speak of. Setting up a guitar properly can only be done by hand, (and since labor is where all the money is in a beginner's guitar), the manufacturers won't add a minute of labor if they can help it, much less an hour. The best upgrades for such a guitar are always better machines and having it set up properly. It still won't be a great guitar, but those two changes can take an unplayable axe and make a decent guitar out of it.

To relay a story Doc Watson told: "...Doc's first guitar was a Stella, which he got at age 13. He called it "one of those ten dollar guitars - a pretty good thing to learn on, but hard to fret as a barbed wire fence..."

 

[gearhound]

I've gotten a few good B-stock acoustic guitars.
Mostly very minor finish blems.....nothing to do with playability.
They were seriously good players.....at half the price of a "budget" guitar.
One was an all solid mahogany Washburn.....for $68.

Steve

 

[Johnny B.]

Im with ic-racer on this deal- My concern is the playability of the guitar, and keeping your daughter encouraged along the way. A decent guitar for the price I might add. It would be well worth it and take it to a good shop to do a "set-up". The fine tuning in every aspect of the neck, strings, nut, etc. will make all the difference in the world. String height, if too high off the fretboard could be compromised in a good set-up, if the tech is able to do such. The elixirs are good, but there are a ton of other really good acoustic strings as well. I use Martin Phosphor Bronze on a guitar of equal quality. It really makes it come to life, and will really give the girl a boost! Best wishes to her!

 

[highfigh]

There's no way a beginner will want to keep playing with any kind of heavy strings on an acoustic guitar. For a new player, sound is less important than being able to keep playing, so I would go for silk and steel strings. d'Addario, Martin and several other companies make these and in my experience, these two brands have been the most consistent over the years. Look for deals on accessories and for $15, you should be able to get at least three sets of another brand. Silk and steel may be more/set, though.

 

[oneinchside]

Resurecting an old thread--

Do you still have the guitar? The silk and steels rec was a good one, that and having a good luthier do a basic setup on it. Many beginner guitars can be made surprisingly playable with a little work... it'll probably cost you about $20 to have someone adjust the nut, neck relief and bridge height. They maybe able to polish the fret ends for you too, it'll make a world of difference.

(BTW, that Gorilla amp is pretty close to the same thing as an entry level acoustic guitar amp.)

 

[JonL]

Student guitars have come a long way since I was a kid. Back in the day they universally featured warped necks, high action, and difficult tuners. Every cheap guitar I've picked up in the last 10 years or so has been very playable and halfway decent sounding. And they aren't much more expensive than they were years ago... much cheaper when inflation-adjusted.

 

[Brian]

I just found out how important a decent setup is. I had bought a Yamaha C-40 and fought it; all but had to jump on it to his a high F. I thought I had lost all strength. I brought it back and for not a whole lot more, about 3x the price, found the guitar I could really enjoy learning on. I'd have given up learning if I kept the Yamaha.

A couple of weeks after the exchange I took the new guitar to the store to have the setup checked as there was some buzzing. Took about 10 minutes to adjust the neck. While there the tech brought out a C-40 and I told him of having had first bought one. It turned out it was the one I returned and he did a setup to put it out on display. He handed it to me and in about 2 seconds all I could say was it looked like what I bought but it was an entirely different animal. The action had been lowered and though it still was not nearly as good as the replacement, I could have lived with the setup C-40. However, I think that within a year I'd probably have opted to buy another so starting out with a better guitar though more expensive I suspect is the less expensive way to go over the longer run.