Advice on buying a guitar

[Mr. Kim]

It's been 4 years since I stopped playing the guitar. I was planning on buying an acoustic-electric to start again, but don't know which one I should get. The Ibanez TCY10 Talman looked like the best fit for me within my budget (like 180 to 250 dollars), but I was wondering if any of you guys had any advice for me.

 

Thank you.

[Braxat]

my advice, buy whatever fits your budget and your ears, specially your ears. if you know u wont use them for like gigs and stuff theres no need to buy an exhilirating guitar like a les paul to start back again. try a few out and see which one u like best =]

[Bbach1]

The old what should I buy threads. They pop up frequently. I think Brax laid out the best advice. Pick a budget and stick with it. (That's advice I never take myself). You can do some research by visiting guitar shops. Have the shop pro play it for you if you don't feel inclinded to pay in public. Some stores have demo rooms you can slip into.

Go to harmony-central.com and check out the equipment reviews for the models you are looking at. That should not be the real deciding factor but at least you can see if anyone else has liked them.

Other than that, it's not life and death, so if you get one you don't like, sell it on eBay and get another. I find trial and error to be the best way to find "keepers".

[The Geoff]

IMHO the whole Talman series is vastly under-rated.

 

G.

[Ol Boy Rivers]

Allright guy. You look new to the forum, So ill welcome you and geton with the advice. First of all, Find your local music store. Second, Ask the guy about all of the guitars in your price rang. DONT ASK HIS OPPINION, He will tell you some dumb advice just to get the best buy. Then, Sit down with each guitar and play it....And play it...And play it untill you think you hate the guitar, Or they kick you out of the store. If when you play a guitar and feel a shred of dislike to it, No good. IF you play a guitar and fall inlove with it, Then its for you. I sat down in the same music store every other day for 2 hours at a time playing one guitar for a week, Just to make sure it was the one i want. ( FYI, Cheap guitars are bad and good. Good if you can find the good ones, bad if your buy a bad one, Pay attetion to ALL DETAILS )

[Bluesape]

You're not terribly far from Rondo in N.J. Several long term members here own their products and swear by them. They also ship. Our beloved Guitar Geezer in Texas has a couple.

[Ol Boy Rivers]

OH! The man has a point. That is some SERIOUS guitars for some...Prices i still cant belive. Im afraid to save up for them just because it might be a waste of money.

[Mr. Kim]

thanks guys. do you think its better to buy at the store or go to the store, and then buy the same model online?

[The Geoff]

Buy what you've played & liked.

 

An identical one isn't necessarily identical, if you know what I mean.....

 

Geoff

[doc taz]

Originally posted by Geoff Byrne:

Buy what you've played & liked.

 

An identical one isn't necessarily identical, if you know what I mean.....

 

Geoff

 

What he means by this is that often, if you try the same model guitar, but play a few of them in a store, there can be subtle differences. Anything from fret edges being too rough, misaligned pickups, string action being too low, different build quality...

 

More often than not, this is true with less expensive instruments (under $500 U.S., for instance), though it can happen with more expensive guitars as well.