Guitars?

[bermondburi]

Kids want to learn how to play. I've had a look on Lazada to get a feel for prices. Seems surprisingly cheap. Probably buy from a shop in the end. What would a fair price be for a first guitar? Where from? Shops in the mall etc? Any recommendations? 

[CharlieH]

Might help if you gave a general area for local knowledge ?

[bermondburi]

Prices would be fairly standard I would have thought. Not bothered about area, more concerned about types of guitar. I know nothing about them and what's good or not

[Saltire]

I bought an electro-acoustic from a local store (Kanchanaburi) cost me 3,000 Baht, not the cheapest but not the most expensive by a long shot. Claims to be a Yamaha but I doubt it, sounds ok for a beginner and stays in tune.

 

Benefit of a physical shop is sometimes they will throw in spare strings, carry bag and a few plectrums.

 

Tip: Quick visual look down the neck look for any sign it is not straight. Hard to do with mail order.

 

 

 

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

Not bothered about area

As you are posting in general forum we have no way to know what part of Thailand you live for a specific shop recommendation.  

[bermondburi]

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

As you are posting in general forum we have no way to know what part of Thailand you live for a specific shop recommendation.  

I'm not looking for a shop recommendation, I'm looking for  guitar info and recommendation. 

 

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm guessing that shops would all have the same kind of stuff pretty much. 

[bermondburi]

6 minutes ago, Saltire said:

I bought an electro-acoustic from a local store (Kanchanaburi) cost me 3,000 Baht, not the cheapest but not the most expensive by a long shot. Claims to be a Yamaha but I doubt it, sounds ok for a beginner and stays in tune.

 

Benefit of a physical shop is sometimes they will throw in spare strings, carry bag and a few plectrums.

 

Tip: Quick visual look down the neck look for any sign it is not straight. Hard to do with mail order.

 

 

 

So would that be mid range then? 

[vogie]

11 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

Prices would be fairly standard I would have thought. Not bothered about area, more concerned about types of guitar. I know nothing about them and what's good or not

It's not all about price, the playabilty of the guitar should be a major concern to you, on many cheap acoustic guitars the strings may be fretted to high and your kids would struggle to play it and soon lose interest. Electric guitars are usually easier to play, but of course you may need an amp. Depending on their age you may be better getting them a 3/4 size guitar.

[bermondburi]

2 minutes ago, vogie said:

It's not all about price, the playabilty of the guitar should be a major concern to you, on many cheap acoustic guitars the strings may be fretted to high and your kids would struggle to play it and soon lose interest. Electric guitars are usually easier to play, but of course you may need an amp. Depending on their age you may be better getting them a 3/4 size guitar.

What does fretted too high mean? 

 

Probably going more towards acoustic because quieter, but why are electric easier? 

 

Don't  think size will matter as they're 12+13 and quite big. 

[vogie]

Just now, bermondburi said:

What does fretted too high mean? 

 

Probably going more towards acoustic because quieter, but why are electric easier? 

 

Don't  think size will matter as they're 12+13 and quite big. 

The gap between the frets and the strings may be too great for them to press down with their fingers.

 

Electric are usually easier because there is normally a smaller distance between fret and strings, also on an acoustic the strings will almost certainly be thicker making it harder to press the strings.

 

You could turn the volume down on the amp if you want it to be quieter, of course when you go out the volume will go up. But having said that there are some small amps out there especially made for practice.

 

 

[Don Chance]

God no, don't get an electric. You should get a Spanish style nylon string. This will be much easier to play and more importantly, quieter.

[Saltire]

22 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

So would that be mid range then? 

I would say the start of mid-range. An electro-accoustic like mine can be played on its own as purely acoustic, or electrified through an amplifier.

 

I agree with the other poster electric is easier to learn, and should add, an amplifier with a headphone socket would be preferable ???? - for you.

 

Whatever you choose they will still have to go through the bleeding fingers on their left hand, until they get the calouses needed. If they get past the pain barrier, they are winners.

 

On another note, my village high school here is very big on music. They have many types of school bands and I have seen at Wan Dek concert up to 20 playing guitars. School supplies them for home practice. I hear many kids practicing as I go on my daily walks.

 

 

[Liverpudlian]

1 hour ago, Don Chance said:

God no, don't get an electric. You should get a Spanish style nylon string. This will be much easier to play and more importantly, quieter.

Nylon strings yes !  then when the finger tips can beef up so to speak then have a acoustic to hand ... my 1st guitar was a di georgeo spanish job and hell i should never have sold it to move on to an ovation  which has never gone up in value in a second hand trade in value and just yesterday i saw a beauty of an old di georgio on e.bay for 30 times its original value.

Edited December 7, 2019 by Liverpudlian

[samuttodd]

Bang Na Ikea has a mall where i got My bass and electric guitar.

 

Seeems like most of the Thai shops don't want you to touch the instruments... Hard to pick one if you cant hold it and get a feel for it.

 

Anyway,    They were cool with me firing it up and checking the pots and knobs were a-ok,   

Got an Epiphone guitar and a Magna Bass and stands and cables.

 

Different culture here,   Back in the states you grab the guitar off the rack and start playing.... 

[J Town]

First, if the kids are under 12 years old, they generally don't have the manual strength to manage a guitar. Even a half size instrument is hard to work and becomes a discouragement. Under 12 I recommend a ukulele. Much less expensive, much more fun for little ones.

[86Tiger]

Being honest, guitar is not easy and most will give up very quickly.  but providing them with a decent instrument and minimal instruction for a good start is all you can do.  After that, if they want to play you can not stop them it will consume their every waking moment.  If they are not interested you gave them a fair shot at being a rock star.

 

The conundrum with musical instruments is the cheapest are harder to play and sound bad.  Either of those can be a discouragement for new player but together it is almost too much to over come and the cheap instrument will be tossed aside pretty qwik.  A reputable music store knows this and will help you get the right fit for your new musician.  They should have intermediate quality, used instruments that will do the job.  At least to keep interest long enough to see if you have the next Jimmi Hendrix.

 

I would never recommend buying a guitar, beginner or otherwise, from Lazada.  At minimum you need to visit local music store that only deals in recognized name brand musical instruments, yamaha, fender, gibson, etc..  Tell them for what and why you are searching and if they are reputable will be very helpful.  

 

The next best advice I can offer is seek a professional instructor, some one that only teaches guitar.  Proper instruction on how to manipulate the instrument and little music theory will have your little rockers playing their and your favorite rifts in very short order.

 

Good luck.  To you and them........

 

 

[Delight]

 What counts is the size of the players hands.

If the hands of the the musicians (to be) are  not fully developed then I would recommend the Gibson SG or Chinese equivalent.

The lead guitarist in the band AC DC(Angus Young) will only play this model.

The growth of Angus (and his brother ) was stinted as a consequence of the use  lead pipes in the water supply -back in the day in Scotland.

Angus  has a small hand.The use of the Gibson SG solved that problem. A Strat. or any Gibson guitar would be of no use to him.

[cheshiremusicman]

On 12/7/2019 at 4:28 PM, bermondburi said:

What does fretted too high mean? 

 

Probably going more towards acoustic because quieter, but why are electric easier? 

 

Don't  think size will matter as they're 12+13 and quite big. 

Fretted 'Too high' means that the strings are high above the frets and therefore require more pressure from the fingers to play the note selected 'cleanly without buzzing'. This is referred to as the 'Action' of the guitar and can be altered by a few things such as the 'Nut' and the 'Saddle'. 

The choice of guitars is enormous and so are the prices. I have played (or attempted to play) classical guitar for over 55 years and have taught a lot of people to play. The guitar is not an easy instrument to learn to play and I would hazard a guess that some 90%+ give up within the first three months. If you stick with the lessons you can get a great deal of pleasure out of the guitar, but it does require an awful lot of dedication to achieve a reasonable standard.

Types of guitars range from the nylon stringed classical, sometimes referred to as the 'Spanish Guitar', The 'Acoustic' which in most cases is steel stringed and the 'Electric' which is also steel stringed and normally requires an amplifier.

I would suggest that you take a look at a second hand classical to start with and if your children have small hands try and find a 3/4 Junior model. If you need any guidance on lessons and suitable sources just PM me and I will be more than happy to help.

Remember, like all things in this world, you get what you pay for. Also, if you can find a teacher in your area I would advise you to do so and let your children learn from a person who is going to give them the correct basic training.

I hope this helps  

[Denim]

Wherever you buy the guitar ask if they provide a set up service.

 

If this is done properly they will adjust the action ( height ) of the strings. As another poster has said,if the strings are too high the guitar will be Very difficult to play and they will lose interest quickly.

[RedPill]

2 minutes ago, Denim said:

As another poster has said,if the strings are too high the guitar will be Very difficult to play and they will lose interest quickly.

The action on my air guitar is way too high, but I see no problem, it sounds great! ????

[dddave]

On 12/7/2019 at 4:42 PM, Don Chance said:

God no, don't get an electric. You should get a Spanish style nylon string. This will be much easier to play and more importantly, quieter.

True about the nylon strings being easier on the fingers but spanish (or "Classical") guitars have a significantly wider fingerboard that can be difficult for small hands.

 

The guitar market these days is flooded with inexpensive Chinese made guitars.  Many are knock-offs of well known designs like Martins, Gibsons ect.  Though cheap, many are surprisingly decent and there is no reason why they can not be used to learn on.  There are some very good guitars available in Thailand for 2000-3000 Baht but they usually do need a bit of adjustment beforehand.

 

For a beginning guitarist, the most important guitar feature is what is called the "action", that is the height of the strings above the fretboard which has a strong effect on playability.  Inexpensive guitars often have actions which are too high which makes it harder to depress the string at the fret or too low which makes a guitar buzzy as strings resonate against the frets.  

The thing is, a good guitar shop can make some fairly simple adjustments that will make an inexpensive guitar much easier to play and learn on.  Most decent guitars have a threaded metal rod  built-in to the neck that can be used to make small adjustments.  They can also alter the "nut" which is the white, notched piece supporting the strings at the top of the fretboard.  Adjustments can also be made to the bridge where the strings attach to the base.  Softer, easier to play strings can be installed as well.

Every beginning guitarist has to go through the discomfort of finger tip pain until some callouses develop, even with nylon strings.  That causes a lot of kids, adults as well to quit.  They do sell fingertip caps but they make fingering awkward and really don't help all that much.

You really won't need to spend much more at a good guitar shop than you will on Lazada for a decent guitar with the advantage that the shop can "set-up" the guitar to your kids needs. It is also important that the guitar is the right size for the learner.  Too large of a guitar makes learning more difficult.

I can tell you from experience, the cheapest guitars (B2000 and under) on Lazada are just not worth it; poorly constructed with terrible strings and tuning pegs. 

 

Guitars are popular in Thailand so even if you are out in the rural areas, there should be a decent guitar shop somewhere not too far away.

 

Some basic things to look for in a inexpensive guitar.

Sight down the top from base to neck to see if there is any visible bowing of the neck.  Slight bowing can be corrected it there is a torsion rod inside the neck but it is a warning sign.

Look closely at the finish all around.  Are their rough spots or visible dribbles in the finish?  A nice finish is indicative of concern for quality.

Run your fingers along both edges of the fretboard to see if they are smooth with no sharp edges or burrs.  Is the fingerboard smoothly finished.

Strum the strings and listen for any buzzing which can indicate a poorly cut nut or bad bridge.  

Turn the tuning pegs to see if they feel smooth.  See if it seems to hold tune well.  There are several free phone apps that make guitar tuning easy.  I use "Guitar Tuna" on Android.  Really simple to use.

The strings on almost all inexpensive guitars are pretty poor.  "Earnie Ball" makes a nice set of soft strings, D'Addario is also very good.  Good strings will make learning much easier.

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by dddave

[Denim]

Whilst talking guitars I can't resist spreading some gospel.

 

I have had two electric acoustic guitars for over 1o years but never heard them run through an amplifier. Now I have more time and am playing more I decided to invest in a practice amp and after a lot of research I bought this a month ago :

 

 

 

It is every bit as good as all the rave reviews say. Totally brilliant despite its small size. It does absolutely everything except wash the dishes and I can thoroughly recommend it to any guitarists out there. At 2300 the best thing on the market. Even has built in drum machine. So good that I am now about to buy a telecaster copy to run through it.

 

 

[RedPill]

42 minutes ago, Denim said:

Whilst talking guitars I can't resist spreading some gospel.

 

I have had two electric acoustic guitars for over 1o years but never heard them run through an amplifier. Now I have more time and am playing more I decided to invest in a practice amp and after a lot of research I bought this a month ago :

 

 

 

It is every bit as good as all the rave reviews say. Totally brilliant despite its small size. It does absolutely everything except wash the dishes and I can thoroughly recommend it to any guitarists out there. At 2300 the best thing on the market. Even has built in drum machine. So good that I am now about to buy a telecaster copy to run through it.

 

 

Ok, thanks ... I will look it up. It looks neat!

 

Since we are all not really 'playing guitar' at home, but more practice/repeating the same kind of riffs, licks etc. ... that can be really annoying to the neighbors.

 

If you play electric, it's good idea to get an external audio device, a good head set & install "Guitar Rig" on the laptop/computer to emulate hundreds of amp's/sound settings, is a great solution.

 

Also very easy to download all sorts of backing tracks from YouTube and mix your tracks together with "Reaper", if you want.

 

I'm very happy with that kind of setup.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by RedPill

[samuttodd]

Get them a cheap acoustic and tune it to an open E tuning and they will be playing along with stuff in 10 minutes.   It is basic and simple 1 finger chords.    Just like slide guitar....  If they have fun and play along with music they know,  they'll be interested in keeping with it.

Go to youtube and look into open guitar tunings.

  They can do open tunings in all kinds of keys and do cool stuff right away.

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by samuttodd

[bermondburi]

Thanks for all the replies, given me a lot to think about. 

[RedPill]

10 hours ago, bermondburi said:

Thanks for all the replies, given me a lot to think about. 

Don't think too much, just grab a guitar and start playing the heck out of it! ????

 

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[fhickson]

On 12/7/2019 at 7:17 PM, J Town said:

First, if the kids are under 12 years old, they generally don't have the manual strength to manage a guitar. Even a half size instrument is hard to work and becomes a discouragement. Under 12 I recommend a ukulele. Much less expensive, much more fun for little ones.

https://youtu.be/SRwrg0db_zY

[phuketrichard]

On 12/7/2019 at 4:42 PM, Don Chance said:

God no, don't get an electric. You should get a Spanish style nylon string. This will be much easier to play and more importantly, quieter.

as above a classic guitar has nylon strings an much easier on the fingers till they build up calluses's
DONT buy online, by from a shop, so you kid can try it.

 

Quote

First, if the kids are under 12 years old, they generally don't have the manual strength to manage a guitar. Even a half size instrument is hard to work and becomes a discouragement.

crazy statement, i started paying at 8 years old