[Hooded Singer]

 

[mickyplankton]

How long is a piece of string?

My advice, if you are browsing guitars is not to look at the price. Ask the dealer to pick 3 or 4 spanning a range of budgets and see if you can hear the difference. If you can't, then go with the cheapest!

If you can, then It's down to how much you are prepared to pay to get the optimal sound.

I'm an amateur guitar player and generally play rythm so I personally wouldn't pay more than £150 for an acoustic or £300 for electric.

[tone]

It depends on what you're looking for.

If you want a robust, well built guitar with a good sound for gigging and recording, I'd suggest somewhere in the region of £500 should do you very well. BUT it depends on so many things. For example, if you're not a great player, the best guitar in the world won't make you sound any better (although it will possibly make you look better)

For example, I like to think of myself as a medium-good guitarist, and I have an American fender tele with a vox valve amp, and I think the quality is matched perfectly to my ability and needs. Acoustic-wise, I'm a bit under-represented. My guitar is fine, but it's not great recorded, and I think I'd do well to upgrade to a cheap Martin or similar.

But if you're looking for something that's going to hold its value, form part of a collection, or just be a one-of-a-kind job, then it's only limited by your budget. There are some very expensive guitars out there. You only have to justify the expense (and have bags of cash!)

[Neil C]

Well I like to think of myself as a decent amateur guitarist, although the calibration depends on the company, in a guitar website there were really seriously good players and I was pretty well below average   - I'd get 'nice tune' rather than 'great guitar playing' anyway I digress.

And over the 35 years of playing I bought myself a decent Strat and Les Paul for around £1000 each and a D35 Martin maybe £2000.

And yet I felt intimidated by the guitars, as if I wasn't worthy. I play the Strat a lot, the Gibson and Martin occasionally. They often sit in their plush cases whilst I bust my cheap Squier Teles, PRS Se's ( £250ish ) and my battered seagull and sigma's ( £100 to £250 ) regularly for recording and gigs.

So whilst I do now feel confident in trying high end guitars in shops but not found the difference worth it yet... its about feeling comfortable and at one with your 6 ( or 4/7/12 ) stringed friend.
 
neil

[mickyplankton]

Yeah and to add to Neil's point. Feeling comfortable with the guitar is a very personal thing. A lot is down to what you are familiar with and also the shape of your hands/fingers. I would go for a guitar you really enjoy playing and feel like you can express yourself with it. A good guitar shop should let you try a few out for size.

[tone]

Totally agree on the comfort thing too - and it ties in with the other thread about compulsive guitar buying. That doesn't effect me because when I find a guitar that fits, I just want to play that guitar. I like how my playing changes as I get to know a guitar, and how the guitar changes over time. The special familiarity would be lost in a room full of guitars.

[Silver Machine]

Dude that feeling comfortable thing is so true about guitars. It's gotta fit your shape.
I know a guy who's kinda rectangular, and round guitars just dont fit that body shape.
And of course as you get older you may find your body shape changes and so you have to adjust the guitar by planeing it down. So look at your old man to check if that might be a problem.

[PopTodd]

The wand chooses the wizard.

[pompeyjazz]

Totally agree. I still love my old Aria pro 2 cs400 so much,  maybe it's because It's shared life with me