domhatch
So she's 12 and has a little formal music training in piano and voice. I have no idea what direction she wants to take in terms of guitar, so I don't really want to splash out on a new guitar - or lessons - for her until I figure out what she's after.
I have a couple of guitars lying around (yeh, not really lying around, they're my pride and joy and I'm terrified she'll drop one or it'll get knocked over by a loose dog or cat). That said, it makes sense for her to use one to start on. That said, she's definitely not using my Larrivee, or my three favourite Tokais. Which pretty much leaves me with two options:
- My Tokai SG
- Buy her a good, cheaper acoustic (entry level Cort or something). I believe I know enough not to buy her a piece of crap
The SG is a good guitar, but I'm worried about teaching her the basics on an electric. (Chords, strumming technique, etc.) There are tons of other basics she can easily learn on an electric and transfer if she sticks with it. The SG is strung with 10s, which should be heavy enough for a first-timer. I also have one of those teeny li'l desktop amp thingies which means she'll be able to practice in her room without making a huge blerrie noise and disturb her brother next door.
Or hopefully just enough noise to inspire him to take an interest as well - then I'll really up chocolate creek without a popsicle stick.
Anyway. All those in favour of letting her get started on an electric say aye - and why. All those against, say WTF?!? And why.
Tks
dh|
wern101
Hey Dom.
IMHO:
I believe a kid (anybody) should learn on acoustic. For me there is more joy with hearing a 'pure' sound when played then one that is amplified or altered in some way. Sure electric allows for much more expression, but that will come later.
Get her an acoustic for the basics. She would immediately be able to play a thousand songs with just a few chords which I believe creates the magic and love for the instrument. Plus there is finger-style which opens up another huge world of sound possibilities. Plus she can play it anywhere without having to cart an amp around (no matter how small).
if you are still undecided - why not put up a poll? ? ?
Let us know what you decided..
cheers
ezietsman
What's she asking for?
Electrics are much easier to play than acoustics, however, they do come with a bit of a learning curve (the amp and the knobs and so on) which the acoustic doesn't have. In this case, because she's still young and I guess not that big yet, the SG even may be a bit of a big and heavy guitar for her, for now.
Maybe the thing to do is to find a nice parlour-sized acoustic guitar and install really light strings and have it setup nicely. Anything to make it easier to play will help, which is why electrics are nice, but they do need to be somewhat comfortable.
Don't worry about the guitar getting bumped. Kids are given cellos and violins from a much younger age and those instruments are way more expensive AND way more fragile than an electric. It's going to get bumped if it is being used and there's little you can do about it ?
Hasie
I would say electric. Maybe not the SG because it is heavy. Something simple - one volume, one tone and only two pups. It makes it easier to make sense of the things. And a small modelling amp, with a nice clean channel or even an acoustic channel (like the Yamaha THR10); and a teenager channel - the one most people never outgrow.
I started on an acoustic a few years ago and got bored within 6 months. Then I went and bought a cheap electric, which was a lot more fun. I also developed some sort of repetitive strain injury on the acoustic when practicing a lot, and the electric helped relieve that, specially on more complex chords and fingerings.
You can always get an acoustic to share in the household...
studmissile
Invest R2000 in a knock around acoustic with low as possible action and light strings. You might have to initially add a capo on the first fret to bring action down even more so for a beginner.
I great cheap acoustic is always fun to have around - even for yourself to play around with!
Prolificbuyer
I vote acoustic, preferably classical. Decent quality guitars are available on gumtree for real cheap if you make a bit of an effort. Starting on electric is like taking your driving lessons in an automatic.
Vikster
Here is my experience with my 10 year old son. I bought him a cheap toy electric guitar which was very small and light and took him through his first year of learning basics. I would not recommend it to anyone as we had constant frustration with intonation, but it served its purpose and most likely my daughter will learn her basics on it.
From there he took over my Squier Strat. I don't play well so I have never invested into antyhing I cannot play properly therefore my guitars are cheap entry levels. The weight has not affected him and we are still experimenting with string gauges. Currently the 10 gauge works well for him.
I have a Cort AD-810 accoustic which even for me is a monster. For him it's just too big and although he likes to try to play on it now and then he gets frustrated and puts it down after a few minutes. He is very comfortable with the strat. As for amplification he uses a 10w amp turned very low. On Sundays he parctices without an amp.
The best response I saw thus far was
ez wrote:
What's she asking for?
In the end if they don't enjoy it they won't want to practice.
NorioDS
When I started with music, I was pretty young (teenager) and made some mistakes.
I loved rock. Keep that in mind.
First I got a keyboard. Thinking it would be a good start for a beginner.
Then I got an acoustic guitar because, again, I thought it was a good start for a beginner.
Then I got a classical because my teacher wanted to teach me classical.
And eventually, a few years later, my then-girlfriend (now-wife) got me an electric. That's what I wanted all along and my playing took off.
So yeah, find out what music she loves and would love to play. Find out what matters to her - rhythm, melody or groove. And then get something that matches.
For me, I basically just wasted time and money before getting into electric guitar.
Funny thing is, now that I'm "into" music, I enjoy keys, acoustic, classical and bass guitar more than before.
So start there. Start with the music she loves.
daveo1977
Hi Dom!
I started playing on my dad's old arch top, a big bodied guitar. I only picked up guitar as an adult, so the body size isn't really a problem. I also itched to get an electric, so I've got one, but then a year or so ago I got a semi-acoustic. It's an Ibanez AEG8E. Reasonably priced and the body size I think is quite ideal for a younger learner. The reason I keep going back to an acoustic is because I can pick it up and play - no rigmarole plugging in an amp, etc. (when the music corner is a corner in a small home office, ease of use becomes important).
If you do get her an electric, also consider getting something like the Line 6 pocket pod. It can clip onto a belt, and you can monitor using headphones. Vox also makes an amplug - even smaller than the pocket pod (haven't tried an amplug though).
My electric is strung with 9's (rubber bands, I know - but good for when you start out, in my opinion) while the acoustics have 11's.
DaFiz
Ask her what direction she wishes take... No point in a classical guitar if she's into hard rock... A 7 yo female beginner needs the soft nylon strings, but a 12 yo could be tuff enough to get the hang of steel strings...
I'll always vote for a dreadnought... Even if you progress to a Les Paul at a later stage you'll still have the dreadnought to work things out on...
The Yamaha F310 makes prefect sense ?
domhatch
Ok, thanks all. So I made one mistake up front - the child is 14 and tall, taller than her mom. It's my son who's 12. (Don't tell either of them I messed that up or there'll be hell to pay...)
I think the best idea - and the one that keeps coming up here - is to ask what she wants to do, to play. Which I've been doing, and which she can't quite figure out. All my electrics, apart from the SG, are Les Pauls, and heavier than the SG. I think the best plan is to offload the SG and splurge a wee bit on a somewhat entry-level acoustic we could then have kinda lying around the house. (For her to learn on and for me to play more regularly than I do on my Larrivee - most of my gear stays upstairs in my studio-of-sorts.)
I have some time - she's writing exams at the moment, so I can sell the SG, which I've been wanting to do for a while, at a decent price, and we can go together and pick up a decent acoustic starter and get it decently set up with 10s for her to get into things. And as one of y'all said, if she doesn't stick to it, I'll just take it over.
Thanks guys, again
dh|
