New Acoustic advice needed

robmac

Shortlist is down to:
Ibanez AEL40 (So beautiful)
Yamaha CPX700
Cort CJ10X

General folk and a bit of rock
Beginner so easy to play is a priority
Wont be plugged in much so electronics are secondary
Size not an issue as player is not small ?

Any Advice would be much appreciated

djpauw

robmac;95094 wroteShortlist is down to:
Ibanez AEL40 (So beautiful)
Yamaha CPX700
Cort CJ10X

General folk and a bit of rock
Beginner so easy to play is a priority
Wont be plugged in much so electronics are secondary
Size not an issue as player is not small ?

Any Advice would be much appreciated

same old same old

especially if you're a beginner and especially when setting out on your way in guitar playing... Buy used not new.

You'll find you can get a much better quality (read also easier to play) guitar for the same price.

Cheers

DJ

Bob-Dubery

+1 on the buying a decent 2nd hand instrument.

As regards the rest - now you have a shortlist go to shops and PLAY them. Pay attention to how they feel, if they stay in tune as you go up the neck and so on. At this stage of your guitaring development a guitar that plays accurately is better than one that sounds good but has poor intonation. If you have a friend who plays then take them along to give a second opinion.

If you find one you like then buy THAT one, not one like it, not one with the same model number, buy THAT one.

Ray

I had a Cort cj5x didnt dig it. I have a sfx6r now which I like. I like that cpx700 but you sure you dont want to look at FGX or FJX models?

djpauw

X-rated Bob;95098 wrote+1 on the buying a decent 2nd hand instrument.

As regards the rest - now you have a shortlist go to shops and PLAY them. Pay attention to how they feel, if they stay in tune as you go up the neck and so on. At this stage of your guitaring development a guitar that plays accurately is better than one that sounds good but has poor intonation. If you have a friend who plays then take them along to give a second opinion.

If you find one you like then buy THAT one, not one like it, not one with the same model number, buy THAT one.

and +1 on that also

if you are serious about music and playing guitar then there is no other way to select a guitar than based on the sound of the specific specimen and whether you find that sound attractive or not

my best buys were in the spur of the moment based on just that; i found a sound i liked

robmac

Thanks Guys,

I hear what you say about buying second hand but it is really scary to lay out that much cash when you have no idea what you should be looking at and it is quite possible you could end up getting a dud.

There also really isnt much quality stuff for sale. Most of the gumtree ads are trying to sell for more than the new price, in fact the only decent second hand instrument I can find is racman's Takamine which is up in Joburg so I can't play it!

Also as a complete beginner it is not that easy to tell the difference in tone and playability based on 10 minutes messing around in a noisy music store.

Based on messing around I am heading toward the yamaha but it is really hard to pick between them.

Ray I havent actually come across the FGX or FJX in the flesh so hence not on the list.
The problem is every time I go into a store the list of options gets longer and I am trying to make it shorter!!

Bob-Dubery

robmac wrote Thanks Guys,

I hear what you say about buying second hand but it is really scary to lay out that much cash when you have no idea what you should be looking at and it is quite possible you could end up getting a dud.

If you're buying from a store, so that you can actually look at the guitar, touch it, play it, hear it.... there's no real problem. You could buy a brand-new guitar that you haven't actually seen and find it's a dud.

Also as a complete beginner it is not that easy to tell the difference in tone and playability based on 10 minutes messing around in a noisy music store.

Ask the sales person to play it. That'll give you some idea. But I wouldn't worry too much about tone right now, I'd worry more about a guitar that plays well, stays in tune and has reasonable intonation. The guitars on your short list are not the cheapest of the cheap, so I'd be surprised if any of them turn out to sound downright awful.

Ask the store if a setup is included (or if the guitar has already been set up). That should give you reasonable playbility.

Are you going for lessons? If so then ask the teacher which store he recommends. A good teacher will know the shops that take good care of their guitars.