"Signature" brand guitar.

hi all,
i'm planning to buy an acoustic guitar, and been to some shops, according to the IGT's suggestion i'm bit doing my homework before buying, by checking each guitar's sound, BTW i'm a novice, i got to play an Indian brand called "signature" (black cut away guitar) along with hobner (f hole) and Givson, i felt "signature" a pleasant sounding, and the shopkeeper informed me that the wood used in "signature" is dried wood (plywood) and the cost was within 4k, i got to know from some of the posts in IGT that "signature" is not recommended.
i would be happy to hear why the brand is not a recommended one.

i feel being a novice i'm not in a position to conclude about the quality of this brand called "signature", so plz help me out, most of members of IGT themselves being guitarists i feel its better to heed the advice about the quality and what they think about it.

got to know from IGT like brands yamaha f310, GB&a... didn't check out.. will try out next weekend here in mumbai

my budget -- within 7k ..please help me out in buying my first guitar..

 

Yamaha F310.

 

Read this.
Guitar and related gear selecting guide Part I
Guitar and related gear selecting guide Part II

Btw, if you like it and think you'll like it for x amount of time till you can/will get a new guitar, why not buy it? That's not an exceptionally huge amount of cash, and if it was so (like in the 50k-1 lakh range), you'd be roughly guaranteed to get a nice guitar.

Good luck with your search. B)

 

i see some good reviews of yamaha f310, planning to buy this one... got one doubt ..how to play the lower frets... as highlighted in pic.. BTW any idea how much f310 costs here in mumbai and where to buy from.

 

Very good advice there... 4k isn't much, if you like the guitar, don't exclude it just because some say it's not good. Trust your own ears... But don't go blindly at the first guitar you play. If you've tried just poor guitars, the competition isn't that great. Go to a shop. Pick up all the guitars people recommend / lie within your price range. Play and listen to them all. And make the final decision with your ears...

 

Don't be a pussy. Practice for it.

Okay, it's a different matter that he's using his left thumb to hold a barre chord, which is a pretty new+unique+dead useful technique. But fact is, 'true' classical guitars don't have cutaways, and classical guitarists play high positions without cutaways all the time. Learn, practice around it. You'll have to let go of your thumb at the high positions. Give that area extra practice (I do it everyday...err, almost everyday.).

Afterthought 1 - As usual, you'll get your reprieve with an electric. My super-strat shaped guitar is a FAR contrast to my classical...it (electric) has insanely deep (comparatively) cutaways, the neck joins the body at the frickin NINETEENTH fret (unlike at the 12th fret on the classical)...it's cool ^^
Afterthought 2 - Oh and you're getting off lightly. F310's and a lot of other steel string acoustics have the neck join the body at the 14th fret...lucky buggers.
Afterthought 3 - It'll probably not matter unless you're a. playing lead or b. playing some crazy classical pieces/solo guitar arrangements.

In short, it's a non-issue. Practice enough and you'll get used to it.

Edit - And may I mention, don't let this be the main thing in any guitar you buy. If guitar A sounds better than B, but B has a cutaway and A doesn't...ye should go for A. xD

 

o i see.. BTW thanks for the link i loved it

paying attention.

 

yep.... thanks for advice.

just by playing all string open can a novice come to a conclusion about sound difference, hence the question to guitarists :8

 

I think you should definitely take your teacher along. Make sure he isn't slacking either...have him test 3-4 pieces of the model he recommends. Have him pick one out.

When something goes wrong you know whom to blame :RollLol:

 

but i don't have a teacher, i'm not planning for a teacher as of now, BTW i'm inspired frm selfmade guitarists of IGT :band:

 

*summons Flood*

I swear, just don't go that route. Nothing good, all bad. You'll just be adding to the 'bad guitarists' all around the world.
Get a teacher.
(in fact, go get western classical lessons. Classical guitarists = 1337 pwnage pros.)

 

Beg to disagree... If you have the passion and the discipline, you can learn without a teacher. If you don't have the drive, the desire to learn or the ability to teach yourself, it won't happen.

I may not be the best guitarist in the world, but for me the alternative to teaching myself was not learning at all. I was once in a similar situation as yours, so I'll offer you some tips to follow.

Well, we all have to make do with what we have, right? If you can find someone experienced to go with you that's great... But most beginners find it difficult to find someone who'll take the time to come with you.

If you can't find someone, the step by step method to get a good guitar (in my humble opinion) consists of:

1. Gather as much information as possible before getting out of the house. Make a list of guitars you're planning to try out. Visit the manufacturer websites. Use the internet to learn the guitar anatomy and basic physiology. Know what makes guitars tick. Learn what you are supposed to look for in a guitar before buying it, step by step.

2. Make a list of MORE THAN ONE STORE. Plan to visit two or three.

3. Visit each store, request the salesmen to show you guitars in your budget. Enquire for guitars on the list you made at home. Use your knowledge to judge for yourself, as best as possible, which guitars sound better to you. Also check the guitars' build, stability, comfort, electronics etc. Satisfy yourself. Sound is the first criteria though.

4. Writing down (in a sentence or two) about each guitar in a little notepad helps. You don't miss out on information for stage 5.

5. Finally, come home, get a pen and paper, and analyze the data. Use the internet to obtain more info on the guitars YOU liked. Rule out the ones you didn't. Post your final ideas on a forum like IGT if you still have doubts. Someone might help you out.

6. Make a decision.

7. Buy.

That's the teacherless guy's method, and while it doesn't guarantee you'll get the best guitar, it does guarantee you won't have regrets after the buy.

Best of luck

 

my aim is not be a professional guitarists, i have some good beginners courses in guitar with me, and i intend to learn the basics through these course and my intention by learning is not to get applause, i don't mind whether i fall in a good or bad list of guitarist all i love is to play guitar

 

agree with that

wat an insight :clap:

me too in same situation

this is what i'm doing now, first in search of answer i reached IGT and from my previous threads u can see it, i'm constantly learning, and bumped into some posts here yesterday and i got a new source of information "The guitar handbook by Ralph Denyer" i'm reading that as of now... initially all i know about guitar was its a string instrument... as of now my knowledge about guitar is growning by leaps and bounds and IGT has a major contribution thanks to some good members like ultraboot, guitardoctor again who helps me to learn by their contribution of knowledge/information

yep..

 

@guitardoc - If it's the difference between not learning and going self taught, then it's understandable...but a teacher is always always better than self taught.

Self taught, you miss out on SO many small technical details, it's no joke. It all adds up and your progress becomes SUPER slow. Bad technical skills will obviously mean bad song playing and hindered expression = the whole purpose of guitar (or any other art) is defeated. I wasted ~3 years of my life, without direction, when I was 'self taught'...later, when I realized I'll actually have to make some real progress, I went for a teacher...but oh well.

 

I actually agree. Having a teacher is always better than not having one. But not all of us are

1. Serious enough about it (i.e. Most people want to play guitar as a hobby, not professionally)
2. Have time for organized classes.

Hence the issue of learning without a teacher. What I disagree with is that you will be a bad guitarist if you don't have a teacher. There are n number of resources available today - books, cds, websites, online lessons, videos etc. I'm certain you can atleast reach intermediate to advanced level using these resources. Virtuoso level now... Well, at some point you will need a teacher.

Chess is a good analogy... I remember some years ago I got interested in chess, and actually managed to reach a very high level of play (ELO 1900+) using resources like cds, websites, chess books etc... But for breaking into master level... Well, most modern grandmasters had a chess teacher, or several. A teacher's touch always helps if you want to be the best. But you can still be a very, very good player by learning by yourself.

But all this has a prerequisite - that you actually have the drive and ability to stick to thresh out what you are learning, create a practice schedule, stick to it, delay gratification etc. If you possess these abilities you'll do well...

 

don't know if chess is a good analogy - chess is a lot more structured and a lot less subjective than guitar.

 

HAHAHAAH! i was going to go unreal tournament on that post, when i saw you'd done it already.

@uses28 - dude, the guitar players on this site suck ass or have no material to prove otherwise. i've been playing for 10 years, i still can'T tell if my guitar is in tune or not.

if you're looking for quality players, get off IGT and prowl some of the international forums instead. there is such a thing as setting the bar too low.

better yet, get off the internets altogether and spend time practicing.

Re.: teachers - i think a lot of people do exceptionally well without any teachers at all (in fact, a lot of great guitar players) - i've been through 4-5 teachers and still haven't found one who could captivate my imagination enough. so you'll have to make that call on your own by trial and error.

what you do need is some sort of commitment to keep playing.

 

Argh. >.<
(btw, floodkat, you may want to keep track of my blog, link is in the signature. Good stuff will keep comin'.)

That!!!!! +∞

 

Agree wholeheartedly with this whole post... Btw some of the greatest guitar players that we worship never had a teacher in their lives... But what they all did have was a passion for the instrument, an aptitude for learning and the desire to be better. Passion and hard work come first. A good teacher helps you become better faster, but isn't necessary if you have what it takes.