PittPastor
Member
There are a couple of kids in our church that have been asking me about learning to play the guitar.
One's a smallish 13 year old and one is a bigger 12 year old... so both about the same size I guess.
I learned on a horrible Stella guitar. I have no idea if Stella makes a good guitar or not, but this one had really high action and a pretty bad sound. I started trying to learn when I was 14. No dice. Tried again a couple of times before it finally took at about 16. So, I've always thought that 15-16 was the right age to learn guitar.
But with a smaller bodied guitar, and good action? Why not start them younger? I'm thinking about getting a couple guitars and use them as trainers. I'm not sure exactly which way to go. Here are some I've considered, along with Pros and Cons, and I am very happy to get opinions:
Economy
-----------------------------------------
Yamaha JR1 3/4-Size Dreadnought
Ibanez PN12E Mahogany electro-acoustic
Guild
-----------------------------------------
Guild Jumbo Junior
Guild M-240E Concert Guitar
Cordoba/Classical
-----------------------------------------
Cordoba Protege C1M, 3/4 Nylon String
Cordoba Protégé C1M-CE
Electric
---------------------------------------
Suggestions?
What am I missing???
OK, breakdown of what I am thinking...
Budget: I should probably go with something like the Ibanez... $200 and seems to be a solid performer. Even electronics if they want to play with the rest of us some time. I would expect eventually they will move on to their own guitar, so I don't need to think about the future too much.
Classical: Nylon strings seem fussier to tune and keep in tune. But probably easier on the fingers. IDK. My Guild Mark II had a pretty chunky neck. I don't know if that is typical, but it probably wouldn't be great for a 13 year old with small hands.
Electric: This is intriguing because in general they fret easier -- although they are usually pretty heavy, which isn't great for a small kid. Also, I'm not much of a pick and shredder guy, and I can only teach what I know.
Guild: Because. Well... why not?
My heart tells me go with the M-240E, that way if they quit, I'll still have something I like playing But the Junior probably fits them better. (I looked at, and ruled out, Taylor and Martin's minis. They are out of the price range.)
As long as I stay in the sub $400 range, I'm OK money wise. But I don't want to spend what I don't need to, either. I'm going to buy 2. It would be cool to buy two different guitars and cover the possibilities -- but as soon as I do that, it will turn out that one is "better" in their eyes, and the kid who gets the other one will feel cheated. So... I'm going to get two of the same for now.
OK, so that's it. Ideas?
One's a smallish 13 year old and one is a bigger 12 year old... so both about the same size I guess.
I learned on a horrible Stella guitar. I have no idea if Stella makes a good guitar or not, but this one had really high action and a pretty bad sound. I started trying to learn when I was 14. No dice. Tried again a couple of times before it finally took at about 16. So, I've always thought that 15-16 was the right age to learn guitar.
But with a smaller bodied guitar, and good action? Why not start them younger? I'm thinking about getting a couple guitars and use them as trainers. I'm not sure exactly which way to go. Here are some I've considered, along with Pros and Cons, and I am very happy to get opinions:
Economy
-----------------------------------------
Yamaha JR1 3/4-Size Dreadnought
Ibanez PN12E Mahogany electro-acoustic
Guild
-----------------------------------------
Guild Jumbo Junior
Guild M-240E Concert Guitar
Cordoba/Classical
-----------------------------------------
Cordoba Protege C1M, 3/4 Nylon String
Cordoba Protégé C1M-CE
Electric
---------------------------------------
Suggestions?
What am I missing???
OK, breakdown of what I am thinking...
Budget: I should probably go with something like the Ibanez... $200 and seems to be a solid performer. Even electronics if they want to play with the rest of us some time. I would expect eventually they will move on to their own guitar, so I don't need to think about the future too much.
Classical: Nylon strings seem fussier to tune and keep in tune. But probably easier on the fingers. IDK. My Guild Mark II had a pretty chunky neck. I don't know if that is typical, but it probably wouldn't be great for a 13 year old with small hands.
Electric: This is intriguing because in general they fret easier -- although they are usually pretty heavy, which isn't great for a small kid. Also, I'm not much of a pick and shredder guy, and I can only teach what I know.
Guild: Because. Well... why not?
My heart tells me go with the M-240E, that way if they quit, I'll still have something I like playing But the Junior probably fits them better. (I looked at, and ruled out, Taylor and Martin's minis. They are out of the price range.)
As long as I stay in the sub $400 range, I'm OK money wise. But I don't want to spend what I don't need to, either. I'm going to buy 2. It would be cool to buy two different guitars and cover the possibilities -- but as soon as I do that, it will turn out that one is "better" in their eyes, and the kid who gets the other one will feel cheated. So... I'm going to get two of the same for now.
OK, so that's it. Ideas?