This is gonna be a little long winded so hang in there… it’s worth it for anyone considering a new guitar.
When buying a guitar, make often has very little to do with it. Okay… Bill, you mentioned the guitar your grandson has currently is an acoustic; therefore I assume the next one will be acoustic too. If so there is one major thing to watch out for...
Is the guitar a solid top or plywood top? What does it matter? A solid top gets better with age. The wood will actually soften over time and produce better tone characteristics. A plywood top on the other hand will never change and will NOT sound near as good right from the start.
I totally recommend a solid top. The better the sound the more inspired the player.
Next, you need to check the guitar’s intonation. This is the guitars ability to be properly tuned. Many times a new (or used) guitar cannot be accurately tuned and if that’s the case, the thing sounds lousy and inspiration to play diminishes. I CAN’T stand an out of tune guitar. My ear just simply rejects what is an unacceptable sound. I won’t get into what intonation means… it’s a bit of a topic on it’s own but I refer you to
info on intonation for a great write up on the topic.
Action is VERY important too. Action is the distance the strings are from the fretboard. The closer they are, the easier the guitar is to play. The easier to play the more likely the player will actually pick it up.
When I asked how old your grandson was that was because I wondered what the best size guitar might be. He is going to grow very fast so I recommend the Dreadnought (yes, this is a reference to size), the most common size there is. It will feel a bit awkward at first for the lad, but he will get used to it. It is also the fullest sound guitar out there (except for the jumbo) and is easy to find cases for. For a in-depth look at guitars and their available sizes refer to
guitar size info.
Finally, choose the right strings. Stings come in different weights ranging from extra light to heavy. For a child I recommend strings in the extra light-light range. They are the easiest to grip and therefore make for easier playing. If the lad plays a lot consider a new set say, once a month. Fresh strings sound better which in turn inspires the player to play more.
As you noticed Bill, I haven’t mentioned any brands yet. I started out saying, brand or make has little to do with it. However, I will recommend Simon and Patrick, Norman, Seagull and Art & Luthier guitars. All made by a company called Godin, and all very good bang for the buck. Also Yamaha... amazing guitars for the money. Oh, and Parker makes a very good yet inexpensive guitar but there are many more which you will run into as you look around.
Finally (catch my breath here) there is a choice between steel string or nylon string. Nylon string guitars (usually smaller in size) are mostly used for classical and or flamenco playing styles. (Nylon are easier on tender fingers too). But if the lad is learning more generalized stuff then the light weight steel string guitar should work just fine. Generally, it is not recommended to put steel strings on a nylon string guitar. It is too much tension for the way the instrument was built.
I’ve seen too many people buy super cheap guitars for kids that never get played. The way I look at it, if they are given an instrument that doesn’t work properly, the child doesn’t have a chance.
Oh, there is one other thing. A new guitar should be checked by a luthier. This is NORMAL and completely within the realm of reason. Every guitar I own went to the shop before I started playing it. They ‘tweak’ or set up the instrument to make it as playable as possible. They can perfect the action, file the frets if needed (to take away buzz), correct intonation, adjust the tension on the neck and so on. Often this is provided free from the music store or costs around $30-$50 from an instrument technician. Something to consider if you want the guitar to be its very best.
Okay Bill… I’m done. I hope this helps you and anyone else who might read this.
PS. If you want an electric guitar, Gordie (Celt) provided some good links a few posts above this one. (done for SURE now)
