Calling all guitar players...again.

[WILD1]

A few months back, I had a discussion with "freethrow" (I think?) and some of you others about acoustic guitars...what do you all know about Epiphone's? We've, Santa and I, been shopping and they seem to be very reasonably priced (decided to wait a bit before I splurged on that Martin...saw one for a mere $31k! ;)) and when I research those same Epiphone's on-line, they're getting very positive reviews but as I'm no expert, I don't know whether those reviews are all that reliable.

"Terry", please tell me again about your guitar-playing friend in Northern KY that you'd recommended I speak to.

Is there any particular brand and/or model you'd recommend for a beginner...any that you think we should avoid...and what the hell is a dreadnought?

I can read music and played piano as a kid but I've no idea if I have the ability or the patience to master the guitar...I don't want to buy a piece of junk but I also don't want one that's far more than I need.
Thanks.

[MSU Cat]

A few months back, I had a discussion with "freethrow" (I think?) and some of you others about acoustic guitars...what do you all know about Epiphone's? We've, Santa and I, been shopping and they seem to be very reasonably priced (decided to wait a bit before I splurged on that Martin...saw one for a mere $31k! ;)) and when I research those same Epiphone's on-line, they're getting very positive reviews but as I'm no expert, I don't know whether those reviews are all that reliable.

"Terry", please tell me again about your guitar-playing friend in Northern KY that you'd recommended I speak to.

Is there any particular brand and/or model you'd recommend for a beginner...any that you think we should avoid...and what the hell is a dreadnought?

I can read music and played piano as a kid but I've no idea if I have the ability or the patience to master the guitar...I don't want to buy a piece of junk but I also don't want one that's far more than I need.
Thanks.

I believe I'm correct in saying that an Epiphone is a guitar made by Gibson. It's Gibson's version of Martin's Sigma guitar series. I am actually lucky enough to own a Martin (I inherited it from my grandfather) and have played quite a few acoustic guitars. A buddy of mine had an Epiphone for a long time and it played very well for a beginner guitar. Of course, each guitar feels and plays differently so you'll need to find the one that feels right for you. I don't think it would be a bad investment for somebody who is wanting to start playing. To answer your last question: A dreadnought is a big body acoustic guitar. If you go to Martin's website you can look at the 000 series and then the D series guitars and notice the size difference. The smaller 000 series is a little more "curvy" while the dreadnought is a little more square looking. I have a 1954 Martin 00-18 which is a concert style. Theoretically, the dreadnought is bigger and therefore would have more sound (I think anyway). But those concert bodies sure are pretty.

[sCATback]

I have played Epiphones and for the most part they are good guitars for the money. The Epiphones with the jumbo bodies have a very good sound for the most part. I've played a couple of the jumbo's and they are by far my favorite Epiphones. I have also played some of them I thought that were a piece junk. Make sure you play it, if you don't know how to play take someone with you that does. If you like it then that is what matters the most.

[jpay]

Go hit a couple of pawn shops in the closest metro area to you. Take a player with you. You may end up with your Martin after all. OR a Gibson Dove, or an Alveraz or a.... ????For less then you would pay for a decent beginner Guitar..... I have seen a Martin 000-18 for as little as 400.00 at my local flea market....

[HOMEYCAT]

I play an F-50 Rosewood Acoustic Guild. Big as a bus. I've owned it for 26 years. It sounds sweeter every day.

Epiphone is okay. Shop hard and get one with an action that is close to effortless. If the action isn't good enough, you won't play it as much. Too much work getting the strings down to the fret board. There will be a period of time when you have to develop callouses in the right places. Right on the tips of your fingers(if you are righty, on the left hand, if you are lefty (!) on the right hand. ... if you practice till you bleed, that's good, because your callouses are forming faster. Once they have developed fully, there will be no pain at all. To get even passably good, you have to play every day. Learn to bar right away. Barring makes one chord into 12 chords simply by graduating the chord up the board. If you already read, you are ahead of the game. Most everything you'll play is 1,4,5....i.e. CFG, EAB, FBbC, etc.

1-2-3 Hard Work!

[WILD1]

I play an F-50 Rosewood Acoustic Guild. Big as a bus. I've owned it for 26 years. It sounds sweeter every day.

Epiphone is okay. Shop hard and get one with an action that is close to effortless. If the action isn't good enough, you won't play it as much. Too much work getting the strings down to the fret board. There will be a period of time when you have to develop callouses in the right places. Right on the tips of your fingers(if you are righty, on the left hand, if you are lefty (!) on the right hand. ... if you practice till you bleed, that's good, because your callouses are forming faster. Once they have developed fully, there will be no pain at all. To get even passably good, you have to play every day. Learn to bar right away. Barring makes one chord into 12 chords simply by graduating the chord up the board. If you already read, you are ahead of the game. Most everything you'll play is 1,4,5....i.e. CFG, EAB, FBbC, etc.

1-2-3 Hard Work!

PAIN!? HARD WORK!? No one ever said anything about pain...this is supposed to be strictly for fun and relaxation so I don't plan to suffer for my art! :icon_lol:
Seriously, thanks for the input/advice...keep it coming. I plan to take it to heart.

[jpay]

PAIN!? HARD WORK!? No one ever said anything about pain...this is supposed to be strictly for fun and relaxation so I don't plan to suffer for my art! :icon_lol:
Seriously, thanks for the input/advice...keep it coming. I plan to take it to heart.
Try an Electric.... There is no way around the "discomfort" involved with toughening up the ole finger tips when playing a traditional guitar.

[WILD1]

Try an Electric.... There is no way around the "discomfort" involved with toughening up the ole finger tips when playing a traditional guitar.

I was just teasing...I can deal with a bit of discomfort...after all, I am a married woman. LOLOLOLOLOLOL :icon_lol:

[surveyor]

PAIN!? HARD WORK!? No one ever said anything about pain...this is supposed to be strictly for fun and relaxation so I don't plan to suffer for my art! :icon_lol:
Seriously, thanks for the input/advice...keep it coming. I plan to take it to heart.

Decades ago when I took lessons, my instructor gave me a can of spray to spray on the fret board. It made the board more slick and made it less likely for my fingers to become tender after awhile.
If I'm not mistaken, I think I still have it. It must be about 30 years old, lol.

Here's a similar product. :thumbup:

http://www.swee****er.com/images/items/750/FingerEase-large.jpg

[WILD1]

Decades ago when I took lessons, my instructor gave me a can of spray to spray on the fret board. It made the board more slick and made it less likely for my fingers to become tender after awhile.
If I'm not mistaken, I think I still have it. It must be about 30 years old, lol.

Here's a similar product. :thumbup:

http://www.swee****er.com/images/items/750/FingerEase-large.jpg

Thanks, I'll have to keep this in mind.
BTW, you'd think they could have thought of a less disgusting sounding name for this product than "Finger-ease", wouldn't you? :icon_lol: Ewwwwwww!

[m0fats]

My father is a collector of guitars and I've been fortunate enough to play dozens of styles for extended periods and I can say that a brand name is not enough to judge a guitar.

Sit down with it and decide what you like:
thick/thin neck (smaller hands usually need a thin neck)
high/low action (how hard/far you have to push the string down to the fret)
body size (does it sit comfortably in your lap/under your arm)

I've never played an epiphone, but I've played a lot of martins, and it's hit or miss. They all cost what a martin should, but some don't live up to the expectation.

and to answer your Q, Dreadnought is just a name for the standard "big-body" martins you see today. I'm pretty sure that's what the "D" stands for in the martin d-28, d-45, etc. They put out a bit more sound than smaller guitars and are hard to compete with (volume) when you're playing in a group.