What guitar should you buy? (Guitar Lesson BC-102) Guitar for beginners, Getting started
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0:05 - 0:10Hi, how you doing? Justin here. In this lesson today we are going to be checking out the
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0:10 - 0:15different types of guitar that exist in the world, well, just the three main types,
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0:15 - 0:19and talking about the pros and cons of each one. If you are a beginner guitar player looking
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0:19 - 0:22to buy your first guitar,
what sort of things you should be looking for. -
0:22 - 0:28So there are three main types of guitar. The one that I am holding in my arms now is a
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0:28 - 0:34steel string acoustic guitar which is what most guitar players think of when they think of
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0:34 - 0:40an acoustic guitar. The other two types of guitar are an electric guitar and a classical guitar.
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0:40 - 0:44Classical guitar is also a type of an acoustic guitar as well so we end up in this
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0:44 - 0:50funny area where these things are not falling into one of the three categories. But those are the most important three.
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0:50 - 0:53Now when you are choosing which one of them you are going to play there are a few
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0:53 - 0:58things that set it off straight away. If you want to play rock guitar get an electric guitar.
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0:58 - 1:03Full stop. Easy. Done. Sold. If you have got not very much money to spend and you are
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1:03 - 1:08looking at as cheap a guitar as possible get an electric guitar. I know that sounds kind of funny,
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1:08 - 1:12like oh it's an electric guitar. It has got more fancy stuff in it but actually the
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1:12 - 1:17problem with acoustic guitars, especially steel string acoustic guitars, when they are
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1:17 - 1:22really cheap they are really difficult to play. They have got what is called a High Action,
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1:22 - 1:25that means the strings are quite far away from the fingerboard, usually.
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1:25 - 1:30So they are really really difficult to play barre chords on. They tend to not sound very nice as well,
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1:30 - 1:35cheap acoustic guitars, because they are made of laminated wood and my general opinion is
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1:35 - 1:41that if you have got not very much money an electric guitar is a far better way to go.
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1:42 - 1:45If you want to play classical guitar you should definitely buy a classical guitar.
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1:45 - 1:53Hey, a little bit obvious there Justin, thanks. But it is true. You don't really want to be trying to play
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1:53 - 1:57classical music on a steel string guitar or an electric guitar. That said I am not
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1:57 - 2:01really a classical guitar teacher. I don't cover classical guitar as part of my course. I
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2:01 - 2:06don't really think it is the best, most fun thing to learn guitar on a classical guitar
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2:06 - 2:10because it is all about learning to read notes and playing one note at a time and stuff. It
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2:10 - 2:13is a bit easier to just get going if you are playing chords and stuff.
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2:13 - 2:19Anyway, this is a steel string acoustic guitar. The things to look for when you are
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2:19 - 2:24checking out an acoustic guitar is 1) does it sound nice? The best thing you can do when
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2:24 - 2:28you go shopping for a guitar is take somebody who knows what they are doing.
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2:28 - 2:31Take somebody who has played guitar for a bit, who can strum a few chords, who can have a
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2:31 - 2:35listen to it and see if they like the sound of it. If you are a complete beginner and know
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2:35 - 2:39nothing you kind of have to rely on the sales people and a lot of the time they are full of
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2:39 - 2:43it and don't really tell you the truth because they are trying to sell you something.
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2:44 - 2:50On the website there is a link from BC-102 which will give you some links to some
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2:50 - 2:57products and stuff and some stores that I recommend. But the big thing that you are looking for here on a steel
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2:57 - 3:02string guitar is that the action is not too high. That is the distance here between the string and the fret.
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3:02 - 3:11When you press the string down you probably don't want it to be more than like 3 or 4mm at the twelfth fret.
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3:12 - 3:18Definitely not 5mm or more because you will get them that high on a cheap guitar.
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3:18 - 3:24So I wouldn't be looking at really cheap steel string acoustic guitars, but you can do if you want.
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3:24 - 3:29You can get a thing called electro acoustics as well which is an acoustic guitar with a
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3:29 - 3:35pick up system, which this is. I have got a volume control and stuff here. This guitar has
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3:35 - 3:39got a microphone built into it. You don't really need that when you are beginner.
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3:39 - 3:44If later on if you are going to do gigs and stuff you can retrofit it later. You can get the electric
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3:44 - 3:50system put in afterwards. Or you can buy yourself another guitar, a better guitar
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3:50 - 3:54maybe. So if you learn on one guitar you can get a fairly cheap one to learn on.
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3:54 - 3:59you can decide that you are a professional now and you want to go and do a gig then buy another guitar.
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3:59 - 4:02I would be more inclined to do that than spending a whole lot of money,
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4:02 - 4:06especially on a budget guitar you don't want to waste money on an electric system
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4:06 - 4:09because it is a budget guitar. The electric system is not going to be very good either and
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4:09 - 4:13it is going to take more money away from just having a nice guitar in the first place.
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4:13 - 4:15So that is a steel string guitar.
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4:19 - 4:26OK, this is a classical guitar. These are quite easy to play. I learned on a classical guitar.
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4:26 - 4:30Also called a nylon string acoustic because the strings are not metal any more, we are
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4:30 - 4:34talking about nylon. They used to be made of cat gut believe it or not. Definitely glad
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4:34 - 4:39my cat wasn't around in the days when they did cat gut guitar strings.
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4:39 - 4:45Anyway, the strings are made of nylon now so you don't have to worry if you are an animal liber (animal rights person).
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4:45 - 4:50These can be quite cheap. I started off on a Yamaha GC-100 I think, or a 110.
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4:50 - 4:57And it was a fantastic guitar. It didn't cost very much. Yamaha make really good nylon string acoustics.
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4:57 - 5:02I highly recommend them. I don't play them any more but for a beginners
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5:02 - 5:06guitar they are really wicked. Don't worry about getting one with an electric system, you
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5:06 - 5:13don't need it. They are slightly wider in the neck here. The width of the neck can be
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5:13 - 5:22considerably wider. 10mm wider I suppose, so quite a lot. So a nylon string guitar can
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5:22 - 5:27be great for people with really big hands as well. That is a really helpful thing there if
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5:27 - 5:32you have got big hands. The strings as well are a little bit further apart so it can make it
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5:32 - 5:36a little easier to fret your chords out when you are starting for a big handed dude.
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5:36 - 5:42You will have a little trouble getting further up the fingerboard here because you don't have any
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5:42 - 5:46access to the higher frets which could cause you problems, but probably not.
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5:46 - 5:52A lot of children learn on these because of the nylon strings. They are a little softer on the
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5:52 - 5:58fingers. I don't really recommend it. The one thing they are really good for is people
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5:58 - 6:02with really big hands, a classical guitar is great for that. Or really young children if they
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6:02 - 6:07are worried about playing on the metal strings and the skin on their fingers is too soft.
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6:07 - 6:12Generally nice. They don't have the same sound.
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6:14 - 6:16Classical guitars have a very different sound
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6:16 - 6:19. . .
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6:19 - 6:22To a steel string acoustic guitar. A lot more suited for
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6:22 - 6:26. . .
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6:26 - 6:29That kind of thing. Or you know
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6:29 - 6:31. . .
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6:31 - 6:35For doing that kind of guitar,
more so than for strumming along. -
6:35 - 6:39They don't tend to sound so good when they are strummed. So that is a classical guitar.
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6:42 - 6:45OK, the last type of guitar we are ging to have a look at is an electircal guitar.
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6:45 - 6:55Now this is a Fender Stratocaster which are a really good, standard electric guitar. They sound
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6:55 - 6:58good, they are quite versatile. They are thousands of different types of electric guitar
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6:58 - 7:03and the one you choose is really up to what you like and what sort of sound you want to
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7:03 - 7:09get. What guitar players you think look cool or whatever. There is not really a big deal about electric guitar.
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7:09 - 7:13But there is some big deals on electric guitar when you are considering buying one when
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7:13 - 7:18you are a beginner. In fact I really recommend getting an electric guitar as a beginner
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7:18 - 7:24guitar player for a few reasons. First of all they are easier to play. Generally the strings
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7:24 - 7:28are closer to the neck so it is easier to press down the chords. The neck is a little
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7:28 - 7:32thinner which for most people is an advantage when they are trying to stretch out for
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7:32 - 7:38chords it is a little bit easier to start off with. They are a little bit quieter. You can still hear an electric guitar
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7:38 - 7:43without an amplifier. Don't be under the impression that you have to buy an amplifier if you get an electric guitar.
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7:43 - 7:47You don't. You can play acoustically. You are not going to be very loud, which is
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7:47 - 7:51maybe a good thing for you neighbours when you are learning guitar. But you will hear, like,
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7:51 - 7:54. . .
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7:54 - 8:00Perfectly audible for you to hear while you are playing, no question. So
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8:00 - 8:05getting an electric guitar is good for that as well.
There are some really good quality budget electric guitars -
8:05 - 8:12around. The Yamaha Pacifica is the one that springs to mind. Ibanez do some really good budget electric guitars.
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8:12 - 8:18Fender Squires are OK, there have been a few quality control issues in the ones of seen
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8:18 - 8:22lately of their really cheap ones. I definitely like the Pacifica's. I don't have a deal with
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8:22 - 8:30Yamaha. I think they are really good, cheap electric guitars. Pretty decent sound, play well.
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8:30 - 8:37So my personal recommendation is that if you are going to learn guitar and you are just
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8:37 - 8:42starting out, you don't know what sort of guitar to get, get an electric guitar. Simple.
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8:42 - 8:45Don't worry about an amplifier and stuff yet. Save that for a little bit later when you
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8:45 - 8:49know what you are doing, what sort of sound you want to make and stuff. Don't worry
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8:49 - 8:55about anything fancy, just standard Yamaha Pacifica or a Squire Stratocaster or I don't
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8:55 - 9:00know what the Ibanez one is called. Whatever. Any of those. Again, there will be some
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9:00 - 9:05links on the website for some specific guitars which I would recommend and why.
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9:05 - 9:12I just wanted to discuss with you the pros and cons between an electric, a classical and a steel string guitar.
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9:13 - 9:18Another thing that you might see is a semi acoustic guitar or a hollow body electric guitar.
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9:18 - 9:22Which are like regular electric guitars but they are mainly
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9:22 - 9:27used in jazz. Their bodies are a little bit thicker and they are actually hollow inside. So
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9:27 - 9:30they are somewhere in between an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar, but in my
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9:30 - 9:35opinion more in the electric guitar family.
Not a bad thing. If that is what tickles your fancy then that -
9:35 - 9:41would be a good thing. Otherwise just get yourself a nice, simple electric guitar and off you go. Instead of
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9:41 - 9:46spending too much time thinking of what guitar to get think a lot about doing loads of
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9:46 - 9:51practice and getting good real quick. Much better idea. OK. Hope that has helped you in
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9:51 - 9:57your dilemma a little and I shall see you for another lesson very soon. Bye, bye.
- Title:
- What guitar should you buy? (Guitar Lesson BC-102) Guitar for beginners, Getting started
- Description:
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Justin's Beginners Guitar Course v2.
This is the second video in Stage 0 - the "Before you begin" stage, and in this video discuss the common types of guitar and the ever present question of what guitar to buy if you are a beginner.
The Justinguitar Beginners Guitar Course, a series of over 100 lessons on guitar for beginners. Text support is on the web site and also in a proper old skool paper book which can be ordered from the web site of your local music store :)
Taught by Justin Sandercoe.
Full support at the justinguitar web site where you will find hundreds of lessons on a wide range of subjects, and all the scales and chords that you will ever need! There is a great forum too to get help, no matter what the problem.
And it is all totally free, no bull. No sample lessons, no memberships, no free ebook. Just tons of great lessons :)
To get help with this lesson (and for further info and tabs), find the Lesson ID in the video title (like ST-667 or whatever) and then look it up on the Lesson Index page of justinguitar.com
http://www.justinguitar.com
Have fun :)
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- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- JustinGuitar (legacy)
- Project:
- Beginners Course (BC)
- Duration:
- 10:00