My newphew is turning 8 in a few weeks and he's really been wanting a guitar. Well, actually a new guitar. His current guitar is a horrible pos and wont stay in tune and is unplayable - it's basically a toy.
He's expressed an interest in taking lessons and from talking to my brother they are thinking that he's relatively serious - well as serious as any 8-yr-old I guess.
Looking at various 3/4 size guitars they seem to be around $99.00 for Fender Mini, Dean EVO, etc., but not being able to check them out in my area limits my ablity to determine if they would actually work as instruments.
I did play a Fender mini yesterday and while the neck was OK I didn't like the bridge setup and the strings didn't go through the body or anything. The stamped steel bridge was thin and didn't inspire a lot of confidence in staying in tune over time. I'm thinking that something with one pickup and a single control might be a better option than worrying about dialing in your 8-yr-old lead tone anyway.
I've recommended to my brother that he find a local music shop where my newphew can take lessons and maybe rent to start with or buy something that they can trade in a couple of years if my nephew sticks with it. Plus they could get the guitar seviced locally if they have problems. In my mind that would be better than saving 20.00 bucks off the internet or buying something at a toy store.
Still, I have no idea of the options - are there any real choices?
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conorb
My newphew is turning 8 in a few weeks and he's really been wanting a guitar. Well, actually a new guitar. His current guitar is a horrible pos and wont stay in tune and is unplayable - it's basically a toy.
He's expressed an interest in taking lessons and from talking to my brother they are thinking that he's relatively serious - well as serious as any 8-yr-old I guess.
Looking at various 3/4 size guitars they seem to be around $99.00 for Fender Mini, Dean EVO, etc., but not being able to check them out in my area limits my ablity to determine if they would actually work as instruments.
I did play a Fender mini yesterday and while the neck was OK I didn't like the bridge setup and the strings didn't go through the body or anything. The stamped steel bridge was thin and didn't inspire a lot of confidence in staying in tune over time. I'm thinking that something with one pickup and a single control might be a better option than worrying about dialing in your 8-yr-old lead tone anyway.
I've recommended to my brother that he find a local music shop where my newphew can take lessons and maybe rent to start with or buy something that they can trade in a couple of years if my nephew sticks with it. Plus they could get the guitar seviced locally if they have problems. In my mind that would be better than saving 20.00 bucks off the internet or buying something at a toy store.
Still, I have no idea of the options - are there any real choices?
Thanks,
conorb
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