acoustic guitar for beginners 2012 image
fairytaled
i'm planning on learning guitar this summer, and i really wanted a taylor because of their sound quality and great craftsmanship. i've been looking at the Baby and all of the reviews have been great, plus i love the look and feel of it. i'm a smaller 15 year old... would its size be appropriate for me? my other concern is that if i learn to play on the baby, transferring to a larger regular sized guitar would be difficult. do you think that it would be hard to switch between the two? thank you so much for the help! :)
Answer
The Baby Taylor is a decent guitar, much better than what a lot of folks learn on. My only reservation about recommending it is due to it being a 3/4 scale guitar and not the greatest tone. When you see the great raves about the tone, you need to put that in perspective. Most folks are looking at this as a travel guitar and are thinking that *for that purpose* it's got decent tone. It's definitely not in the same league as full sized Taylors. It also has a bolt-on neck with 2 big screws between the 16th and 16th frets which is kind of funky.
As far as transitioning between a 3/4 scale and full sized guitar, I wouldn't expect you to have any problems. You might want to consider a Yamaha FS720S http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/yamaha-fs720s-folk-acoustic-guitar which is a small bodied full scale guitar...in other words, the neck is normal sized, but the body is easier to reach your arm over. I know that Yamaha doesn't have the same reputation as Taylor, but in this price range, they make very good guitars.
The best thing you can do is to go to a music store and try some guitars on for size. Get the salesperson to play them for you so you can hear the difference in tone.
The Baby Taylor is a decent guitar, much better than what a lot of folks learn on. My only reservation about recommending it is due to it being a 3/4 scale guitar and not the greatest tone. When you see the great raves about the tone, you need to put that in perspective. Most folks are looking at this as a travel guitar and are thinking that *for that purpose* it's got decent tone. It's definitely not in the same league as full sized Taylors. It also has a bolt-on neck with 2 big screws between the 16th and 16th frets which is kind of funky.
As far as transitioning between a 3/4 scale and full sized guitar, I wouldn't expect you to have any problems. You might want to consider a Yamaha FS720S http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/yamaha-fs720s-folk-acoustic-guitar which is a small bodied full scale guitar...in other words, the neck is normal sized, but the body is easier to reach your arm over. I know that Yamaha doesn't have the same reputation as Taylor, but in this price range, they make very good guitars.
The best thing you can do is to go to a music store and try some guitars on for size. Get the salesperson to play them for you so you can hear the difference in tone.
what is the diff with these strats?
Salvatore
Im interested in a Fender strat but there are some ranging from $200 to $4000. So whats the main differences between the $180 Fender Squire affinity strat http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-affinity-series-stratocaster-electric-guitar/510423000001069
the $450 Fender Std Strat www.musiciansfriend.com
/guitars/fender-standard-stratocaster
-electric-guitar/h76525000001001
then of course the Fender Standard American Strat.$999
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/fender-2012-american-standard-stratocaster-electric-guitar-with-rosewood-fingerboard
Thank you for those who respond. and Im only 16 years old. I love playing guitar, I've taken lessons on acoustic when I was ten but that only lasted a few months. So a few weeks ago I've started practicing on my cheap symphonics acoustic (it was a free gift 6 string acoustic so I cant complain, and ive put d'adarrio strings on it) and I've been on youtube learning to play some songs from John Mayer and Beatles, Eric Clapton etc.... (some musicians I like) and Ive developed the callouses on my fingers, and what not, but I've heard its better to start on an electric, and of course im not so so great on the cheap little acoustic but Ive been practicing chords on it etc....etc..SO Im saving up some money and I particularly like Fender guitars for some reason (prob cause Eric Clapton,Jeff Beck and John Mayer use them) so yea my point is, im a little more advanced then a beginner so like intermediate. Im just looking for a good Fender strat I can learn to practice and play on
Answer
Hello there,
The difference is in how they feel to play, how they sound and how well they will stand up to the rigors of gigging.
Not all Squier Strats have a body made from alder. I think the Afiinity still does. Most cheaper Squiers are either basswood or agathis. Even thought the Affinity body may be alder, the MIM Standard is alder and the American Standard is alder, the woods are not of equal quality. Fender uses higher grade lumber in its more expensive guitars. The manner of making the bodies is not the same. Sure they have the same general shape. But the similarity ends there. The Affinity body is made from several pieces of alder. I have seen up to 5 used. Using up the smaller scraps of lumber reduces the amount of wood wasted and lowers the production cost. It also lowers the tone of the body. MIM Standard is made from 2 or maybe 3 pieces. The American Standard is 2 piece. The Affinity body is not made to Fender specs. It is much thinner than a Fender Stratocaster.
The neck is a similar matter. All are made from maple. All can have either a maple or rosewood fretboard. The higher grade lumber is used for the Fender Strats and the lower grade goes into the Squier. The grain pattern in most Squier necks is not nearly as attractive as the grain pattern in most Fender necks. The Squier neck simply will not sound as good as the Fender neck because it is made from lower grade maple. The MIM Standard will have a better job of beveling, dressing and polishing the ends of the frets. The American Standard is better yet. The American Standard will have a higher quality nut and more detailed in its shaping than a MIM Standard. The Squier has a molded plastic nut. The American Standard will have hand rolled edges to the fretboard. An experienced player will appreciate all the small details of the American Standard. A beginner will not notice them. Those small details are hand labor and raises the cost.
The American Standard has pickups with Alinco magnets. The MIM Standard has pickups that have ceramic magnets, They are slightly hotter than the American pickups, but sound very good. The Squier will have cheaply constructed pickups with ceramic magnets. Most are hotter to compensate for the lack of tone. To an inexperienced ear, they may sound decent. To an ear that has played for thousands of hours, that lack of tone is intolerable. The electronics in the American Standard are first rate. CTS pots and a CRL switch. The MIM Standard will have good electronics. I have even seen CTS pots (American made) in some MIM Strats. The Squier has low quality electronics. The pots are absolutely terrible. Beginners don't rely on the tone controls all that much, so they may not even realize how bad the pots are.
The Squier Affinity is mass produced. The MIM Standard is mostly mass produced. The American Standard has a little mass production and a significant amount of hand fitting of the parts. The more hand labor involved in the assembly, the higher the cost.
Every little part on the Squier Affinity is cheaper and lower quality than on the Fender Strats. The 2 screws that hold the claw in place are shorter and thinner than a Fender screw. They are some soft alloy. If they save a penny or two on the two cheap claw screws, you know they scrimped on everything else.
Overall, the Squier Affinity is suitable for a beginner to learn on. Maybe a casual player will use one. It is not built well enough to gig with. It will not hold up to that sort of use. The MIM Standard is a work horse. It is sturdy and well m
Hello there,
The difference is in how they feel to play, how they sound and how well they will stand up to the rigors of gigging.
Not all Squier Strats have a body made from alder. I think the Afiinity still does. Most cheaper Squiers are either basswood or agathis. Even thought the Affinity body may be alder, the MIM Standard is alder and the American Standard is alder, the woods are not of equal quality. Fender uses higher grade lumber in its more expensive guitars. The manner of making the bodies is not the same. Sure they have the same general shape. But the similarity ends there. The Affinity body is made from several pieces of alder. I have seen up to 5 used. Using up the smaller scraps of lumber reduces the amount of wood wasted and lowers the production cost. It also lowers the tone of the body. MIM Standard is made from 2 or maybe 3 pieces. The American Standard is 2 piece. The Affinity body is not made to Fender specs. It is much thinner than a Fender Stratocaster.
The neck is a similar matter. All are made from maple. All can have either a maple or rosewood fretboard. The higher grade lumber is used for the Fender Strats and the lower grade goes into the Squier. The grain pattern in most Squier necks is not nearly as attractive as the grain pattern in most Fender necks. The Squier neck simply will not sound as good as the Fender neck because it is made from lower grade maple. The MIM Standard will have a better job of beveling, dressing and polishing the ends of the frets. The American Standard is better yet. The American Standard will have a higher quality nut and more detailed in its shaping than a MIM Standard. The Squier has a molded plastic nut. The American Standard will have hand rolled edges to the fretboard. An experienced player will appreciate all the small details of the American Standard. A beginner will not notice them. Those small details are hand labor and raises the cost.
The American Standard has pickups with Alinco magnets. The MIM Standard has pickups that have ceramic magnets, They are slightly hotter than the American pickups, but sound very good. The Squier will have cheaply constructed pickups with ceramic magnets. Most are hotter to compensate for the lack of tone. To an inexperienced ear, they may sound decent. To an ear that has played for thousands of hours, that lack of tone is intolerable. The electronics in the American Standard are first rate. CTS pots and a CRL switch. The MIM Standard will have good electronics. I have even seen CTS pots (American made) in some MIM Strats. The Squier has low quality electronics. The pots are absolutely terrible. Beginners don't rely on the tone controls all that much, so they may not even realize how bad the pots are.
The Squier Affinity is mass produced. The MIM Standard is mostly mass produced. The American Standard has a little mass production and a significant amount of hand fitting of the parts. The more hand labor involved in the assembly, the higher the cost.
Every little part on the Squier Affinity is cheaper and lower quality than on the Fender Strats. The 2 screws that hold the claw in place are shorter and thinner than a Fender screw. They are some soft alloy. If they save a penny or two on the two cheap claw screws, you know they scrimped on everything else.
Overall, the Squier Affinity is suitable for a beginner to learn on. Maybe a casual player will use one. It is not built well enough to gig with. It will not hold up to that sort of use. The MIM Standard is a work horse. It is sturdy and well m
Title Post: Is a 2012 Baby Taylor a good guitar for a beginner?
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
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Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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