Re: Newb advice from a newb



Buy a decent instrument. Trying to learn on a guitar that goes out of tune and has high action is a recipe for frustration.

There is a lot of confusion over these issues, so I will add a couple of thoughts.

I have only had one guitar that would not stay in tune, a Baby Taylor with an unstable neck. I suppose that is a greater risk in an inexpensive guitar. I have *never* had a problem with tuners, and I use some really cheap ones, as are currently on my old Gibson and National. Old worn tuners (and maybe some cheap ones, though I have never encountered it) need more care in use because they often have some slack that needs to be taken up in the correct way to maintain string tension.

Action height and price are *not* related, though more expensive ones might get a shop set up before going on sale. AFAIK all Martins leave the factory with a high action. A high action simply means that you have to factor in the cost of having a set up; it is not something I would see as an intrinsic fault. However, a guitar with a high action might also have problems with uneven frets that can't be detected until the action is lowered, so that adds an element of risk. of even more cost in fret leveling. I check for fret level, neck bow and the like on a potential purchase.

Something I might be a little paranoid about that I always check is neck angle. A high neck angle means plenty of height on the saddle so that it can be lowered in the event of the guitar geometry deteriorating (going banana-shaped) over time. This kind of deterioration might be a greater risk in cheaper guitars, but I would not buy any guitar for fretting with a low neck angle, regardless of name, provenance or price.

FWIW, only of my favourite current guitar models for the style of acoustic blues and slide I play is the Gretsch "cowboy" series, which I think are going for about $50 in the use. <g> The one I have tried have good neck angles, but I have read that the bridge has a tendency to let go under string tension.

HTH

Tony D

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