Hi all,

My eight year old son has expressed an interest in learning to play the electric guitar.

I'm looking for suggestions as to what would be a good setup (gearwise) for him considering his age. Looking to keep the cost under 300.00 total.

Thanks in advance,
Ed

I don't have any specific suggestions but for $300 you can get a nice geetar for an 8 year old.

Start him out with an acoustic rather than an electric. Let him try some out, just hold them and see what feels comfortable for him neck and body wise.

Hell, I started when I was 8 on Kay with action that was a mile high. I don't recomend that.

Walmart has a fair little small steel string acoustic for around $30. I got one for my 9 year old daughter a month or so ago. She is getting pretty good at three cords now. The small body is perfect for that size kid. If he continues then invest in a better instrument. It could just turn into a toy. It comes with a book good for beginners. I think it is called First Act or something like that...

Ken

personally i suggest cheking out pawn shops for older guitars like harmony's and such, they have good action sound good and make great first guitars and they can be had cheap!

Originally posted by Rockmonton
personally i suggest cheking out pawn shops for older guitars like harmony's and such, they have good action sound good and make great first guitars and they can be had cheap!

I'll second this suggestion all day long. My best acoustic guitar was pulled out of a pawn shop. Had a simple finish crack but big deal. The action was superb on it and that's what I was interested in. Start him on a good used acoustic. Don't let him sit down while he practices. Stand, stand, stand. It's easy to go from standing to sitting when you learn but harder to go from sitting to standing. Get him started with correct habits and most of all try to help him understand that the years FLY BY and in no time he will be in high school and blazing away on this guitar. The chicks will LOVE him LOL! (hmmmm well, he may not care about that yet but still. :D )

oh an up near the 200$ range are the old 70's fender korean made acoustics, these are TANKS they have a v notch at the top of their headstocks and are truly the nicest sounding guitars i've ever heard!

Just make sure that whatever it is, regardless of brand, that is is something that is PLAYABLE. Nothing can make a person quit trying to learn than a crappy playing guitar.

Personally I have noticed that you can get a good quality brand new imported guitar for a beginner, acoustic or electric, for $100 or less. The ones you can get in pawn shops here for that price tend to not be nearly as good, from what I've seen.
I'm just a rank beginner with guitars, but I am getting good tone quality and playability with a Squier Bullet from the local music store for $99. Hooked it up to a Bogen Challenger PA amp with 2-6L6 GC's that I got for free!

The budget fender acoustics are hard to beat. Check out angela.com for a deal, I just bought one for me and my 4 year old to knock around with.

For electrics, Ibanez has some real nice stuff for under $200. Fender, Epiphone, just about anyone makes a decent 150-200 electric. Find a nice tube amp and your set. I like Fender Champs myself (I've got a '64) but that may blow your budget!

And yes, make sure the guitar is set up well. Fret work is hard enough for little hands without haveing to fight a poorly set up guitar.

Ed,
From your post I gather you are not a guitarist yourself. Therefore, it would seem you need exact advice as to makes and models.
1. Go with an acoustic guitar. Electric guitars played through an amp have lots of volume and sustain, making every mistake painfully audible to everyone in the house. So,

2. I recommend a Yamaha F310 acoustic guitar. You should be able to find one for about $150 or less. This is a decent beginner's guitar that is playable with nice sound. Also Washburn makes some nice beginner guitars; the D10S sells for $200.

3. Be very careful buying a guitar online. It may not come properly setup and then it will be difficult to play. I can recommend one excellent online store; Elderly Instruments: http://www.elderly.com/
They do set up the guitars before shipping. I bought my Yairi from them and they are very nice people, and their service is top notch.
Your best bet, though is to deal with a local music shop that specializes in guitars. He will set the guitar up for you, your kid can try it out there, and he may be willing to buy it back from you if your kid loses interest in it. Plus you'll be supporting your local guitar shop, a valuable, vanishing resource in this day of the mega - music stores.

yes i agree on yamaha's too the fender series to look for is the "F" series, like an f-65 or such they are truly great instruments that will last a lifetime! and the older deep body yamaha's sound great too

Thanks to all for the sound (and specific) advice. I'm a drummer myself, so there you have it!

I'll be sure to let you all know what I finally come home with.

Ed

I am a hardcore acoustic guitar snob, so my opinion may need to be taken with a heavy dose of reality. I would say the best "beginner" guitar out there is the Taylor Big Baby. One of those will run at least $400 new, IIRC. They are ugly as sin, but they do have a solid wood top (NOT plywood), sound good, and have awesome action and playability.

Also, the Seagull S-6 is a good choice. These have a solid top, are made in Canada, and should be available for $350 or less. Again, these are uglier than dirt and are not quite as easy to play as the Taylor, but are still quite good.

It is possible to buy an Asian import for far less than this, but try to take someone knowledgeable with you when you go looking. Some of the low priced Asian imports are truly horrific. I have been reasonably impressed with some of the Ibanez acoustics I have seen lately. Yamaha is usually a good choice. Beware the "beginner packs" that come in a box with a gig bag, a pitch pipe, and a few picks. I would stay away from those, regardless of what brand it is.

Also, in this price range, no guitar is going to have much in the way of dealer set-up. That would drive up the cost, and price is what sells these.