Best first guitar? S & P .... (Gibson Acoustic Guitars)

Member Name: PhiltheJuggler

Product:	Gibson Acoustic Guitars
Date:	31/12/01 (11561 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Solid Top, Good Action, Super Sound

Disadvantages: Top marks easily

There is a bewildering choice of guitars available, and a beginner is hard pressed to know where to start - he / she is often at the mercy of a shop assistant who may be desperate to shift the dismal guitar that's been sitting in the corner for months. This opinion will give the reader some advice about where to start when choosing an acoustic steel-strung guitar, and then strongly recommend the Simon & Patrick SP6.

Why acoustic?

I believe a steel-strung acoustic guitar is an excellent guitar to learn on. It is appropriate for a wide range of styles, is portable, requires little partnering equipment (unlike an electric) and is ideal for solo or group work.

Buy cheap, buy twice!

Cheap acoustics (£100 region)tend to have two main problems.

1)They sound terrible & this discourages practising.

2)They may well be awkward to play - the 'action' (how high the strings are above the fretboard) may well be too high (difficult to hold down strings) or too low (notes buzz).

Also they often have cheap 'machine heads' (the bit you attach the strings to & tune with) which may wear out after a relatively short time.

What do you get for your money?

If you spend £200 plus on an acoustic you should expect a 'solid top'. The top soundboard of the guitar is made from one pice of wood, rather than laminated from several as the cheaper ones are. This makes the guitar sound much better, and also a solid top's sound will improve with playing as the wood loosens. A laminate will not improve.

A guitar should be set-up well. The details are really beyond the scope of this opinion, but...

The strings shouldn't be more than about 1.5mm above the frets (metal rungs going across the fingerboard), but not so low that they buzz. (It could be poor technique that makes a guitar buzz though...)Also the neck should not be twisted, but should have a slight bow, with the
centre lower than the ends.

If you buy new then make sure the guitar is checked out by someone knowledgeable before the guarantee runs out.

If at all possible, and definately if buying second hand take a seasoned player with you.


OK....The Simon & Patrick SP6

I don't believe you can beat this guitar for a beginner. It regularly wins awards for the best guitar under £500 and it costs as little as £279! (just over £300 for the left-handed version).

Solid top - can be spruce or cedar. Spruce has a brighter sound, Cedar has a mellower sound (I own the Cedar). The top has a delicate coating which S & P claims improves the sound over traditional coatings as it is much lighter & lets the wood resonate more freely. The only negative here is that it marks more easily than a varnished top.

The action is good: Played very well from the beginning - further improved when I had it professionally set-up by a guitar repairer. A beginner will not be hampered by poor action & assume that it is their lack of ability.

Sounds beautiful - I have used it live, with & without amplification and have received numerous complements regarding the tone. To amplify I use a 'Fishman Acoustic Rare-Earth Pickup' which was just over £100 (& I have it permanently fitted). A beginner will be motivated to keep playing it as some lovely tones will be coming out from the beginning.


Perfect price bracket. At £279 it is not too much for someone who maybe isn't sure that they will take to the guitar to risk. A reasonable second-hand price is assured. For a more experienced player, the tone is far more than satisfactory & you would need to be spending £1000 to get something head & shoulders better.


Any misgivings? Well aside from the top being easy to mark, the first S & P I bought had a manufacturing fault. This may sound like a criticism, but the fault was not discovered until I had owned the gu
itar for nearly two years & I had taken it to be professionally set-up because of a slight buzz on one string. The guitar was sent back to S & P and they instantly replaced it with a brand new perfect model, despite being well over the year's guarantee. Result!


Overall - you can't do better for a beginner's guitar. Buy it, buy an electronic tuner, a chord book & then go and download your favourite songs from harmonycentral.com!!

Phil the Juggler.

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