Yes and yes, for 3 reasons: 1. As he mentioned in the video, if the action is too high, then bending the string down to the fret will make the note sound sharp and the guitar will sound out of tune even if the open notes are in tune. 2. He also mentioned in the video that if you're trying to hold one string down, a higher action makes it more likely that the strings above and below will unintentionally touch your finger, muting those strings when you don't want to. 3. Putting the needed pressure on the strings gets old fast - especially for a beginner. This not only causes needless muscle fatigue, but it hurts!
Well, to be honest, for a beginner, playing the guitar is painful no matter what. Steel strings hurt a bit if you're not used to it... but a high action could probably make the difference between "still enjoyable" and "torture" for a beginner.
I've just turned 30 and I always wanted to learn guitar. 5 months ago I bought this very same cheapest guitar (looks identical with what Justin's presenting here). Never played guitar before so I thought, I just want to learn, so I don't really need more than the cheapest one. :) Frankly, a more expensive guitar would have been more easier to learn on but, I regret nothing since my desire and passion were and still are HUGE. Hard and painful?! No doubt! Even with new strings, after the first weekend of playing it, I was literally almost unable to play it anymore due to the fresh corns on my fingertips. But the grit was skyrocketing. Ignored the pain and went on and on and on, playing it every single day. Now I'm learning my second cover, Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", first one being "Through glass" of Stone Sour. When I think of my passion on this guitar and the sacrifice I made with it, I can only metaphorically think of love: it can be painful and sometimes it will be very, but in the end it worths the effort. (please keep in mind that I'm a grown man and I would never recommend such thing to a child xD). Now I'm ready to move on to a better guitar and I think it will make me shine much more after learning on this motherfucker. :)) Keep the fire burning! \m/ Bless and love from Bucharest, Romania!
The action was so high on my first guitar it destroyed my fingers, the nerves are damaged now...but damn my skill when from 0-100 once I bought my Taylor. Best thing I ever did
My friend has a ridiculously cheap electric guitar. I've been playing instruments for around 15 years, when I tried to play that piece of junk, it actually was difficult. The action was a quarter mile high, having to press the strings down so far put any form of shredding out of the play. The tone sustained for a quarter second, bending strings resulted in the pickups losing signal. Legato was very difficult to make audible and when tapping, there was almost no sound coming from the pickups at all. And I know the guitar takes blame for all of that, because I own a Fender Tele that is a pleasure to play. I told him to buy a better guitar if he could afford it, but he said it's not necessary, because he sucks anyways. Well, I wonder why.
I wish I had known not to buy a cheap guitar 20 years ago for all those years I thought I was useless I bought a Washburn heritage jumbo a couple of weeks ago turns out I sound 100 times better on it
Lol same I played two cheap ass £50 guitars from age 11-19 and just assumed I was bad because I couldn’t get anything to sound good. Then got a £500 guitar and I’m still bad 😖
@@thelickpolice1210 You friend could probably get the guitar "setup" to play more reasonably. Lowering the action on an electric guitar shouldn't be that difficult.
Yes. My fingers hurt when Im touching things its like phantom pain. And they are festroyed. The action is 0.9 mm at the first fret. Got to change it even tho i might break a 200$ guitar
I had an acoustic Guitar that looked EXACTLY like that when I was a kid. Couldn't play it at all and my Mom just kept telling me to practice and it wasn't until my Uncle who played every instrument ever for his entire life tried it out and said "Yep, this Guitar is crap, the nut's off center, the neck is warped and the tuning keys won't hold so it can't stay in tune." Crap Guitar lol
Because it hasn't happened to you yet. Once it does you'll never be the same. Seriously though, yeah if you run a light gauge string take your time with the high E
My first guitar bought in 1966 cost $15.00. I knew nothing about string height or intonation. With a mel bey chord book and 45 rpm country music I learned. When I got my Gibson and fender silver face my hand could outplay everyone. I was called the best-rythem man around.
@@miggymogel9217 I'm no expert - but as I understand it a lot of people can play by ear. Ray probably learnt the chords from his chord book, listened to the songs and identified the chords which allowed him to learn how to play the tunes.
@@miggymogel9217 notes and phrases come into your memory, obviously you have to play countless hours to develop your technique, but inspiration comes from listening to others. You begin by emulating your favorite performer, but soon you will develop a voice and tone of your own.
Hey Justin! I'm happy you're still making videos. I first found your website 10 years ago when I was first learning guitar. I had finished chemotherapy just a few months prior and I was looking for something to get my mind off of everything. Your website helped me to learn how to play and the lessons you taught me back then are still fresh in my memory, despite my "chemo brain" symptoms. I've been playing for 10 years and I would never have been able to get this far if it wasn't for you and your free knowledge that you freely shared. Thank you so much!
Cheap acoustics are always the best to play blues of for some reason. i got a few gibsons, a breedlove a martin and a cheap no name garbage acoustic that has a Popsicle stick as the saddle and the blues just comes out sweet on that thing hahaha. so weird.
funfact johnny cash's first guitar which he played many times at tours with was 2$ point is if you got a cheap guitar and just watched this, it's obviously not as good as a 2000$ guitar but it's still your damn guitar so just learn how to play it then spend on a good one
It is similar in bicycle racing. Peter Sagan can make a € 600 bicycle go nearly as fast as a € 7500 one, but even he is out of luck at the € 100 bicycle category.
Please note that the series on fixing this thing up to make it better (lessons on how to set up your guitar) is a couple of months off yet :) but it's coming! BTW - this guitar needs a name - what you think her name should be??
It's actually really reassuring to see such a good guitar player have such difficulty with a cheap guitar. Wish that back when I was 16 and starting out that I had realized ow much of the difficulty was on the cheap guitar instead of on my ability.
I'm pretty sure I own that exact guitar from Amazon...I kept practicing on it and it didn't sound exactly good, but as soon as I got my hands on a nicer guitar I could hear all the practice. Any guitar is better than nothing!
Such cheap instruments are really well suitable for learning how to fix your guitar (replace strings, frets etc.). Even if you break it, it's not a big loss. If you do that with even a couple of hundreds of pounds instruments, you might get a heart attack.
This is exactly how I see it. Before doing anything to my James Neligan (if at any point), I will attempt doing whatever it is on a cheap guitar first.
@@matthewstephens5937 From his official page: Justin Sandercoe is a UK based guitarist who grew up in Tasmania (an island off the South East coast of Australia) but has been based in West London since 1996, though moved out to the countryside in 2017.
@@friethem this is what happens when everyone thinks it really matters if your British, Aussie, or Kiwi.... they're all the same people, and only Americans think theres really a difference.
This is why you don't buy a kid a cheap guitar. Most likely it will be so hard to play that even a good guitar player would have trouble playing it. Also, I say set a price point, around $250 to $300 and let the kid pick the guitar. The more they like it the more likely they'll be picking it up a lot and spending more time trying to learn how to play it. Also, it's a good idea to get them a few lessons with a good guitar teacher who can keep them from acquiring any bad habits and point them in the right direction.
Oletta Liano on the other hand, if the kid is stubborn and manage to learn with a shitty guitar, he will develop an unnatural strength in the fingers, and any other guitar will be a piece of cake
juantxorena I learned on a guitar that wasn’t the best, when I switched a better one, my skill advanced better than the original guitar. When the action is too high like that, it’s difficult to use. You can play scales, but barre chords and progressions can become a bit hard. But it’s a good start for basic chords. I would recommend taking it in to have it worked on to lower the action.
I always thought and was told as well that beginners should start with acoustic guitar, but he says to go electric. I think it is just an indian thing coz acoustic guitars are cheaper
+NotAMuggle in India acoustic is the cheapest ? That's cool , in Syria acoustics are very pricy , classical guitars are the cheapest ...... it sucks how expensive guitars are in here and how they usually come with bad quality like buzzing sounds or high action problems or even a shitty nut , even the strings are fucking expensive
true, yet it is crucial to not get discouraged to continue learning to play guitar. A cheap acoustic guitar can be (too) hard to learn basics on, whereas more expensive guitars will be easier and much more enjoyable to play on
dimlocator44: Well, from Dictionary.com: A person or class of persons considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society. So, I believe that arrogance is built in to being an elitist. I am not knocking folks who can afford and prefer an expensive instrument. I'm just saying that a lot of people can't afford those instruments, or want to try out playing a guitar to see if they like it. If a person is serious about playing and learning the guitar, they will gradually move into better instruments.
psteeg: I agree to that. Almost all cheap guitars have action issues, and some have serious intonation problems as well. That can discourage a new player from progressing, or even continuing. However, as I have been modifying and repairing guitars for over 30 years now, I can say that many 'cheap' guitars can play and sound just fine with some attention and a bit of TLC. The fact that someone can't afford a Martin should not prevent that person from enjoying the guitar experience. Just sayin'...
Marc: Why do you feel it's necessary to use the word 'sh!t' 3 times in a short sentence showing your disdain for that particular guitar? I could make that guitar sound pretty good with a new set of strings and a couple of hours of work.
He's probably on some anti-depressants. My best friend now smiles at everything and finds the world interesting for the first time. It's called being a drug addict.
I’ve got a $100. Rogue Acoustic and I tweaked everything on it, changed out the saddle, nut and pins, strings, filed the frets smooth, added a preamp/ equalizer to play through an amp. The trussrod adjustment was the biggest help. Of course I would love to have the money to buy a better brand/model but if you know or are willing to learn about the guitar setup you can make it work. I love my cheap guitar
I just got a guitar as I am on quarantine in Virginia, US and I am so happy to have seen this video. I’m guilty of getting the cheap amazon guitar that I can learn to play on. I’m having a really hard time keeping it tuned mid song and the strings really, really hurt my fingertips. Wasn’t sure if all guitars are like this in the beginning or if it was me. I’m sure it’s a bit of Both. Thank you for explaining the string setting situation. I will defiantly have that looked at.
The first acoustic guitar i bought was roughly about £80 from Argos. It is a squire fender Chinese thing. I had to get the bridge reglued as it came away. With a decent set of strings and the action lowered slightly it is one of my favourite guitars. I play it more often than my £500 Breedlove
Yeah I bought a $60 guitar when I first started out. The D chord on those really cheap guitars take a long time get right. Those strings like to touch the side of your fingers and make a bbbzzzz.
It's great to see a 'cheap vs expensive' video were the playability is talked about and not just the sound, and what's more it's a genuinely cheap guitar. Well done Justin.
Some of my best years on a guitar were spent on $200> guitars; mostly because I couldn't afford anything other then that. It took me 15 years to finally get into the top shelf...and what a difference it makes. You do a great job giving that little amazon guitar a fair shake...My first guitar came out of a Fingerhut catalog.
Of course it’s not bad in your hands. Put it in mine I’ll make it sound like a £30 guitar haha Brilliant, been looking for quality lessons on how to set up a guitar to make it easier to play. Can’t wait for these. Thank you in advance 🤟🏻
Looking forward to this. I just bought myself a few luthier tools because I have enough guitars now that it was getting expensive to keep them setup properly. This will be a very popular series as most of us are not professional musicians so our smaller guitar budget means we are buying Epiphones rather than Gibsons. Getting the best out of a cheaper guitar is going to be invaluable information.
Bone nut, file the slot, adjust the truss rod, polish frets, new good strings, bone saddle, filed for low action, and maybe you are less pressed to use it to kindle the 🔥
The Amazon almost has a National steel guitar sound to it. It's really pretty cool. It has more personality than the expensive one. But I see strings breaking, pins popping out and flying across the room and bridges coming unglued and smacking you in the face.
I have just started your beginner course on your website and have the D, A and E chords down and am moving to the minor chords! You rock dude. Hands down the best guitar instructor on the web.
The real comparison would be a $1000 guitar versus a $7500 guitar. That's still a very significant difference in price, but there are a lot of $1000 guitars that sound pretty awesome. I have a Yamaha whose sound defies its price ($300). It was a fun video anyway. Thanks!
I like that idea as most of us can relate to owning a decent $1000ish midrange type instrument and possibly wonder if it's worth ever splashing out $1000s on a top of the range guitar. I own a Gibson J45 and think it's worth every penny for the use and pleasure I get from playing it, or even just looking at it!
Last year I bought a C.F. Mountain guitar (a Japanese 70s copy of a C.F. Martin 000, known as lawsuit guitars). It was for my niece, and I didn't even see it let alone play it, but I knew lawsuit axes can be good, and it was in the town where she lives. I bought it for £122. I didn't see it for a couple of months, but when I heard it I was amazed, even though I couldn't keep it in tune - sometimes you would turn a tuner a few times and the note wouldn't change - THAT bad! I lent her a nice little axe, and took hers home to sort it. The luthier I use put nice period Grovers, on it, and a bone nut, saddle (had carved etc), and bridge pins - £100 the lot. I can honestly say it's one of the loveliest guitars I've ever played - tone, intonation, volume, and playability. Total outlay of £220. The only guitar I have which can compare is a Santa Cruz 00, brazilian and Engleman spruce, which would now cost you about £6k. That's quite a comparison!
VERY helpful! Love the little ditty you played at the end (after you compared both guitars). I LIKE the way it sounded on the Amazon acoustic! Thanks Justin
Back in the 1940's, and 50's, Sears sold an acoustic called a Sivertone for about 12 to 15 dollars. They were as good as some Epiphones, Yamaha's and others made today. My first electric guitar was a Silvertone "LP." Great sounding, and playing guitar, but it weighed about as much as a city bus! I got into playing telecasters, and strats, so I sold the Silvertone LP and got exactly what I paid for it...250 dollars, and it was about 4 years old. Cheers, Justin, and Happy New Year to everyone! :)
It's funny I'm so used to playing cheap guitars I watch Justin playing and tuning that cheap guitar watching the expressions on his face makes me laugh. I found a guitar in my alley in Tucson someone pounded holes in it with a 🔨 so I took it home and repaired the holes with drywall tape and drywall mud and I would trade it for anything!!! It's got more tone and deep Rich tone then any other guitar I have, I left one of the holes in it I think it's what gives it that extra Rich sounds
when i was young i was gifted a guitar similar to this one and was told i was absolutely terrible and it sounded awful, i eventually bought a higher quality guitar and it sounded beautiful lol
My 11 year old daughter wants to learn to play Electric guitar, I have no clue on where or what kind to get herfot Christmas , she loves all different kinds of music , but she loves the sound of guitar, I’m glad I seen this before buying her just any ol guitar .
Get her an electric, not a 'child-size' or 'beginner-pack' mind. Go here for help: justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php?board=79.0 Cheers 😊 | Richard - close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator [ www.justinguitar.com/ ]
I am 60years young now so few years ago decided i want to play and learn. Bought a yamaha f310 for £80, low action tuned was great to start, but moved countries soon after and sold it, then bought a Fender cc60s but it had high action and just did not get on with the guitar at all, made excuses not to play. So eventually after 2 years old and cant play anything at all and totally embarressed by it all I went out and bought a Yamaha APX700ii, and love it. Now learning with Justin beginners again and happy.. Playing an learning is fun again now. So don't think cheap guitars are good to start and have to struggle etc. Save up and get something decent so you will want to learn to play properly and be proud of the guitar you play.
I need to set the action on my strat, it's quite high and I'm only a beginner. The only shredding that's going on is to my fingers trying to fret notes. 🙂
Personally, my first guitar was a cheap acoustic steel string, and I learned to play bach on it. It was difficult, but it made me better when I moved to nylon because my hand strength was much higher.
Somehow watching this makes me relieved because my guitar sounds like this. And i always tought i was doing stuff wrong. I found it so hard. Barring hurts and everything you just said was the stuff i struggle with on a daily basis.
Interesting... The Amazon guitar is definitely not going to win any awards, but definitely not as bad as I was expecting... And as you said, it actually has quite a surprising tone for bluegrass and bluesy styles... To be honest, I was more surprised by the ridiculously expensive guitar... On some of the comparison tracks, it sounded pretty dead with far too much midrange and not enough definition of the bass or treble, making it sound a bit muddy... Wasn't expecting that for such a prohibitively expensive guitar.... 🤔
I had one of these for about a year. Did me well. I learnt the basics and now have a much better Yamaha guitar. But for a beginner who’s not yet committed, this is for you
One tip for begginers I have always use thick strings when u start out my first acoustic had really thick strings and everytime they broke I got thicker ones as time goes by you'll find bar chords very easy and will be able to play any acoustic guitar no matter the how thick the strings are
So I tried to check what happened to this guitar, I was curious if he ever set it up properly.. You know, changed strings, lowered action and dealt with the intonation and made sure the frets were level and not sharp. I know a beginner wouldn't know how to do some of that, but if someone had a file and time they could do all that lol. Anyhow, this video is about two years old, so I am just talking to myself lol.
@@spreadwuvokay I think that depends more on the price of the guitar really. If someone buys a cheap 40.00 ish guitar and spends 50 to 70 on a really good setup, they are down 90-110 dollars. If someone buys a 110.00 guitar, they will need to do the exact same thing so they will end up spending 160-180 on that one... Heck, if someone spends 500.00 on a guitar, they will still likely need a setup done on it, so that will need to happen on any guitar you buy. So If i could buy the cheap 40.00 guitar and do and get a setup on it, and once set up it plays nicely, then it is worth it even if I had to pay for the setup. Though it is a much better investment if you can do most if not all of the setup yourself.
@@lfaf9509 I think it's very good to do your research before you buy a cheap guitar but generally I hear $200 is a good bet for a guitar that'll feel fine to play and won't need to be fucked with, so you might actually be right in some cases. I don't know how much Luthiers will ask for for all of the things a cheap guitar would need to be more comfortable though cause it likely will be more than one thing. Also what I meant by defeating the purpose is, most people who buy cheap guitars are beginners and aren't sure if they'll stick with it so they aren't willing to drop $100+ on one even $80+
@@spreadwuvokay Although i do agree that is it always best to do your research before buying a guitar, I do understand most folks buying a cheap guitar are doing so without having done a bunch of research. Setups for acoustic guitars can cost anywhere between 40 to 100 dollars, and all of them will include some form of inspection and a truss rod adjustment if needed plus intonation and some level of fret work... Normally the how much fret work that will get done, will depend on the place you take it to get it set up, the same goes for price. Though you may end up paying for a string change as well, as every guitar you buy should have its strings changed when you buy it lol. I find that most of the time, the folks buying cheap guitars are ether parents or broke folks like myself lol. :)
I have been playing guitar for about 4 years (with Justins help!) and now own a Yamaha that cost £300 and a Blueridge that cost £500. Out of the box the Yamaha came with quite a high action that I found difficult to barre, the Blueridge was better but I still found it difficult to barre when I wasn't using a capo. I took both of them to a Luthier who lowered the action and set them up for me. The result is that I now have two guitars that are much easier to play! I would recommend anyone (particularly a beginner) buying a cheap / mid price acoustic to budget £50 (which is what it cost me) or so for a Luthier to set it up for them. I would speculate that that the £30 amazon guitar set up properly by a Luthier will be a lot easier to play than an £80 guitar straight out of the box.
The cheap one might be awkward to play but from where I am it sounds pretty good, probably good for slide too. Personally I like guitars that are a challenge to play, (as long as the strings aren't too close together so your fingers get mushed up!) it makes you work a bit harder, which can have a good effect on the sound.
I've only ever been able to afford cheap guitars & get a good sound out of them after so long playing. It's always nice to play a more expensive one though!
I’ve been playing a guitar like this for about 6 years and i can tell you it makes a man out of you! I’ve also got a 12 string and an electric and playing barre chords is no problem. You can give me any guitar at any party and i can play it... not saying im a great guitarist or anything but if you persevere with a guitar like this you chord hand can handle anything 😂
I used to play guitar when I was younger but then sold two of my guitars as well as my equipment and other stuff to pay for college. I just turned 21 and really wanted to play the guitar again and I found the cheapest full size righty guitar on OfferUp I could find, an Ibanez acoustic guitar in great condition for $75. Owner on lowered it to $70 (£53) after noticing a minor scratch on the back. It plays great and I’m in love again.
I got a cheap guitar for Christmas from my aunt and I’m so grateful for it, it’s my first guitar. If I change the strings is it possible it won’t sound as bad
Yes and no. It all depends how well that guitar is made and how far are strings from the neck. You can try to improve your guitar and buy yourself Martin M130 80-20 Silk & Steel Strings or some light gauge coated strings so your action between the chords will be smoother and your fingers will learn much faster without pain that goes with the guitar. That will suffice for you at the moment. In the end it is better to start with classical guitar. Neck is wider and the strings used for them are from nylon so they are much easier on your fingers and one will learn faster on them.
Nice video Justin, showing the comparisons. The thing about a good quality guitar is the better you get the better it sounds. Ditto on Oletta's comments $250 to $300 is a good starting price.
Hi Justin! Firs off - thank you for all of your videos, I am following your courses and you are definitely among the best teachers. I wodner if the licks you played at the end are from a song or where can one listen to more of it?
When i first started to get into Guitar I borrowed my brother’s guitar to learn the action was so high that it was struggle to play on it but at that time i didn’t knew about all those stuffs and thought that playing guitar was painful but eventually I learned how to play a guitar on same guitar 😅😄lol
How do you not hear difference in tone? I could tell before I started playing because the cheap is brittle and goes out of tune at least here in the vid since is new
I remember I had a Cheap no name guitar that was a full size guitar I remember that I couldn't even fret a F chord the 2 finger variant let alone a Barr Chord then my old man was nice enough to get me a 95 Dollar Dean Performer Guitar that was the shit great Beginner guitar played that for over 5 years and I still have it I've switched over to a Tacoma (American Made Guitar) made of Indian Rosewood and have learned all I can on Rhythm guitar other than Barr chords
This China guitar is what you hang on the wall at your camp for the beer and liquor infused campfire sing along's that converge once a year in the summer by the lake (loch)...and if your kid shows enthusiasm for the instrument, that's the sign to lay down some cash for a Yamaha and some lessons.
Justin, as you may or may not know a lot of these "cheap" guitars are shipped with several spacers under the saddle which are easily removed. Also, ALL cheap guitars ship with the worst strings you have ever used. I know you are going to do a fix up update video later but I just wanted to mention that lowering the action by removing spacers (if there) and putting decent strings on it will improve it 100%. The tone on that is not half bad. I have a $60 (U.S.) Epiphone flat top that all I did to it was remove the spacers, replaced the saddle with a bone model and sanded it to the correct height, put good strings on it and added a nice interior pizo pick-up and it plays and sounds great. I really enjoy your videos and have learned quite a lot from you and, I thank you.
That's what I bought my 5 year old kid so he can "play" with me. He likes the sound it makes when he drags it up and down the stairs.
Boone Docker I bought my son a first act from Wal-Mart for the same reason lol
😂
Lol why not just get him the foggy bottom I mean cmon mate
@@toriancromar Better that one than one of mine friend. He autographed it in crayon though.
😂😂
The poor beginner doesn't know that the action is high and can be improved. They think, "playing the guitar is painful".
Is a high action automatically bad? Is a low one automatically better?
Yes and yes, for 3 reasons: 1. As he mentioned in the video, if the action is too high, then bending the string down to the fret will make the note sound sharp and the guitar will sound out of tune even if the open notes are in tune.
2. He also mentioned in the video that if you're trying to hold one string down, a higher action makes it more likely that the strings above and below will unintentionally touch your finger, muting those strings when you don't want to.
3. Putting the needed pressure on the strings gets old fast - especially for a beginner. This not only causes needless muscle fatigue, but it hurts!
Thanks for the instruction. I should have paid better attention!
Justin has shared some great advice here on The Cheapest Acoustic Guitar On Amazon vs $7500 Froggy Bottom.
Well, to be honest, for a beginner, playing the guitar is painful no matter what. Steel strings hurt a bit if you're not used to it... but a high action could probably make the difference between "still enjoyable" and "torture" for a beginner.
I've just turned 30 and I always wanted to learn guitar. 5 months ago I bought this very same cheapest guitar (looks identical with what Justin's presenting here). Never played guitar before so I thought, I just want to learn, so I don't really need more than the cheapest one. :) Frankly, a more expensive guitar would have been more easier to learn on but, I regret nothing since my desire and passion were and still are HUGE. Hard and painful?! No doubt! Even with new strings, after the first weekend of playing it, I was literally almost unable to play it anymore due to the fresh corns on my fingertips. But the grit was skyrocketing. Ignored the pain and went on and on and on, playing it every single day. Now I'm learning my second cover, Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", first one being "Through glass" of Stone Sour. When I think of my passion on this guitar and the sacrifice I made with it, I can only metaphorically think of love: it can be painful and sometimes it will be very, but in the end it worths the effort. (please keep in mind that I'm a grown man and I would never recommend such thing to a child xD). Now I'm ready to move on to a better guitar and I think it will make me shine much more after learning on this motherfucker. :)) Keep the fire burning! \m/ Bless and love from Bucharest, Romania!
Same feels man.
Wow romanians
Should've just got a pick 👋🏻😂
I got drunk one night while listening to John Denver... three days later I'm the owner of an Amazon Guitar.
I got drunk one night at Disney. I came home to a commercial waffle maker on my porch from Amazon.
One day I got drunk at home. I woke up to find my shoes in the refrigerator and my nice shirts in the toilet. 😅
i got drunk one night and ordered the whole girls gone wild dvds.............good 'ol Army days ..........
Got drunk one night and when I woke up I was still getting drunk one night.. did I miss something?
I got drunk one night, and ended up with a fiddle from amazon... Guess it was Bluegrass night. 😂
The action was so high on my first guitar it destroyed my fingers, the nerves are damaged now...but damn my skill when from 0-100 once I bought my Taylor. Best thing I ever did
My friend has a ridiculously cheap electric guitar. I've been playing instruments for around 15 years, when I tried to play that piece of junk, it actually was difficult. The action was a quarter mile high, having to press the strings down so far put any form of shredding out of the play. The tone sustained for a quarter second, bending strings resulted in the pickups losing signal. Legato was very difficult to make audible and when tapping, there was almost no sound coming from the pickups at all. And I know the guitar takes blame for all of that, because I own a Fender Tele that is a pleasure to play. I told him to buy a better guitar if he could afford it, but he said it's not necessary, because he sucks anyways. Well, I wonder why.
I wish I had known not to buy a cheap guitar 20 years ago for all those years I thought I was useless I bought a Washburn heritage jumbo a couple of weeks ago turns out I sound 100 times better on it
Lol same I played two cheap ass £50 guitars from age 11-19 and just assumed I was bad because I couldn’t get anything to sound good. Then got a £500 guitar and I’m still bad 😖
@@thelickpolice1210 You friend could probably get the guitar "setup" to play more reasonably. Lowering the action on an electric guitar shouldn't be that difficult.
Yes. My fingers hurt when Im touching things its like phantom pain. And they are festroyed. The action is 0.9 mm at the first fret. Got to change it even tho i might break a 200$ guitar
I had an acoustic Guitar that looked EXACTLY like that when I was a kid. Couldn't play it at all and my Mom just kept telling me to practice and it wasn't until my Uncle who played every instrument ever for his entire life tried it out and said "Yep, this Guitar is crap, the nut's off center, the neck is warped and the tuning keys won't hold so it can't stay in tune." Crap Guitar lol
Superstardom killed by a crap guitar. Oh well, next life....
@@rancidfarts8993 I don't know why you're freaking out dude.
@@rancidfarts8993 Chill the fuck out man
@@levis5230 he ran out of his normal morning meth dose...
Hey Mom, I want a Guitar
No we have a guitar at home
Guitar at home xD
I always fear that the e string is gonna snap when he's tuning it 😂
mine snapped 20 minutes after tuning it... now im scarred for life im just gonna tune it down to D
I know man. I was cringing at how he was going after it.
Can the E string really break that easily? I've been messing with a cheap strat before I get a better one, and I've never feared the string breaking.
Because it hasn't happened to you yet. Once it does you'll never be the same.
Seriously though, yeah if you run a light gauge string take your time with the high E
I get scared when the tuner is getting harder, and when that happens I try to tune in slowly
My first guitar bought in 1966 cost $15.00. I knew nothing about string height or intonation. With a mel bey chord book and 45 rpm country music I learned. When I got my Gibson and fender silver face my hand could outplay everyone. I was called the best-rythem man around.
Dumb question but how do you learn by listening to music
@@miggymogel9217 I'm no expert - but as I understand it a lot of people can play by ear. Ray probably learnt the chords from his chord book, listened to the songs and identified the chords which allowed him to learn how to play the tunes.
@hunterxbox11 how
@@miggymogel9217 notes and phrases come into your memory, obviously you have to play countless hours to develop your technique, but inspiration comes from listening to others. You begin by emulating your favorite performer, but soon you will develop a voice and tone of your own.
@@miggymogel9217 Because he is a Brit, from Great Britain
Hey Justin! I'm happy you're still making videos. I first found your website 10 years ago when I was first learning guitar. I had finished chemotherapy just a few months prior and I was looking for something to get my mind off of everything.
Your website helped me to learn how to play and the lessons you taught me back then are still fresh in my memory, despite my "chemo brain" symptoms. I've been playing for 10 years and I would never have been able to get this far if it wasn't for you and your free knowledge that you freely shared. Thank you so much!
Of course it doesn’t have a brand, who would want to claim that they built that. LOL
lmao
It sounds so bad let’s be honest
I luv non brand
Hahaha
5:46 anyway, here's Wonderwall
the best bit!
Hey man what is the name of that song
Kabir Hussain Wonderwall by oasis
i’m a beginner and i’ve learned that song just so i can say that sentence lmao
Sadly, with RUclips's new algorithms he won't be making any money for this video, just because he played 3 seconds of Wonderwall.
Cheap acoustics are always the best to play blues of for some reason. i got a few gibsons, a breedlove a martin and a cheap no name garbage acoustic that has a Popsicle stick as the saddle and the blues just comes out sweet on that thing hahaha. so weird.
Ben Haven or any school acoustic guitar will do just as good they are always cheap about it but sound great for blues!
Like my bass has a popsicle stick as a nut
Needs to be changed to bone
That's all the early blues players could afford. Think Mississippi Delta Blues.
Yeah. Jack up the action and use it as a bottleneck blues machine.
Because the sound is brighter
funfact johnny cash's first guitar which he played many times at tours with was 2$
point is if you got a cheap guitar and just watched this, it's obviously not as good as a 2000$ guitar but it's still your damn guitar so just learn how to play it then spend on a good one
Back when Johnny had little Cash
It was also the 50s and things were obviously cheaper
Anakin Skywalker funfact, John Lennon either used a guitar that cost like 15$ back in the days
A cheap guitar is fine, but you do need a well made one.
Gabriele K S the average weekly wage back then was around 30-40 dollars
He shows no fear in tuning.
He is ultimate guitar player by default.
Moral of the story, if you're a great guitar player you can make the cheapest of guitars sound good
It is similar in bicycle racing. Peter Sagan can make a € 600 bicycle go nearly as fast as a € 7500 one, but even he is out of luck at the € 100 bicycle category.
😂
Please note that the series on fixing this thing up to make it better (lessons on how to set up your guitar) is a couple of months off yet :) but it's coming!
BTW - this guitar needs a name - what you think her name should be??
No Name Jane
Flat Action Jack
Would you recommend a low end and mid guitar for a beginner? That would be helpful.
Frog foot
I was thinking maybe Bertha.
Well that Froggy Bottom is good, but it isn't £7500 good.
Onion Ring with my lack of skill it would sound the same lmao
I was thinking the same thing, Doesn't sound as good as a Martin.
No guitar is £7500 good.
@@Josh_Read Exactly. So why the hell on earth are some brands sell like that?!
@@justkath512Because people will pay the asking price. If someone is willing to pay, someone will charge the price.
It's actually really reassuring to see such a good guitar player have such difficulty with a cheap guitar. Wish that back when I was 16 and starting out that I had realized ow much of the difficulty was on the cheap guitar instead of on my ability.
I'm pretty sure I own that exact guitar from Amazon...I kept practicing on it and it didn't sound exactly good, but as soon as I got my hands on a nicer guitar I could hear all the practice. Any guitar is better than nothing!
Such cheap instruments are really well suitable for learning how to fix your guitar (replace strings, frets etc.). Even if you break it, it's not a big loss. If you do that with even a couple of hundreds of pounds instruments, you might get a heart attack.
This is exactly how I see it. Before doing anything to my James Neligan (if at any point), I will attempt doing whatever it is on a cheap guitar first.
That's actually a really good point that hadn't occurred to me, good idea.
You are right bro, exactly what happened to me when am trying to work on my first guitar i almost damage it cos am still new to it then.
"I'm fairly decent at playing...a C cord...usually"
British understatement at its best, chaps.
I think he's an Aussie. Not sure but his accent..
Salma Theurgist He is Aussie
@@matthewstephens5937 From his official page: Justin Sandercoe is a UK based guitarist who grew up in Tasmania (an island off the South East coast of Australia) but has been based in West London since 1996, though moved out to the countryside in 2017.
@@friethem this is what happens when everyone thinks it really matters if your British, Aussie, or Kiwi.... they're all the same people, and only Americans think theres really a difference.
@@lpburke86 how did you use the correct "they're" but messed up the "you're"
The cheap one sounds awesome for blues!!! Probably because blues and roots stuff was invented by poorer people on crappy instruments😂
Garrett Arnold damn straight lol. Get a cheap guitar put the action a mile high and use it for slide guitar loo
Garrett Arnold very true
Garrett Arnold yeah i was about to say the same! That part actually sounds pretty cool. In some sort of earthy and dirty way~hahahah
No wonder my guitar is good for blues
so damn correct. 😂
I can't tell you how much I want Norm MacDonald to come walking in wearing the same grey scally cap and asking for a lesson.
My wife bought me a Froggy Bottom about 10 years ago. To be honest, when I found out how much they are, I was a little shocked. But, what a wife!!!
This is why you don't buy a kid a cheap guitar. Most likely it will be so hard to play that even a good guitar player would have trouble playing it. Also, I say set a price point, around $250 to $300 and let the kid pick the guitar. The more they like it the more likely they'll be picking it up a lot and spending more time trying to learn how to play it. Also, it's a good idea to get them a few lessons with a good guitar teacher who can keep them from acquiring any bad habits and point them in the right direction.
Oletta Liano You can get a good guitar for way less at a pawn shop
+Oletta Liano What if mummy/daddy can't afford to drop $250 ~$300 on one child's self indulgent likely transient whim?
Oletta Liano on the other hand, if the kid is stubborn and manage to learn with a shitty guitar, he will develop an unnatural strength in the fingers, and any other guitar will be a piece of cake
Oletta Liano can’t agree enough with letting a kid pick their own instrument, regardless of the budget set
juantxorena I learned on a guitar that wasn’t the best, when I switched a better one, my skill advanced better than the original guitar. When the action is too high like that, it’s difficult to use. You can play scales, but barre chords and progressions can become a bit hard. But it’s a good start for basic chords. I would recommend taking it in to have it worked on to lower the action.
It's like an elite gladiator using a carrot. It's very funny to watch for some reason 😂 love the work Justin. Cheers. Love from India
the cheap guitar is horrible, even our "givson" sounds better, lol
I always thought and was told as well that beginners should start with acoustic guitar, but he says to go electric.
I think it is just an indian thing coz acoustic guitars are cheaper
+NotAMuggle in India acoustic is the cheapest ? That's cool , in Syria acoustics are very pricy , classical guitars are the cheapest ...... it sucks how expensive guitars are in here and how they usually come with bad quality like buzzing sounds or high action problems or even a shitty nut , even the strings are fucking expensive
Cod Zilla Oh come on buddy. Everybody's entitled to use fucks and shits.
vedant bhusari an elite gladiator could kill with a carrot
If all you can afford is a cheap guitar, then it's a lot better than no guitar.
There are elitists in every form of creative endeavor.
true, yet it is crucial to not get discouraged to continue learning to play guitar. A cheap acoustic guitar can be (too) hard to learn basics on, whereas more expensive guitars will be easier and much more enjoyable to play on
dimlocator44: Well, from Dictionary.com:
A person or class of persons considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society.
So, I believe that arrogance is built in to being an elitist.
I am not knocking folks who can afford and prefer an expensive instrument. I'm just saying that a lot of people can't afford those instruments, or want to try out playing a guitar to see if they like it.
If a person is serious about playing and learning the guitar, they will gradually move into better instruments.
psteeg: I agree to that. Almost all cheap guitars have action issues, and some have serious intonation problems as well. That can discourage a new player from progressing, or even continuing.
However, as I have been modifying and repairing guitars for over 30 years now, I can say that many 'cheap' guitars can play and sound just fine with some attention and a bit of TLC.
The fact that someone can't afford a Martin should not prevent that person from enjoying the guitar experience. Just sayin'...
It's a piece of shit mate! I wouldn't shit on it if I hadn't shit for a week! Not worth shit!
Marc: Why do you feel it's necessary to use the word 'sh!t' 3 times in a short sentence showing your disdain for that particular guitar?
I could make that guitar sound pretty good with a new set of strings and a couple of hours of work.
He always has a smile in his face:)
He loves what he does.
He's probably on some anti-depressants. My best friend now smiles at everything and finds the world interesting for the first time. It's called being a drug addict.
@@c_farther5208 I'd probably be a drug addict if you were my friend too.
I’ve got a $100. Rogue Acoustic and I tweaked everything on it, changed out the saddle, nut and pins, strings, filed the frets smooth, added a preamp/ equalizer to play through an amp. The trussrod adjustment was the biggest help. Of course I would love to have the money to buy a better brand/model but if you know or are willing to learn about the guitar setup you can make it work. I love my cheap guitar
"I'm fairly decent at playing C chord" - Justin Sandercoe :p
Balaji Prasad ii
that tuning was the hardest thing to watch
Why
@@Luci_The_Radio_Femboy now its 3 months ago
MADMAN now it’s 3 months ago
Justin : *tunes guitar under 4 minutes*
Me : *starts tuning at 4.30 pm, finishes tuning at 4.34, the next day*
Where is part 2 to this Video?? I want to hear how the cheap guitar sounds after being all set up.
Good anser . I`m in doubt that this neck will be quiet straight without an ancor for a long time .I`d had a guitar like this cheap one .
I just got a guitar as I am on quarantine in Virginia, US and I am so happy to have seen this video. I’m guilty of getting the cheap amazon guitar that I can learn to play on. I’m having a really hard time keeping it tuned mid song and the strings really, really hurt my fingertips. Wasn’t sure if all guitars are like this in the beginning or if it was me. I’m sure it’s a bit of Both. Thank you for explaining the string setting situation. I will defiantly have that looked at.
Sounds somewhere between a banjo and a resonator (and out of tune of course)
Is this Norm MacDonald's english brother?
I thought the same
He's actually Australian.
hahaha that's what I was thinking
I was gonna say the same thing haha
Hes lost some of the Taz compared to early vids. LOL I hear the Londoner a lot now.
The first acoustic guitar i bought was roughly about £80 from Argos. It is a squire fender Chinese thing. I had to get the bridge reglued as it came away. With a decent set of strings and the action lowered slightly it is one of my favourite guitars. I play it more often than my £500 Breedlove
Yeah I bought a $60 guitar when I first started out. The D chord on those really cheap guitars take a long time get right. Those strings like to touch the side of your fingers and make a bbbzzzz.
is that what it is. i thought it was me?
The amazon guitar sounds like a banjo 😂😂😂
"I'm fairly decent at playing a C chord." LOL.
It's kinda lovely that someone finally brought the mutt home from the pound, into a loving home.
It's great to see a 'cheap vs expensive' video were the playability is talked about and not just the sound, and what's more it's a genuinely cheap guitar. Well done Justin.
Some of my best years on a guitar were spent on $200> guitars; mostly because I couldn't afford anything other then that. It took me 15 years to finally get into the top shelf...and what a difference it makes. You do a great job giving that little amazon guitar a fair shake...My first guitar came out of a Fingerhut catalog.
8:45 I absolutely agree!! Loved the vid, Keep up the great work
Of course it’s not bad in your hands. Put it in mine I’ll make it sound like a £30 guitar haha
Brilliant, been looking for quality lessons on how to set up a guitar to make it easier to play. Can’t wait for these. Thank you in advance 🤟🏻
a lot of the downsides you cannot hear when he is playing the cheap thing - your fingers will definitely show how cheap it will be
Haa
I have heard a D-28 sound like a $30 guitar. If you can't play, you can't play.
Looking forward to this. I just bought myself a few luthier tools because I have enough guitars now that it was getting expensive to keep them setup properly. This will be a very popular series as most of us are not professional musicians so our smaller guitar budget means we are buying Epiphones rather than Gibsons. Getting the best out of a cheaper guitar is going to be invaluable information.
Bone nut, file the slot, adjust the truss rod, polish frets, new good strings, bone saddle, filed for low action, and maybe you are less pressed to use it to kindle the 🔥
The Amazon almost has a National steel guitar sound to it. It's really pretty cool. It has more personality than the expensive one. But I see strings breaking, pins popping out and flying across the room and bridges coming unglued and smacking you in the face.
Man some of those Blues riffs were absolutely rocking, nice vid!
I have just started your beginner course on your website and have the D, A and E chords down and am moving to the minor chords! You rock dude. Hands down the best guitar instructor on the web.
The real comparison would be a $1000 guitar versus a $7500 guitar. That's still a very significant difference in price, but there are a lot of $1000 guitars that sound pretty awesome. I have a Yamaha whose sound defies its price ($300). It was a fun video anyway. Thanks!
Yamaha guitars are good guitars. Sigma Guitars are uniformly excellent also I've found and play like a much more expensive guitar.
plywood does sound good ! Same with my Washburn
I like that idea as most of us can relate to owning a decent $1000ish midrange type instrument and possibly wonder if it's worth ever splashing out $1000s on a top of the range guitar. I own a Gibson J45 and think it's worth every penny for the use and pleasure I get from playing it, or even just looking at it!
I purchased a faith for 800. It was orders of magnitude better than a 4k taylor!
Certainly its a good idea to try a few and pick the one that suits
Last year I bought a C.F. Mountain guitar (a Japanese 70s copy of a C.F. Martin 000, known as lawsuit guitars). It was for my niece, and I didn't even see it let alone play it, but I knew lawsuit axes can be good, and it was in the town where she lives. I bought it for £122. I didn't see it for a couple of months, but when I heard it I was amazed, even though I couldn't keep it in tune - sometimes you would turn a tuner a few times and the note wouldn't change - THAT bad! I lent her a nice little axe, and took hers home to sort it. The luthier I use put nice period Grovers, on it, and a bone nut, saddle (had carved etc), and bridge pins - £100 the lot. I can honestly say it's one of the loveliest guitars I've ever played - tone, intonation, volume, and playability. Total outlay of £220. The only guitar I have which can compare is a Santa Cruz 00, brazilian and Engleman spruce, which would now cost you about £6k. That's quite a comparison!
Ok, now I feel a little better about my 100$ guitar that I always thought is the worst :D
Nesta CZ I have a 120 quid squier telecaster and it easily one of my favourite guitars.
James Somogyi same
VERY helpful! Love the little ditty you played at the end (after you compared both guitars). I LIKE the way it sounded on the Amazon acoustic! Thanks Justin
Back in the 1940's, and 50's, Sears sold an acoustic called a Sivertone for about 12 to 15 dollars. They were as good as some Epiphones, Yamaha's and others made today. My first electric guitar was a Silvertone "LP." Great sounding, and playing guitar, but it weighed about as much as a city bus! I got into playing telecasters, and strats, so I sold the Silvertone LP and got exactly what I paid for it...250 dollars, and it was about 4 years old. Cheers, Justin, and Happy New Year to everyone! :)
It's funny I'm so used to playing cheap guitars I watch Justin playing and tuning that cheap guitar watching the expressions on his face makes me laugh. I found a guitar in my alley in Tucson someone pounded holes in it with a 🔨 so I took it home and repaired the holes with drywall tape and drywall mud and I would trade it for anything!!! It's got more tone and deep Rich tone then any other guitar I have, I left one of the holes in it I think it's what gives it that extra Rich sounds
lol that looks just like my guitar. wait a minute that is my guitar.
Oof
Mine too lol I'm hoping if I can play on a crappy on like this I can play on a better one 😅
Laughing so hard. Enjoyed your comment. It sounds great if you ask me.
Cheapest guitar on amazon
*literally pulls out my hand me down *
Hopefully I can upgrade soon /:
God damn lmao
i believe in guitar karma...an upgrade and a good setup will change your playing immensely
💀💀💀i cant
when i was young i was gifted a guitar similar to this one and was told i was absolutely terrible and it sounded awful, i eventually bought a higher quality guitar and it sounded beautiful lol
My 11 year old daughter wants to learn to play Electric guitar, I have no clue on where or what kind to get herfot Christmas , she loves all different kinds of music , but she loves the sound of guitar, I’m glad I seen this before buying her just any ol guitar .
Get her an electric, not a 'child-size' or 'beginner-pack' mind.
Go here for help: justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php?board=79.0
Cheers 😊
| Richard - close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator [ www.justinguitar.com/ ]
I am 60years young now so few years ago decided i want to play and learn. Bought a yamaha f310 for £80, low action tuned was great to start, but moved countries soon after and sold it, then bought a Fender cc60s but it had high action and just did not get on with the guitar at all, made excuses not to play. So eventually after 2 years old and cant play anything at all and totally embarressed by it all I went out and bought a Yamaha APX700ii, and love it. Now learning with Justin beginners again and happy.. Playing an learning is fun again now. So don't think cheap guitars are good to start and have to struggle etc. Save up and get something decent so you will want to learn to play properly and be proud of the guitar you play.
I need to set the action on my strat, it's quite high and I'm only a beginner. The only shredding that's going on is to my fingers trying to fret notes. 🙂
Personally, my first guitar was a cheap acoustic steel string, and I learned to play bach on it. It was difficult, but it made me better when I moved to nylon because my hand strength was much higher.
This guitar should be fine with good strings and a set up.
What is the open tuning piece at the end with the bends? That was cool!
Somehow watching this makes me relieved because my guitar sounds like this. And i always tought i was doing stuff wrong. I found it so hard. Barring hurts and everything you just said was the stuff i struggle with on a daily basis.
I love your blues improv towards the end.
Interesting... The Amazon guitar is definitely not going to win any awards, but definitely not as bad as I was expecting... And as you said, it actually has quite a surprising tone for bluegrass and bluesy styles... To be honest, I was more surprised by the ridiculously expensive guitar... On some of the comparison tracks, it sounded pretty dead with far too much midrange and not enough definition of the bass or treble, making it sound a bit muddy... Wasn't expecting that for such a prohibitively expensive guitar.... 🤔
You should put your signature on it Justin, then it would have its own unique brand. I would buy a Sandercoe guitar.
He could be the next Esteban. :-)
I bought my first and only guitar about a year ago with 12$
and I can play so many songs with it. It's a lot better than having no instrument.
I had one of these for about a year. Did me well. I learnt the basics and now have a much better Yamaha guitar. But for a beginner who’s not yet committed, this is for you
One tip for begginers I have always use thick strings when u start out my first acoustic had really thick strings and everytime they broke I got thicker ones as time goes by you'll find bar chords very easy and will be able to play any acoustic guitar no matter the how thick the strings are
Keith Richards said one time give me 5 minutes with any gutiar I will make them all sound the same anyway justin you are that good too
I put money on him failing.
whats the ditty played around 12:23 ?
loved this breakdown. Very informative.
Fry Thompson Sounds like something Stevie Ray Vaughan would be play
Fry Thompson 12 bar blues in E; probably improvised. I'll be stealing quite a few things from it myself.
Fry Thompson Diddy?
Fry Thompson diddy? Where I come from, diddy means Tits!
Look up stevie ray vaughan acoustic session and it will be the first result
12:45 Do you have a lesson for this amazing bluesy jam? I Love it so much ::)
@2:36 “At least the strings are on” 😂🤣😭
Me: pauses video for fits of laughter 😄🤦🏾♂️🙈
I bought this just to learn and I had no issue with it. It helped me get into the hobby, and that’s what it’s all about
9:05 " very pokey" I
laughed so hard
12:12 is there a lesson or breakdown for that blues anywhere?
Do you know the song title of it?
@@troy5323 Oh man I wan to know that too, anyone please?
Me tooo..
I wanna know the title guys, just the title
I wana know! I thought it was rockabilly for a second
So I tried to check what happened to this guitar, I was curious if he ever set it up properly.. You know, changed strings, lowered action and dealt with the intonation and made sure the frets were level and not sharp. I know a beginner wouldn't know how to do some of that, but if someone had a file and time they could do all that lol. Anyhow, this video is about two years old, so I am just talking to myself lol.
If you could do it yourself it might actually be a good investment. If you have to pay it defeats the point of a cheap guitar.
@@spreadwuvokay
I think that depends more on the price of the guitar really. If someone buys a cheap 40.00 ish guitar and spends 50 to 70 on a really good setup, they are down 90-110 dollars. If someone buys a 110.00 guitar, they will need to do the exact same thing so they will end up spending 160-180 on that one... Heck, if someone spends 500.00 on a guitar, they will still likely need a setup done on it, so that will need to happen on any guitar you buy.
So If i could buy the cheap 40.00 guitar and do and get a setup on it, and once set up it plays nicely, then it is worth it even if I had to pay for the setup. Though it is a much better investment if you can do most if not all of the setup yourself.
@@lfaf9509 I think it's very good to do your research before you buy a cheap guitar but generally I hear $200 is a good bet for a guitar that'll feel fine to play and won't need to be fucked with, so you might actually be right in some cases. I don't know how much Luthiers will ask for for all of the things a cheap guitar would need to be more comfortable though cause it likely will be more than one thing. Also what I meant by defeating the purpose is, most people who buy cheap guitars are beginners and aren't sure if they'll stick with it so they aren't willing to drop $100+ on one even $80+
@@spreadwuvokay
Although i do agree that is it always best to do your research before buying a guitar, I do understand most folks buying a cheap guitar are doing so without having done a bunch of research.
Setups for acoustic guitars can cost anywhere between 40 to 100 dollars, and all of them will include some form of inspection and a truss rod adjustment if needed plus intonation and some level of fret work... Normally the how much fret work that will get done, will depend on the place you take it to get it set up, the same goes for price. Though you may end up paying for a string change as well, as every guitar you buy should have its strings changed when you buy it lol.
I find that most of the time, the folks buying cheap guitars are ether parents or broke folks like myself lol. :)
I have been playing guitar for about 4 years (with Justins help!) and now own a Yamaha that cost £300 and a Blueridge that cost £500. Out of the box the Yamaha came with quite a high action that I found difficult to barre, the Blueridge was better but I still found it difficult to barre when I wasn't using a capo. I took both of them to a Luthier who lowered the action and set them up for me. The result is that I now have two guitars that are much easier to play! I would recommend anyone (particularly a beginner) buying a cheap / mid price acoustic to budget £50 (which is what it cost me) or so for a Luthier to set it up for them. I would speculate that that the £30 amazon guitar set up properly by a Luthier will be a lot easier to play than an £80 guitar straight out of the box.
The cheap one might be awkward to play but from where I am it sounds pretty good, probably good for slide too. Personally I like guitars that are a challenge to play, (as long as the strings aren't too close together so your fingers get mushed up!) it makes you work a bit harder, which can have a good effect on the sound.
I've only ever been able to afford cheap guitars & get a good sound out of them after so long playing. It's always nice to play a more expensive one though!
I’ve been playing a guitar like this for about 6 years and i can tell you it makes a man out of you! I’ve also got a 12 string and an electric and playing barre chords is no problem. You can give me any guitar at any party and i can play it... not saying im a great guitarist or anything but if you persevere with a guitar like this you chord hand can handle anything 😂
I spent £370 on my first guitar 3 years ago and was still shite until I got a Luther to set it up properly for me
I used to play guitar when I was younger but then sold two of my guitars as well as my equipment and other stuff to pay for college.
I just turned 21 and really wanted to play the guitar again and I found the cheapest full size righty guitar on OfferUp I could find, an Ibanez acoustic guitar in great condition for $75. Owner on lowered it to $70 (£53) after noticing a minor scratch on the back.
It plays great and I’m in love again.
I got a cheap guitar for Christmas from my aunt and I’m so grateful for it, it’s my first guitar. If I change the strings is it possible it won’t sound as bad
Yes and no. It all depends how well that guitar is made and how far are strings from the neck. You can try to improve your guitar and buy yourself Martin M130 80-20 Silk & Steel Strings or some light gauge coated strings so your action between the chords will be smoother and your fingers will learn much faster without pain that goes with the guitar. That will suffice for you at the moment. In the end it is better to start with classical guitar. Neck is wider and the strings used for them are from nylon so they are much easier on your fingers and one will learn faster on them.
my guitar teacher that same kind of froggy bottom but it is in a case on the wall
He is fairly decent at playing the C chord, usually. I can vouch for that.
Can you convert a cheapest guitar into a high strung Nashville tuning guitar yes
Nice video Justin, showing the comparisons. The thing about a good quality guitar is the better you get the better it sounds. Ditto on Oletta's comments $250 to $300 is a good starting price.
Hi Justin! Firs off - thank you for all of your videos, I am following your courses and you are definitely among the best teachers. I wodner if the licks you played at the end are from a song or where can one listen to more of it?
That last guitar riff sounded very "Cortez the Killer" influenced.
I didn’t know Norm Macdonald played guitar
When i first started to get into Guitar I borrowed my brother’s guitar to learn the action was so high that it was struggle to play on it but at that time i didn’t knew about all those stuffs and thought that playing guitar was painful but eventually I learned how to play a guitar on same guitar 😅😄lol
7:35 Make sure the neck relief isn't too high, file the nut down, file the saddle down, file the saddle to intonate
Ty justin. I get mine today. I will eventually get nylon strings. Im learning with your videos. Ty so much
the problem is that a beginner could never distinguish the difference between the two. for me they both sound the same 🤗
But your fingers will distinguish the difference. High actions are so discouraging for beginners.
How do you not hear difference in tone? I could tell before I started playing because the cheap is brittle and goes out of tune at least here in the vid since is new
I remember I had a Cheap no name guitar that was a full size guitar I remember that I couldn't even fret a F chord the 2 finger variant let alone a Barr Chord then my old man was nice enough to get me a 95 Dollar Dean Performer Guitar that was the shit great Beginner guitar played that for over 5 years and I still have it I've switched over to a Tacoma (American Made Guitar) made of Indian Rosewood and have learned all I can on Rhythm guitar other than Barr chords
bbbrrruuuuhhhhhhhh
This China guitar is what you hang on the wall at your camp for the beer and liquor infused campfire sing along's that converge once a year in the summer by the lake (loch)...and if your kid shows enthusiasm for the instrument, that's the sign to lay down some cash for a Yamaha and some lessons.
That's the right spirit brother!
please.. make video about "cheapest QUALITY guitar/s"
they're coming. Just started with this for myself to know the absolute cheapest end of the spectrum!
JustinGuitar you should try a Yamaha f310 I picked mine up for under £100 brand new and it's real impressive
Check out the Harley Benton range at Thomann in Germany. Fantastic value for money!
Justin my main man for tutorials, love your work. Vids like this are a great idea as well! Keep it up!
Justin, as you may or may not know a lot of these "cheap" guitars are shipped with several spacers under the saddle which are easily removed. Also, ALL cheap guitars ship with the worst strings you have ever used. I know you are going to do a fix up update video later but I just wanted to mention that lowering the action by removing spacers (if there) and putting decent strings on it will improve it 100%. The tone on that is not half bad. I have a $60 (U.S.) Epiphone flat top that all I did to it was remove the spacers, replaced the saddle with a bone model and sanded it to the correct height, put good strings on it and added a nice interior pizo pick-up and it plays and sounds great. I really enjoy your videos and have learned quite a lot from you and, I thank you.