Saw this as an upcoming Aldi special buy for this Sunday. Cracking price for a beginner surely? 3 types available (see below) Always wanted to learn the guitar - maybe now I will!
Official product description:
These beautifully made Guitars are the real thing, with high quality strings and fretboards. Choose from 3 designs.
Classical Guitar 101cm (39")
Nylon stringsHardwood fretboardHoney or black
Student Guitar 92cm (36")
Nylon stringsHardwood fretboardHoneyComes with a free carry bag
Acoustic Guitar 104cm (41")
Steel stringsRosewood fretboardBlack
Product reference: 67339
Top comments
yubious
11 Dec 155#8
This is a classical guitar, and will more than likely not be set up properly and not be correctable. Isn't worth it for a beginner as they wont know why they sound so bad, will just assume it's them not the guitar!
Just noticed there is a steel string guitar in the list too, but the advice is the same, I don't know much about the Yamaha pacifica but they always get mentioned as good for beginners
FREEZIN WOLF
11 Dec 153#9
I once tried to make a really small guitar.
It was a bit fiddly.
Latest comments (30)
solar26
11 Dec 15#30
This is a good price....but if you want to learn then buy the best you can afford. I have played guitar for 25 years and any new starter I ever met who bought a cheapo like this one either gave up or never really managed to improve much as they don't hold their tune and the action (string height) was so high it makes it near impossible to play chords. You may get lucky and get a good one!
Son has electric guitar with amps, luckily hes away at uni. He is quite good really.
effingandjeffing
11 Dec 15#27
well don't waste the opportunity: electric guitars with all amps set to 11 !
spasguidedogs
11 Dec 15#26
Detached luckily.
spasguidedogs
11 Dec 15#1
I love the sound of acoustic guitars. Might treat myself to one. Which is the best one for a beginner?
effingandjeffing to spasguidedogs
11 Dec 15#25
i bet your neighbours do as well
stringsonfire
11 Dec 15#24
If you start with a rubbish quality guitar, it'll be physically harder to play, and may put you off. I haven't tried this guitar, so can't comment, but at that price, I wouldn't risk it if I wanted to learn long-term.
strange
11 Dec 152#23
i`m selling a guitar for £20 no strings attached.
ShineHunter
11 Dec 15#22
Then that explains why I didn't see it.
ShineHunter
11 Dec 15#20
Some peeps have mentioned the Yamaha F310, but you could also take a gamble on a used Epiphone AJ-220S. If you don't end up with one of the crappy ones you will have a nice acoustic. You could go for a cheap Squier SA 100/105. Only issue I had starting out with one myself was the high action as a beginner. (It just took me an hour to write this as I picked up the Squier to play it and then went to myself what was it I was doing oh yeah right lol. An hour had passed.)
Though I'm going to Aldi now so I'll check it out.
octopus to ShineHunter
11 Dec 15#21
Says available from 13th?
jonagon
11 Dec 151#3
Why is a £35 acoustic guitar more acceptable than similar electric ones. I'd been looking at £60 second hand Yamaha Pacifica as entry level electric, was told I'd hate the fret board on anything less.
mrew42 to jonagon
11 Dec 151#5
1. You won't need an amp to hear what you're playing
2. £35 is cheap enough for something that may last many years, yet won't blow the bank if you can't get to grips with it. They look very nice and I know lots of people who have them as decorative items in the house.
True enough you've got no guarantee as to how good the fretboard is, but for dipping your toe into the water is it really that bad?
Heat
Flynn_Lives to jonagon
11 Dec 15#6
It's really worth stretching for a Yamaha Pacifica if you're starting out. If you go for a cheaper guitar with a bad / cheap fretboard, it may get so uncomfortable it'll put you off playing.
BenderRodriguez to jonagon
11 Dec 15#12
People usually buy cheap acoustics to strum few chords when they go camping, not practice scales and soloing. Buzzing on 5th fret or poor intonation halfway down the fretboard won't matter that much.
xeroc to jonagon
11 Dec 152#13
£35 isn't acceptable. But saying that, my first guitar was a £30 acoustic from Argos. I was 7 years old and bought it from my own pocket money as my parents didn't want to buy me one! It was a pretty poor guitar really, but it lasted me years until I upgraded. I now have a grade 8.
But having the experience of a poor quality guitar, I would strongly recommend that you don't go near this one. Put your money into something decent. Instruments are not cheap - but they don't have to be tremendously expensive.
First decide whether you want to play electric or acoustic. It seems obvious to say it, but buying an acoustic (esp. a classical one) is entirely different to buying an electric. They are both encompass entirely different playing styles and techniques, not to mention the sound.
Electric:
The Pacifica is a good starter guitar that I would always recommend if you have a <£200 budget (012 or preferably 112). Be wary of 2nd hand ones - they're pretty cheap 1st hand as it is and you need to make sure it has been looked after well, that the intonation is acceptable and that it is generally set up well. These things might be hard to gauge if you don't know much about guitars. If you buy from a shop, insist it be set up.
Acoustic:
The acoustic world is far more varied. But, for <£100 I would get something like a Yamaha F310 which is pretty great for the money. (About £80-100) Though that has steel strings, so if you're looking to play classical it wouldn't be especially appropriate. Yamaha make pretty good starter classical guitars to, though I couldn't give you a model number off the top of my head. It isn't worth your pain and suffering to buy a really cheap guitar: often components will be crap, intonation will be crap, playability will be crap, and the strings will be poor as well. If you want to spend more, wait until you can play well. Then go around music stores and find the one that you like from a decent brand that is made of decent materials. In the end, you might end up with a Martin or a Taylor at the top end of the consumer market (or even a custom Greenfield if you're particularly well off....). When you buy from a music shop whether its a £100 guitar or a £10000 guitar, always insist that they set it up and give it a look over for you. If they explain it is pre-set up, ask them to give it a once over or don't buy it.
Disclaimer: I haven't played these guitars so they could be fantastic. But based on my experience of guitars over the years, I am 99% certain that they won't be.
ashsufc1889 to jonagon
11 Dec 15#19
I would stick with the Yamaha, known quality and brand. I you don't stick with it you'll be able to sell on at a similar price.
Buddydog1
11 Dec 15#18
I got one of these Lidl guitars about 3 years ago. First one went back as the neck was coming away from the body. Second one was good. Stays in tune, Action ok. Sounds ok. Fret board wears quite quickly as it's made from soft wood. I think, for the money, this is a fairly decent guitar.
bigfatrebel
11 Dec 15#17
You can get cheaper 3/4 guitars at Smyths - but you get what you pay for. Bought my son one so that he had an instrument for starting guitar lessons at school, as I didn't want to invest too much in case he gave up within a couple of weeks. Does the job for him, but not surprisingly for a cheap bit of kit, fails to hold tune for more than a couple of strums
portreekid
11 Dec 151#16
Further to above, if looking at steel strung guitars the following extra light strings are softer, really great sound, OK you'll still have some pain but guarantee much much less than with standard steel strings:
thanks for all your comments, i will look elsewhere
portreekid
11 Dec 151#14
Agree with above - Yamaha F310 is extremely well regarded. Great for beginners but also generally a very competent instrument for you as you gain experience.
Every guitar player I know will recommend spending a wee bit more if you can over a budget guitar, hugely increases the chances of sticking with it. Check Gumtree or Ebay for used guitars in your area.
Appreciate the following is more expensive but one other model I can highly recommend is the Yamaha APX500, it is a semi acoustic which could be a nice compromise for acoustic/electric options. Quality build, compact size so a great one for beginners. Keep an eye out for 2nd hand ones of the first model. Has a built in tuner which is ideal for beginners, made world of difference for me. One of my mates who has played guitars for probably 40 odd years but had lost interest a bit and stuck his collection up the loft some time ago tried my APX500 and immediately went and bought one and and has reignited his desire to play.
Also agree with poster Justin Guitar's own website or YouTube videos (and books) are superb
6moe66
11 Dec 15#11
Make sure and check the guitar before you leave as I checked 2 of the ukuleles last week in lidl and both wouldn't hold the sting right as the machine head had broken.
jumperclown
11 Dec 151#10
Agree with this poster (and the two above this post)
This will probably give you a similar feeling to arthritis after playing it for 30 minutes, and will likely play only 1 or 2 strings when holding a barred chord as the action will probably be appalling. Guitars like this unfortunately act as a detterent to people who are initially interested in learning, but the experience will be so bad on this they will lose enthusiasm. As the poster mentions, you can get some second hand acoustics for around this price (yamaha, fender\squire), whilst still not brilliant, they will give you a much better idea how a guitar should feel and sound.
Good Luck everyone!
FREEZIN WOLF
11 Dec 153#9
I once tried to make a really small guitar.
It was a bit fiddly.
yubious
11 Dec 155#8
This is a classical guitar, and will more than likely not be set up properly and not be correctable. Isn't worth it for a beginner as they wont know why they sound so bad, will just assume it's them not the guitar!
Just noticed there is a steel string guitar in the list too, but the advice is the same, I don't know much about the Yamaha pacifica but they always get mentioned as good for beginners
gari189
11 Dec 152#7
......and it will hold its resale value if you decide to upgrade or give up :smile:
Don't know what the quality of the Aldi ones are like but if you can stretch to spending a bit more a 2nd hand Yamaha F310 acoustic guitar is a good choice.
There are lots of youtube channels to help you learn the guitar eg justinguitar.com , there is even an xbox/ps4 game (Rocksmith) which can help
I have the F310 and the Pacifica and even Rocksmith but I still can't play :smile: Never seems to be enough time to practice....
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Opening post
Official product description:
These beautifully made Guitars are the real thing, with high quality strings and fretboards. Choose from 3 designs.
Classical Guitar 101cm (39")
Nylon stringsHardwood fretboardHoney or black
Student Guitar 92cm (36")
Nylon stringsHardwood fretboardHoneyComes with a free carry bag
Acoustic Guitar 104cm (41")
Steel stringsRosewood fretboardBlack
Product reference: 67339
Top comments
Just noticed there is a steel string guitar in the list too, but the advice is the same, I don't know much about the Yamaha pacifica but they always get mentioned as good for beginners
It was a bit fiddly.
Latest comments (30)
Though I'm going to Aldi now so I'll check it out.
2. £35 is cheap enough for something that may last many years, yet won't blow the bank if you can't get to grips with it. They look very nice and I know lots of people who have them as decorative items in the house.
True enough you've got no guarantee as to how good the fretboard is, but for dipping your toe into the water is it really that bad?
Heat
But having the experience of a poor quality guitar, I would strongly recommend that you don't go near this one. Put your money into something decent. Instruments are not cheap - but they don't have to be tremendously expensive.
First decide whether you want to play electric or acoustic. It seems obvious to say it, but buying an acoustic (esp. a classical one) is entirely different to buying an electric. They are both encompass entirely different playing styles and techniques, not to mention the sound.
Electric:
The Pacifica is a good starter guitar that I would always recommend if you have a <£200 budget (012 or preferably 112). Be wary of 2nd hand ones - they're pretty cheap 1st hand as it is and you need to make sure it has been looked after well, that the intonation is acceptable and that it is generally set up well. These things might be hard to gauge if you don't know much about guitars. If you buy from a shop, insist it be set up.
Acoustic:
The acoustic world is far more varied. But, for <£100 I would get something like a Yamaha F310 which is pretty great for the money. (About £80-100) Though that has steel strings, so if you're looking to play classical it wouldn't be especially appropriate. Yamaha make pretty good starter classical guitars to, though I couldn't give you a model number off the top of my head. It isn't worth your pain and suffering to buy a really cheap guitar: often components will be crap, intonation will be crap, playability will be crap, and the strings will be poor as well. If you want to spend more, wait until you can play well. Then go around music stores and find the one that you like from a decent brand that is made of decent materials. In the end, you might end up with a Martin or a Taylor at the top end of the consumer market (or even a custom Greenfield if you're particularly well off....). When you buy from a music shop whether its a £100 guitar or a £10000 guitar, always insist that they set it up and give it a look over for you. If they explain it is pre-set up, ask them to give it a once over or don't buy it.
Disclaimer: I haven't played these guitars so they could be fantastic. But based on my experience of guitars over the years, I am 99% certain that they won't be.
Elixir 92/8 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Sets Ultra-Thin Nanoweb Coating - Extra Light (0.010 - 0.047)
Available on Amazon
Every guitar player I know will recommend spending a wee bit more if you can over a budget guitar, hugely increases the chances of sticking with it. Check Gumtree or Ebay for used guitars in your area.
Appreciate the following is more expensive but one other model I can highly recommend is the Yamaha APX500, it is a semi acoustic which could be a nice compromise for acoustic/electric options. Quality build, compact size so a great one for beginners. Keep an eye out for 2nd hand ones of the first model. Has a built in tuner which is ideal for beginners, made world of difference for me. One of my mates who has played guitars for probably 40 odd years but had lost interest a bit and stuck his collection up the loft some time ago tried my APX500 and immediately went and bought one and and has reignited his desire to play.
Also agree with poster Justin Guitar's own website or YouTube videos (and books) are superb
This will probably give you a similar feeling to arthritis after playing it for 30 minutes, and will likely play only 1 or 2 strings when holding a barred chord as the action will probably be appalling. Guitars like this unfortunately act as a detterent to people who are initially interested in learning, but the experience will be so bad on this they will lose enthusiasm. As the poster mentions, you can get some second hand acoustics for around this price (yamaha, fender\squire), whilst still not brilliant, they will give you a much better idea how a guitar should feel and sound.
Good Luck everyone!
It was a bit fiddly.
Just noticed there is a steel string guitar in the list too, but the advice is the same, I don't know much about the Yamaha pacifica but they always get mentioned as good for beginners
Don't know what the quality of the Aldi ones are like but if you can stretch to spending a bit more a 2nd hand Yamaha F310 acoustic guitar is a good choice.
There are lots of youtube channels to help you learn the guitar eg justinguitar.com , there is even an xbox/ps4 game (Rocksmith) which can help
I have the F310 and the Pacifica and even Rocksmith but I still can't play :smile: Never seems to be enough time to practice....