I Want To Buy An Acoustic Guitar

[howto]

I Want To Buy An Acoustic Guitar

A steel-string acoustic.

I've 2 young boys, 9 and 6.

Started learning this year in March.

Purchased 2 guitars...

a 3/4 size("00" size) Crafter for the 9 year old

a 1/2 size (parlor size) Washburn (Oscar-Schmidt) for the 6 year old.

Had them adjusted by a Luthier.

Used D'Addario super light strings (.009~.045).

Have a teacher come every week for two hours...

and they practice daily for an hour.

Nine Months later, the boys are now reasonably good.

I also have a large "OM" guitar,

1980 Ibanez M340 dreadnought acoustic-Electric in flamed mapel.

Almost "new" condition" and it is 30 years old.

It is a Japanese copy of a Martin D28~D35.

I had it "adjusted by the Luthier and replaced the

nut (with bone), saddle (with bone)

and replaced to original saddle pickup pizeo with a new pizeo".

I also used D'Addario super light strings (.009~.045).

(It plays as a warm knife through soft butter!

Has a most full beautiful sound. The wife luv's to play it.)

Yes I know it would sound even better with .012 strings.

But the wife plays it, so I compromised.

Recently, as a "test" for a "full practice session",

the 9 year old played my Ibanez (the large "OM" guitar)

the 6 year old play the 3/4 Crafter (a "00" guitar).

They did great, wife was beyond impressed.

So the boys can play a larger guitar.

I want to move the boys to larger guitars.

I want a 7/8 sized acoustic for the 9 year old,

then the 3/4 Crafter is "inherited" to the 6 year old,

and the 1/2 (Parlor size) Washburn is reserved for my 3 year old daughter,

(and no, children do not play my Ibanez, only the wife).

After researching for some time I concluded my best choices are...

1 - Seagull, Art & Luthier, Folk in Spruce (not cedar).

2 - Takamini

I researched this in the west, Seagull is very highly regarded,

followed by Takamini.

The wife, searching in Thai can find

a few lame responses to Takamini, nothing 'bout Seagull.

Is there anybody here whom has played these,

or know someone whom has?

Helpful comments are most welcomed.

Hope Brahmburgers will join in.

Cheers.

[brahmburgers]

You sound like you're on the right avenue, with your attentiveness. Were that more youngsters could have a caring parent like you to ease their way to developing musical skills. I'm nowhere near an expert on acoustic guitars. I had a Takamine 12 string at one point and liked it - and have had a smattering of other makes. all the best regards with your interesting endeavors,

Ken (Brahmburgers)

Chiang Rai

[gkinbkk]

Search on Takamine not Takamini

Dealer in Central World and Siam Paragon (probably Nakon Kasem as well), Capital Music I think they are called.

If you go to the one in Siam Paragon, almost directly opposite is another shop that has some great small body Taylors and/or the baby Taylor which are in a different league altogether IMO

[dekestone]

Agree, Capital Music has a good selection of Takamines. (Haven't played the Taks much but bought a Washburn acoustic from there which I'm happy with.)

Here is the Thailand distributer for Seagull:

Thailand

Theera Music Co., Ltd.

330 Verng Nakornkasem Soi 3, New Road, Sumpantawongse

Bangkok 10100

Thailand

Tél: 662-2248821

Fax: 662-2253132

E-mail: [email protected]

Music Solution Co., Ltd.

496/13-15 Petchburi Road,

Rachatavee

Bangkok 10400 Thailand

Tél : (02) 2089922

Fax : (02) 2089522

the first shop is down in the bowels of China town in an area where there is a 'ghetto' of music shops. Many of the distributers are based down there and you see some models you seldom see in the 'upmarket' shops like Central World. Worth checking out if you don't mind the hassle of getting there.

[howto]

Admin, can you please move this thread to the "general" forum?

Thanks.

Ken (Brahmburgers), thank you for a most considerate reply.

Fact: I can not play guitar, not one lick.

Does not mean I can't play or read music.

My mom (oldest of 16 and did not grad from high school)

did make it a point that I would learn more than her.

So in the 4th grade I started taking music at the school.

That being woodwinds, Clarinet, Sax, Oboe...

and their variants (They did not have guitar to study).

Took me many years to understand how it helped...

1 - basketball and track, endurance, increased lung capacity

2 - mental cognition, (very difficult to explain, some know what I mean)

3 - kissing - superb tongue and lips (plus endurance)

(yeah I had to "slip" that one in, ha!).

I did want to learn guitar then (but it was not offered)

cause some of fondest memories are of

three of my uncles, pick'in and a grinn'in

late in the afternoon, on the front porch during "dog days"

while we sipped homemade lemonaid,

till the sun went down and it's time for suppa'.

Thankfully both boys are very decent at playing for their age.

They have learned 35 songs (and they have memorized most them)...

and play them together ...

playing without almost never looking at their finger position on the fretboard.

And for those songs that has accompliment...

they play them, then switch position and play it again.

So they are learning to play with others (even if it's a brother.)

They are so decent that it astounds the wife.

She never imagined that they could be this good.

How has it helped the boys, well...

1 - they went from B, C and D's, to A and B's.

2 - Self esteem, they know they can do what nobody else can,

(well in their school)...

they are "big dogs" in their heart,

and will be "larger" when they finially play for them,

perhaps another year.

3 - Focus, I can't say enough about this...

especially relating to young children,

as they are so easily distracted...

So in the 6'th month of studies I dropped the hammer,

they practiced and I sneaked in and made noise,

I mean shout, clapping, dancing like a fool trying to distract them.

In the 7th month, the wife was doing the same.

At the beginning they did falter, but not now, rock solid.

They asked why I was doing this and told them,

imagine you are actually popular...

and there is 1000 screaming teenage girls in front of the stage,

if you cannot play your music you are dead.

They both got it.

So they focus.

And I am sure that carries into the classroom.

It's the 9th month of practice.

Honestly the songs are becoming difficult.

They are learning chords, more so for the 9 year old.

Note: I've changed the guitar(s) to be considered...

Originally I did not want anything made in China.

But Taks and Yamaha "from Japan" are at 19K+ baht.

(per the music teacher whom comes here)

So I have to reconsider.

Leaves me with:

Seagull Art & Litherier (Canada)

Takamine (China)

Yamaha (Indonesian)

Crafter (Korean)

I should also look at "Taylor" and "Ibanez".

I've have to set a cap on how much to spend...

honestly 15K or more baht for a guitar,

for a 9 year old to play is excessive.

I'm ok at around 10K baht.

And I have to consider the psychological aspects...

I simply can not give the 9 year old this at Christmas,

without the 6 year old feeling "left out".

My solution, mom receives it as a present,

after all each boy knows they have a guitar,

and the Ibanez belongs to daddy,

and mom does not have a guitar.

Yeah, the things parents have to deal with!

(Well, those parents whom have more than 1 brain cell).

And thanks to "gkinbkk" and "dekestone" for the info.

I know it's "Takamine", could not edit it, guess I waited too long.

Yes "small body Taylors and/or the baby Taylor are in a different league"

I especially liked the Martin LXE1 (so did the wife),

but back then, boys unproven, I choked on the price. I still choke.

I choke on paying >10K baht.

I agree, "Theera Music Co" in Chinatown is a PITA to get there.

BTY, went to these places back in March, plus several others.

T'anks again for all the replies.