ShortScale.org

My friend has finally decided to take the leap to guitar and has decided to buy an acoustic to start off.
Askin' me about what to get but I didn't really try much before buying my simon & patrick, which I got for 200 quid on ebay but I can't find a lefty one for the same.

• Left Handed
• £200 budget (under would be great, not looking to push this)
• Decent - Something that's gonna last a while and be playable.

Nae bothered about electronics and all that just yet.

does epiphone make one?

Does it have to be left handed? If he's new it would make more sense for him to try and learn right handed first. Unless he can't for some reason. I couldn't play left handed because the tip of my right hand little finger is knackered, so I'd be a fingertip short for fretting. If it's more difficult it's wotrh sticking it out. Just ask euan or kim or read their posts about availability.

There's a cheap taylor that's great, I'll find the details now. If I was buying an acoustic it would be on my shortlist.

James wrote:Does it have to be left handed? If he's new it would make more sense for him to try and learn right handed first. Unless he can't for some reason. I couldn't play left handed because the tip of my right hand little finger is knackered, so I'd be a fingertip short for fretting. If it's more difficult it's wotrh sticking it out. Just ask euan or kim or read their posts about availability.

There's a cheap taylor that's great, I'll find the details now. If I was buying an acoustic it would be on my shortlist.

He's tried learning a bit right handed on my guitar but he said it just doesn't feel right at all.

Plus he's already got a bit of finger strength playing lefy from messing about on my acoustics alot.

the Taylor I'm thinking of is the baby. They have a big baby which is standard size, and the baby itself is 3/4 (scale and body, scale is 22 3/4"). Ebay price looks like £140 on the low end, up to about £180 one the high end. You could string it up lefty and sacrifice intonation a bit? I'm not sure how bad it would be. It wouldn't be ideal but it's a great guitar for the money and could still hold better value for money than most things. Maybe they actually do a lefty version.

Shortscale would definately be a plus, he almost bought a 3/4 scale acoustic a little while ago and I'm quite sure he prefers the way my jag is to the others.

I'll send him some details, I can swap around the nut if needed and having pitch perfect intonation won't be too important at this point.

£186 shipped in left handed version

Mabe the mahogany version would be better. I'm not sure if it costs more.

Mega, that seems basically spot on.

Cheers!

£196 shipped in mahogany

You'd probably have to email for left handed stock.

If he's cool with 3/4 size, and there isn't any reason not to be, it's a great choice for the budget.

Those baby taylors are awesome. Even better, if he gets serious down the road, he will have a killer camp/travel guitar. I bought one for my boss's daughter when she wanted to learn guitar (he paid, i picked it out....) and it sounded great for the size and price.

To save a possible surprise later on. It's bolt on. There are two screws on the 16th fret that are spaced like the 12th fret dots, but black and you can't see them until you look up close. Don't impact playability at all, and I think a lot of taylors are like it. It surprised me when I first saw it but it's a guitar that I've considered buying for a long time. If I didn't have a large body archtop to play acoustically on, I'd have one of these in mahogany.

ONO THE MOJO HORSES WILL ESCAPE!

I don't think I'm gonna do much better with quality/price in lefty and a bolt on neck is far from a deal breaker

It might be worth a browse of Seagull/Simon & Patrick to see if you can get them as low as <£200, but I think you're looking at more £270-350 for the lower end of those.

If you do get it see if you can do a demo, or at the very least post your thoughts. It's a few years since I played one and I was definitely impressed enough to want one, but I can't remember the details that much (neck profile and the like).

Taylors always play nice. That is the best part of a baby taylor or the big baby. THey get you used to how a guitar should play, unlike alot of starter acoustics that make you not want to learn..

I'm glad you're backing me up on this one, mickie. This is way more your area than mine. I mean, you're playing an acoustic in your avatar. I'm playing a casette deck with a violin bow. Saying that, I am also smoking a pipe which equals things up a little.

James wrote:I'm playing a casette deck with a violin bow.

Ahahahaha, I've never really thought about your avatar until now.

How on earth did that thing come about?

Yeah, that is my old Martin.

It also helps that Taylors are built here is San Diego and are very plentiful.

Even my breedloves I believe come from a guy who used to build at Taylor and then branched off on his own (or so I have heard...)

Go for the little taylor...

Zaphod wrote:

James wrote:I'm playing a casette deck with a violin bow.

Ahahahaha, I've never really thought about your avatar until now.

How on earth did that thing come about?

It's some guy from the EA forum. I feel a bit cheeky using it, but it's too awesome not to. I'll find the larger version.

I believe this will be the guy, but I'll keep looking for the actual image.

Well that wasn't the guy, and it looks like he's playing a kazoo rather than smoking a pipe. Not that that's any less awesome.