Guitar player (almost exclusively acoustic guitar)for 29 years. Played semi-professionally for 20 of those years: 5 albums, travelled around the north-east, etc.

I highly recommend Taylor guitars: even their bottom of the line "Big Baby" model plays well and sounds good.

A suggestion: be sure to get knowledgeable advice on selecting and setting up your guitar. Some "big box" stores take the guitar out of the shipping box and put it on the display rack. It is vitally important that the guitar action (string height, neck arch, nut height) be properly set. Otherwise, you may find the instrument practically unplayable and think you are to blame when in fact it is the guitar.

In this respect learning guitar is very similar to archery: a "pro-shop" costs more, but it is money well spent to get started properly. Unless you have a very capable friend who can perform guitar set-ups, etc., spend the extra money to have a qualified luthier set your guitar for your use.

Another suggestion: start with extra-light gauge strings. You will likely want to change to light or medium gauge strings later (and have the guitar re-set accordingly) for better guitar tone, but extra-light will be much easier to play when you begin.

Hope it works out for you!

By the way, I am also left-handed but I play the guitar right-handed. I did not know (back when I started) that there was such a thing as a left-handed guitar, but it would not have mattered. I lost part of the ring finger on my right hand when I was a kid, so I could not fret with that finger anyway.

There may be some advantage to a left-hander using his left hand to fret the strings, but I can tell you that there are numerous disadvantages to a left hander using his right hand to pick the strings. Whether it is an issue of coordination or speed in strumming or precision in picking individual strings, using the weaker hand is a definite limitation.

That said, it is also noteworthy that left-handed instruments are more difficult to find (or borrow: don't count on using a friend's guitar) than right-handed instrumentsalthough not nearly so difficult as it was 20 years ago.

Play guitar, teach guitar full time, and hunt from september to february.

I'm also a lefty wh plays righty. Just pick one up and play G-C-D (The basic structure of sooooo many songs) and you should be able to figure out what you are. Yeah it's going to be easier to find stuff for a righty, but you gotta go with what feel comfortable.

As for what to buy, I think that is totally a personal experience. Some people can just order somwthing off E-bay for $50 and it will sound good to them and they will want to play with it. I like to really look at a guitar and all the grain, neck etc before I am really going to feel like I want it. I ordered, blindly, a Gibson Les Paul once and hated one piece of the grain. Hated looking at it and ultimately sold it. I'm sure the dude that bought it thought it was awesome, but to me I just didn't have the confidence holding it and playing it.

As for electric or acoustic. What do you want to play? I like playing in blues jams, country honks and rockin' bars. I can't stand the sound of boring strummed acoustic. So that is my opinion and what I do. You are totally different. Camfires...acoustic. Bars...Electric.

Good site here:
http://www.looknohands.com/chordhous.../index_rb.html


Guitars
-Fender Stratocaster custom wound Custom Shop pick-ups re-wired - Standard tune & Open G
-Fender Tele custom humbucker in the neck - Open G and E-B-E-G#-B-E (for only one song)

Amp
Fender Blues DeVille - Custom Tubes and Speakers

Pedals
Analogman - TS-9
Line 6 - Pod
Crybaby Wha with custom pot

i had a baby taylor. great sound for its size. taylors and martins and real ovations will set you back quite a bit.if your just starting i wouldnt break the banktill you think its for you. if you want an acoustic with an easy to play electric type neck look at a fender telecoustic or one of these. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...tar?sku=517571

I just ordered this package.. Seems to have good reviews and its a SOLID TOP.. so.. I have 45 days to return it , if i dont like it..so we'll see..

I play a Jackson and love it. My son plays a Ibanez. Both good guitars and you can get a decent Ibanez for around $200 and it sounds great playing 80's rock like Metallica, Ozzy, scorpions...etc. But your best bet is to go to a music store and try out some guitars and see what feels comfortable in your hands and also gives you a sound you like, depending on what your style of music is. We have a Guitar Center here and you can try out any guitar they have in stock. If you know an experienced guitar player bring them along with you, they can help with your choice. All in all it all depends on what you want to play for music and find the guitar that is comfortable and gives the sound you desire.

I tought myself with an acoustic when I was 18 and have been playing since, just for fun at get togethers and such. I grabbed a few basic books, learned some cords, and found some songs I liked and began learning them. After a while it came easy.

My suggestion to you is to get a decent guitar but nothing too expensive just in case you decide it isn't your thing acousitcis my suggestion because it is moreportable (no amp needed). Have fun with it and keep it simple, that is what I do and everyone seems to enjoy it!!! Been playing for 14 years now and all I play is chords, a few intros and some base runs.

If you have any questions give me a shout, I am only a few counties away!!!

Hey mathewsboy
I can make this real easy for you. If you like what Matt McPherson (Owner and CEO of Mathews) has done with Mathews bows, then you'll love what he has done with McPherson guitars. That's right...he built the perfect guitar, as evidenced by all the recording artists that play it (Brad Paisley, Phil Keaggy, etc, etc) Check it out at
www.mcphersonguitars.com

I play an Ibanez S370 through a Line 6 Spider amp. I'd recommend you start with accoustic, especially if $$ is an issue. A decent electric with a decent amp can be prettyexpensive. Start off by learning a few chords, then bar chords. Start to learn the pentatonic minor/major scales (don't worry, once you learn the minor, the major is basically the same). Maybe take a couple lessons. I like videos because you can watch them over and over without paying more. You'll be jamming along with songs on the radio before you know it. Have fun and good luck!