Best products from r/AcousticGuitar

There's not really any particular summer-time care regime for guitars. There are some basic rules of thumb that apply all year round, tho (some of which may be more or less applicable depending upon the time of year):

• You very definitely want to keep the guitar out of direct sunlight and should also try to avoid exposing it to rapid temperature and humidity changes. Keeping the guitar against a wall that's exposed to direct sunlight during part of the day is probably not a good idea even if no direct sunlight falls on the guitar.
  
• Dehydration is much worse than over-humidification, but over-humidification is bad, too!
  
• Guitars with solid woods are much more susceptible to humidity issues than guitars with laminated woods... but guitars with laminated woods are definitely NOT immune.
  
• Monitor the humidity of the rooms where you play and store the guitar. If the levels fall outside the level of humidity recommended by the manufacturer, take action to increase/decrease the humidity in those rooms or keep the guitar in its case. I personally use 45% +/-5% as my target; realistically +/-10% is probably acceptable. Caliber makes some really nice hygrometers that can be placed around the home and inside guitar cases.
  
• Rapid humidity changes are much worse than prolonged humidity changes. A friend of mine kept an acoustic mounted on a wall in his living-room which was right across from a bathroom. Every time someone took a prolonged shower in that room, the humidity level at the guitar would increase to 75% and then fall back down to 40% for the remainder of the day. THAT's not healthy for the guitar!
  
• There are a LOT of products that work well for bumping up the humidity level inside of guitar cases. Some of the 2-way humidification systems with the replaceable pouches work quite well, but often don't last very long and cen end up being expensive to maintain (but may be worth it depending upon the value of your guitar). A damp sponge inside a soap dish with holes drilled it in can also be effective...
  
  I live in Florida where the humidity is quite high; it's currently 6:15am, 75°F and 95% humidity outside. Despite the high humidity, my home is often pretty dry (as low as 36% sometimes) because I keep the A/C cranked year round. For a while, I kept my guitars on the walls, but started noticing that the tops were getting rippled and that the tops and back were looking a bit concave. Now I keep them inside the cases and use Arion Case Humidifiers (wrapped in socks) and Caliber Hygrometers inside the cases:
  
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/c403mrai9gfpm07/20180530_151913.jpg?raw=1
  
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/4yxkgtxga3eme5i/caliber-iii.jpg?raw=1

Taylor and Fender are both great brands if you're looking to spend a fair amount. You however will want to look into brands with good entry level options like Yamaha, Alvarez, Ibanez and Orangewood. You'll probably want a little more money saved up to get something decent, usually around $200-300 you'll get a worthwhile guitar with decent parts (tuners that stay in tune, solid top, a good nut and saddle)

Yamaha: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-FG800-Acoustic-Guitar-Instructional/dp/B01CYJR9Y4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=yamaha+fg800&qid=1557981145&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 (with or without bundle)

Alvarez: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Alvarez/Artist-Series-AD60-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Guitar.gc

Ibanez: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez/AC240-Artwood-Grand-Concert-Acoustic-Guitar.gc

Orangewood: https://orangewoodguitars.com/collections/overland-collection/products/olivercedar

Here are some examples of those brands, check out other brands with similar features at that price point at a local guitar shop to get a feel of what body and neck shape are comfortable.

My first acoustic guitar was this, it's straight acoustic though.

Fender FA-115 Click Here Because OMG Amazon Links Are Huge (that's not what she said). Might be a bit over your price range, but it's a solid guitar made by one of the best companies.

You can also check around locally for a used one, sometimes you can get a good deal on a guitar to try and see if you like it. Can always resell it later if it's not your thing.

I'm going out on a limb to guess that "folk guitar" in Edinburgh is largely in the Celtic tradition. What follows is based on that assumption, sorry if I'm wrong.

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I don't know of any comprehensive books covering technique and repertoire without any tabs, but here are a couple suggestions that might help. Check out Glen Weiser's Celtic Guitar Encyclopedia. He's a classically trained guitarist working in the folk tradition, and I've read that his arrangements reflect that in relying more on standard tuning than some. So it might be a good fit for you. Alongside standard notation, he does give tabs however. You might just have to ignore that.

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If you're willing to look beyond books, check out Tony McManus's courses on Truefire.com. The sight offers a really good free trial that doesn't require a credit card, so no risk to checking it out.

If it's in the hard case with humidipak 24/7 except while playing, you are in great shape. The case does an incredible job of keep a stable environment. Maybe buy a cheap hygrometer to put in the case, just to check on. My apartment swings from 30 to 70 RH all the time, but the case hygrometer is always reading 45-50, and that's even without a humidipak.

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I bought a handful of these, have them littered around the apartment and in various cases. Congrats on your guitar, and welcome to the life of constant humidity awareness.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QC7JRDP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Take everything with a grain of salt, including this. But here's what I would tell "beginner me" if I could go back in time.

Technical Information: I think this is too often overlooked in beginner lessons.

• Use light gauge strings 12-53 (example). Even after 4 years, medium gauge is hard for me to play on. It will hurt your fingers a lot.
  
• Learn how to change strings properly.
  
• Tune your guitar with an app before you play, almost every time.
  
• Get a capo (example). You will encounter songs that are unplayable without one, and it's also easier to play with a capo on because it brings the strings closer to the fretboard.
  
  Music Stuff: Videos, videos, videos
  
  
• Youtube will have everything. Watch "beginner" lessons, choose whichever you are most interested in.
  
• Be super patient. It will be worth it, but acoustic guitar is kind of difficult to play. Nothing changes overnight, but you do get a rush every time you get part of a song right.
  
• Learn how to read tabs. It's easy, and there's a million of them.
  
  Have fun!

When someone ask what is a good first guitar, this is what I recommend. Yes, they are both more than $100. In my opinion no guitar under $100 is worth having. Why ? Under $100 dollars do not stay in tune, hard to fret and are junk. The better the quality of the instrument, the more dedicated you will be to learning it.

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https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6

https://www.amazon.com/Alvarez-Artist-AD60-Dreadnought-Natural/dp/B0057GPINQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1541457690&sr=1-3&keywords=alvarez+acoustic+guitar

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Might can get those a little cheaper at local store....I think

I've found these to be the best guitar strings I've ever used, particularly good for beginners (sounds good, light weight, round wound) ... price is very reasonable as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E88W7OG?m=A3O04WF8Q5OTN9&ref_=v_sp_detail_page

I picked up one of these about 7 years ago. It was meant to be a cheap semi-beater my wife could use in her classroom. But it's a very solid instrument. It's got a good tone, stays in tune, the action is reasonable with no fret buzz.

It's good enough I've used it on some live gigs. I still play it now and currently keep it tuned to open D for slide stuff and delta blues style finger picking. I absolutely love recommending it to people. There are a lot of cheap "toys" you can get out there, but this one is amazing guitar for the price.

I slapped some Power Pins 2.0 on my guitar and they worked as advertise for easy string changes. Some may think its a gimmick, but it works great on my shitty Fender DG14s. I wouldn't put this thing on a nice Martin or more expensive guitar. But as a mainly electric player that casually couch plays an acoustic at home, this thing works as advertised.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Pins-2-0-Amplified-Restringing/dp/B016Y9N6P6

I'd recommend Ernie Ball strings, medium-light (though lights may better serve your needs, and help take some of the "boom" out of the big dreadnought body). I use them on my Martin dreadnought and they sound phenomenal. They make a few different varieties, but I would suggest getting one of their tone packs so you can try a few of their, imo, best varieties.

I have a keyser that I’m not a huge fan of just because it doesn’t like to sit well on the neck (I have an Eastman, not a Gibby, though).

My go-to is my trusty old Shubb. Have had it for probably 12 years and it’s still going strong.

this is the one I use.

Thinking of ordering this one because it looks very durable, and it has a lock on it which is nice since I was eventually planning on bringing this with me to my dorm, and dont want to risk someone stealing it or just picking up and dicking around with it while im not around. It may not be a $3k guitar but its still mine and I dont want people to mess around with it while im not around.

My questinon is, do you think it will fit the guitar? Martin only has the scale length of the guitar which is about 25", and the other one has the length of a guitar and lists it up to 22" ish. Not sure if it will fit.

Thanks!

I don't own a seagull, although it's the next guitar on my list. I always like Elixer Lights, polyweb coating. I love the way they feel. I'll link them if you need it. Link

The first thing I would try is Simichrome polish along with a lot of elbow grease. That may well help fix some of the scratches too. If that works, follow it up with an application of Renaissance Wax.

I think that should clear up your finish.

I purchased some Rosewood ones from Amazon. Cost $8, for my Fender and am very happy with them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015GPFES6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1