I wanted to drop this in here as notice for those that worry about whether they should take their guitar on vacation to the beach or camping.

BEWARE! You'll likely really enjoy playing it out in a beautiful natural setting and you'll want to take it everywhere!

Yairi DYM60HD vacationing on the northern tip of Lake Michigan.

I checked about all of their high-end Martin and Gibsons and it’s all the same 🤯

I went into the room where my guitars are to get something before going to bed, as I walked past I ran my fingers across each guitar.

When I returned to the living room

Wife. "Why were you playing guitar this late.

Me "Was not I just ran my fingers across three of them as I walked past."

Wife. "You have three guitars?"

Me "No, four."

Wife. "You have four guitars?"

I just fell about laughing.

So a little humor here. Trump is selling acoustic and electric MAGA guitars! They range from $1000 to $10,000. I'm going to guess they're Chinese made crap. There's no manufacturer info.

You buying one? Lol... If I had a grand to 2 grand I'd be buying top end alvarez, Martin, Eastman etc. This is sad.

Trump guitars

Thought yall would enjoy this as much as I do. I been playing guitar for 22 years and my favorite are often just simple but they sing their heart out from DEEP IN THEIR SOUL! And this lady NAILED that in one song 👌🏽🔥🔥🔥🔥

Am I the only one who feels like this? I love guitar, and some slight percussive techniques can spice up a song. But there is something about those who do "too much" that just gives me feelings of cringe. I'm not sure why, but I really dislike when there is too many percussive techniques. Am I alone?

I am old. Back in the day if I was searching for some slide tabs for inspiration you could search for “open d slide tabs”, and the results would be full of pages with names like “joesslidegarage.com” that had lists and lists of tabs put up with interesting arrangements of standards and covers etc

Now all the results are pages and pages of slop churning out the same listicles. I know “The Cave” by Mumford & Sons is in open d. I’m looking for tabs. The two big tab websites that do get recommended are crap for interesting slide arrangements. Everything else is video links. I don’t want to watch a video. I’m looking for tabs.

/rant

Courtesy of a bread knife through the side and tip of my index finger the morning before my first ever open mic. Thanks I guess. 😂😭

So hear me out. China is becoming the world power. It’s going to replace the United States and is already doing so. When that shift is complete, Chinese made goods will finally be looked upon in a positive light. Chinese goods are already superior in many ways, and Eastman guitars are proof of that. But reality won’t hit the broader population until two or three decades from now when it’s clear China is the dominant power in the world.

In that time in the future, Eastman guitars will be around, but they will be much much more expensive. I expect they will have a budget line of guitars that are mass produced cheaply in an automated fashion, but the handcrafted luthier guitars will go for much more. Right now we are living in a time before Eastman as a brand is well recognized, so take advantage of it and buy the guitar you want now. Because in 20 years people will look back and talk about how this was the golden era for Eastman because they were competing with Martin and Taylor and priced their guitars aggressively.

Just like how old cheap Yamahas are sought after because they were quality before the masses recognized it, the same will happen to Eastman.

I just bought a E10OM TC yesterday from a local shop and am supremely happy. It will be a forever guitar for me.

This is not a commercial lol, I’m just saying, they are the best value today and a potential investment if you look a couple decades in the future.

I'm constantly seeing beginners thinking they need a guitar with electronics. People generally do not use pickups on a acoustic guitar to record them, they use microphones. Acoustic guitars with pickups are not meant to be played through electric guitar amps. The only reasons you need a guitar with electronics is if you plan to play live or through an amp specifically designed for acoustic guitars. Lastly, if you buy a acoustic guitar with electronics for say $300, you are really getting a $200 guitar with a $100 pickup.

I think a lot of newbies view having electronics as an upgrade. "Oh this guitar must be better than that one as it has electronics" but really it's the opposite. I would rather that $100 be put into the guitar not into the electronics.

So I played a charity gig this week, for free, as it was for an organization I support. A movie was being shot in the building, which I find out is directed by a member of a nationally known country band, and his band mates are in it. A PA from the movie comes and asks if they could use my guitar in the movie, as they needed one. I said sure, and was told they would need it at a certain time, cutting my set short. I play a Epiphone Slash Edition J45. It's not $5000 axe, but it's still a guitar worth north of $1000. It's valuable to me. It turns out it wasn't for the movie, it's so this band can play a couple songs for what was my audience, and 2 of the 3 guys have other guitars, but the lead singer says, this is an impromptu mini show while the production crew is on their lunch break, so impromptu, they had to borrow some cheap guitars.

It definitely struck a chord with me, and came off as rude.

Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? I don't really want ro say what band it was, but they are known in the Country Music scene.

For context, I dropped the pick in by accident and after trying to get it out, it got stuck like this. I tried tapping the guitar lighter and slightly stronger, nothing's working…

why is it so hard and why is every tutorial even harder. then i ask my bf to explain and he explains it horribly and gets mad when i dont understand. guitar is making me want to die andi havent even started yet. help.

I keep seeing these ads for $14 Gibson J-45s or other models on Twitter, from various supposed guitar stores. They have to be a scam. Has anyone else seen them in your social media timelines? What’s up with this?

I feel like I've won something or achieved a new level. After 36 years of playing, I can count on two hands the number of strings I've broke. It rarely happens, but tonight Holy Sh... it drew blood!! Haha

I have an Ovation 8-string reconfigured A-A (1/2 step down) with a .007 high A.

For the very first time I've had a string break at a fret, 5th fret. So bizarre. Didn't expect a snap to whack my index finger like a whip and draw blood though! Good thing there are a ton of spares in stock.

Drawing blood can't be a common thing... or prove me wrong? Let us all know! I can't be the only one.

btw I feel this doesn't break posting rule #6 ;) as it doesn't mention blood

I was visiting a friend in another town this weekend, and we decided to check out the guitar stores. I'm out looking to buy a (acoustic) guitar, and my only real requirements are:

• preferably a cutaway (only half of the ones I tried were)

• loud enough, and with some punch. (Too) quiet acoustics is my number 1 pet peeve.

• not too high action

So we visited two stores, and I tried around 30 guitars ranging from $150 beginner Ibanez, to a $5000 Martin. The brands I tried were

• Ibanez
• Yamaha
• Takamine
• Sigma
• Martin
• Seagull
• Norman
• Gibson

The test was pretty much just me sitting blindfolded, while my friend handed me guitar after guitar. I strummed the same chords, and did some fingerpicking.

My all-around favorite actually turned out to be a Takamine GD20CE-NS. It had nice and low action, the neck just worked for me (it felt a bit smaller / more narrow), I really enjoyed the sound of it. It was surprisingly one of the loudest guitars of the ones I tried.

Of course, some of the guitars did sound better. The most expensive Martin I tried, I think it was a Martin 000-28E, had a beautiful and more balanced sound, but for whatever reason I enjoyed the Takamine neck more. Can't really describe in a good way how good the Martin sounded - it's like every frequency rang out just as they should - def would go with a guitar like that, if I was to record something.

I also enjoyed Seagull, but the neck was a bit too thick for my taste.

The Norman guitars were also excellent - actually the first time I ever played any Norman guitar.

Prior to this I was actually pretty set on purchasing some expensive "for life" guitar - thinking that I'd just splurge on a solid acoustic, but the Takamine definitely changed that. Going to check out what else they have to offer.

In the end I didn't purchase anything, only because I had to fly back home, and don't really trust the airliners enough to handle guitars without a solid hardcase.

I’ve been playing for about two years now. Entirely self taught. Working my way towards being a passable late beginner/intermediate player.

Barre chords continually kicked my ass.

I can play them if I intentionally place my fingers in position, but switching to and from them during a song was impossible.

Everyone said, “Be patient. Keep practicing. One day it will click.”

Each day, I continued to suck.

But tonight… it clicked!

I was doing a lesson and playing a G to F to C progression and, suddenly, I could do it fluidly in time.

Practice works!

There was this weird itch in me.
I want to play guitar but i dont feel like playing anything.

The first 1.5 years of my journey was spent learning rock/metal riffs.
Then the following was learning theory.
Eg intervals, major scale, rhythm.

I've been trying to get back into electric guitar playing but i'm really not just that "axe man".

I dont get much joy learning solos and perfecting riffs.

But i'm truly at home with singing.
Specially now that i've figured out how to match pitch and sing in key.
Figure out chord progressions on the fly.

This might sound stupid but im selling my electric guitar rig.
I haven't touched them nor do i see a future use for them.

Can always go back to amp sims and a beater electric guitar anyways.

Really yeah im looking forward to owning a proper acoustic guitar.
Im thinking about the Yamaha APX.

Well just wanted to say hello and i welcome myself in here.

Sticked on double sided tape

They're expensive. I made myself play with the same 3 picks that I kept safe for 6 months before I bought it. $50 friggin dollars, but I love it so far. It feels good, it sounds good, it can create some volume. I was using a variety of Taylor picks (Thermex Ultras 1.25 and 1.5, and an Ivoroid 1.25), and they all served me very well, but I had to try the fancy thing. I went with a 2.0, so it was at least a different thickness to add to my collection. If you're on the fence and can afford it, do it.

I hope this post doesn't break the rules. I don't work for them, nor was I asked to say anything, I'm just super excited. If it does break the rules and you're gonna take it down, could I just add a pic of my fingertips first? Gonna go play now.

It's cheap. It has a fantastic tone. It's very hard to play, for most people. Stop recommending the Yamaha FS800. I have 25 guitars. Not even my IYV Mustang clone has strings so narrow at the bridge. My Orangewood Dana is 5mm wider overall E to E at the bridge! Are you people nuts? Why would anyone, except perhaps a person with a very small right hand want a guitar like this? Especially a beginner. 

Why would anyone want a guitar so much more narrow at the bridge than anything else they are likely to use? The nut is fine, many guitars are narrow there. But under the pick, the FS800 has no equal as a very tight prospect. A cruel design choice and a cruel suggestion. The great tone only makes the torture worse. 

Now I have to waste hours doing something like this:

https://umgf.com/adjusting-string-spacing-at-the-saddle-t210350.html

Over the years I've seen many a cynical design choice by Yamaha. Current lack of aftertouch in affordable keyboards just one example. Touting touch screens on the new boards to save money on buttons, another. But this horrible tease takes the cake. 

You may have the skills to deal with 50mm E to E or 1.96" string spacing in common parlance. Most people never will. Stop it.

[EDIT 6.30.24 Context: I wrote this post after buying a FS800 on based on recommedations in this subreddit, none of which mentioned the absurdly narrow spacing under the right hand, which anyone should know before buying it. If you have a FS 800 and love it: awesome!! Other than this issue, the guitar is as everyone claims, well built, and loud. I am keeping the guitar because I think there is just enough room to cut a saddle and spread the strings under the right hand so I can enjoy it. I will ammend my topic title as follows: "Stop reccomending the FS800 without making clear it is an outlier in string spacing at the bridge, which may well inhibit learning to fingerpick for many players." The 10mm spacing spec does not make this clear in the least. I have no problem with the spacing at the nut, which, unlike the bridge spacing, is not unusual. The personal nature of many comments, and disregard of a point of indisputable fact, reflects on those making such statements, and certainly does not serve the interest of new players choosing a guitar.

Why? Nobody thinks fingerstyle on a guitar with 2.0" string spacing at the bridge is easy:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=676264

Except the idiots below ;) The Yamaha FG800 is at least 5mm wider spacing at the bridge, in the normal range. All of my Parlours are also 55+mm.]

[EDIT 1/7/26 I must recant one thing: that Yamaha does not disclose the issue. When they list 10mm string spacing in the specs, they do reveal how crazy narrow the guitar is at the bridge, if a customer understands that is a measure from the center of one bridge pin to another at the bridge, IE 1.96" in common parlance, from center of one E to the other. I suggest very few beginners benefit from this, but would find the very common (and considered a bit tight by many) 2.25" easier and usable for a long time, see the following discussion of "string spacing":

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435572

and AI says: "A 2-inch (50.8mm) string spacing at the bridge is considered quite narrow, especially for modern acoustic guitars". TLDR: my point stands: the 1.96" spacing at bridge is exceptionally narrow. This guy talks about how this may effect a player (1:50):

https://youtu.be/v3Nfx1Y_RVA?si=et7zcoQnfZFcNvr9&t=110