Martink93 Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Need to buy an acoustic guitar for my dads 60th. I know nothing about guitars and could probably stretch to a £500 budget.. can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Martink93 said: ...can anyone help? Where are you located..? Does he already play..? What style of music is he likely to want to play..? You'll probably want to think of a case, or at least a soft bag for the instrument. £500 is a very respectable budget for an acoustic; there's a very wide choice. When is the anticipated handover due..? Next week..? Next month..? Over to you, Martin ... Edited August 25, 2020 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 If you're in the UK, Tanglewood are a very good place to start looking, brand-wise: https://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/ Style of music is a significant one - I'd be looking at buying a very different acoustic if he's into, say, Bob Dylan versus Oasis versus Robert Johnson. Somewhere that specialises in acoustic and folk insturments like Hobgoblin would be a good place to start as well, depending on where you're located. I'd also ask whether a pick-up in important - it's not, imo, as big a difference as it used to be, but it is sometiems still the case that you can get a better quality pure-acoustic for the same money as an otherwise similar electro-acoustic. A pick-up could always be a later present if desired. (Personally, I also prefer the idea of adding a pup to an acoustic as it's easier to fidn an acoustic I like that way - I don't care for the look of a cutaway on an acoustic guitar, which most dedidcated electros have). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martink93 Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 Im located in west Midlands about 15 20 miles from Birmingham. He is still learning atm. He does welding and fabricating so i guess he will probably just make a wallbracket for it instead of a case. His music taste is so varied its hard to say what he will want to play.. but i have over heard him learning Bob Dylan - knocking on heavens door. and wonderwall if that helps narrow down which one to pick lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Get in touch with Guitar Guitar in Birmingham https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/stores/birmingham/ if they're anywhere as good as my local GG, they should be able set you on the right path. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Martink93 said: Im located in west Midlands... 6 hours ago, ezbass said: Get in touch with Guitar Guitar in Birmingham https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/stores/birmingham/ ... This ^^ is a Good Call, I'd say. If this is not to be a 'surprise' gift, have him go along and choose for himself. If it is, on the other hand, to be a surprise, see about making a 'virtual' guitar from card or similar for the 'surprise' presentation, and arrange with GuitarGuitar to issue a Guitar Card, allowing the purchase of one ('1'...) guitar from their outlet. He doesn't need to see how much it's costing, if that's to be keep hidden. It would be far better, for all concerned, to have him able to directly benefit from the guidance of a good retailer, by going along and trying them out with their help; the 'nitty gtitty' of the financials you'll be able to negotiate after he's made his choice. As long as they know not to present him a heap of models at over a 'grand', naturally..! Good luck to all concerned; it sounds as if a splendid occasion is being fittingly feted. Edited August 26, 2020 by Dad3353 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martink93 Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 Thanks for the advice everyone. He went to the guitar guitar shop in birmingham and got a martin d-13e road series. 2 and a half times over budget but he is now as happy as a pig in sh 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...