buying a new acoustic guitar

[55'gibby]

I'm buying a new guitar for my 12 year old son, the Ibanez look like a good bargin... any one know about the AW or AE series guitars? Are they worth the money? Are they well built? In other words... HELP

[BluesPulp]

Hey 55'Gibby.

I know very little of Ibanez guitars.

Best thing I can tell ya is to set a price. What you can afford.
Take your son to a music store and let him handle some of the gits. Feel of an instrument is important in it's own way.

Whether he has small hands or large, it shouldn't matter. But, I recommend a git with a narrow neck, and low actions.
If you don't know what low action is, it's the closeness of the strings to the frets. High actions means the strings are a bit further away.

Do, get your son a decent instrument. A git that is hard to fret and sounds dull or twangy will be as frustrating as trying to watch your favorite football team on five inch TV screen.
An intrument that is hard to learn to fret on is the #1 reason people give up on playing music.

Here is a link with some tips on it. It includes some things to look for, mainly in the used guitar area.
Don't exclude the idea of a used git. If they have been taken care of they are precious in sound and quality. They don't make 'em like they use too. Used gits are cheaper, unless your in to a vintage thing. Like wine, ya know.

http://www.cyberfret.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14

Hope the link and ideas help you.
Good luck with your purchase and your son's new life.

[the_doors_girl]

HI all

I think personally if I was going to buy a guitar for someone round 12 years of age I would go for a used guitar. I have found from my own experiance with kids that age they tend to lose interest in things quickly so thats why I suggest getting a used guitar. Or if you have the money to buy a new guitar try looking at Yamahas they have guitar around $120 depending on if you are going to buy it a chain music store or the local store. I would say try looking in your local store cause sometimes they have way better deals, service and they are always happy to answer your questions.

Hope I could help a bit :D