I've found that i want to learn how to play the guitar, but i dont know how

Question:I started playing the guitar just for fun, and i found that its much more fun than the piano. I've been playing piano for 8 years now, and i'm 14, so i know music pretty well. I want to buy a guitar, but i dont know what to look out for, whats good to have, or even if i want acoustic or electric or a mix of the two. I'm about 5'8, so are there any specific sizes of guitars i should look out for and i really need to know how much to spend? And is there a good online place to buy from or should i try to find time to go to a store to pick a guitar out? thanks for answering, if u answer :)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I started playing the guitar just for fun, and i found that its much more fun than the piano. I've been playing piano for 8 years now, and i'm 14, so i know music pretty well. I want to buy a guitar, but i dont know what to look out for, whats good to have, or even if i want acoustic or electric or a mix of the two. I'm about 5'8, so are there any specific sizes of guitars i should look out for and i really need to know how much to spend? And is there a good online place to buy from or should i try to find time to go to a store to pick a guitar out? thanks for answering, if u answer :)

I tell all my beginning students to get an inexpensive Yamaha acoustic guitar....at the Guitar Center you can get a really nice one for a beginner for about $250.00, I bought this one for my niece and they gave me a $50.00 discount.....and now I'm sure at this time of the year their having all kinds of sales, I've been receiving all kinds of E-mail from them about the sales that they have going on. As for size just get a standard size...That's what everyone in out family play, and we're all 5' 8" and above........the clerk will show you which ones to try.....I'd like to see to have a teacher to start with but I know a lot of kids don't want that....well there are plenty of books, Cd's, Video's, and DVDs, on the market today.....Sam Ash has a lot of these, they seem to have more books and teaching products then the Guitar Center has......I think the Guitar Center has more instruments . Please don't buy one on line.....I tell all my students the same thing, when buying a guitar you have to feel the action, hear the sound, (as they all sound different) make sure that it feels good in your hands....see if you want a cutaway or a full body......I had to laugh a couple of months ago, EBay had a guitar for sale for a penny.....I had to read it twice to make sure that I wasn't reading it incorrectly, I thought oh boy I bet that a beaut !!!!!
So in my opinion when buying a guitar you should do this in person. The action of the guitar is very important....that's the way the strings come up off of the fingerboard, some of them are so high that mice could walk under there without touching the strings, they should only be high enough for the player to be able to press them down a short distance, at first it will be very painful, but believe me in about three months with daily play, about twenty minutes a day, you should see callouses, and this is what will prevent the pain. Well good luck to you, and if you want some good leaning sites get back to me and I'll send you a few, you should be able to get them off ot the perfoming page because I've sent a few of them out today.....just write them down so that when you have time you can check them out, ok......well bye !!!!!!!!!!!! And good luck !!

I bought my first guitar in an antique/junk store in Fell's Point, Baltimore, MD. It was 20.00 dollars and it was called a Stella. It was old and dusty and just perfect for a beginner. I learned my first little riff from a guy who was playing on the street in front of an old, closed down theater. The riff was Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. It was only one part of the song but I played it endlessly for weeks. From those three chords I just started figuring out other tunes and played what pleased ME, not a teacher or an audience. I had a piano background too but learned that guitar theory is a lot different. My first 10 years of playing I only learned from people just showing me chords and simple riffs; then these last 10 years I've been learning by books and teachers and I'm going full circle, back to my classical piano pieces after years of folk, rock, blues, etc. Someone asked how long it takes to learn guitar and I've decided it takes a lifetime.