 Not Safe! |
| Review Date: November 17, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Jill, Canada |
| My six year old got this guitar as a real instrument and had lessons. She loved it, it sounded great and she had lots of fun with it. However after a few lessons with the teacher tuning it, it started to break. The neck bent forward from the pull of the steal strings. It wouldn't stay in tune and the teacher refused to teach her on it as she said it could snap and hit my little girl on the face, as children lean over to see the strings. With it having steal strings, the teacher said it could cut her face! Good as a toy, but not good for keeping tune. DON'T TIGHTEN THE STRINGS TOO MUCH! |
Big disappointment
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| Review Date: December 31, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| My 9-year old daughter received this as her big gift for Christmas. Two days later, the front separated from the back at the bottom of the instrument. We tried to exchange it for the last one in stock at our local store, and were told that it, too, was defective! Now, we are shopping around for a different one. Note that it does not come with a pick or instructions. An instruction CD, book and video package sells separately .... |
Use this to gauge interest in guitar
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| Review Date: June 18, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Andrew J. Riemer, Winsted, MN United States |
Please do not think of this instrument as a first instrument for a serious young student of guitar. Think of this as a way of gauging whether your child is willing to play it every day, whether s/he will care for it, and whether s/he gets tired of it before moving on to the next fad.
[Update: The instrument lasted over two years, until another child in the house damaged it. The instrument would have lasted longer otherwise!]
This instrument is about par for what you will find in this price range. It is not designed to last forever, and (from trying to find one in great condition at a local retailer) they often vary in quality from box to box.
If you are seriously interested in this starter instrument, I recommend you take a guitar-playing friend with you to a retail location and examine what they have in stock. If you are looking to buy this more as a toy or novelty that has some musical potential, go ahead and order one.
TWO IMPORTANT NOTES ON STAYING IN TUNE:
All guitar strings stretch. This is especially true of new strings and nylon strings. It is not uncommon to need to re-tune a newly stringed guitar during or after every few strums. As the strings stretch out, retuning should be needed less frequently. Within the first week (assuming 30 minutes of use each day), the instrument should stay in tune while strumming through a song, or while left unplayed for a period of time.
The second factor that affects guitar tune is how hard it is played-by that I mean literally how hard your child bangs down on the strings. The harder the instrument is played, the more the strings will stretch--wheter 20 minutes or 20 days after the instrument has been re-strung. Go to a local music store and buy your child a very soft (flexible) guitar pick. Then spend a few moments teaching him/her to strum the strings using the pick, not his/her hands. Remind him/her that the guitar is an instrument that must be treated gently [At this point they will likely describe the people they see on TV who appear to hammer on their guitars. Remind him/her that they a) had to learn how to play just s/he does first, b) the people on TV use different guitars than the one they have (more expensive and durable), and c) that even though it looks like they are playing "hard", they are actually playing their instruments correctly, but (like any good showman), they are exaggerating their actions.]
Good luck to each of you. I hope your children find a life long love of music.
Andrew James Riemer
Guitar player since age 9 (27+ years) |
Fantastic Starter!!!
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| Review Date: May 7, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Douglas Snyder, |
| I am a guitar instructor and have had a couple kids come in with this guitar. I was nervous seeing the size and thought it couldn't possibly work. But after just a couple short minutes it was tuned and played wonderfully! For thirty dollars this is a sweet deal! Both kids were playing full chords within minutes! I was almost lauging at the other reviews saying it didn't hold tune for more than a day and that it was closer to a toy than a musical instrument. It's thirty dollars!! It's made for kids! Kids don't take care of things so don't spend hundreds of dollars on an instrument that you will catch them standing on, sitting on, jumping on, throwing, hitting friends and family with. This guitar is perfect for a starter! If you're looking for a lifetime investment, you're not going to buy a guitar that comes in a box! But if you have a child age 5 to 9 who wants to learn to play, GET THIS GUITAR!! Don't be concerned that it only stays in tune for a day, most kids mess with the tuners anyway. Plus then they get to learn how to tune it back!! Tah dah a lesson learned! The steel strings won't snap like that other reviewer said. When tuned correctly, they are actually looser than on a full size guitar due to the shorter neck. (this will make sense if you know a thing or two about the guitar) Anyway, this is a heck of a deal for the money!! So, for less money than "Guitar Hero" buy this and get them playing for real! |
My daughter won't put it down!
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| Review Date: December 28, 2003 |
| Reviewer: AP mama, New castle, de United States |
| I have to say this has been the hit of Christmas. My daughter asked Santa for a guitar and he brought her one. It is not a toy though. I must stress this to you...and her (a million times over) Two days after Christmas and one string already snapped from strumming to hard. You have to teach kids to treat this like the instrument that it is...gently. I will have to say that after that first incident she has changed and finally understands. She loves to be able to make noise and know that she is the one doing it. She turned 5 in November and the guitar is the perfect size, it may be a hair to big but that will change in about...what?...two days, the way these kids grow! Anyways its a great instument to judge whether the child will pursue this as a hobby or not. At least you don't feel so bad if it gets broken or left in the corner because it wasn't too expensive. Musical things just have a way of reaching out and grabbing children, give it a try..what could you have to lose? |
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