FIRST ACT DESIGNER LOOPS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

FIRST ACT DESIGNER LOOPS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

If your youngster is interested in learning to play the guitar, or any musical instrument for that matter, this is a very good thing. The first step is deciding what type of musical instrument to buy. A guitar is a good choice because it is portable, and if it is an acoustic guitar, it is not going to be prohibitively loud or disruptive to the peace and quiet of the rest of the family, and it is unlikely to disturb the neighbors. The next big problem for an adult who is considering buying a guitar for their child is to decide on which one to buy. With this in mind, I will be reviewing the First Act Designer Loops Acoustic Guitar.

The First Act Designer Loops Acoustic Guitar sells for $41.99, and can be had at most large retail outlets, such as Target. This guitar is an acoustic guitar, which means that, unlike an electric guitar, it does not have to be plugged into an amplifier in order to be heard. This can be a big plus, as it is also not a loud guitar, and listening to a beginner practice is not always an easy thing, even when it is your own lovable child we are talking about.

The First Act Designer Loops Acoustic Guitar is available in Pink and Blue, and each of these models has “loops” or circles drawn on the guitar. In my opinion, this detracts from the appearance of the guitar, and the pink or blue color does not add to its appeal, at least in my view. The guitar is made of wood, and has a steel reinforced neck for extra strength. Presumably the steel reinforced neck also makes this guitar less prone to warping.

The First Act Designer Loops Acoustic Guitar comes equipped with steel strings and the advertisement describing it states that it features “Accurate intonation and low string action for easier playing.” It was also described as being “A quality acoustic guitar for beginners,” and as being suitable for ages 3 years and up. I have a lot of problems with these statements.

I happened to be in a local retail store (which I will not name here). I was not looking to buy a guitar here for anyone. But I happened on a young couple who had a child who appeared to be about 6 years old, and they were talking to a salesman about buying this guitar. When the young father asked the salesman some questions about the guitar, the salesman said, and I am paraphrasing here because I was not taking notes, “I don’t play the guitar, and I don’ think anyone here in the store does, so I can’t tell you much about it, except that we don’t get people returning it, so it must be pretty good, and as you can see, the price is very reasonable for a good quality guitar like this.” The young salesman then left the young family to ponder their decision to purchase this guitar. The young child was saying, “I want it,” and of course he had not even touched it yet, and I could see that the family was leaning towards purchasing it.

It was at this point that I felt the need to intercede, and offer my help. I introduced myself, and explained that I knew a bit about guitars, and asked if they would not mind if I tried the guitar, and offered my opinion on its suitability for their child’s first guitar. They were very receptive to my offer.

I first tried to tune the guitar. Two of the tuning pegs were extremely difficult to turn, and I could not imagine a child of six being able to turn the pegs with their small little fingers. After I got the guitar in tune with the open strings, I tried some different chords in the first position, and some bar chords in the third, fifth, and eighth positions. This guitar’s intonation was off in every position, and was anything but “accurate.” The action was very high, and I could not imagine that a child could easily play chords on this guitar. So much for the advertisement that touted this guitar as having “low string action for easy playing.”

As you will recall, I quoted the advertisement that stated that it was “A quality acoustic guitar for beginners.” It was quality alright, poor quality. A child’s developing musical ear should not be subjected to a musical instrument with poor intonation, difficulty in tuning, and difficulty in playing. Exposure to this type of musical instrument does more to turn off a beginner than to encourage them. Even though this guitar was inexpensively priced at $41.99, it was no bargain, as it seemed useless as a musical instrument, and therefore in my opinion, it would have represented wasted money.

I want to be clear that I am not making a global generalization that all First Act Designer Loops Acoustic Guitars are bad quality musical instruments. I only tried one, specifically the one that was in the store, and there were no others available for me to compare one to another. However, the one I did try was not a guitar that I could recommend to a parent who wanted to buy a first guitar for their child, especially if that child were serious about learning to play the guitar. This guitar might be O.K for a young child to bang around on, but I would not recommend it for someone who seriously wanted to learn how to play music on.

I suggested that the parents take a trip to a local musical instrument chain store and speak to a salesman who was a professional musician who could help them to choose a first guitar for their child to learn on. I even suggested a couple of brand names that they might consider as well. I also expressed to them also that the guitar that they would probably end up settling on might cost two to three times as much as the $41.99 they were considering paying for this guitar, but that it would be a guitar that their child could actually learn on, and which would be suitable to use for the next several years.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my review. But now, if you will excuse me, I must get back to my practicing.