What can you tell me about this guitar?

[Chris]

Hi all, I decided to try to learn to play the guitar and a friend gave me this one for free. He doesn't know anything about it and can't remember where he got it or how much he paid, he doesn't play guitar himself so I don't even know why he had it. It is 37" long. There is a sticker inside that says the model number but it's very faded. I think it might possibly say MT1 or MT7 but it's so faded it's hard to tell.

I was hoping someone could tell me more about it, eg is it a quality guitar and is it worth learning on, or should I just give it back and buy something else?

[Barry]

Hi Chris.
First of all, good for you for deciding to learn guitar! It can be a comfort and a joy that can last your lifetime.
And secondly, congrats on being gifted a guitar to play! You're potentially off to a good start.

The issue for you is not whether or not this is a "quality guitar" but rather, is it a playable guitar.
By that I mean if it is properly set up with an action sufficiently low to not irritate the hell out of you.

The single most frustrating thing for new players is that they have difficulty pressing the strings down correctly behind the frets. If the "action" is too high it requires too much effort to make a clean and satisfying sound and everything sounds like rubbish! To make things worse you end up with very painful finger tips which can discourage you from continuing.

Don't get me wrong, you have to eventually develop callouses on your fingertips, but they should happen gradually over time, not in a couple of days of pain! And please don't make the mistake of going to a nylon string (classical) guitar to avoid this. A classical guitar is quite different from an acoustic flat top guitar. The fret board is wider, flatter and it requires a different technique in order to play it. Trust me, it won't help.

The el Degas label is found on a wide range of guitars, many of which are of excellent quality build, notably From Japan and later, Korea. But we cannot judge the condition of your guitar from a picture so my recommendation is to visit a reputable guitar shop with a knowledgeable tech or luthier and have an assessment and a proper setup done for your particular requirement.

Acoustic guitars are susceptible to humidity and temperature shifts and over time they can "self destruct". So if yours has not been well looked after it's possible that it cannot be brought into a playable condition. So be aware of that fact. On the positive side all it might need is a truss rod tweak, a bridge adjustment, or new strings! That will not cost a lot and it's cheaper than buying a new guitar!

Good luck!

p.s. Your G string tuner is bent. That can sometimes be straightened, but that can also break it! If it's working I'd leave it alone. In your case the tuners are attached to a strip and you would have to replace all 3 which may not be easy.

[charles]

Looks like Barry covered pretty much everything.

If you have a good luthier look everything over and set up the guitar you should be best set up for success in starting your journey.

This is a later made in Korea El Degas model. MT- prefix models are generally meant to be replicas of Martin acoustic guitars.

[Chris]

Thanks for the information Barry and Charles.

I have been finding it quite difficult to learn to play, and am not sure if it's due to me having a lack of aptitude for this (I have no musical background whatsoever) or if there's something particular about this guitar that makes it unsuitable for learning on. And my fingers get really sore even after a few minutes. I think I'll take your suggestion and take it into a local guitar shop and have somebody knowledgeable give me their opinion on it. I also wonder if the fact that this guitar is only 37" might make it difficult as I have big hands and long arms.

[Barry]

From what you said Chris, it might indicate a too high action which is what I was describing above. (BTW, I assume that you do have the guitar properly tuned? )

This does also appear to be a smaller scale guitar which by itself should not be an issue. However, for folks with "large hands and long arms" the neck and fret board may indeed feel too small or even toy-like. It's important to remove as many obstacles as practical for a beginner to minimize frustration

It may well be that you'd find a full size dreadnought design more to your comfort level. That's something you can also explore with the folks at what ever guitar shop you choose to visit. If your budget allows, make sure you start with a guitar that "speaks" to you, and that does not necessarily mean a new guitar.