Just ordered DS-10 with beginners bundle

[Keith]

Just ordered the DS-10. I have never played any type of instrument before and I don't know how to read music. With that said, I really want to learn the guitar and can't wait until I get mine. I ordered an Esteban first but cancelled it the same day because of all the bad reviews I read. I went with the DS-10 after reading the comparison between it and the Esteban guitar. The DS-10 seems to have all the right qualities that make a guitar a GOOD guitar. Also the price was right. Bear in mind I never knew anything about guitars before I started researching them on line. The DS-10 seems to compare very favorably to most of the lower end solid top Fenders and Yamahas. The only question I have is "What is the BEST way to learn how to play this thing?' I would like to learn at home at my own pace with some type of DVD tutorial. Any suggestions?? One guy in Australia is peddling his " Guitar Tips" on line, has anyone ever tried that one? How about Estebans instructional DVD course? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Hey Keith,
I did the exact thing you did about a year ago. I too ordered the Esteban guitar package form QVC. I went on line later that night to read some reviews and came across the Guitar Imports website. Seeing that they compared thier DS-10 to Esteban and all the other bad reviews for Esteban, I opted to buy the DS-10 package. I also knew nothing about guitars and did alot of research and the DS-10 fit the entire bill. The bonus was the price and guarantees. I've had no problems with mine so far. I also found the DC-20 on ebay with a hardshell case for $150.00 and since I knew the quality of the guitars I bought it. I don't play it as much as my DS-10, but it sure looks pretty hanging on the wall. Hanging the guitars on the wall with a "String Swing" wall hanger has been the one thing that keeps me motivated. The guitars aren't hiding in thier cases and are just begging to be played. Besides, they make a great conversation piece when friends and family visit. As far as the tutorials go, the guy in Australia is hard to follow. Esteban teaches mostly classical guitar. I bought the eMedia guitar method on cd-rom for my computer. It's pretty good and has alot of extras like a tuner, animated fretboard, you can record yourself, and videos as well as quite a few basic songs to practice with. To sum it all up, you made a good decision on buying the DS-10 and I wish you all the luck with your lessons. Last bit of advice is to practice, practice, practice. Don't give up and before you know it, you'll be playing songs and have a unique hobby in playing guitar.

[Keith]

Thank you for your responce and words of encouragement. The bundle came with a beginners emedia CD and it is easy to follow.I like your idea of hanging the guitars on the wall, keeps them in plain sight. I got my guitar the other day and absolutely love it. The fit and finish are beautiful. After tuning it with the electronic tuner that came with the kit I still have a couple of frets that won't stop buzzing. When I play the first string ( high E ) on the first fret, also the first string on the seventh fret buzzes, those are the only places on the entire fret board that buzz. How can I fix that? The guitar came with an allen wrench to adjust the truss but no instructions telling how to do it.

[vanwhel]

I would first talk to Daniel at Guitar imports and see what he thinks. He has good advice and direction. I would also take your guitar in for a professional set up. Look around in your area for a good luthier or guitar tech. I took my guitar in and it was worth the $65.00 to have it set up. Different strings, the action set and a couple of frets dressed and leveled made a world of difference. You will also find out what a decent instrument you have for the money. All guitars come with some quirks so don't feel like you got less than you paid for. Also your local climate will have allot to do with how your guitar plays once it has settled in and climatized to your locale. The guitars are made in Korea where the humidity is very high then shipped to Utah where the humidity is at 30% then to your area. I got my guitar in the winter time in Alaska when the humidity is only around 10% and my guitar was drying out quick. It played great out of the box and after a week it had picked up a few buzzes on the frets and the action went up a little. I exchanged it for another guitar only to have it happen again. At Daniel's suggestion I took it into our local luthier. When I called him I was told to get a humidifier always keep in the guitar when I was not using it and to bring it in. I got my monies worth, was told how to care for a guitar in Alaska, had a professional setup and was also hooked up with a good teacher. It was the best $65.00 I ever spent. My DS-10 plays like a dream and has not given me any more trouble. Since I started posting on this site I have been working slowly up to heavier gauge strings and love Elixir Nanowebs. I started with custom lights, moved to lights now I am on my third set nanoweb of strings which are light tops with medium bottoms hoping to end with mediums. You will be surprised at how much a set of better strings will make your DS-10 sound. The ones that come with your guitar are a generic D'Addario strings. I hope this is of some help and not to overwhelming.

Vance