Royal Wade Kimes: Buying the Right Guitar

~How to Buy the Right Guitar~

– Royal Wade Kimes

I've read articles, articles, and more articles about guitars, different kinds, different models, and a lot of those articles are right on. Most of the information comes from guitar players (musicians), guitar manufacturers and other tech sources. They are all needed to keep the serious professional guitar player up to date on what is out there, what is coming and so forth. As for the guy who just wants to have a nice guitar and plans on that being his one and only, then all the hoopla is not all that important to him or her. It is amazing what we have to choose from these days in the world of guitars.

It is also surprising how many guitar companies are available from mass producers to custom guitar companies. That said, I would like to talk about a subject regarding "Buying The Right Guitar." Now there are, I'm sure, hundreds of stories, thousands of opinions, and millions of advisers out in guitar land that one could set down with and acquire more knowledge about the instrument. However there are few, if any, recording artists that have taken time to talk about this subject in the manner I would like to.

You may ask, "What makes you an authority on a guitar? You're not a picker." Right I'm not a picker; I am a writer/artist and have a certain style when playing. I have been a professional songwriter since 1987 and a touring artist worldwide since 1996. My guitar, which happens to be an Ovation, has served me well. I wrote a 16 million seller, "Bury The Hatchet" for Garth Brooks and have gold records along with a few number one singles, I've written and recorded 5 albums which can be found in the music section of my website (www.royalwadekimes.com), all of which I used my Ovation guitar to do, which brings me to why I am writing about "Buying The Right Guitar."

First, not everyone looking for a guitar, will be, or plans to be a hot picker. Some folks would just like an instrument to set around and plunk on, whatever the reason, and there are thousands of reasons I applaud each and everyone.

Music is a wonderful thing; we all must have it, whether from someone else on a record or sitting around running chords, and maybe coming up with our own cool groove on a tune.

I use my guitar first for songwriting, then for my shows when on tour. I need a certain type of guitar for what I do. My CD "Hangin' Around The Moon" won album of the year on the Academy of Western Artists. I either wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the record. The record is about as cowboy as it gets, the Ovation Balladeer guitar was the right instrument for the record because it tends to have a rich western tone. I must have bought the right guitar because it keeps me inspired, and I have fun with it.

I wrote a song called "Apache Kid," a track off my new record HOW THE WEST WAS SUNG. I had just got a new Balladeer and the tone was blowing me away. I sat down and wrote "Apache Kid." What came from that is the filming of a video in Arizona. I tell you all this to point out how much fun it can be, how much fun I am having, and you can have the same. Oh it may not be doing music professionally, but you can have a ball when you get the right guitar in your hand. Before I became a writer/recording artist I would spend days, nights just plucking away on my 1973 Ovation. I loved it. One day I caught myself humming a tune I didn't recognize, and then I started putting words to it, first thing I knew, had myself my first song. It wasn't so good, but a song just the same.

I was happy and having fun, that was all that mattered. Wasn't thinking of being a songwriter, just happy sitting around a fire playing my guitar. Since that time, things have changed in my life, I guess you could say the guitar has opened up a whole new world for me, as it will for you or your child if pursued.

Keep in mind, I am not a hot, hot picker, just a songwriter and recording artist. I am not, and never will be, a George Bradfutte. George is a world-class picker out of Memphis, who resides in Nashville at present. He has been featured in MIX, a popular magazine for the music industry. The feature on George was in regards to his studio, his ability to make music with a guitar and turn it out in a studio. George can not only burn the strings off a guitar, but he can build them as well. He has forgotten more about guitars than most the music world will learn. George is that rare bird where the guitar is an extension of him. My Ovation guitar has been with me so long I would miss it like missing my wife, however I think George would wither away without a guitar.

There are many different kinds of music, jazz, country, rock, and so on. Each one of these fields basically calls for a different type of guitar. Mike Noble, considered one of the top guitar players in Nashville today, can play any style of music anyone can throw at him. He has produced all my records for Wonderment Records, so I know first hand just what he can do. I mention George and Mike for a good reason.

Not all of us, adult or child, will be a George or a Mike. We will never be a world-class wizard with it. What we can be is good enough with the guitar that it becomes that wonderful instrument to write with, sing along with, etc. "Buying The Right Guitar" is critical here.

God gives all of us a certain amount of talent, we just have to find what it is, and sometimes we just stumble on to it. If your child is interested in playing a guitar, or if you yourself are thinking about it, I hope what I am writing here helps you in that endeavor.

My main instrument is my throat. My Ovation accompanies my vocal; the Ovation is mellow, bright, deep and has the right tone from bottom to top end for writing songs. Everyone picks certain brands and styles when buying a guitar for different reasons, you just read mine.

One thing I have accomplished with my Ovation guitar that I am proud of, besides being lucky enough to write a few hits and become a national act, is the fact that my music has evolved into a more western feel. It became more of who I am as a person without me actually, purposely, doing it. My guitar has a sound that is suited to who I am. I am a cowboy first, my lyrics are cowboy, my life is cowboy, and it comes out in the songs and my sound. I guess you could say I do western music with a country touch. Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins did that same thing. I didn't know how much till just lately, when I went back and studied the history of the two. I found it interesting that Marty used a small, very small guitar and a lot of his music had that Spanish sound. Marty had a Spanish heritage so it made sense. Then Cash, would sometimes play high on the neck for effect, and it had an affect. Neither one of those two artist were hot pickers, but they had style and they had the right guitars, smooth action, with style, style fitting who they were. A guitar will be and usually is a part of who you are, just as the music someone makes. Keep that in mind when you're making that important effort in "Buying The Right Guitar."

I would venture to say that all songwriters would tell you that every guitar has an unwritten song in it. I truly believe that is true. Not to say you or your child will write a song no matter what, when you buy that instrument, but trust me it is there. Case in point. I had to do a small party for a bunch of teenage girls.

This came up all at once, so I had to have a guitar. I went down to the local music store and leased a guitar for the day. I picked out this real old beat up flattop. I sat down in the music store to see if it was going to work. Well it didn't matter if it was going to work or not, the guitar had a song in it; I told someone the song was lying right there on top. I used the guitar for the gig, then that night I was over at the President of Wonderment Records house.

I asked if she would like to watch me write a song. She did, and so I sat down on her sofa and 9 minutes later had the song. She said I wrote the song so fast she almost missed it. Now it sounds like I am blowing my horn here, but I'm not. The deal is, the sound, the feel of that guitar was so strong, and all I had to do was let it flow. The song is called "Lonesome Cowboy," a fast up-tempo tune, and is on my "Cowboy Cool" record.

Earlier I said, "They, or you, will be good enough with the guitar that it will become that wonderful instrument to write, sing, or just play around the house, if that is what you want to do."

To up your chances of reaching your goal, some thought has to be put into "Buying The Right Guitar." Here comes the BIG BOWENING!!

Most parents when buying their child that first guitar seem to always want to buy a cheap low end off brand Understandable but--Wrong! That should not be the case for a child or adult. The opposite is the right move. Let me name you several reasons why you should buy your child or yourself a better made, better brand guitar.

A good brand guitar higher end priced guitar frets better. It will fret 10 times easier than a cheap guitar, which makes it easier on a little child's fingertips. Believe me, when those little fingers start hurting, and they will on a cheap guitar, it makes the child feel like he or she can't do it. That's when the first thought of giving up creeps in. Cheap guitars have poor fret boards and are rough even on 24/7 players. Instead of a $100 guitar, buy a $2,500 guitar. I know that sounds high, and a lot of folks don't have $2,500 to lay down for a guitar. However, a lot of music stores have payment plans and the payments aren't too bad. If a youngster wants to play bad enough, he or she might do little odds and end jobs to help pay for their instrument, and learn responsibility at the same time, not to mention give them a little pride in knowing they paid for or helped pay for their own instrument. If dad or mom wants to play bad enough, well bite the bullet!!
The tone on a higher-grade instrument is richer, brighter, and has more tone in it. Not only that but even when a little out of tune it sounds better than a lot of cheap guitars in tune.
The keys on the high end guitar are better, makes it easier to wound the strings when having to string the instrument, nothing is more frustrating than fighting with a key board and uncontrollable strings.

Buying a $2,500 dollar guitar is a win/win situation for the child and the parent. Let's say Sally/Billy or Dad/Mom decided playing an instrument just wasn't their bag after all. You're thinking "Oh great, here I am with this guitar and wasted all this money." Not so. A good name brand guitar, and I mean good, will just about always bring about what you paid for it. In some cases more. You weren't planning on selling the guitar anyway, not as long as your child or you were into it. So why would you sell it now just because the decision was made to do other things? You don't. Loosen the strings a bit, put the guitar in its case, and store it in a room with inside walls. (Inside walls do not gather cool and hot air as readily.) Forget about the guitar, then one day, say 10 years or even longer, up to you, test the market. Good brand, high-end guitars go up in value, not down. You stand a chance of making some good money.

I know musicians that make a living buying good instruments and turning them for big bucks later on. One lawyer friend of mine buys all the high-end guitars he can lay his hands on. He plans to turn them in 20 or so years and make a killing. Guitars, if they are the right ones, can make you more money than interest in a bank.

A guitar brand I recommend for anyone including a teenage child is the Ovation (the website is www.ovationguitars.com). The model I recommend is the "Legend" because of the small neck. The "Balladeer" is another and is a fine instrument. The Ovation has a rounded back so always get the deep bowl; it has more sustained and true sound.

One note of caution. Try out the Balladeer, make sure your child can reach around the deep bowl; the Legend is somewhat smaller in size than the Balladeer so it may be a better fit.

The Ovation's bowl can be somewhat slick and a bit harder to keep in place. Consider that for the little one, and make sure that isn't a problem. I always recommend wearing a guitar strap. The deep bowl has never been a problem for me, but everyone is different. The Legend has a deep bowl and the back isn't as slick as some models, at least mine isn't. Ovation also makes some hot looking guitars, flashy, but remember, you are trying to buy a guitar you or your child can learn on, it needs to have a good tone, that sound will hold you or your child's attention longer, than the flashy with a tin pan empty sound. The thin body Ovations were meant for plugged in rockers to use.

Things to consider when buying the right guitar for the little guy.

The size of the guitar, the sound, the action on the neck (easy fretting) the size of the neck and when considering the Ovation make sure the little guy has no problem positioning and keeping the guitar where he or she feels comfortable playing.
In my opinion 13 and up can usually handle the deep bowl ovation, but you will have to be the final judge on that. Try them out. Spend some time at the store, don't be afraid to really check it out, after all it is your dollars. You might even know someone that has guitars, try them out, and get a feel. One thing about buying the guitar, you do not have to be in a hurry, take your time. But when you realize this is the one, do not sit it down in the store for any reason until you have it paid for, sure as you do someone will pick it up and decide"Yelp this is the one." That's when you will say, "Yelp that was the one," only you won't be smiling.

Points about the Ovation:

They fret awesome; almost all you try will fret well. The high end Ovation "Balladeer and Legend" frets out of this world.
The Ovations are tough, both in the neck and the body. The back of an Ovation is not wood. It is made out of the same composite helicopter wings are made from. Therefore they do not scratch up when little Billy's belt buckle comes up against the back, or when Sally drops it on the floor, or when Daddy sneaks it out and scraps it on the side of the cabinet or bed post.
Ovation makes different size necks, smaller ones for little hands and bigger ones for some players who like the necks with some size.
They have awesome sound, deep bottom end tone with a bright high end.
The Legend and Balladeer has a built in tuner on top of the guitar, which allows a child to tune his or her guitar when it gets out of tune. This is another thing that makes it somewhat easier for a child to learn. They aren't stressing over trying to get a tuner hooked up, or always having to get someone to tune for them. Plus if your playing live gigs, it sure is handy to just touch a button and tune in right on the spot. It is right at the fingertips. In my experience the Ovation holds tune better than and longer than about any brand on the market, I like that for the little guys as well. Again, I said in my experience.

I have been playing Ovation since 1973. I am sure other musicians would argue the point, as guitars are sometimes like Chevy's and Ford's, the man who owns the Chevy argues his is the one, and the man who owns the Ford will beg to differ. However I have a lead guitar player who could have lost a lot of money had he bet me his guitar would hold closer to tune longer than mind, just ask him if your ever at one of our concerts, Larry Crowley is his name!!

::::Alert::::
Ovation will be officially owned by Fender Guitar starting this year 2008. You may want to check at www.fender.com for the Ovation line.

There are lots of fine guitars on the market, but for me I like the depth in sound, toughness, style and easy fretting action of the Ovation. Because I like the Ovation does not mean you will, you will know when you've found that special one. There are lots of brands to choose from, Martin (www.martinguitar.com) which bluegrass players like, has that clear as a bell high end sound, hard to beat this old line of guitar. Taylor (www.taylorguitar.com) seems to be the most popular guitar on the market and I plan to own one, has a good high end with a decent bottom end. Fender probably the number one selling guitar company in the world, however a big portion of their market is electric guitars. Gibson (www.gibson.com) used across the board with country and bluegrass pickers. The Gibson has a wonderful mellow smooth sound; the big body Gibson is a wonderful instrument. Gibson also makes what is suppose to be their lower end guitar, the Epiphone (www.Epiphone.com). I mention this model because I have picked up a few of these and played them, they fret well and the tone was there. The better model in the Epiphone would be worth checking out. Nice looking guitar as well. All these brands have some awesome looking guitars.

Well, there are some names of what I call stellar brands, so try them out, but remember… Whatever brand/model you decide on, choose your guitar for the journey in music that best fits the world you plan to be in, songwriter, recording artist, hot picker, or sitting on the front porch.

If it is for the little guy or gal, make sure it is a guitar that will give them the best chance to learn. Who knows you may have a star in the house.