Should I buy a new guitar?

[Andrew65]

Hi

Like lots of people I have had some spare time during Lockdown and decided to learn to play the guitar. I have no natural musical ability so it continues to be a difficult, yet enjoyable, experience. I chose the guitar because in 1986 at the age of 21, I won £100 on a fruit machine and bought a guitar. I had every intention to learn but then work, marriage, children, lots more work, divorce and even more work gave me the excuse not. Even so my guitar has come with me through house move. 
 

I have a Marlin acoustic guitar (model MF2-5), photo attached. I know nothing about guitar brands or what makes a guitar good or bad. My question is to anyone in the know, should I carry on with this guitar or invest in a new one? If the answer is to buy a new one I will be back for some more advice. I have read reviews that say Marlin electric guitars are really bad, but haven’t found anything about acoustic guitars. 
 

Thanks

Andrew

[Dad3353]

Good afternoon, Andrew...

There's nothing wrong with your guitar, I, and many here, would have jumped at the chance of learning on a guitar of that quality..! The best advice I can think of is to recommend finding a good guitar teacher in your vicinity (where are you..?). From a Good Teacher, you'll get the best start, for tuning, playing position, avoiding pitfalls, and, if he or she is really good, interesting pieces and exercises to get you up and running playing in no time at all. It doesn't have to be expensive, nor a long-term commitment, but a few lessons to get going, then, maybe, refresher sessions every few months or so, depending on budget, progress made, ambition and so on.
Guitar is not the easiest of instruments to figure out for oneself, and the rewards from Good Tuition far outweigh their expense, in my view. In any case, if it sounds bad at first, it's certainly not the guitar's fault..!
Hope this helps. 

Douglas

[MWH]

Hi,  and as above,  put the money into learning,  I still go for lessons,   you will learn so much at those lessons,  even that you don't like the tea bags they use !,   I have bought and sold, ( lost money ) on guitars along the way,  the most valuable thing I have learnt is that my preferred musical taste is weirdly the easiest stuff for me to play,  so the tutor tries to "stretch"  me,  but,  surely in the end,  you could  keep that acoustic and purchase an instrument that is best for your preferred genre, horses for courses,    we want pics of your next purchase,   best of luck !!

[EdwardMarlowe]

I have fond memories of my Marlin electric, my first guitar. Marlin were a very successful, Korean-built range of guitars which, I believe were built to contract for Hohner (I have seen a few that carried a "Marlni by Hohner" branding). Their electrics were the reason that Fender initially introduced a Korean Squire in the mid-late eighties to compete on price, and then 1992 Fender introduced the Squier Silver series built in Japan. The Marlin Sidewidner, a Strat take-off, was outselling the Squier hands down in the UK over several years by severely undercutting the Squiers on price. Squier's early Korean guitars had also gone over to plywood bodies, whereas Marline used solid (basswood) -  a fact mercilessly exploited by competitors (around the same time, Yamaha introduced the 112 with an advertising campaign based on "ask whether it comes in natural finish" - whichthe Squiers didn't; it even showed the back end of whaT was obviously (but not labelled as ) a Squier with the paint sanded back to reveal plywood. Squiers didn't come in  ...).  They were never quite as bad as it's now fashionable to believe, nor were most of them as good as the budget brand electrics avaialble today.  For guitars that were everywhere in their day, you don't see so many of them appear for sale now; I' guessing al ot of them have over the years been handed down through families, ended up in basements or attics, or as wall hangers, or the Strat types have been parted out for various projects.

The Marlin acoustics seem to have been rarer (Yahmaha's bottom line dresdnought was the big seller back then, and Tanglewood were beginning to take off...). A friend had a black one with an untinted maple neck and fingerbouard - a relative rarity on an acoustic guitar. Yours looks pretty cool. SAdly, for its rarity, I don't think it'll have much commercial value - I'd suggest sticking with it for now. See how you go with some lessons, then consider whether you want to repalce it or buy an electric. Squier are making soem pretty good guitars today. I heard good things about the Harley Benton brand (house brand of Thomann.de, Chinese made), though I would also highly recommend the Vintage branded guitars from JHS with the Wilkinson-designed gear. All great guitars that if you really get into it you'll likely want to keep as a 'back-up' for something more expensive.

Love the red and Green o that Marlin, its' one I've never seen before.
 

[EdwardMarlowe]

p.s..... Looked Marlin up online - they were first made in East Germany (only very briefly in 1985) for British Music Strings Ltd based in Wales; 1986-89 they were made by Samick in Korea, then in 1989 Hohner bought the brand and shifted production to Cort in Korea.