“Easy to play”?

Funkfingers

The degree of "easiness" depends upon what you are trying to play at the time.

For instance, acoustic guitars intended for fingerpicking styles often have their strings spaced slightly more widely than guitars intended to withstand strumming. This makes the finger moves easier.

In the realm of bass guitar, two of the reference neck formats are Precision and Jazz. Again, string spacing is the main difference. Some bass lines come more easily to hand on one width than the other. 

Ultimately, all of this is relative to the individual player's physique. One player's easy could be another player's cramped. 

SouthpawMark said:

Anderton's ... Paul Reed Smith ... Danish Pete ... gift. 

Blaendulais said:

... free ... endorsed by the company

If somebody gifted you a fat wad of bank notes, you might very well consider those to be the best bank notes that you had ever had in yer 'ands. 

If a second somebody paid you to appear in a promotional video, eulogising the aforementioned bank notes, you might very well agree to participate.

Blaendulais said:

Cynically 

There is much about which to be cynical.

Sassafras

Try this one for size:



Shouldn't pose much of a problem.

sweepy

I’ve had a few guitars that were too easy to play, if that makes sense ? fot me I need it to fight a little or it’s no fun

skullfunkerry

Scrolling through this thread and agreeing with everyone's comments about feel, neck etc... very surprised though that 'string tension' hasn't been mentioned. I know that's to do with scale length and string gauge, but for a newbie who doesn't necessarily know what those things mean, one of the first impressions someone would get picking up a guitar would be how tight or loose the strings feel

Roland

octatonic said:

Neck feel/stickiness/smoothness, ability to have a low action without buzzing, guitar geometry.

Neck “feel” involves fretboard thickness, width and radius; and possibly fret height and material.

I’d also add how the guitar hangs: where the 12th fret is, where the bridge is in relation to a comfortable right arm position, what angle the neck is to the horizontal, and what angle to the front of your body.

There are so many factors, and everyone has a different comfort zone.

SouthpawMark

Thanks for all of the remarkably thoughtful answers to my question.

I’ve somehow managed to accumulate 7 guitars over the last month, and have been surprised by how they all feel different. Not hugely different, but subtle things I can feel through my right hand (I’m a leftie) and after reading the answers it has made me realise what these differences are. 

The comment about where the 12th fret is is really interesting. I always assumed that they would be (or at least feel) in pretty much the same place... with a Strat or Tele I feel right on top of it, but with my SG it feels a little further away, and something I will need to get used to. I thought my Flying V would be similar to the SG, but for some reason it isn’t. In fact, I think the V is the guitar I’m finding easiest to play out of all of them. 

guitars4you

SouthpawMark said:

Thanks for all of the remarkably thoughtful answers to my question.

I’ve somehow managed to accumulate 7 guitars over the last month, and have been surprised by how they all feel different. Not hugely different, but subtle things I can feel through my right hand (I’m a leftie) and after reading the answers it has made me realise what these differences are. 

The comment about where the 12th fret is is really interesting. I always assumed that they would be (or at least feel) in pretty much the same place... with a Strat or Tele I feel right on top of it, but with my SG it feels a little further away, and something I will need to get used to. I thought my Flying V would be similar to the SG, but for some reason it isn’t. In fact, I think the V is the guitar I’m finding easiest to play out of all of them. 

Wow - 7 in a month - bet not many FB members can match this 

Most differences are not better/worse - They show the character of the guitar and as such it is a case of which suits you - Sometimes you'll find one guitar suits one song/style, whilst another will suit another song/style etc

Assuming all are set up then all should be playable, but you will probably find yourself having a favourite, for whatever reason that is

scrumhalf

To me a guitar is easy to play if the time spent playing it passes by without you noticing, and putting it down and doing something else is a disappointment.

guitars4you

scrumhalf said:

To me a guitar is easy to play if the time spent playing it passes by without you noticing, and putting it down and doing something else is a disappointment.

reminds me of a quote I heard some while ago

Playing a guitar that you don't get on with is like jogging with a cold - You'll still get there but it was tough work

richardhomer

Roland said:
where the 12th fret is, where the bridge is in relation to a comfortable right arm position

For me these two make a massive difference - and related to them - where the nut falls. With Les Pauls I find everything is too far to the right - the headstock feels too close making the neck feel ‘hemmed in’ - while the bridge is too far back causing my right arm to fatigue quickly.

I suspect if I were shorter I’d find Strats too ‘spread out’ - as it is - I find them pretty much perfect.

TTBZ

Can confirm, I'm short and strats look/feel massive on me, I hate them. I only feel comfortable on Gibsons.

underdog

Tenebrous said:

Part of it is also down to personal preference. One guys easier to play guitar might be horrible for another guy to play, & vice versa.

Couldn't agree more, several times someone has passed me a guitar of theirs and I find it terrible to play, and it's usually down to the fact the action is too low for me, or the strings too light, I think I need a bit of a fight out of the guitar to enjoy it.

Edit: I see @sweepy agrees too

Adey

When you're just starting out learning, no guitar is easy to play, in my opinion.

Once you become a bit more confident,you will find it easier to play the guitar(s) you have.

When you have some level of competence, you will appreciate the nuances of different guitars, and find some that have that small something that makes them work well with your way of playing

.... In my opinion anyway. That's been my experience.

I'd be surprised if anyone who had just had 3 lessons would ever say "oh yeah. That guitar is easy to play - like butter...!

Philly_Q

TTBZ said:

Can confirm, I'm short and strats look/feel massive on me, I hate them. I only feel comfortable on Gibsons.

I'm short - shorter than you I think - and I've become very comfortable with Strats the last few years. 

Having said that, nobody gets to see me play them... and I take the point that they can look quite large, I remember watching some random TV show and there was a small guy in a backing band wearing a dark suit playing a white Strat, it looked enormous.

I do like the idea of a slightly scaled down Strat.  Warmoth make a 7/8-sized body but they look just a bit odd, and you have to use a 24.75" scale, 24-fret neck.