Tue 21 Feb 2006
The new Ashton CG44 Classical Guitar pack I won from eBay last week finally came in the office yesterday. I usually give my office address for online orders nowadays since nobody is ever at the house to receive an item when it’s delivered.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited to try it out. But, since I was in the office and I don’t play the guitar very well, I had to curb my enthusiasm until I got home. While in the office, I was still able to inspect the contents of the box at the very least.
First, here is the official specification for the Ashton CG44 Classical Guitar pack as written on Ashton’s website:
Fantastic value for anyone starting to explore the world of classical guitar. Based around Ashton’s rich-toned and resonant nylon stringed CG44 guitar, this pack also includes a sturdy gig bag for carrying your instruments to practice or performances, plus extra strings and picks. You’ll also get Ashton’s easy-to-follow Starter Pack Software, with lessons you can follow on your computer screen.
- CG44 Acoustic Guitar - Ashton Starter Pack Software includes Lessons, Tuner and Metronome - Gig Bag - Strap - Extra Strings and Picks
When I opened the box, I saw the guitar there in tip-top shape inside the cool gig bag (which would’ve cost an additional $20 if I bought it separately). Inside the gig bag pocket was the extra strings and picks as well as the manual. Also in the box was the strap and the Ashton Starter Pack Software in a CD.
What I was surprised to find missing was the guitar tuner and the metronome. For a moment, I thought I was swindled by the eBay seller. However, after another round of checking of the contents, I realised that the tuner and the metronome were indeed included. Except, instead of actual physical devices, they were software programs included in the CD.
The specs were a bit misleading but I can’t complain that the metronome and tuner weren’t there. And I thought I got myself a bigger bargain because it came with what I thought were physical metronome and tuner devices.
Another downer is the included Ashton Starter Pack software which was supposed to be a guitar lessons software that I could use to learn how to play the guitar. Don’t get me wrong, it works great. What I disliked about it is that it included only three lessons. You’d have to pay the makers of the software to unlock the rest of the lessons.
However, for the price I paid for it, even if the software was a disappointment and there wasn’t really a metronome and tuner included, I reckon it’s still good value for my money. Given another chance with the same budget, I’d still go for this pack again.
When I got home, I placed the guitar on my lap and quickly started to play some chords I’ve learned from when I was younger. It sounded very awful. I was hoping it came in tuned. I had no choice but to tune it first. Fortunately, I already kind of know how to tune a guitar.
I soon tuned the guitar and was able to play it like I did back in my younger days. That is, poorly. Now that I have a guitar, I can start learning how to play it. And by learning to play, I don’t mean just learning to play a few chords. In time, I hope to be able to serenade Raquel with it.
So, in summary, I’m very pleased with the guitar pack. Even though I found the software wanting, I’m quite happy with the guitar and the gig bag. Having extra strings and picks was a good bonus, too. If you are in search of a relatively cheap beginner’s guitar, I can recommend the Ashton CG44 Classical Guitar pack, for sure. Just keep in mind that you may want to buy a real metronome and guitar tuner afterwards as well as a full guitar method book or software.
February 21st, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Hi Geejay. I’ve seen a physical metronomes, but how does a physical guitar tuner look like? Metronome programs are aplenty free from the net.
Guitars are easy to tune - you just gotta have the ear for it. It might be a good idea to tune it in sync with your recorder’s “C” note.
February 21st, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Hi Blackdove. Hmm. I’ve actually never seen a separate guitar tuner device. I have seen it as being part of a digital metronome device. That’s what I meant.
I already have two metronome programs I use on my PDA. It’s okay except it’s easier to press actual buttons to change speed setting or to reset it rather than using a stylus or actually touching the screen of my PDA with my bare fingers.
I also tried tuning the guitar with the recorder but it’s a bit hard since I need my two hands to use either instrument. That meant I had to remember the sound of the note in my head after playing the recorder while I switch over to the guitar and tune it.
I have found an easier way though. There are also tuning programs for my PDA, too. That’s what I used last night.
February 28th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Hi Geejay,
I don’t really know you guys but I’ve been a “fan” of this website for quite some time now. I find your articles really informative and entertaining. Anyway, I just can’t help but comment on this one. Congrats for getting a good bargain! Nalungkot lang ako kasi I just bought a guitar for my husband (for his birthday) and not knowing anything about guitars and where to get good bargains, I ended up getting one in Cranbourne Music (dinayo pa namin). It was a Legend starter pack and costed more than triple of what you paid for. Hay!!!!! Well, nag-aaral pa lang din siya ngayon (self-study) at naghahanap ng makakajamming. Sana masulit.
February 28th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Hi Jan, salamat sa iyong pagtangkilik sa amin.
Now, although medyo napamahal kayo, siguro naman mas magandang quality pa rin siguro yung nabili ninyo kasi nga mas mahal e. At malamang, acoustic guitar ang nabili mo imbis na classic/spanish guitar tulad ko. An acoustic guitar, which has steel strings, tend to be more expensive than the classical ones.
So nagsisimula pa lang din mag-aral mag-gitara ng asawa mo? Pwede rin siguro makipag-”jamming” one of these days.