guys...I seem to recall there was a thread on this before...but after going back 100 pages in the history...was unable to find it....so here we go. my oldest girl wants to learn guitar....she wants to spend no more than around $300. what is a good/decent quality guitar that would be good for a beginner? should she go steelstring acoustic? or go ahead and get a electric? what would be the best shops around town to check? I havent been into a music shop since I got my last bass 8 years ago....so I could use a little help knowing which brands to stay away from and the stores where they actually know what they are talking about... I realize most of yall are probably playing tonight...so Ill bump this up tomorrow in the hopes that you arent too hungover to respond. Thanks
You can get the package that Jeff posted... the fender squier strat pack - that'll set you back $200-$250 - you can find that package at The Guitar Center, Rockin' Robin or most major music stores... or you could drop about $100-$150 on a beginners acoustic. I would recommend the acoustic, if she learns to play then you can consider an electric guitar. I would also recommend steel strings unless she wants to learn classical or flamenco style, then nylon strings would be preferred. Good luck.
$199 at Texas Music Emporium representin' the north side. I think an inexpensive acoustic ($100 - $125) would be a good way to go. A standard acoustic uses bronze-wound steel strings. If you get the non-wound strings, as rockHEAD said, that is classical or flamenco style.
General consensus says Ibanez Artcore series will give you the best bang for your buck. You can read some reviews of it at: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Ibanez/AF75-01.html It's not a bad looking guitar either. I think they might have a bunch at Guitar Center, if not, theres plenty of places online selling for less than 300. And I think electrics are easier to play than acoustics.
I don't play guitar, but in my one week attempt to learn from my roomate, he told me to start with acoustic since you can easily play electric if you've learned acoustic first, but not the other way around.
right...most people will recommend electrics since alot of beginners are prone to giving up if it is too hard. I knew that from my own experiences learning guitar...which I never was successful at....funny thing was....I ended up taking up bass...which as any musician will tell you, is actually harder on the fingers than guitars... difficulty in pressing the strings was never my concern...it was just the spacing...I had alot of trouble with my fingers interferring with other strings....figgered that with the extra room between the strings on a bass...it would be easier to play...besides...I have always enjoyed the rhythm section more and was too lazy to be a drummer...if I had actually learned guitar, I would have ended up being a rhythym guitarist anyway... anyway....thanks a ton for the ideas guys...TME and Guitar Center decent stores? Ive never actually bought anything from either being that Im a far East Side guy...I normally hit the smaller independent stores on this side of town......but Im a lot less adverse to driving inside the loop these days.
Just curious...what kind of electric guitar(new not used) would you buy if money really wasn't an issue? I'm always on the look-out for a new guitar. I've got my eye on PRS right now. The thing is...guitar is just a hobby for me. I consider myself decent but not more. Guitar is a difficult instrument to master unless your completely devoted. So, I think what tends to happen is most people who set out to play guitar turn into closet guitarists(no band). Take myself, I play a lot of cover songs for whatever music I like...Rush, Pink Floyd, old school Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zeppelin, etc. . I play on a Jackson Dinky XL whichl, is admittedly, a brand associated with hard rock or even metal. It's not a bad guitar at all and I paid $750 for it years ago. It's got the locking tremolo and mother-of-pearl inlay on the fret board. But, I have no other electric guitar. I'm thinking about upgrading the whole schiznat. So, I'm on the lookout for a new combo amp(or stack) and a new guitar. I am seriously thinking about buying a new signature amp(or head) coming out from Alex Lifeson of Rush and Hughes & Kettner in March. It will probably cost in the lower $2K and then I would still need to buy a 4 x 12 cabinet. It would be awesome to have but a lot pricey. Per the bass guitar, my brother bought a Fender bass and a Rogue bass before that in the span of 3 weeks. He also just bought a $500 Crate practice amp. He's a noob beginner to the max. I picked up his Fender and looked at his Rush tab. The next thing I know...I'm picking away some Geddy Lee riffs in some of the popular Rush tunes. So, now I'm thinking I may buy a bass set-up in addition to my guitar set-up. I played bass a long time ago but playing recently made me realize I'm much better now than I was way back when. I guess years of electric guitar have made the bass an easier instrument to play. Surf
You know, I honestly can't remember the last time I bought any gear offline. There are way too many places online to buy it. It's so much easier than driving around town looking for what you want. Just a few clicks and 2 days later, your gear is on your doorstep. You don't have to worry about anything being out of stock. You don't have to worry about how many people have played your gear while it was on display at the store. In my case, you don't have to deal with ignorant teenage wanna-be rock stars looking at you funny because you have short hair, a clean shave, and no tattoo's or wallet chains. Here are some of my favorites: http://www.musiciansfriend.com (call them and they will beat ANY advertised price. Literally.) http://www.interstatemusic.com (HUGE selection, always in stock) http://www.wwbw.com http://www.samash.com (they will also beat ANY advertised price and they even have a 24/7 callcenter ) I'm sure all of these places have guitar 'beginner packs' that you can sort by price, brand, best seller, or playing level. Good luck.
Gear talk - my favorite #1 - Buy a guitar that is music-appropriate - If your daughter wants to play loud, rock music, then don't buy her an acoustic. She'll get frustrated when she tries to play a song and it sounds like Peter, Paul and Mary. Playing guitar is not just about playing notes - it's also about creating sound and so you need to make sure that you give her the right tools to create that sound. I would ask your daughter to name 10 songs that she would want to learn on guitar. You can then either bring that list back here or to a guitar salesman to get an idea of what kind of guitar will work best. Amps are a little more interchangeable at the beginner stage, but if your daughter picks songs with lots of reverb, then you probably need to make sure the amp has this. #2 - Buy used - You can get better quality for less money, and you'll lose less when you sell (because your daughter either gives up or improves enough to merit an equipment upgrade). Find someone who knows gear (other than the salesman) and offer to buy them lunch in exchange for spending half an afternoon with you visiting stores and checking out used guitars. If you do buy a used guitar, however, insist that they allow you to return it within 2 weeks if it isn't in good shape (see #3) And you can find used practice amps for practically nothing - there's no point in paying new price. Just make sure to test it before buying ( play through it for five minutes and turn all the knobs all the way). #3 - Get the gear professionally set up - It'll cost 35 bucks or so, but it will allow you to do two things: (1) Make sure the guitar is in good condition. Both new and used guitars sometimes have warped necks or cracked bodies, and a good set-up guy will be able to detect this. (2) Make sure guitar is in tip-top playing condition. Nothing is harder for a beginner than dealing with a guitar that has worn frets and super-high action. A properly set-up guitar really will make playing much easier. #4 - Make sure your daughter tries out the equipment - Don't surprise her - let her pick it out after trying out a bunch of things. That will ensure she is happiest. You can also try renting a set-up and allow your daughter the chance to figure out whether or not she really likes guitar.
you can find Strat Packs at most indie music stores as well as the larger chain stores (Guitar Center) - purchase it where you feel most comfortable shopping, it's your money, spend it where you want. If your favorite guitar store doesn't sell a Strat Pack, ask them if they can create a similiar deal for you... these packs for the most part, include a guitar, an amp, a guitar cable (to plug in to the amp--what do you call those things? I'm at a loss), a gig bag (soft case for the guitar), maybe some picks and a cheap tuner and maybe an extra set of strings... For the beginner, I would definitely recommend the acoustic guitar. Don't spend more than $200-$250, because if she doesn't pick it up or get into it, you're not out much and it will be hard to re-sell for close to what you paid (probably).... Good luck again, and let us know what you decide on.
Hmmm, probably a white or natural finish, 3 pickup, early 60s SG shaped Les Paul Custom. As for bass, if you're looking for a great, cheap bass, the Geddy Lee Fender Jazz is a phenomenal bass at a low price ($600 at Guitar Center, even less used on eBay). I'm seriously considering buying one for myself, although I'm also tempted to pick up a Wal bass on ebay. Ironic, really, considering that I'm not really a big Rush fan.
The only reason I might disagree with this is simply because, if you know very little about instruments and amps, you'll probably have no clue about what to buy used. With guitar and amp packages under $200, it is hard to go wrong especially when you don't know what you are buying.
Man, that's a good question. As a bass player, I don't play guitar except to write and occassionally in the studio. I have a Paul Reed Smith electric that is fine, but I wouldn't mind getting a nice Taylor or Martin acoustic and I would love to have an old Fender electric 12-string. Those things are so cool if mostly useless. For bass, I've been seriously considering a Lackland. I love the Darryl Jones model. I also would love to find one of the old Washburn acoustic/electric basses in fretless. I think they were the AB-10's. They are so hard to find in fretless but I love the way they sound - like a cross between an upright and an electric. Ultimately, though, if money wasn't an object, I'd be headed straight for a vintage place looking for a stack-knob Fender J bass, probably 2 of them - one old beat up one that I could mod with new parts and one in mint condition that I could love like the son I never had.
That's why I advised to get someone with knowledge to go with them and to also get a tech to look over anything they buy (with the seller agreeing to allow them to return guitar if it isn't in good shape). I agree that a person with little knowledge should avoid trying to buy used gear on their own.
Im kinda in the middle there...I do have a little knowledge as far as guitars go.....and I do still have a couple of friends from the band I used to work for....I can probably get one of them to check out any one I found if she decided to go used..... for the record....since she is 21...and works and stilll lives at home....she has the money saved up to buy it herself.....she asked my advice in what to get since I have been around rock bands since I was 17.... So since I have been out of the scene for a few years now...I came here cause I knew that I could depend on yall to give me good advice as far as what is good and what isnt....and yall certainly have lived up to that expectation.... We discussed the merits of acoustic vs electric yesterday....and I told her that acoustic would be harder to learn but that if you stuck with it....switching to electric would be easy....she seems to be leaning towards acoustic for that reason....also...more of the stuff she listens to has more acoustic than electric.....or shall Isay....if it is electric, it is clean....ie...no distortion...
Sub, That's exactly the same advice that I was going to give. Especially point number 1. Learning guitar is not like learning the piano where there are standard "methods". The best motovations is actually producing notes that sound just like your favorite songs. The only exception to the rule would be if she was a singer who needed to learn an instrument for accompaniment. Then the acoustic starts to make more sense.
Subtomics' buying guideline is an excellent one. Bottom line is to not buy her a cheap piece of crap to learn on (like the rest of us). The last thing a newbie needs is a guitar that is difficult to play or stay in tune. It will only lead to a guitar in the closet and someone who does not believe they have the talent to become a guitarist. The guitar does not have to be expensive either. Those Fender Squires are perfectly fine to learn on and a pro could make one sound near as good as any USA Stratocaster.
One thing I could never figure out about guitars and still can't is the whole tremolo debacle. To this day, it seems guitars come with a tremolo but may lack a locking tremolo system. In the beginning, I bought a guitar which had a tremolo before locking systems(e.g. Floyd Rose) came on the market. It was absolutely worthless to try and use the tremolo as the guitar would go out of tune instantly. When I upgraded to my Jackson model, it came with the locking tremolo system and it works pretty well. Even on today's guitars, I still see tremolos without the ability to lock down. Does anyone know why they would continue to put tremolos on guitars without the locking capability? As far as the guitar selection, I agree about picking a guitar which stays in tune as being a primary factor. I would think you would also be looking for a guitar your comfortable playing but a noob isn't going to be able to really feel a guitar out probably. In my experience, a quality amp can make a crappy guitar sound great as long as the guitar can stay in tune. I had an inexpensive guitar starting out...a Peavey. I spent some money and changed out all three pick-ups with some quality pick-ups. Even then, I would say the difference that made was minimal at best. My conclusion then was the amp was more responsible for the tone and sound you got then the guitar and what pick-ups were in it. The biggest problem I had with that early guitar was it had a tremolo with no locking system and the guitar wouldn't stay in tune. So, find a beginner guitar with some decent hardware, some decent tuners, and will stay in tune. Don't just buy a guitar that looks great...as tempting as that might be.
