I know we have several musicians around here, so I figured I'd ask for advice. I want to learn to play electric guitar, and was wondering what would be good equipment to get. I'm considering getting this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/pr...ontman_15g_electric_guitar?full_sku=102660313 Is that good value, or should I be looking for something else? My price range is about 400 bucks max, as I am just wanting to do it as a hobby to start with, and if I want to take it further I'll obviously buy better gear.
Looks like a great starter deal to me. It includes everything you need. Plus, if you start getting good at playing, this gear is a great jumping off point for an upgrade. Go for it!!
If you are going into Guitar Center - ask for help... And definately try looking at several options. Ask about how well the guitar holds tune. I don't know if a Schecter (or however you spell it) is in your $$$$$ range but I know several people who started with one and were very pleased for the dollars.
How much should I spend on a decent acoustic? I'm not looking for anything top of the line, just something inexpensive that still sounds good. Someone told me not to spend less than $200 or it would be a piece of crap. Do you agree?
I recommend a Fender Starcarster, thats the kind i bought and its great to learn with. Usually they come with everything for under 200 bucks. I got mine from Best Buy. Now that i am better i am lookin to get a PRS Santana SE and a Marshall amp. But yea the one i got was nice, looks the same as the Squier, just red. But it did come with amp,bag,picks,tuner,a dvd and some other crap. but for less than 200 bucks its very good.
if you are learning to play and its something you think you might want to get into long-term may i suggest starting off and learning on an acoustic. imo, the better players are the ones who have learned on acoustic and than moved to electric. the electric gives more instant gratification and you can do more noisy rockin' out, but if you want to develop your strumming/rhythm and learn to play basic chords than go acoustic for awhile. plus the acoustic is harder to play - when you do move to electric everything will be much easier and faster. as keef richards himself says "i judge a guitar player by how well he handles an acoustic".
I second that emotion. Plus if you buy an acoustic, you won't have to invest in an amp, so you can put all your $ into the guitar and get better quality (read: better playability).
my grandpa bought me my first acoustic (1978 ibanez performance) at a pawn shop in 1990 for about $150 and it is the only acoustic i have ever owned and i play it pretty much every day. ive thought about spending $1000 on another, but i dont really need it - i love the tone, richness and feel of mine. you can get a good guitar with a really nice tone for under $200. you just have to look around.
i'm thinking about getting an acoustic myself.... i figure why not? it's something i've wanted to do, no reason to not try it. hopefully i can get one in the next few months.
I believe my aunt has an acoustic laying around somewhere, I don't know how good it is though. I'll have to check on that.
No, I do not agree, although I wouldn't spend that money on a new acoustic. You would get a piece of crap if you spent $200 on a new acoustic. For that pricerange, I would try to find a nice used Ibanez or Guild in a pawnshop or on EBay.
Agree. I switched from guitar to keyboards fulltime about 12 years ago so my perspective may be dated. But IMHO, the biggest impediment to maintaining the attention and interest of a beginner is the amount of hand strength and dexterity needed for the fretboard. The lower end electrics are much easier to setup for playability than lower end acoustics. They are easier to finger up the neck and they are easier to get the intonation (pitch) correct at the nut and 12th fret. $ for $ in the lower ranges, I'd go with the electric every time. In the past several years, I've purchased a Fender Japanese-made Strat and a Fender Mexican-made P-bass on EBay to hot rod. I wasn't really searching for a deal but neither cost more than $225 delivered.
ok I was up early and Caught the ESTEBAN Infomercial and I must admit . .I was thinking of getting it for my son [he only 8 but showing an interest in music] Rocket River
And they sound pretty damn decent for the dime. I would definetly play around on any prospective purchase -- even though you're a pure beginner -- to make sure the size of the neck and string action (height of the strings off the fretboard) are comfortable enough for you. As GATER said, ease of use plays a lot into how long beginners stick with the instrument. I also highly reccomend Rhythm Guitar: The Complete Guide by Bruce Buckingham and Eric Paschal. It covers chords shapes and rhythyms from the very basic to well advanced. There's enough in this book to last you years.
