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Beginner electric guitar
Darkewolfe
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I actually posted about this first in the games forum because of the Rocksmith game, but truth be told that's only tangentially related.
I really want to pick up a stringed instrument. I don't have any fantasies about being in a band or even being particularly good, I've just always found playing music to be relaxing. I haven't mucked about in a long time, and I've set my heart on strings. I entertained the idea that I'd learn to fiddle for awhile, but I think I'm ready to let that one go just because it's less practical and more complicated to start, plus there's a lot more resources for something a simple as the guitar. Rocksmith is gamification of guitar learning, and that's ridiculously awesome and would probably help me build some structure into practicing chords when I want a break from practicing off the sheet.
Anyway, I'm also not fooling myself. There's a reasonable chance I won't stick with this, or at least dedicate enough time to it to really get anything out of it. As a result, I'm shying away from doing something like investing $500+ in a real guitar and an amp from the get go. I've been looking at beginner packs, and these two are at the top of my list so far. I'd love to hear any suggestions, either between these two or regarding something else I should consider:
Rockmaster Limited by Peavey
Fender Starcaster
I really want to pick up a stringed instrument. I don't have any fantasies about being in a band or even being particularly good, I've just always found playing music to be relaxing. I haven't mucked about in a long time, and I've set my heart on strings. I entertained the idea that I'd learn to fiddle for awhile, but I think I'm ready to let that one go just because it's less practical and more complicated to start, plus there's a lot more resources for something a simple as the guitar. Rocksmith is gamification of guitar learning, and that's ridiculously awesome and would probably help me build some structure into practicing chords when I want a break from practicing off the sheet.
Anyway, I'm also not fooling myself. There's a reasonable chance I won't stick with this, or at least dedicate enough time to it to really get anything out of it. As a result, I'm shying away from doing something like investing $500+ in a real guitar and an amp from the get go. I've been looking at beginner packs, and these two are at the top of my list so far. I'd love to hear any suggestions, either between these two or regarding something else I should consider:
Rockmaster Limited by Peavey
Fender Starcaster
What is this I don't even.
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Also, are there any artists whose guitar sound you really like or want to emulate? That can help know which guitar style to move you toward, though if you are choosing Strat-like designs intentionally there's nothing wrong with that route.
I'm now looking into skipping the amp initially, using my PC as an amp and sinking a bit more into the initial instrument. Then I can buy an amp when I have any reason to want to play for people a year from now.
If I had to pick a fantasy sound I'd like to get to eventually, it'd be (I think) high sustain, moderate distortion, and I know I'd need a pedal to get there. "Hunting Bears" by Radiohead is one of my favorite things done with guitar. I honestly think I'd probably lean toward a telecaster eventually, I like the twang.
Edit: Shit, I forgot to clarify- I'm from Memphis, and I'd never be able to leave the Blues sound behind.
Edit: I take that back, I can get a Squier Bullet Strat for $130. Improvement on it over the Starcaster is mostly the humbucking pickup, I suppose.
Almost all of that would have me point you toward an Epiphone Les Paul, but if you like the twang I think a Strat will get you the best of the different worlds you're looking for.
The recommendation of a Mexican Strat was a good one, but if that's too complicated or too expensive a route, I'd point you toward a Squier Strat instead of a Fender Starcaster.
I'd also recommend you do pick up an amp. Stick to something inexpensive and low wattage. The thing about playing through your computer is that it's not nearly as fun, and I think it's way too hard to stick with learning a new instrument if you're not having fun.
I also recommend you check out a local guitar store or two and try some stuff out. Have a guy show you how to do an E chord or something and just fiddle around a bit with guitars in your pricerange. Ask a store guy to play some blues on one. If you fall in love with something, buy it!
Anyway, Squiers are decent beginner guitars for the money. I don't know much about Peavey guitars although one of my basses is an old Peavey from the 70's and it's rock solid. You may want to consider Ibanez and Epiphone as good reputable brands.
I would avoid the starter kits in general. They tend to use sub-par build materials and the assembly can be pretty shoddy.
As Wonderpug said... go to your nearest store and try everything you can get your hands on. Get a feel for different guitars. Also, remember that what the guitar looks like is important. You're far more likely to pick up and play a guitar that you think looks good.
Cabezone is spot on with his recommendation for your next step. Between justinguitar for lessons, ultimate-guitar for tabs, and endless song-specific tutorials on youtube, there's a ton of great avenues for self-learning.
Aside from a guitar, amp, and an audio cable (if not included), there's not much else you need as far as accessories. A cheapie electronic tuner is a must, a capo is a very handy nice-to-have, and a combination string winder & cutter is also an affordable nicety.
Oh yeah, what's your practice area situation? If you have a need to keep the noise down, you may want to investigate headphone amps as an option.
Edit: What about other brands? Someone sent me some really good deals on SX and Douglas guitars at a website called Rondo.
1. Yamaha Pacifica guitars are awesome for beginners. I owned one and it was phenomenal.
2. Find a reputable guitar teacher and ask for beginner or even trial lessons, just to get pointers on correct technique.
I picked up guitar as a pure hobby and taught myself enough to "get by" with some chords. At some point I decided I wanted to learn more, and as soon as I got lessons, my teacher pointed out some fundamental things I was doing wrong (grip, thumb position, pressure on strings) that I was never able to learn from Internet videos or books. I really wish I had started the whole process by getting lessons!
My main guitar currently is an Ibanez and I would recommend them and buy another myself in a heartbeat. The guitars made in their Indonesian factory are surprisingly good. I love mine and have had others who own many guitars tell me that their Indonesian Ibanez is their favorite guitar in their collection.
For my first amp I started with a little 20 watt Roland Cube. Good quality for the price and not too ridiculously loud. I just looked and either I'm remembering the price of these things wrong or the price has jumped up a ton since I bought mine (very possible... it was '08 or so).
I bought my first guitar, a Mexican Telecaster new in 2003 for $330. It has been a workhorse, has gotten me through many gigs and plays like a dream. The cheapest you can buy a new Mexican Tele nowadays appears to be around $500 unless you catch a sale. I could easily sell my guitar now for $300 given the market demand and still have had hundreds of hours of play and enjoyment from it.
On the subject of sales, Guitar Center has a new sale every week. At least once a month, one of the sales will be to drop $50 off of any item $299 or more. So if you are looking to spend around $250, know that you can always wait for that sale to roll around and pick up a nicer guitar for the same amount of money.
I've found a few almost new Squier guitars for $75-100 on craigslist, and I think I'm just going to jump in there. While, as you say, it won't last me long term, I can probably resell it for $50 on craigslist later if I need to, and then I'll have gotten enough access to see if I can stick with this at a very cheap entry point.
But then, it's not my money we're talking about.
My big problem there is, "How do I FIND it" followed up with, "Even if I do find it, since I don't know how to play the guitar yet, how do I evaluate it to make sure I'm not buying something busted."
I checked some pawn shops but didn't find anything in my range.
At the same time, yes, I've seen guys bring in multiple guitars for single performances when they know what they're doing and have very specific sounds that they're going for. Hell, I've done performances both with shitty-assed half-broken keyboards and in a veritable cage of Organs, Synthesizers, and a Piano.
So with that, I would really say there is exactly one thing that is imperative to a starting guitar:
Make sure it works. My first guitar had a fret sticking out of the neck that I had to hammer and file away at to get it where it should be. I ordered it online, and because it was ridiculously cheap, the quality control wasn't really there. However, after that, it's totally a guitar that I would feel comfortable bringing to real gigs. If you don't know about maintenance, then I recommend going to a shop and just asking them about cheap, starting guitars. If you have a friend who plays at all, ask them to come along and just do whatever on the guitar to feel it out, but for the most part you can trust the shop guys. If they say that to start out you really want to upgrade to a $500 guitar or something then maybe don't trust them, but their instruments should be free of any major defects.
I would also still recommend getting a starting amp, and while pack amps aren't exactly good, they're really not that bad. The alternative is getting a headphone amp. I've got one that is like, perfect to have. You plug it into the guitar, and put headphones on, and you get an amplified sound while there is no sound elsewhere. I use one to practice all the time. In general just remember that unless you're performing or something, the sound is more as a metric for yourself than for any sort of big impressive sound for other people.
Really to boil it down I would advise going into a store and asking about their starting guitars. If there's one you really like for one reason or another, then go with that, if you like the guitar even just for the colour or shape you'll be likely to pull it out and play with it, but don't get too worried about brands or bodies of starting guitars. Get one you like with no mechanical defects and that can last you forever.
So, um.
There's a candy red tele for sale for $325 in the general region.
Must stay strong.
Bullet
(Affinity) <- slightly thinner neck/body
SE
Standard
Vintage Modified/Deluxe
My dad bought a Squier Bullet, and maybe he was unlucky but the tuners on it were pretty horrible. I think the truss rod needed some adjustment as well, so it did need a bit of work before it could actually hold its tuning properly.
Since I still don't know ANYTHING I finally just popped on the cheap Squier I had found on craigslist that came with a shitty starter amp. It's functional, I'll teach myself some chords on it and in a few months I'll just look to buy something above Squier altogether.
I also feel like a complete fucking idiot, and I'm glad I didn't spend any real money. When I was checking out the guitar and everything seemed mostly alright, I didn't even realize the whammy bar that comes standard on it wasn't even on the goddamn thing. It wasn't until I got home and was trying really hard to tune it that I realized something was completely missing.
I don't know enough about this to make any sort of real purchase, and I guess I made a pretty stupid buy, but at least it was cheap. I'll try to teach myself as best I can on this one and then think about buying a real guitar in a few months.
Edit: And yeah, it probably sucks. I can't seem to get the B, G, or E to tune quite right. They go from one end to the other, skipping over the correct note.
Honestly this is the best advice giving in this thread. If you are just starting out, please DONT buy a $300 guitar. To most somewhat experienced players that’s considered a cheap guitar, but for someone just starting out that’s a lot of money. Be aware that every starter feels like playing guitar would be ‘cool’ (and it is) until they actually start playing. It’s hard, it requiers practice. You have to put in hours and hours of work and playing over the same songs until you get a feel for it, and then it takes years until you get comfortable.
I’m not saying this to put you off, I’m just giving you the reason why you find so many guitars used that look like they’ve hardly been touched.
Besides, picking up a cheap guitar can teach you so much. You’ll learn about playing but also if you move up in some time you’ll have a cheap guitar to take apart and learn about all the components and the way it’s built. That’s what I’ve been doing lately and it’s really so much fun.
Start playing, play a lot of nirvana and ramones songs and have fun.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/26791384#Comment_26791384
This is actually for the better, the whammy bar tends to just throw the entire tuning out, especially with cheaper bridges. Most people will just take them off and lock down the bridge to keep stability, which is far more important than being able to add a bit of vibrato. For a beginner and a beginners guitar, you will never need to use it.
For tuning, there's a neat little computer program called APTuner which helps out a lot if you can plug your guitar into your PC. If you find the tuning seems to 'skip' rather than be continuous, it's probably a combination of the strings catching on the nut (the bit of the guitar at the top of the neck that the strings rest in), the strings not being strung correctly, and the strings just being old. You can solve this by putting a new set on, giving the nut a clean, and also lubricating the grooves using a soft pencil.
I overtightened my top string at one point, and I'm a bit concerned that I stretched the tremolo bridge springs out. I can't say for certain, but the bridge might be more out than it was before. It doesn't seem to be doing anything particularly wonky to the sound. I'll probably take it in for a tune up to a guitar shop eventually, once I've practiced some more. Does anyone have any knowledge on that situation with the bridge, though?
But there's NO way you'll stretch out the trem by overtightening the string. The string will just break and that will be that. If everything sounds in tune and it plays could, it could even be that because it's stuned properly right now, the bridge is in the right position.
The first guitar I owned had a neck like a banana and I played that thing for 2 years because I didn't know any better. Stuff like this makes you learn a lot more about your instrument and how to set it up yourself.
Yeah. I AM glad I got my own, cheap guitar to figure out. I don't know how someone could hope to navigate a guitar shop without knowing their way around things. There's quite a lot of variables.
That said, your high E string is almost certainly going to be the first string you break, and it's no sweat. Just change 'em out.
I actually meant the low E string. I tuned it an entire octave above where I was supposed to due to... dumbness.
If your squier still has a tremelo bar, take it off. Don't use the tremelo bar until you get the hang doing 1/2 bends and full bends. Just take it off the guitar until you can sustain notes with your fingers and do repeat bends accurately. Pretty much all the bar does is knock your guitar out of tune on a cheap guitar.
There are any number of apps you can use on your phone for quick tuning. Try getting the big E string in tune then tuning off that to get a better ear for what the strings should sound like (if you have a piano you can also ear-tune off that using the same technique - the 5th fret of the low-E string is A, 5th of the A string D, 5th of the D is G, 4th of the G is B, 5th of the B is E).
Get a teacher. Find one who will work with you to get the basics down and make sure your technique is sound (you don't want to have to relearn how to play without hurting yourself after you developed muscle memory for how you play).
I know you bought the Squier and that's okay, but for your next step up you may want to consider a Peavey or other guitar other than a Fender or Gibson. There are some great guitars out there that are inexpensive but awesome to play with great sounds. When it's time for a new one, look around and don't be afraid to fall in love with a Peavey or Jackson or Jay Turser or whatever. You'll figure out what you like (hard vs. maple, wide vs. thin, etc), and you can often get a more for your money from a non-Epiphone, non-Gibson, or non-Fender.
I've been rocking out pretty good on my squier. I wouldn't mind replacing it, but it's good enough to keep practicing. I WOULD, however, really like to replace the practice amp that came free with it, because as everyone said it's a piece of crap. Can anyone help me navigate into a better amp? I'm still not looking to get something that'll let me play a show at a venue or anything, but I'd like something that can produce some great, warm sound and make me feel more awesome as I practice.
If you want a real amp, I think the digital modelling amps aren't that bad, and offer a lot of FX and different sounds to play around with. Vox Valvetronix, Roland Cube, Line 6 Spider, Fender Mustang etc
Depends on the type of sound you are looking for. I played on a small ass Peavey amp for years while saving up for a Marshall half stack. Some people like Crate some Marshall etc... I prefer Marshall amps (half or full stack) with a tube head vs solid-state because I like the warm, smooth, musical tones I get compared to the transparent sound of the solid. And yes, you can tell the difference between the two. I know I am talking about amps out of your price range, but check out (http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productId=122) they have the JVM series of amps I think may be what you are looking for. Musiciansfriend.com is a great resource as well because they will have videos of products and let you compare sounds (effects pedals etc.) I buy a lot of my equipment from them.
What type of genre do you play most often? I read through most of the thread so if you posted it before I am sorry.
I did kind of the same thing you did. I bought a guitar and amp from my cousin for $150 then started upgrading as I progressed. Got a new guitar (Fender Strat with Floyd Rose) then upgraded my amp to a Marshall Vintage 1960 cab and AVT-150 Tube head. I also just upgraded my Ibanez S4 pickups to DiMarzio Crunch Labs and it rips though my amp.