Help me buy a guitar

chuck steak

I want to buy a new electric guitar, but have no idea what to get. I'm willing to spend around $500-$600, though i'd spend a bit more if there's a really good reason to do so. I've been playing for a year and a bit (on a crappy acoustic), so I know I want to spend some money on it and get something good that will last.

Also (and more importantly), what are some fairly easy songs or riffs that would be good to try out guitars in the store?

Jeedan

What kind of bands do you like, what music do you play and what do you personally think looks cool.

chuck steak

My favourite bands are from a lot of different genres, but I guess when it comes to guitar driven music my favourites include Led Zeppelin, The Trews, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Deftones. I also like a lot of blues and ska/reggea, though I think I'd mostly play generic rock. I don't really have much of a preference on looks. I prefer a classic design over a v or something oddly shaped.

The Cheese

You didn't mention if you have an amp or not. You'll need one, obviously.

Is there any particular body type you're interested in? What kind of music do you want to play?

chuck steak

I have a couple of amps and I'll probably pick up one of those line6 toneport things. Reccomendations on distortion pedals would be good though.

DynamiteKid

Actually, I'd suggest that if you like Strokes, White Stripes and Zeppelin you'd be better off with overdrive rather than distortion. Distortion might be good for Deftones, but it doesn't have as much definition as overdrive and it'll end up having little resemblance to the suonds that the other three go for.

I'd suggest that you're probably going to be looking for a guitar with humbuckers here; you're clearly into rock stuff that can get quite heavy, and as a general rule it'll be a humbucker you're looking for here.

Do you know anything about guitar models? Are you familiar with the guitars your heroes play? Do you know what different guitars look like and like the look of any of them?

Mishra

Obligatory endorsment for the Stratocaster. I got my American strat for 650 on Craigslist. As has been stated in the endless guitar threads we've had lately. Go to guitar center and play around figure out what you like. Feel of the guitar is important, You will quickly notice how much better your fingers move over the fretboard of a quality guitar compared to a crappy one. Also try to avoid playing a single coil guitar under flourecent lighting.

For those in LA check this out:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/msg/308969416.html
If I had money I would be all over this.

Spackle

A Les Paul might be right up your alley. Two Humbuckers, classic look and pretty popular. However, you really gotta go to a store and try stuff out.

chuck steak

What is a humbucker (that's how little I know about guitars)? I'll start looking into Les Pauls for now though.

badpoet

For that sound, you're probably better off going for a Les Paul. Probably a used or an Epiphone at that price range. You could also try a Gibson SG.

Murago

Fucking humbuckers all the way.

I wouldn't pick up a gibson, they can be pricey.

You can get a decent rock sound from a Epiphone SG, les paul, or even an ES 335. Plug whatever you liike in, and try and get a good tone out of it. Even the cheapest guitar can make great tone.

The Cheese

I suggest you avoid distortion pedals. I think they sound like shit. A Stratocaster is a good idea for a first guitar although they generally come equipped with single coil pickups which don't suit the type of music you want to play as well as humbuckers (also, they pick up mains hum like somebody else mentioned)

As far as the Line6 device, I have no experience with them but I have heard that the PodXT is a good thing to have for a beginner (the tone is noticeably synthetic, but it's better than most of the alternatives and it has a pretty wide range of sounds), so unless the Toneport is much different I would suggest that.

EDIT: A single coil pickup is made of wire wrapped around a magnet or several magnets in a single coil. They pick up 50/60hz electrical interference that is all around you, and possible also from other things like your TV. A humbucker has two coils, with reverse polarities and connected in a series so that you don't hear this 50/60hz hum. Hence the name.

Single coils typically have a bright, "twangy" kind of sound (Hendrix, for example, often played Stratocasters with single coils) while humbuckers have a thicker, warmer sound that you will hear in heavier rock music like AC/DC or Black Sabbath.

Another thing, I suggest you don't care what guitars your favourite artist uses. They might not be right for you, and you need to get what is.

Rabid_Llama

I don't want to threadjack or anything here but I think this is fairly relevant.

Someone mentioned their Fender Stratocaster being American. I recently noticed my strat was made in Mexico, is there a significant difference in quality between an American and a Mexican strat? I know there is a significant difference in price.

The Cheese

One of the biggest differences is the electronics. American Strats have higher quality pots and so on. Generally they have better quality control too. The guitars are made of pretty similar materials. You can get a Mexican strat and have the hardware upgraded and get a good fret job and it'll be a great guitar.

Uncle Long

Yeah, there is. The hierarchy of stratocaster was once American>Mexican>Korean. Today I believe the korean version is made by Squire. The American is just good and solid, while the Mexican is certainly a quality instrument, and much better than the Korean, there is a pretty solid difference in feel with each tier.

Rabid_Llama

This thread really makes me want to go out to guitar center and try out the stuff they have there. I am thinking I may upgrade to an American strat or just get an electronics upgrade, who knows maybe I will demo a gibson and like it a lot more.

Uncle Long

Rabid_Llama wrote: »

This thread really makes me want to go out to guitar center and try out the stuff they have there. I am thinking I may upgrade to an American strat or just get an electronics upgrade, who knows maybe I will demo a gibson and like it a lot more.

That may very well be the case. A lot of people move from the strat to the gibson as they progress; though, of course some stay with the strat because it really is a quality instrument (the ol' workhorse). But, after you've played for awhile you finally understand what it is you like/don't like, which is something that you just don't understand when you start out, to any tangible extent anyway. Try out lots of instruments. If you live anywhere near Michigan I highly recommend planning a trip out to Elderly Instruments out in Lansing. Not only do they have an amazing new and vintage selection they let you play some of the nicest guitars/other instruments on the market. I remember playing a gibson F5 mandolin worth over ten grand when I went there.

The Cheese

TheLong wrote: »

Yeah, there is. The hierarchy of stratocaster was once American>Mexican>Korean. Today I believe the korean version is made by Squire. The American is just good and solid, while the Mexican is certainly a quality instrument, and much better than the Korean, there is a pretty solid difference in feel with each tier.

They're also made in Japan and I think that the Japanese strat is slightly better than the Mexican.

Squier originally made guitars that were pretty much as good as the Fenders (made with the exact same process, I believe.) Nowadays the instruments are made in Indonesia and use wood that is local to that part of the world.

jackisreal

I think the ProCo Rat is the best distortion pedal around. Also, from what you've said as well as what I would probably tell anyone, go with the strat.