Who plays guitar?

SouL

I'm looking to pick one up... but not sure what to look for?
I know I could go to the store and ask. But I don't want to able to go in there with recommendations from people who have experience. So I can avoid having the guy trying to make the most money out of me.

I'm not looking for anything extravagant. I guess I just want something cheap/basic that I can learn with. And in the event that I decide to continue... then I'd shell out more money for a better model.

I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something I may not like down the road.

Thanks

Snowfly

I'd go with the lower end Ibanez guitars for entry-level. Most of them sound so good you'll still want to keep them around even after playing for a while.

If it's acoustic you're after, I recommend the same one I have, a Charvel Jackson electric-acoustic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v353/chrisdejoya/ChristineCharvel.jpg

It feels like an electric more than anything else, and won't be too hard on your hand muscles. Good luck with the hunt!

Jesse Moody

Hmm I don't know much about guitars but I guess I would go with one that has strings and hasn't been smashed on stage. I think they work better that way.

Ok yeah that was totally smart ass. I have seen some gnarly guitars but I don't know a damn thing about them. Good luck with your search for the Pick of Destiny.

EmAr

If you're after an electric guitar I'd go with Ibanez too. I'd choose a model without a floating bridge, they are painful to adjust and tune. If you want to play a specific type of music, that may help people making suggestions BTW.
Good luck.

Asherr

i bought my guitar (Epiphone SG Special) without ever holding a real guitar before (besides a 20+year old 3/4 sized acoustic with strings as old as i am).

i would say try holding different guitars and see how they feel, standing and sitting. neck thickness, body shape and body weight can have a lot of influence on your playing.

Hollowmind

I haven't played or bought a new guitar in years but all their advice is sound. One that feels right should be your first consideration, especially the neck of the guitar. And yeah, floating bridges for a starter can equal a lot of frustration. Might want to find something with a fixed bridge unless you really, really want a whammy bar. Also, for playing metal find something with dual humbuckers, not one with 1 humbucker and 2 single-coil. Dual humbuckers tend to give a heavier sound imo.

My personal favorite is the Jackson Kelly I used to have.



Had a very nice, thin, and easy-to-play feeling neck on it, good sound, and I loved the look of it, too. The one I had was a cheaper model that cost me $500 new at a music store, but that was 10 years ago.

Have fun, man. Just like a new car be sure to take a bunch out for a test drive before picking one. Take your time.

Smirnoffka

I have a maton EM-55. If you are looking to learn, I would probably not suggest buying one this expensive (1300 AU I think), however, I think if you try and learn on a poor guitar, you may not like it. I suggest you try some out, and don't think too much about price. I mean that as in if you like a guitar that is 200 bucks more and it feels better and sounds better to you than say an 800 dollar guitar, then grab it. Its all about personal opinion. Maton works for me, may not work for you. Ibanez and Yamaha do have some excellent entry level specs as well. Happy learning, it pulls chicks at parties.

StJoris

I started with a 100 E entry kit from Behringer. Total crap, after a year it was worn out so bad you couldn't play it. After that mess I went with a Godin Radiator I bought at a music store for 300 E. What I suggest is to bring someone with you that knows guitars, preferably one that teaches guitar playing, to a music store. They know the ins- and outs of what works and what doesn't.

ElysiumGX

Like this, Hollowmind?

I have the reverse model. I agree the neck on this one is nice.

First starting out, Ibanez is a popular choice. Schecters are good as well.

My next guitar will be a Gibson Flying-V. I love that warm tone of a Gibson.

Hollowmind

You make me wanna' cry, Ely. I miss all my guitar equipment. The headstock on mine wasn't reversed. I also used to have a Kramer Focus 4000 flying V. Last I knew they aren't made anymore. That thing was my favorite sound-wise. Had a real heavy, deep chug when palm muting.

Ged

Yeah most of these guys have said it.

1: it feels good to you
2: it sounds good to you
3: check that there isnt any bad manufacturing like a bend in the neck or any cracks etc
4: check if you want any complicated equipment like floating bridges or not

I dont think it honestly matters if its a fancy brand name, obviously the big brand names have better manufacturing in most cases but that doesnt mean theres a huge difference between them and the cheaper brands. Im not sure what guitars are sold near you so I cant suggest specific brands or makes.

I learnt to play on a little 3/4 acoustic my sister had lying around and it was still fun. Went on to a steel string acoustic(random korean make of some kind) and it sounded so much nicer that I didnt care it wasnt a Gibson. Now Ive got a Cort electric and it does everything I ask it to and sounds really good to me .

bounchfx

I'd probably definitely recommend a starter guitar pack from either fender or ibanez, but try them first to see what feels good for you(VERY important). I had a fender strat (mexican) as my first guitar, I think it was around 200$ with an amp and that held up pretty good for 4-5 years (only really played it during that time for about 2 or so..), then I upgraded to a gibson SG and it's hard to go back to the strat just because of the way it feels.

think about how much you really want to learn and base your pricing around that .. If you know you are going to be dedicated it might not be a bad idea to get a little better starter one if you know you will get more out of it, and if you just aren't sure it's probably best to get the lower range one to see how long your enthusiasm lasts.


but playing guitar is freaking awesome and I totally recommend it, been going about 5-6 years myself and the better you get, the more you want to play, seriously.

first year or so I was young and stupid, my parents were getting me lessons and I barely practiced because it was the basics... stopped after about a year.. picked it back up 4-5 years later and been playing ever since. wish I never took that break.

Striff

bounchfx

Pffft. More like

MoP

Just gonna back up the Ibanez recommendations. My main guitar is an Ibanez (although not one of the entry-level models), the cheaper ones tend to be well built and play/sound good. They also look pretty cool.
Epiphone also do a decent range of not-too-expensive guitars, I quite like the Gibson SG copies.
I would tend to avoid the more extravagant shapes (Explorer, V, pretty much anything BC Rich) - they may look really "metal" but you will regret it the instant you start playing. The cheap versions of these guitars tend to be poorly balanced and that will really upset your playing. I wouldn't want to front the money for a good, well-balanced one of those as a beginner, it's just not worth it.

SouL

Awesome! Thanks. Reommendations well noted.
I'll have to look up what all the terminology means.

adamp

I'm going to jump on the Ibanez band wagon here. My first electric is the one i still play today; an ibanez s470. ibanez s470 @ ultimate guitar

Aside from the whammy bar bolt snapping off and me getting used to the floating bridge; it's been rock solid - and I do play it an awful lot. I also think it's a great idea to go to a guitar store and just feel the weight of the guitars. I once tested out a friend's Les Paul knockoff and it felt like a brick compared to the s470!

Good luck with your guitar purchase!

MoP

Yeah agreed, I don't think a Les Paul is good for a beginner - too heavy IMHO and not very comfortable (no back or top right cutaway), even worse for sitting down with.

motives

How about a hagstrom?

http://www.hagstromguitars.com/superswede.html

i picked one of thes babies up and it does play and sound pretty awesome! really afordable aswell
its china made but still seems really solid. neck is thin and real fast (bit like SG)

almighty_gir

i'm gonna disagree with Ibanez as a beginners guitar...

i'll list some pros and cons for different guitars here, and why they would be better for a beginner. also, note, i used to work for a guitar store too (sound control), so i've seen my fair share of bad purchases from people who think they know better

Les Paul:
pros:
amazing tone, good solid neck, pickups wound to a high standard, and it packs a punch sound wise.

cons: unless you're buying an epiphone, which you shouldn't do if you're buying a les paul, then you're looking at a hefty price tag, the guitar itself is heavy but that's the nature of the beast.

Ibanez:
pros:
Very lightweight, can get some really interesting sounds, the prestige series are SO flexible (tonewise, and the way they play).

cons: good luck learning how to tune a floyd rose on your first guitar, the "floating" bridge models are crap, go for a hardtail or floyd rose, but be aware of the consequences. the tone can be kind of thin sometimes, and they are steriotyped as a "metal" guitar.

prs:
not gonna bother with cons, cos honsetly, there's fuck all bad about them. unless you're willing to shell out several grand for one of the standard, or custom models (i'm SO in love with my custom it's not even funny, i love it more than i love my woman, or sex with that woman...) then look no further than their lower end range!

much like Gibson have their Epiphone range, PRS have their "SE" range, which are quite simply beautiful. they have an amazing diversity in tone, are made from mahogany rather than ash, which is the case with fenders/ibanez etc. the neck will very rarely, if ever, need adjustments, and if it does, it's damned easy. there are several styles of SE guitars, from single coils, to coiltapped models, and all out metal verieties. but all round they feel good, and play well, they sound awsome too. so if you're looking around £400 for your first guitar and are deciding between epiphone, ibanez, fender, or prs, it's prs every day of the week.

remember though, while the guitar is important, the amp drives the sound, a cheap amp will make the best guitar on earth sound shit.


ps. i actually play PRS and Ibanez guitars, i have a custom shop ESP on the way too.

MoP

Ooh, PRS... http://www.prsguitars.com/mira/index.html

They just came out with this one, I'll be interested to see the price, seems like it's aimed at the more budget end of the market but comes with all the PRS goodness. I might get one, I'll have to see how it plays. The vintage mahogany finish looks amazing...

almighty_gir

honestly, i first played PRS guitars about 3 years ago, and i've never looked back, i can't say a bad word about them! could possibly argue the price is steep, but if you've ever played one you'll know why haha.

the SE series is by far the best beginner/intermediate instrument line out there.

that new guitar looks looovely, i wonder if they've deliberately underwound the pickups to give it more of a vintage sound? will be interesting to give it a go!

SouL

I ended up with a Gibson Squire? (I think it's a gibson)
My friend gave it to me. He messed around with trying to scallop out the fret boards... and gave up. So he moved on to a few other guitars.
Although, I think there may be something wrong with the guitar? Or it might be my amp. It doesn't seem like it picks up the sound consistently. Or am I just playing too soft?

It's cool and I'm having fun so far. If I stick with it I'll be sure to pick up my own. I saw some of the Ibanez guitars at the store and they look pretty cool. I would have probably bought them on the cool factor alone.

Hollowmind

Probably a loose wire if it's an old guitar or a problem with the cord jack.

Slash

The strat mexico is a very nice guitar, it handles great, and there's no obstacles for rookie players. Like how i used to hate the knobs getting in the way on the les paul, or the floyd rose system on the ibanez rg not allowing me to rest my hand on the bridge. I love those guitars now tho, they just took a little getting used to.

Mishra

i second mexican strat. it was amongst my first guitars, very nice. my main guitar is a gibson es-335, i'm a gibson fanboy.