-Electric GUITAR players ..... I want to buy a guitar & take lessons.....advice?

[Craig 930 RS]

Always had a serious hankerin' to play the electric guitar. More so than any other instrument.

I'm 41, maybe now's the time to do it.

What would be a good beginner guitar.....or should I get a mid- level model to keep for some time?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-GUITAR-VINTAGE-PRE-CBS-FENDER-STRAT-SPECS_W0QQitemZ7400584269QQcategoryZ38082QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Closet-Classic-1963-Stratocaster-Strat-BLACK_W0QQitemZ7400919127QQcategoryZ38082QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem


Lessons?

Advice?

I am pretty serious about this -

[Craig 930 RS]

[Rick Lee]

It's insane to spend that kind of money on a starter guitar. You won't know the difference between a vintage Strat and a Mexican one, except for the few thousand dollar difference. Go buy a $300 Mexican Strat, which is probably better made than the vintage ones. It's a real Fender too. Then get a cheap practice amp - no more than $300 and you're good to go. I have a Gallien Krueger 250ML I got in 1988 for $325 and it's still the best practice amp I've ever heard. First practrice amp was a $150 Marshall Lead 20.

[Rick Lee]

This is the kind of amp I have, it weighs about 25 lbs., is loud enough to blow your windows out and has an amazing range of sounds (though the one in this auction is no good).

http://cgi.ebay.com/GALLIEN-KRUEGER-250-ML-NOT-WORKING-4-PARTS-OR-REPAIR_W0QQitemZ7400615696QQcategoryZ10171QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


I have one of these too that I got for $309 new about 10 yrs. ago. I later hot rodded it with EMG's.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Red-Wine-Fender-Mexican-Standard-Strat-with-gig-bag_W0QQitemZ7401159589QQcategoryZ38082QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[HardDrive]

I agree with Rick, get either a Mexican Strat or a Telecaster.

Like you, I decided to take up guitar last year. I bought a cheap Yamaha accoustic, and that has been fine. But the cheapo electric has not been as good (Epiphone SG). Poor tone and sustain, and the string machines are sloppy, and very neck heavy. It does not stay in tune long.Perhaps there are sub $300 electrics that are good, but I have not found one I like. I would suggest fronting the $$$ and getting a standard series Fender of some kind. If you decide that its not for you, you will get better resale than if you bought a junker.

My accoustic is a Yamaha F-325, and after putting on some coated Elixier strings, it plays great.

I purchased a Roland Micro Cube 10 amp from Guitar Center, and I have be very happy with it. Nice sound, built in effects/stack models. About $125.

EDIT: Whoa! didn't check those E-bay links before writing. If you have the $$$, I guess those guitars would do the job, but why spend so much on your first? The standard series Fenders will last you a long, long time.

[Christien]

Some good advice here already. Your first one should definitely be a cheap one, even if you're a millionaire, because in your first year or 2 of playing your tastes in what you like in a guitar (feel, tone, weight, shape, etc) will change remarkably, as you become more familiar with the subtleties of the instrument. Same goes for an amp, maybe even moreso. There's such a variety out there of both guitars and amps, and there's a good reason for that.

I've noticed a lot of music stores carry combo packages - a guitar and amp in one box, for about $3-400, which is a pretty good deal. Go for a Fender Squire (the Mexican Stratocaster) - cheap, but pretty much the same feel as a real Strat. Another popular choice is the Gibson Epiphone - Japanese (I think?) version of the Les Paul. The Strat and the Les Paul are probably the 2 most popular guitars ever made.

[Rick Lee]

There are plenty of sub $300 guitars out there IF you know what you're looking for. One of my best ever scores was the Guitar Center in Rockville about 5 yrs. ago. I picked up a vintage Kramer Pacer with the old maple neck (just like EVH's in the video for Jump), Floyd Rose system and three EMG single coils for - ta da - $220!!!!! I didn't even play it. I just grabbed it and ran to the counter to pay before someone else saw it. Those EMG's are what I put in my Mexican Strat. I've bought plenty of other gems for under $300, but I know exactly what to look for. My super nice Gibson nylon string acoustic was $200 and my Takamine Jasmine was $160 new!

[RickM]

Do they make a Mexican Les Paul? That would be a cool first guitar.

[Craig 930 RS]

Damn!

Glad I posted! Excellent information.

Of these:
http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?sofocus=bs&satitle=mexican+stratocaster&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC5&from=R7&nojspr=y&pfid=0&fsop=3%26fsoo%3D2&fcl=3&frpp=50

Which would you choose for my use?

[Craig 930 RS]

What about......lessons?
WTH should I start? What did you do, HardDrive?

Fire way....and thanks again for the help!

[Christien]

Pretty much none of them. I'd say go new, get a guitar-amp combo for the same price most of these used ones are going for. Guitars aren't typically cared for like Porsches Used are often in rough shape. A quick ebay search shows several brand new Fender Squires for sale for under $200.

I noticed you're near Seattle, so I did a quick google search and found this:

http://ssl3.adhost.com/americanmusic/merchant.cfm?step=4&pid=33042

$280 buys you a brand new Squire strat, 15 watt practice amp, tuner, strap, cables, picks, extra strings and an instruction book. Can't beat that!

[IROC]

Rather than buying an unknown quantity off of ebay or even mail order, I would suggest going around to some local music stores (especially ones that sell used instruments) and get them to help you pick one out. "Playability" seems to vary wildly in these inexpensive guitars and for the beginner, I would place "playability" higher on the list than things like name brand, country of origin, etc.

A local shop could - hopefully - steer you into a decent purchase based on what your needs and desires are. For instance, unless you want to play country music, I wouldn't buy a strat (or anything with single coils), but that's just me. :>)

Mike

[Jim Richards]

When people mention Squire Strats or Mex Strats, they're not the same thing, are they? If they're different, what's better for a beginner, or does it matter, given a plan to hang on to the guitar for a while. I'm hoping this complements what you're trying to figure out here, Craig. If not, sorry for the highjack.

[Craig 930 RS]

Keep it coming! Great stuff, all.....

[cbeers]

I agree with the others, just get something affordable to learn on. I had a hand me down copy of a LP and a tiny little Fender Squire amp handed to me. Good enough to get going for sure!

just like with Pcars, with time, you'll know what you want and then you can make a more informed decision.

I now play an american made Strat and love it, it's a lifetime insrument in that I can never outplay it. Key word is "I" here


Now, if you are rich, go ahead and get a Vintage whatever since good insruments tend to rise in value with time, collectable items do this....

Good luck!

Oh yeah, on the learning side of things, the best thing I know is to play with someone else. IF you know someone else that is. lessons are good, as are books, discs etc., but for me, jamming with other players was the most fun and really energized my desire to learn even more.


To this day, I really don't know that much, but I can put on a disc and jam along anytime I want. I play for me.


-Chris

[targa911S]

I would buy a Jap Fender. They are better quality out of the chute and you could really play it for a very long time. Not that much more money,than the MIM's, especially used. My son bought a lefty 53 tele reissue MIJ, used for $300.00 that was a good deal.

[Rick Lee]

Squires are a step below the Mexican Strats. AFAIK, the Mexican Strats have exactly the same parts as the American ones, but are assembled in Mexico. I think my Mex. Strat is as nice as any American Strat. I sanded the neck down to bare wood and changed the guts. But after I sold the old guts, I have less than $250 into that guitar and it screams. They sounds and play better the more you abuse them. Remember, a set of strings costs about $4, whether you put them on a $200 Squire or a $200k '53 Strat. The difference is not something an inexperienced player will ever recognize. I took lessons from age 13-15 and my teacher was super. He taught me how to teach myself by ear. Back then there was no Internet and TAB books were not real common. The best I could hope for was waiting for the new Guitar World to come out each month. But I was still able to figure out just about anything I heard. Now I just Google the TAB and then it's just a matter of playing through it.

[sammyg2]

I played a sunburst Les Paul custom deluxe many years ago, but I wouldn't concider that an entry level guitar.

If I was to get another one I would prolly go with a new Fender. I played a very old strat once, I absolutely loved the neck and it was about half the weight of the les paul. it just didn't have the same humbucker distortion I was looking for. I played through a marshall half stack and I more than made up for lack of quality by adding quantity, but my marshall only went to 10

The strat on e-bay looks like a very nice piece but again, not what I would consider entry-level.
Start off with one of the import Fenders for a couple hundred and if you really get into it, move up to the good stuff.

[stuartj]

By all means get a leccy guitar, but while you are at it, buy an acoustic. Any of the good JPN brands like Yamaha offer entry level instuments that are very good, ebay is busting with them. You'll get someone elses unwanted one for two tenths of nothing.

Ive noticed people who start with electrics often dont develop the right basics, and dont learn how to draw musical sounds from the guitar with just the ears and the hands. (dont get those confused, bleeding fingertips is bad enough)

I admire your start at 41. Ive been playing for for 30 years, and its a very satisifying journey that never ends. I try to learn something everyday. One tip- pay attention to some basic theory in your lessons, it will make it all make sense later.

[slodave]

Originally posted by Craig911
What about......lessons?
WTH should I start? What did you do, HardDrive?

Fire way....and thanks again for the help!

Hi,

If you decide to take lessons, find a good teacher that is familiar with the type of music you want to learn/play. Try and learn chords, scales.... Learn to read sheet music. Playing by tabs is an easy way to learn songs by your favorite artists, but chances are you will never become a good player that can make up your own riffs. Playing with other people really helps too. Hope this helps some.


Dave