Cheapest durable guitar simply for learning
 

Does anyone know what the cheapest durable electric guitar simply for learning I could find? I am working a job over the summer and will have about 950 dollars Canadian by the end (at the calgary stampede) and about 750 is going towards computer parts so that leaves me with 200 for a guitar also won't be able to tell much of a difference in sound quality as I don't really have an ear for it so i just need something to last.

they're all going to be about the same at that price point. you'll likely end up with a low end epiphone (special II) or fender squire. might be able to find low end yamaha, ibanez, or peavey guitars in that price range too. they're all about the same, if you're more into metal look towards ibanez, aside from that they're all fine to rock out on.

Don't buy anything with any kind of tremolo system. They're universally awful at that price range.

Do you have an amp? They have cheap fender starter packs that come with a squire strat, a small amp and some chords to get you started. Otherwise check out craigslist, ebay, or your local paper. I see great deal in the paper alot, just wish I had the money to buy them all up.

Is it all right to buy a guitar from a pawn shop? because my friend who is obsessed with guitars bought a few and they seemed to be fine, btw I need an amp also.

i'm a big fan of pawn shops but you have to be careful. the vast majority are just trying to make a dollar and will fill your ears with as much crap as they can to get you to open your wallet. if you don't know what you're looking for (and checking out) then you can get ripped off pretty harshly.

if you're going to go through pawn shops get a friend who knows how to play to tag along to double check gear for you. where you already mention not caring that much about tone at this point and just want something to learn on pay close attention to the straightness of the neck and the tuning pegs. nothing is more annoying than a guitar that doesn't stay in tune.

now that you mention wanting an amp as well i'd be leaning towards the starter kits like Thrice mentions. you'll need to save up a little more as they're closer to $300 but whatever. you get a decent learner guitar, a practice amp, and usually a gig bag too. most practice amps are about $100-150 anyway, my personal favourite is the peavey rage.

Great call, when I was younger I got a squire for xmas, then went out and got the Peavey rage. Excellent beginner amp for the price. Got it for 89 dollars on sale, and even had a little left over to get a Flanger Boss pedal!

yeah the rage is a TANK. i've run my 5 string bass through it, friends have run synths through it, nothing breaks it.

Thanks so much I'll keep this in mind :) , i'll justsave any money i get from my parents until summer and it should work out fine

no worries. if i remember right the Rage normally retails around $150. they usually go on sale often enough though, i didn't pay much more than $100 for my last one (tax included). i had to buy a replacement because my original one got stolen years ago.