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.

Buy a Squier Fender Strat look-alike and a small practice amp.
~$150-$175 I would say.

Review of Fender Fat Strat Pack (guitar, amp, cables, tuner, nylong bag, picks)
 

Hi, Odyshape,

I bought a Fender Fat Strat Pack (guitar, amp, cables, tuner, nylon guitar bag, a few Fender guitar picks) for $299.99 U.S. dollars (with tax it came to $320.99) in Dec. 2008, and have been very satisfied with the electric guitar, small Fender amplifier, and tuner.

I purchased them from a local music store although they were available online for less. I like the people at our local music store here in Iowa, where one of the employees checks over the guitar when it comes in and shows you how to hook it up, as well as basics like "Don't unplug the guitar when the amp is on!" etc. (which I found out the hard way). I also have found the book "Electric Guitar for Dummies" and similar ones very helpful, too.

I enjoy hearing the variety of sounds the Fender Fat Strat electric guitar and amp can make, ranging from harp-like to heavy distortion. When I first figured out (following the directions for the amplifier) how to get distortion, I was quite pleased because lo and behold it actually sounded like an electric guitar!

I like the fact that the guitar has two traditional single pickups and one humbucker pickup which I feel enables a warmer, janglier sound and a greater variety of sounds than one might have if one's guitar just has the single pickups.

The amplifier is small, but I never go beyond the 3 or 4 volume setting (which goes up to 10), because anything beyond volume 4 is extremely loud and would damage one's ears in the home setting. In other words, the amplifier is more than big enough for my current uses.

I am using Elixer Light electric guitar strings to replace strings as they break, and like them as well. I also purchased Schaller security strap locks and buttons in regular nickel to keep the guitar strap from falling off. (This was occuring with the guitar strap as supplied by the company). These Schaller strap locks got good reviews at the online Guitar Center, and cost $24.99. I recommend them. You just need a Philips screw drive to screw them in in place of the knobs that come with the Fender Fat Strat.

My motto is "You can work wonders with mediocrity," and so I was not looking for an expensive guitar. Just as a good photograph with interesting composition and content can be taken with an inexpensive camera, and good music can be enjoyed whether it is played on an old record player or a new CD, I feel expensive gear is unnecessary to make music that one likes.

I have been very satisfied with the Fender Strat Pack and recommend it. I have made one public recording using the guitar with light distortion if you wish to hear how the guitar sounds in my hands at least (you can access our MySpace page through my contact information).

I hope this helps, if you haven't already made your decision!

--Erica
from Vegangelica

i have nearly the same deal as you. i traded my old beat up ovation for the squier strat with the bridge humbucker, and bought a fender frontman reverb (40W) for $50 off of craig's list. it's just fine for my apt. for what it's worth, this wammy holds tune wayyy better than the floyd rose on my step daughter's jackson, and when i want to tune to a cd or or drop D tune it only takes a second. no matter what anyone claims, you can't do that with a locking trem. the suspension system is too sensitive.

Hey thanks a lot but I have discovered that I will be having cut hours so I will not be making as much money as I would like how ever luckily I found A Ukulele around my house and have been pretty much messing around with that and learning scales and other stuff, I will keep what you said in mind but It will probably be until Christmas before I can get an Electric Guitar and amp. Also I forgot to mention I am left handed so I have been playing upside down, is this going to be an issue for me?

How to play guitar in left-handed position
 

Hi, Odyshape,

In order to play your guitar (or uke!) so that you can strum with your left hand and finger standard chords with your right hand, you will simply need to reverse the order of the strings.

For example, when you get your guitar you would take off the high E string (closest to the floor when the head of the guitar is to the left) and exchange it with the low E string (closest to the ceiling), then do similar top-to-bottom switches with the other 4 strings. Then, when you hold your guitar so that the head is pointing to the right, you will have the standard string order:

high E (near the floor)
B
G
D
A
low E (near the ceiling).

This will allow you to finger chords and read guitar TAB fingering notation just like any right-handed person would.

Mind you, if you are like me, it may not be so easy to string the guitar the first time. It took me several attempts to get the right amount of slack in the string so that when I wound it on the tuning peg there was enough, but not too much, wound-up string. If/when you have troubles with that, hopefully a local music store or guitarist friend will help show you how they string guitars. Also, you can practice by restringing your ukulele so that the highest note string is near the floor and the lowest note string near the ceiling!

--Erica
from Vegangelica

You really can't go wrong with a Squier.

not so fast angel mcveggiepants:p:

actually that won't work. the intonation would be completely wrong. if you tune the guitar open, you'll be completely out of tune by the time you get past the 3rd fret. you may also run into trouble with the width of the slots on the nut. the one of the low e will be too wide for the high e and the string will sit low, (maybe too low) and might buzz. i would suspect (but don't actually know) that the wound string would be too wide for the hole and may occasionally pop out of position, and maybe saw their way down through the slot from repeated tunings.

so am i f'ed?

Stringing guitar for left-handed person: flip nut or purchase new one
 

Hi, Cheezyridr,

I doublechecked on the internet (which of course wouldn't lead us astray!) to verify if the book "Electric Guitars for Dummies" had taught me wrong, and the web site I read said that one can string a guitar for left-handed people to use like I wrote, but (like you said) there may be some issues that cause problems.

These potential probems are...

(1) The nut may need to be flipped around (or a new one purchased) if it has slots designed to hold strings of a particular diameter;

(2) The right-handed guitar used for left-handed playing can, but may not necessarily, produce some poor sound quality.

They recommended purchasing a left-handed guitar if one has the option, but apparently switching a right-handed to a left-handed guitar worked fine for Jimi Hendrix and others who copycatted him. I wonder if there is a Fender Squire guitar that is made for left-handers to use and costs the same as the right-handed one? That would be good to check, especially when one is on a limited budget.

Ahh...the epithet "angel mcveggiepants." I'm glad you mentioned this, because it gives me a chance to clarify! The "angel" in vegangelica is deceptive, because actually "angelica" is the scientific name for a genus of tall, stout, fragrant herbs within the carrot family...carrots, of course, being the universal symbol of vegetarianism!

Angelica is also a dessert wine made from grapes (again, a symbol of earth's fecundity and plenty).

Alas, as an atheist I would probably be unlikely to ever be an angel, if most of the traditional (and conflicting) main religions are correct about us "freethinkers" and our post-death death or tortured immortality in a hell. So, instead of using "Angel mcveggiepants" I will have to humbly sign off as...

...Carrot McVeggiePants

(but you may call me Grape McVeggiePants if you prefer, Cheezyridr)

hahahaha

there's one main issue with flipping a right handed electric guitar to play as a leftie

KNOBS

they WILL get in the way of your strumming arm, especially on a strat style guitar. the toggle switch for pickups will also be a huge hassle.

as cheezyridr said, the intonation is also another big issue, here's the choice you'll have to make... either buy a right handed electric and then have the store flip the bridge / nut and recalibrate the intonation (might cost a little more than a standard setup). OR you can pay the extra premium for a left handed model (usually around $100). this one is actually 'easier' to fix as it usually has to be done by a tech since most people don't own harmonic tuners.

hey i was only pokin at ya with the mcveggie pants thing, i didn't mean no harm.

Hey, Cheezyridr,

No, no...I *liked* mcveggiepants! I thought it was cute and amusing that you called me angel mcveggiepants! It made me laugh! :laughing: I've never been given a nickname before and so I was pleased, but my response obviously must not have shown that. (That's the difficulty with the written word). I failed to add a smiley-face to give the proper intonation so you would know I thought it was funny. I apologize. Please do call me a nickname if you want. It feels very friendly. :beer:
Odyshape...Mr. Dave is right...the knobs *are* a problem when flipping over a right-handed guitar. I hadn't even thought of that before he mentioned it. I just tested what it is like to play my Squier guitar as you might, and depending on the angle of the guitar the knobs and the toggle switch for the pickups *did* get in the way ranging from a little bit to a lot. That was a very good point Mr. Dave made, and one I completely overlooked.

--Mcveggiepants

the only thing that's not "fixable" about my squier, that i don't like is where the knobs are. gibson has the good sense to put them out of my way. :D

In response to the whole guitar/amp thing, on a limited budget, I would recommend only purchasing an electric guitar without an amp. I know it seems crazy, but looking back I would have saved a bundle if I did it. If you use all your money on a decent sounding guitar instead of a guitar/amp combo I think you will be much happier in the long run.

The electric guitar can be played just fine without an amp (Hendrix did it all the time when he first started), and after you get better spend some money on a good amp. An amp can make a decent guitar sound great.

Just my two cents

I don't know if you're still looking to purchase a beginner's guitar, but don't get a look-alike Squier... when I was about 16 I bought an imitation guitar and amp and they were both a pile of shit and were definitely not durable. They wore out and things broke before I was ready to upgrade.