Beginner Guitarist
 

Hey,

As I mentioned in my intro thread I am hoping to get a guitar for my Christmas, which is a pretty good present!

I'm just wondering if any guitar players would be able to recommend a suitable model/make of Electric guitar for a first time player as I'm heading out next weekend to go and pick it.

Also, is there any good sites/books I could look at/buy to help me learn the basics?

Thanks! :D

Hey man!

It is really cool that you are enthusiastic to learn.

What I did when I first started playing (About 5 months ago, was just buy a simple, run of the mill guitar that came with all the stuff you need, i.e. plectrum, amp, simple instructions... I think it was a good way to go as it gave me all the tools I needed to get into guitar yet not spending a helluva lot of money on an item that I possibly would get over in a few months.

Hope this can help a bit.

Check out musiciansfriend.com. They normally have great deals on guitar packages, which may be useful, and they normally have literature on the subject.

there are really only 2 things that matter in your first guitar.

1 - does it stay in tune?

this is a make or break deal. if it doesn't stay in tune you'll get frustrated quickly and lose interest in practicing and learning. if you've never played before it might help to have a friend that does tag along while you're shopping to cover technical details like this.

2 - does it make you feel cool when you hold it?

seriously, this matters. if it doesn't make you feel cool then you'll be less likely to keep picking it up, even if it's technically a 'better' model of anything.

ultimately your first guitar should be something that will have sentimental value to you but virtually none to anyone else. it's not meant to last forever, just long enough to get you able to figure out what kind of sound you really want.

Buy Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric Guitar | Solid Body Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

Buy Epiphone SG-Special Electric Guitar | Solid Body Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

Buy Epiphone Explorer-GT Electric Guitar | Solid Body Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

Buy Squier by Fender Affinity Series Stratocaster Electric Guitar | Solid Body Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend


Personally I'd go with the Les Paul or SG, but that's just me. They're all good guitars with decent pickups. Try them out at the guitar store and see which one feels best to you, and go with that one. Have them replace the strings or do it yourself, as the stock strings usually suck. Ernie Ball strings are an excellent choice! Make sure the guitar you buy looks nice to you. As was said by Mr Dave, you want a guitar that appeals to you- not the cheapest one.

Now, amps. I'd go with a Marshall.

Buy Marshall MG4 Series MG10 10W 1x6.5 Guitar Combo Amp (Black) | Solid State Combo Amps | Musician's Friend


Thats perfectly loud. My guess is that you wont be playing gigs for a while, and so that amplifier would be perfectly loud.



Hope it all goes well, do tell what you ended up choosing- good luck!

I've played les paul specials and SG specials before. They're AWFUL guitars and I would avoid them if at all possible.

The Squier strats are pound for pound one of the best starter deals available right now. I would reccomend you get a Fat Strat, not a normal one though, since it'll be a much more versatile guitar. Something like this.

Buy Squier by Fender Affinity Series Fat Strat Electric Guitar | Solid Body Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

As for the amp, all beginner amps sound like total crap, sorry, but its a fact. Just go down to the shop and choose the one that sounds best to you, and don't expect too much.

I agree with you there. In my opinion, they are better served as fire wood. At least then, they'd be useful.

if you want something cheap, and i mean CHEAP. Buy a rogue starter kit. They are made by musiciansfriend, and I have never received an instrument made by them that sounds worse than double, if not triple their price.


Buy Rogue Rocketeer HSS Electric Guitar Value Pack | Value Package Electric Guitars | Electric Guitar Value Packages | Musician's Friend


Its not a name brand, but it is a great guitar for a low price. This guitar will take you where you want to go.

Thanks for the replys, at least I know a little bit more. :)

Yeah, hopefully when I go next week my brother will come with me, he has been playing for a few years and should be able to guide me. Also I take it the people at the shop will be able to help me choose something as well?

I'm not wanting to get a really cheap guitar, something thats not too expensive (under £200) and is half decent and last a few years, until I want to buy a better quality model.

In terms of an amp, my brother has one of those so I'll probably just be able to plug my guitar in and use that.

it really depends on the place. if it's a chain store then odds are the clerks collect a commission for each sale and while they won't necessarily try to steer you wrong they won't necessarily go for the best deal ($$$) for you.

if it's a 'mom and pop' kind of store they're generally more inclined in fostering long term customer relationships and would offer better guidance based on the idea that you'll become a loyal lifelong customer.


as for the Epiphones and the back and forth going on in this thread - they're not as horrible as they're made out by some of the comments, but their connection to Gibson is as superficial as its been made to seem.

i played an Epi Sepcial II for years and the only thing wrong with it was loose tuning pegs. it was an issue i didn't mind dealing with as it was my 5th guitar and knew how to handle it (i just wanted a black beater). had it been my first guitar i would have gotten incredibly frustrated at the tuning situation. this was also 10 years ago so i'm hoping they've improved the quality a bit, won't hurt to double check the pegs though if you do end up checking one out.

guitar is hard for me. I have short fingers. and I cannot reach the place exactly, which hurt a lot.

wanna know who else has short fingers?



that guy.

this guy too.
Frédéric Chopin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I guarantee your fingers will stretch more than you ever thought possible if you keep at it.

ahhh youtube not workin.

1st one was Tim Reynolds.

this is normal and why practice will always trump lessons or gear.

Yeah, that gives him alot of information. Care to explain why?

I just get new V guitar from my best friend.He's good guitar player.I love to listenning guitar music.I'm female from Viet Nam.My name's Kelly Nguyen.Nice to talk to every one

Just like your ear, your fingers learn how to make the right note, they learn how to stretch. Practice makes perfect! Just keep at it, and your fingers will stretch. Trust me on this one. I've taught strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass, bass guitar, guitar, others) for 13 years now. My students always use the excuse "I can't hit that note! My fingers don't stretch!". Then after a few weeks or months of practicing they always say "Oh...I guess you were right. They do stretch."

because the Special models are usually made very cheaply. the tuning pegs are usually crap and the neck is usually a little on the loose side.

if you're on a budget they'll work fine. if you want a cheap beater that won't ever die and don't mind replacing the tuning pegs yourself, it's fantastic (i've had one for 10 years). it was super frustrating to have to tune up every 30 minutes or so when i knew what i was doing, i can't imagine putting up with that when i was trying to learn.

the higher end Epiphone SGs and LPs (the ones around $800) are significantly better quality and worthy of the implied quality of being associated to the Gibson brand.

while they might look nice, there are more options at the beginner level (sub $300) than you can shake a stick at, so why start looking with something that has a shoddy reputation?

I have a real Epiphone SG, the G400. Good guitars aren't cheap.

Mine is something like 700$ retail- I bought it for 200. It was slightly used, but once could barely tell aside from the 1/4 inch long gash on the back.


To the OP, you might want something used- they often work extremely well and are often half price or more.

right... that's why the SPECIAL models that you originally linked got trashed. getting a $700 guitar for $200 (which is around what the Specials retail for) is the kind of ridiculous deal i'm still hoping to score someday (17 years after getting my first guitar - if i remember right that's 4 more years than you've breathed oxygen).

as for your comment about used gear, that's just wrong. the normal used price is between 66-80% of retail, to get a deal better than half price means you're either dealing with a thief, junkie, or total moron, and only one of those would have the ability to run a business. plus a business doesn't stay open by selling product for less than half of its value.

and those are prices in a a pawn shop WANTING to move used gear. the average price for used gear online is closer to the actual retail price without taxes, maybe rolled down to the nearest 10.

it's not to say that used gear is bad or a ripoff (and hasn't been discussed many times on the site...), but you need to have an idea of what your doing first before you start dealing with it. otherwise, it's FAR too easy to end up disappointed.


take this however you will but i'd be hard pressed to take advice from someone who considers a 1/4 inch gash along the side of a guitar to be an instrument that barely seems used. it might not have been used much but it's most definitely been abused a lot.

There whei go.

And his fingers don't look short to me, they look pretty average actually.

but if he's a short dude (like Flea) then his 'average' looking sized hands are smaller than most hehe

I got a Fender Squire for my 3rd guitar. I love it still 3 guitars later. It wasn't technically my first but, it was the one that really made get into guitar. Here's the thing though, lots of good guitar players think that an acoustic is better for you to play. It makes your fingers stronger because you don't have an amp to give the sound, even if you really aren't playing well. If it were me buying the guitar I'd get the Dean V Acoustic, which is cheap (about 300), looks cool, and is an acoustic electric. The one down side is you can't really lap it. I think there's a model out there that does have an extra piece so that you can.

i think the whole 'learn on an acoustic first' is a throwback to old ways of doing things. it's how the 'greats' learned back in the 70s or some other load. i wonder if the availability of relatively cheap but decent quality electric gear was maybe a factor... hmmm??? or how many parents want to hear their kid learning and nailing more bum notes than clear ones on an electric over an acoustic.

yes, learning on an acoustic does give you stronger fingers, but in this day and age if you want to learn to play an electric get an electric. there's no point in learning an instrument on a version of it that you're not interested in. it's not like learning on an electric leaves you at a huge disadvantage if/when you start playing on an acoustic; nor does learning on an acoustic provide you with a huge advantage when playing an electric.

yeah your friend has it backwards, but playing GH and RB is a valid exercise for keeping your fingers nimble, and top notch for working on your timing / coordination.

I recently discovered a guitar site you might be interested in looking at, if you aren't already aware of it.
It's guitarnoise.com
It has some useful tips and information for guitar players of all skill levels.

Don't buy anything over like $300...it won't be as much of a burden if you end up not deciding to stick with it and if you do decide to stick with it you will have more money for a higher quality instrument in the future when you get one (which is pretty much inevitable). Ibanez makes some pretty decent entry level stuff that is very affordable...stay away from First Act

Since you're just starting out, you ought not to meet your life companion yet. What I mean is that you should start a bit small, incase you end up ditching it after a while-- that way the hole in your wallet doesn't remind you every day what could have been. I would start on a basic squire or fender telecaster or stratocaster. Those are pretty reliable, look nice and are really affordable. The more you get into it, that's when you start looking for the beaut you always wanted.

For example, I've been playing for ages now... Started up about 6 years ago on a squire Telecaster. I'll admit, it was certainly not a top notch guitar, but it worked and sounded good. It wasn't until last year that I finally spotted the guitar I knew I was going to keep forever... picked an epiphone dot right off the wall. Again, affordable, but nice none-the-less. Try being cost-effective, I suppose is the moral of this. Don't go overboard on the first thing! There will come a time when you decide you need that $800 beauty :)

Guitar Chords @ Chordbook.Com

The only site you'll ever need to learn the basic chords, I still use it if I come accross a chord I'm a bit unsure of.

Then depending on your music taste learn an easy one, one of my first songs was About A Girl - Nirvana, and Wonderwall - Oasis.

As for the guitar, it all depends on your budget, if your parents are buying you one for Christmas and can afford just under 400 pounds I'd get a Fender Telecaster.

Or for about 200ish a Yamaha Pacifica.

if you really are looking to give some time to it i'd say buy a mid-range guitar (Vintage, Epiphone etc.) save you paying out again later, If it's just something you're giving a go buy an Encore/ Squire.

Best way of learning is always to my mind going to be one to one lessons with an experienced teacher. Best online however is probably just to have a nose around youtube for beginner guitar lessons theres thousands of videos on there. Other than that try and get involved on a guitar based forum like ultimate guitar, I use talk bass and over the years it's come in handy to be a member and check up on there now and again. It can be quite informative and if you get stuck anywhere it always helps to be able to get answers to where you might be going wrong.