The Instrument Recommendation thread
 

FD, you are a genius. This'll stop all those annoying "What guitar?" threads and they really annoy me.

Or at least we'll now have a place to put them when they inevitably pop up.
:D

Heres one for ya.

Im looking to buy a strat, and I would like the stock version to have a 7.25 radius neck. Which reissues or models still come with the smaller 7 1/4 and not 12 or 9.5?

Fender or G&L, no preference really. Just as long as its SSS.

My friend is looking to get a bass so he can teach himself how to play so me and him can play together. $200 at the very most, any ideas?

You can probably get a Squier P-Bass for that much, I got one in a starter kit for $300. If you just look for the bass $200 is about right.

i'm thinking about getting a trumpet not really looking for something of super-holy quality just something cheap and easy to play

go to your local pawn shop and take the oldest looking thing in that price range that stays in tune. you'll likely end up with a 2nd tier piece of gear from the 70s built with better quality than any new mass produced plank for the same price.

God bless Pawn Shops. I just saw my local one selling a mim Tele for 230 bucks.

yeah i had to pass on one of these a few years ago too. then again they were (and could get away with) asking the retail price since they've been off the market for years. Epiphone Nighthawk, they wanted $400.

http://home.planet.nl/~donke069/Nigh...x%20659%29.jpg

ok i need a REALLY cheap portable synth that i can just plug into my laptop and play, and i mean truly portable like less than 10 pounds portable.

Those are super cool guitars. I still cant imagine paying 400 at a pawn shop for it tho. I wonder if they sold it.

I've never been a fan of pawn shops. They tend to be hustlers on both ends of the sale. I'd rather buy something from somewhere that I know what I'm getting for my money.

While thats true, sometimes the pawn shop lets things go for less than they should because they dont know the rarity. I have seen a lot of out of production guitars and such for super cheap. Granted thats probably 1/10 times, the other 9 you get hustled.

do you just mean to use it for controlling some virtual synth software on your laptop? in that case a MIDI controller should work fine and you can get small 2 octave deals.

M-AUDIO - Oxygen 25 - 25-Key USB MIDI Controller

just under 4 pounds and just shy of $200.

@CO - you're definitely right in being wary of pawn shops. it's definitely a buyer beware market, but they're not all bad, especially if you find one that pride's itself on being family friendly, though at that point they usually don't call themselves 'pawn shops' anymore. i've been lucky that my pawn shop of choice is one of those family places, there are some legitimately sketchy spots in this town too. the catch-22 in this situation is that the nicer spots usually have non-crackhead staff that are actually somewhat knowledgeable about the products they deal with so the odds of super deals are non-existent, but fair prices abound.

@Rezz - i haven't been to the store in a while but i doubt it's still there i should try to pop in this weekend just to see what's in stock. actually i get 3 pays this month and therefore really REALLY should not hahaha

yep basically that's the type of thing i need to get, problem is "money" i'm definately going to have to save up for this, but hopefully i'll get a portable at some point

Any thoughts on PRS acoustics?

I got: Bach 7C, works well enough, previously used 1 year, though it has a kinda small mouthpiece. a good trumpet model could be jupiter, a friend of mine's brother got a jupiter, and it's not too bad. mouthpiece was bigger, but the tone was a lot better. both trumpets are student models. i remember mine was $625, but i'm not sure about other.

Just starting, NEED HELP!
 

Hello, I am new to this forum, in case you haven't looked at my post count, and I am going out today or soon, in the hopes of getting a new guitar. By new, I mean my first guitar, and by guitar, I mean cheap acoustic thing to learn on. Unfortunately I am seriously underfunded and have little more than $120. Even more unfortunate, $75 :( of that is for Best Buy. This doesn't bother me, since Best Buy stocks acoustic instruments, but I still have NO idea where to start. My question, could you rate this guitar as good or bad for a TOTAL newbie? If anything is negative about it, what should I get instead? I know, I have limited resources, but I really just want something to start with.

IDEALLY, I want something that I can play OLD Jimmy Eat World songs on, which are closer to punk (but a lot of them would sound good acoustic and slower I think). Anything from Smashing Pumpkins, Armor for Sleep, or even Nirvana would be awesome :love:. I don't want "optimal" sound or anything, like I said, I just want to have SOMETHING that can play those songs, but I know very little about guitars and don't know how selective they are.

If you managed to read ALL that (or not), here are the specs:

Maestro by Gibson - 6-String Full-Size Acoustic Guitar
Full-size body
Black-finished spruce top with mahogany back and sides for full, deep bass and midrange tones
Steel strings for bright tone and easy playability
Rosewood fingerboard for solid feel and easy playing
Die-cast tuning machines for stability and accurate tuning
Guitar strap, picks, extra strings and DVD included

Not concerned about the DVD, I plan on using youtube and internet tutorials a lot anyways (and of course this site!) but I guess it could help. Sound good?

THANKS A MILLION GUYS :bowdown:!

:bowdown:
i came.

i would recommend the Epiphone AJ-001 (the model is something like that) also looking for an electric, looking at a Gibson firebird, worth the money?

it might be too late for you but for anyone else reading this.

WHY would you go to an ELECTRONICS store to buy a musical instrument? it's like deciding to buy a tv from the grocery store.

sorry if this seems harsh but your on the verge of suckering yourself. from the sound of things you can't afford an instrument yet. what do you mean by $75 of the $120-ish is for Best Buy? like a gift certificate? if that's the case pick up a video game or something else you'd normally buy at BB. or sell it to a friend or relative for cash value. i'm sorry if this seems harsh but in reality if you spend $100 or less on a guitar you're getting leftovers and trash from a bigger factory. save up a little more and don't rush and you'll end up a happier musician in the long run.

as for the actual specs?

Maestro made by Gibson doesn't really mean anything but it's hoping people will associate it with the big G. all it really means is they're distributed through Gibson.

Full-size body - OK. about as much of a feature as noting a trunk on a sedan.

Black-finished spruce top with mahogany back and sides for full, deep bass and midrange tones - when an acoustic guitar is painted in a solid finish you really need to wonder WHY they chose to cover up the wood.

Steel strings for bright tone and easy playability - this new car comes with FOUR tires.

Rosewood fingerboard for solid feel and easy playing - standard on beginner level gear

Die-cast tuning machines for stability and accurate tuning - about as informative as saying 'these ice cubes were made in a tray'.

Guitar strap, picks, extra strings and DVD included - filler. $5, 0.50$, $5-10, and $10. if you bought separately.

i've always gotten at least a free strap or cable when buying a guitar, you never know depending on the place you might even score a free lesson since it's your first.

ultimately the ONLY thing your first instrument really needs to do is - stay in tune. you're FAR more likely to score an instrument that can do that in a music store than any department store. there are plenty of cheap Yamaha and Samick acoustics out there (around the $200 price point).

I found that answer hilarious^

And speaking of cheap acoustics go to yard sales!

i do what i can hehehe :thumb:

Trancition
 

I Used to play the Tuba and im relly starting to miss being able to play an instrument. I cant afford or fit a Tuba in my current situation so im thinking about getting a Trumpet or a Cornet. Problem is i dont know what type to get. What would be the easier transition?

why not go with a Euphonium or a French Horn? at least something in the same line as a Tuba? or do you want to take off in a completely different direction? seems to me jumping from Tuba to Trumpet would be like going from night to day.

Nothing wrong with Takamines from my experience. We have one in my house, and it plays fine, holds its tune and sounds pretty good. Not every Takamine is going to be the same, but I don't really have any complaints about ours.

Guitarists? Help please? :)
 

I've decided to take up guitar as a new instrument, so I'll be buying my first acoustic. What sort/brand would you guys recommend?? :D Thanks in advance

Started with a harmonica a week ago
 

this will be the 7th day since I started practicing with the Harmonica.

Its a Hohner C Boyscout Harmonica I bought at boysocut camp for $8.45,

Any insight on how good these are and what to start looking for as far as online tutorials and proffensional harmonica players to study.

there's nothing wrong with Hohner instruments, harmonicas aren't normally that expensive, especially not for entry level / fun.

check out Toots Thielemans and that guy from Blues Traveller (John Popper) for professionals who blow in the good way.

I have a Fender Starcaster (not Strat), which has 2 single-coil pickups and a set of humbuckers. I bought it for somewhere between $290-$300. I've barely played it at all. I just never found the love for electric. I'd rather git rid of it and get another acoustic or electric-acoustic.

Would I get more money back for it if I brought it to the music store I bought it from and tried to sell it back, or a pawn shop? I can't seem to find any friends who want it. I just don't see the point in keeping it. I never even gave the thing a name.

It is if you want to play in every key ;) Then theirs the Nil young coat you must buy with a minimum of 50 pockets.

Never played that, but I just borrowed and fixed up my friends Squier Affinity Strat and I am amazed how well it plays and sounds once it was setup properly. Granted it has a rosewood fretboard which I cant ****ing stand.

Bass, acoustic or electric?
 

Right now i have a begginer dean bass and im gettin really into it but im getting christmas money and am thinkin about gettin a nice one. which is better for all over use, an acoustic bass that can plug in or just an electric? im leaning more towards electric but i want some musicians opinions.

How long you been playing?

i just been playing around with it for a few months, never taken lessons just looked up chord charts so not real long. and my strings buzz alot, would that be a neck problem or just new strings?

It is probably the neck or saddles, both needing setup.

Here's the problem with Starcasters, the company has used the name for two quite different guitars now. there's the 70s hollow-body Starcasters that Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead uses. then there are the Walmart strat knock-offs.

i'm assuming you have one of the newer Strat-style instruments. in which case, if you can return it to the store for equivalent value it'll be your best bet. on the other hand if it's one of the vintage models hit up a Radiohead site or if you happen to be on the east coast of Canada - PM me. please.

Recommendations for Beginner Guitar
 

About a year and a half ago I got a guitar and have been learning a bit here or there since but never really made a whole lot of progress with it because I kept taking like month long breaks and had to re-learn it all later. But anyway, does anyone have tips for me to progress a bit faster? Or maybe some website recommendations that might help me out? I pretty much know the basic chords and a couple barre chords. Yeah, I know, just keep practicing everyday and don't take long breaks. But besides that, any tips?

Also, I really have no idea if the guitar I have is any good or not. I did some research before I got it and saw pretty much good reviews, but it was cheap so it might not be good quality. It's an acoustic Fender Squier. Doesn't really matter if it's bad quality or not because I can't afford to get another but I was just curious.

Fender squier acoustics are OK, not fantastic but workable.

As for progression, I'm afraid there are no shortcuts,but one thing you can do to help yourself get used to where the strings are, is to go out and buy the thinnest plectrum you can find. I used a .36mm nylon plectrum for this.

Then learn Street spirit by radiohead. Its really simple to play, but the fact you're using a super thin pick will force you to really work on your picking, because if you hit even remotely too hard, you'll strum 2 or even 3 strings at once rather than one. Practice until you can play it cleanly with your super thin plectrum, and your hands muscle memory of where each string is will improve immensely, allowing you to tackle lots more stuff easily. (Once you've gone back to a thick pick of course, god forbid you stick with the .36mm, thats just crazy thin.