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What is the best electric guitar for a beginner in your opinion. just ignore the answer choices and

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future_god_of_the_axe  
8 Jan 2011 18:22 | Quote
Joined: 29 Nov 2008
United States
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Epiphone or Squire. i started with an Epiphone and moved up to a Gibson once i learned enough to get bye. what you got to remember if your starting out is that you might not like playing guitar down the road. because if you change your mind, you're out like a grand if you bought a fender or gibson. so a squire or epiphone is a good choice because they're cheap, sound decent and are reliable. and once you decide if you want to continue playing, you can get a more professional brand/model.
future_god_of_the_axe  
8 Jan 2011 18:22 | Quote
Joined: 29 Nov 2008
United States
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Oh and welcome to the forum! its always great to see new faces!
BodomBeachTerror  
8 Jan 2011 18:25 | Quote
Joined: 27 May 2008
Canada
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Never one of those stupid "Starter Packs" with the crap guitar, crap amp, crap cable, crap gig bag. only thing worth it in the package is the strap. I recommend Jackson, Esp, or Ibanez. But I guess depends what genre, if you're into jazz or something a Fender is probably better than a Jackson
wannabeguitarist  
8 Jan 2011 19:12 | Quote
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
United States
Karma
thanks for the recomendations, this will help alot
LedZeppRox13  
8 Jan 2011 19:20 | Quote
Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Karma: 11
epiphone or squire. epiphones arent that bad for their price so its not like you really have a cheap-o brand name that no one has heard of. haha.
RA  
8 Jan 2011 19:27 | Quote
Joined: 24 Sep 2008
United States
Karma: 16
I'd spend about 400 on a the guitar (A Mexican fender or Epi is about there). Any more is a waste due to as mention facts.

Personally I'd stay away from cheaper guitars, like squire, as all the ones I have seen are crap barely playable, not to be mean in any way of course. Maybe I'm picky or may be I hate cheap twisted necks.

BodomBeachTerror says:
Never one of those stupid "Starter Packs"

+1



**edit** damn I just looked, but did fender and Epi hike their prices in the past few years??? wasn't there low end standards at 400 not 500 or I'm I losing it?? regardless others have them in that range. Try Cort maybe.

Any way added note, stay away from anything with a whammy if complete beginner. Personal experience trust me [though if you told me I wouldn't listen :) new guitarist dreams I guess :)].

they did in 2009 those ****s!!! sucks to be you I guess :(
luthier  
8 Jan 2011 20:23 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
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Go to a pawn shop with someone who knows what they're looking at and find one that's nice, solid and cheap. No more than $100-$150.
Domigan_Lefty  
8 Jan 2011 20:38 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 8
If you see a "New York Pro" at a pawn shop

They are very well built and comparable to a mid-high end epiphone or squire and usually for less money.

I have a $200 NYP accoustic and it's better than my friends $1500 Gibson acoustic.
nullnaught  
8 Jan 2011 22:27 | Quote
Joined: 05 Jun 2010
Karma: 22
Allways check a guitar to make sure it is in tune high on the fret board as well as with the open strings. This could be a problem with used guiatrs.
JustJeff  
9 Jan 2011 00:44 | Quote
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Domigan_Lefty says:
I have a $200 NYP accoustic and it's better than my friends $1500 Gibson acoustic.


I highly doubt this... I'll pick up any $1000 guitar made by gibson, taylor, martin, larrivee, takamine, breedlove, etc, and I guarentee all of them will sound better than your $200 nyp :)
case211  
9 Jan 2011 03:32 | Quote
Joined: 26 Feb 2009
United States
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Anything that sounds good plugged in(if electric) though this is dependent on the amp almost exclusively. But my first guitar was a crappy little squier strat that I got in the 7th grade(small bad acoustic for the 6 months prior).

You can hear it in my song called "I'm Sick".

I've dropped a Duncan SH-5 in it(killed the pickguard haha) and I've upgraded the part of the bridge where the strings go through to a full size solid steel part so it has a bit more natural sustain and a little more punch and attack(especially since I do Drop C with it).

These crappy guitars can be salvaged over time, and actually open doors into guitar modification since it's not a $400 guitar and it's only like $150. I learned how to properly intonate the guitar, adjust the truss rod, change pickups, re-solder input jacks, and tear the hell out of a pickguard! haha
luthier  
9 Jan 2011 09:10 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
United States
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JustJeff says:
I highly doubt this... I'll pick up any $1000 guitar made by gibson, taylor, martin, larrivee, takamine, breedlove, etc, and I guarentee all of them will sound better than your $200 nyp :)


That may be, but I've never found a Gibson acoustic that I would go out of my way to own.
Empirism  
9 Jan 2011 09:55 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Finland
Lessons: 4
Karma: 35
I should say Pawn shop if you have someone who know about stuff... its just plain stupid to buy a million dollar guitar and quit playing short after... Well... if its really beauty it could be a wall furniture lol....
luthier  
9 Jan 2011 10:08 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
United States
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Like this one
JustJeff  
9 Jan 2011 19:31 | Quote
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luthier says:
That may be, but I've never found a Gibson acoustic that I would go out of my way to own.


The best gibson acoustic i've ever picked up is the Gibson Songmaker.


http://www.themusiczoo.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=3633
luthier  
9 Jan 2011 19:44 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
United States
Lessons: 1
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Hmmm, I'll have to try one if I see one.
Domigan_Lefty  
9 Jan 2011 20:04 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 8
@justjeff
I'm serious,completely stock
it has better sustain,
it's louder,
it stays in tune better,
it's lighter and sounds brighter.
The neck is about same thickness and alot smoother.
JustJeff  
10 Jan 2011 11:17 | Quote
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Domigan_Lefty says:
I'm serious,completely stock
it has better sustain,
it's louder,
it stays in tune better,
it's lighter and sounds brighter.
The neck is about same thickness and alot smoother.!


I feel like I'm hijacking the thread, sorry!

Anyway, loudness and brightness aren't always the best things to look for in an acoustic guitar. I find that balance really is the most important thing. Does the bass overwhelm the treble notes? Can you still hear the mids in a full chord?

Not to be selfish or cocky, but I guarantee my Larrivee will blow your NYP out of the water :-P
gx1327  
10 Jan 2011 12:47 | Quote
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
United States
Karma: 9
i would not say that the starter packs are "complete crap". that's exaggerating a little. but in general i would recommend not getting one.

my first electric was a squire affinity in a starter pack. the amp is quite decent, although i think i've finally outgrown it 18+ months later. i spend about $400 on the "best" squier package they had. squier affinity HSS, indonesian made (there is a difference in quality between the indonesian and chinese made models. i know becuase my dad has a chinese squier affinity).

but the point is, i spend about $400 on that guitar and amp, i sold the guitar 6 months later for about $115. i purchased a fender MIM strat for $380 with a hardshell case. so now i'm out about $285 for a fender g-dec jr. amp and a gig bag. if i sell the amp for $75-100 (let's call it $85) then i'm still out $200.

when realistically i could have bought a MIM strat for $380 (or less depending on the deal), with HSC, and then bought a Vox valvetronix 50w amp for $225 (there's one listed on my local craigslist right now) and it would have cost me the same amount of money.

ANOTHER THING i should point out. i buy and sell not only guitar equipment but photography gear --- when buying used you can pretty much sell your gear for what you paid for it, maybe a little less. if you buy a fender MIM guitar used for $380 and sell it for $350, you only lost $30 on the deal.

on the other hand, if you bought that same MIM for $500 new plus $100 for the hardshell case and sold it for $380 you are taking a loss. that's what happened with my squier. i bought the guitar and amp new, and now that i'm selling it i'm taking a significant loss. on the other hand, if i bought my first guitar used for $150, then went to sell it 6 months later, it's still worth about $150.

think about it...

and when buying cameras, you can buy your camera body new because those will devalue quickly over time anyway. but always buy your lenses used!
tinyskateboard  
10 Jan 2011 13:09 | Quote
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
United States
Karma: 11
I vote for the pawnshop or craigslist. If you get a guitar you like to look at and it has adjustable saddles and truss rod you should be able to set it up to play well. If you can adjust the saddles for string length and height, like on a Stratocaster, you should be set.

If you buy off craigslist, you may like to use my rules:
1. If the seller sounds wierd or has problems making a good meeting time, or if you feel odd about anything they say, just don't do the deal.
2. Always talk on the phone first, refer to rule 1. If people don't actually interact with you on the phone, they tend to feel less invested in the transaction and are more likely to flake.
3. Pay no more than 50% of the retail price for anything.
4. Buy anything you want that is under-valued. You can always sell it to someone else for the same price, or even more. Even at the pawnshop, make sure you know how much what you're looking at should cost. Pawnshop guys can be pretty jerky about prices and may quote high prices so you'll have to bargain.

Good luck in your search.
macandkanga  
10 Jan 2011 14:45 | Quote
Joined: 03 Oct 2008
United States
Karma: 21
I always suggest to new guitarists NOT to buy something cheap. It has to play well and sound good to keep up your interest. The made in Mexico Fender Strat is a good deal and they play well and sound good.
luthier  
10 Jan 2011 15:21 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
United States
Lessons: 1
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macandkanga says:
I always suggest to new guitarists NOT to buy something cheap. It has to play well and sound good to keep up your interest.


Maybe, but in my imho $350 is a lot to spend if you don't know whether you're gonna stick with it or not. If you look at several pawn shops, I guarentee that you'll find a cheap guitar that will play just as good and sound close to as good as a mim strat.
macandkanga  
10 Jan 2011 15:42 | Quote
Joined: 03 Oct 2008
United States
Karma: 21
Don't get me wrong. It's not about the money. When I say cheap, I mean cheaply built. Sure, you can find an extraodinary guitar for next to nothing if you know what you're doing and/or you're lucky.


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