any guitar players here? looking for a beginner guitar

[DrewSG3]

http://m.guitarcenter.com/FENDER-Mo...ter-Hss-Electric-Guitar-108295114-i2013846.gc

Is this a good electric guitar to start with? My budget is only around $300-$500 dollars. Looking mainly to play blues and may venture into rock if it turns out well

 

[SeaSerpent]

I started off with a used Telecaster. It worked well to learn with and I have since upgraded to a American standard Stratocaster.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm assuming that budget needs to cover an amp too, right?

 

[DigDog]

what size hands / fingers you got ?

 

[utahraptor]

This is my first and only guitar. I think it has served me very well. I picked it up when it was on sale for about $340.

http://www.amazon.com/Schecter-Damie.../dp/B005CP07S8

I would avoid a floyd rose setup (whammy bar) if you are a beginner. I coworker that has one says keeping it in tune is a nightmare.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I would avoid a floyd rose setup (whammy bar) if you are a beginner. I coworker that has one says keeping it in tune is a nightmare.

Keeping one in tune is easy. Getting in tune in the first place is hard. Your advice is still good, though.

 

[z1ggy]

Find a lightly used Epiphone and get a decent amp. I got mine for like $200 and a small practice amp for around $100.

 

[gorcorps]

This is my first and only guitar. I think it has served me very well. I picked it up when it was on sale for about $340.

http://www.amazon.com/Schecter-Damie.../dp/B005CP07S8

I would avoid a floyd rose setup (whammy bar) if you are a beginner. I coworker that has one says keeping it in tune is a nightmare.

frankly I would avoid a tremolo at any skill level

 

[edro]

Get a Les Paul style guitar (instead of stratocaster).
No whammy bar and is better for blues.

More blues players use les pauls. Sure, you can play amazing blues with a strat (eric clapton), but we are speaking in generalizations.

In reality, since you are a beginner, damn near any guitar will work fine.

 

[Fritzo]

I'll agree with avoiding a tremolo bar (whammy bar, vibrato bar...whatever you want to call it) in a $300-$500 guitar. The hardware in this price range is just plain not up to the task and you'll end up with a guitar that goes out of tune everytime you use it. The higher end versions have locking tuners and balanced springs, but will be on models that cost a lot more than $500.

I say this every time someone asks about guitars here: they're like shoes. Nobody can tell you what fits your hands. The best thing to do it go to a store like Guitar Center and see which one feels the most comfortable.

Good brands in that price range will be Epiphone, Washburn, Fender Telecaster/Stratocaster (Mexican made models- stay away from the Squier models), and maybe B.C Rich.

I can tell you that for a starter guitar, the more simplistic it is, the happier you'll be. If you find something in that price range with 3 active pickups, push-pull knobs, built in tuners, and other gadgets, you can but they cut quality in areas like wood quality, frets, or overall construction.

You also need to budget for a decent amp. My go-to starter amp is the Roland Micro-Cube. You can often get it for around $100, it's very portable (it'll even run on AA batteries!), has built in effects, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. If fact, I still use mine as a pre-amp and effects base because I haven't found a chorus that sounds as good as the one on the Roland

For a good base line, try out a real Les Paul, an American made Strat, and then a Telecaster. These are the 3 basic styles of all guitars. See what features you like most then start searching for brands for one that fits your needs.

 

[alkemyst]

frankly I would avoid a tremolo at any skill level

Hard to avoid one if 80's rock/metal is your thing and many other genres.

OP...one of the main issues a beginning rock guitarist has is his sound doesn't sound like the music he wants to duplicate.

This is usually due to effects pedals/processors.

There are quite a few small amps that have a few of the most popular ones built-in.

They are not going to be as great as some of the legendary studio amps, but they will get the job done better for a budget-conscious student that can decide in a few months/year if upgrading is worth it.

The key thing is to find the guitar type you like which is usually by looking at what your favorite artists use. Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Les Pauls are the most popular. Flying Vs, Ibanez and the like not so far behind.

They all have a unique sound and not all of one type are equal.

Personally I think an Acoustic is the best to learn on...but if you never have a desire to play with one it's ok to go straight to electric (I did in fact and was even able to 'ace' my Classical/Spanish guitars classes at college level when the teacher said I'd probably fail using an electric).

Certain music stores offer money back upgrade plans so look into those too if you think you may be looking to upgrade in a year or two. Sometimes it's better to sell-outright, but sometimes their upgrade plan could be 100% of your purchase price. (YMMV this may have been lost with the economy).

I just bought a Yamaha acoustic/electric 3/4 sized for my 11 year old this christmas...he lost interest mostly and just wants to strum it and do non-music....but it's still fun for him and maybe one day he will dive into a book and start learning theory and playing real songs.

 

[Xonim]

OP, find out what your favorite musicians play and try to get as close to that as possible. If they use Les Pauls, check out one of the Epiphone-branded Les Pauls ... the Epiphone Les Paul standard is the same price as the strat you linked, but it's going to have a different sound.

Do you have an amp already or are you looking for recommendations on that as well?

PS: If you aren't going to be able to play the guitar before buying, I recommend calling musician's friend and ordering from there. If you can find a GC coupon for 20% off ... even if it has Fender or Epiphone excluded like many do ... I've had luck in the past getting Musician's Friend to match and apply the discount.

 

[drebo]

Here you go: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=115&cp_id=11501

 

[alkemyst]

Here you go: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=115&cp_id=11501

Do you have experience with their guitars?

My first guitar in around 1980? or so was a Japanese made Strat-copy. Even by experienced guitarists later on (I had it until 1992 or so when I sold it off to get a Martin D28), one that was a college guitar instructor; said it was a very good instrument.

At the time, I think I paid $125 for it.

 

[Fritzo]

Personally I think an Acoustic is the best to learn on...but if you never have a desire to play with one it's ok to go straight to electric (I did in fact and was even able to 'ace' my Classical/Spanish guitars classes at college level when the teacher said I'd probably fail using an electric).

I agree with learning on an acoustic as well, as they're strict teachers. If your technique is off, there's nothing to cover it up. Most songwriters actually write on acoustic and then transfer to electric once they've got the composition down.

The problem is people today have short attention spans, and learning on an acoustic takes months...by that point it usually ends up under the bed collecting dust. Electrics give a bit more instant gratification and are easier to play, but also tend to make sloppy players.

There's advantages on either end.

This leads to another piece of advice: Take at least 6 professional lessons. They're not that expensive (around $15 for 30 minutes), and you will be taught proper fingering. Learning off of the web tends to make players do what is comfortable instead of what is correct, and then you run into walls where you have to relearn everything because of basic technique mistakes.

 

[alkemyst]

This leads to another piece of advice: Take at least 6 professional lessons. They're not that expensive (around $15 for 30 minutes), and you will be taught proper fingering. Learning off of the web tends to make players do what is comfortable instead of what is correct, and then you run into walls where you have to relearn everything because of basic technique mistakes.

Very true, some 'music centers' may even give a couple free lessons with a purchase.

One of the best bang for buck lessons down here is local public schools 'night classes'. For about $40 bucks the last I checked you got six-eight weeks of one hour to 90 minute (classroom) lessons. It's enough usually to have 10-20 mins of private help and as you move along there are the class scholars that need less time later so those that are challenged get even more private time.

Plus you get to see what everyone else is using and how they are doing it/adapting/etc.

I snapped off the tip of my left ring finger, it healed back so it looks about 95% right, but playing with my son's guitar shows that finger is limited now in the way I can play even single notes.

 

[utahraptor]

On the subject of learning guitar I have done very well with https://getinstinct.com/courses/year-of-rock/

It is a years worth of lessons for free. It uses your microphone to pickup what you are playing so its like guitar hero but real.

I also like http://www.justinguitar.com/ for free lessons.

For a beginner amp I like Line 6 modeling amps. The Spider http://line6.com/amps/#spider series comes with many different sounds built in such as pedals and effects and are very affordable especially if used.

 

[smackababy]

OP, browse Musician's Friend for a cheap Squire or Epiphone. You will outgrow it, but that doesn't matter when learning.


Also, a big thing a lot of people never get taught is not to forget about the position of your arm. You can move the entire thing, not just your hand. It makes a huge difference in being able to comfortable do some chords. Also, practice. It will suck, and likely get very tedious, but if you don't, you will never be able to play.

 

[Paladin]

I agree with those saying you should start out playing an acoustic, 100%. For all the reasons Fritzo has said. They are more difficult to play, but for that reason you will develop much better technique.
I bought this for my son a few years ago:
Mitchell
It's a phenomenal guitar for the price. I have it sitting in the family room, and it's the one I play the most now. It has great sound, and great action.

 

[DrewSG3]

Wow.. thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate it

I guess I'll head to Guitar Center and get a feel of the guitars instead of blind buying online.

 

[Fritzo]

I snapped off the tip of my left ring finger, it healed back so it looks about 95% right, but playing with my son's guitar shows that finger is limited now in the way I can play even single notes.

Just do what Tommy Iommi does. He lost two of his fingertips in a press accident, and how he just glues bottlecaps and other things to his fingers so he can play

Wow.. thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate it

I guess I'll head to Guitar Center and get a feel of the guitars instead of blind buying online.

Something about guitars is no two are alike. You may find one that sounds awesome in the store, then order it online, and it plays like crap when you get it. I went through 6 Les Pauls when I finally found the right one. They all either had fret issues, a G string that couldn't hold intonation, tone issues, etc. It's expected when something is hand made.

 

[edro]

My favorite guitar teacher on YouTube is Marty Schwartz (aka GuitarJamz.com).
He sells videos, etc... but he has TONS of free, well taught videos on YouTube.
He is constantly uploading new videos with the latest songs.
I really like his demeanor and teaching style.

 

[jad1097]

I'll agree with avoiding a tremolo bar (whammy bar, vibrato bar...whatever you want to call it) in a $300-$500 guitar. The hardware in this price range is just plain not up to the task and you'll end up with a guitar that goes out of tune everytime you use it. The higher end versions have locking tuners and balanced springs, but will be on models that cost a lot more than $500.

This is NOT true. Many sub-$500 guitars with a floating bridge stay in tune. I own this Ibanez and it stays in tune.



A neophyte definitely should stay away from a floating bridge because they can be a PIA to set up.

 

[MetalMat]

Mexican Fender Strat, you can get one new off of ebay for less than 300 bones and it is great.

 

[MetalMat]

Wow.. thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate it

I guess I'll head to Guitar Center and get a feel of the guitars instead of blind buying online.

A good idea is to get a friend or someone at the store to play the guitars and see what they think as well.

You can also do a blind hearing test where you turn around and have someone play whatever guitars you are interested in so you can decide which guitar sound you like best (of course keeping the settings on the amp the same) while ignoring the brand & price tag.