Help me buy a guitar

[Sultan]

Budget ~$100

I saw this on a website: Epiphone Les Paul Jr.

I just wanna learn how to play, and I'd like something half decent that could be last a while till I know I have some chance of jumping to a Fender or something like that.

Help!!!

 

[Sultan]

and oh, i'd like an electric one, i dont know why but

 

Epiphone or Squire is good. For $100 you get what you pay for. And what about an amp?

 

[Sultan]

what do you need an amp for?

 

[Moonlapse]

To be frank, you can not get a good electric at 100. I'd recommend the Washburn X10, if you'd be willing to pay an extra $20-30 dollars. As for the guitar you posted, I can't comment on it, but if you want to get a REAL guitar later on, then get a full size guitar. Mini's or Juniors are made for the youngin's.. since the fret length and body are smaller. Might as well get used to a "regular" size.

You need an amplifier (amp), to amplify the sound, obviously. Without it, the guitar will sound like utter sheet.. and sound will only be resonated by the wood, and the vibration of the strings, which would basically make it an acoustic, but without the sound box an acoustic has. You'll need to spend a extra 50-75 dollars for a cheap 15w amp. If you can't spend more than 100, then get a cheap acoustic (steel, not nylon), then work your way up to an electric.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Sultan
what do you need an amp for?

Um, why do you think it's called an "electric" guitar? An amp amplifies the sound and gives it volume. The electric part lets you tack on all the cool effects (distortion, wah, etc) for that grunge/rock sound. For a budget of $100, you can't get a semi-decent electric, much less acoustic.

I'd suggest picking up an acoustic - if you can pop for $50 more, Takamine makes a great basic acoustic (G-230, Nex body style) that sounds fantastic for the price. (Laminate but sounds better than anything else I played under the $200 range.)

 

[SludgeFactory]

$100 is severely limiting, but...

I have heard some good things about the SX guitars at rondomusic.com -- Chinese made, strat copies, imported in small quantities so QC should theoretically be a little better. Yamaha Pacifica 112 is another strat copy, very nice neck, will have to buy used to get for $100. Squier could also be OK. These are all Fender strat copies, bolt-on necks and cheap to manfacture. I would stay away from Epiphone in the low price range. If you want a Les Paul styled guitar you would be better off getting a Korean-made setneck in the $250-350 range.

unfortunately, yeah, you need amplification, which is going to take you over $100 total. You might try a cheap digital modeler, you can play that through computer speakers, play at bedroom volumes if necessary, and get a bunch of different tones to amuse yourself with. Most of the cheapo practice amps sound like poo and are limited in the amount of sounds they can make. If you need a standalone practice amp, Vox has a decent solid state 15W amp. An older Fender Champ is also nice to have around if you can pick one up on the cheap (under $150) with working tubes and speaker.

nothing wrong with wanting electric, play what you want to play. In fact, if you were looking for a cheap acoustic you'd be in more trouble, the "you get what you pay for" adage is even more true with acoustics.

 

[Sultan]

whats the difference between electric and acoustic? why one over the other?

 

[Sultan]

how's this one for a beginner?

link

shall i get this?

 

[Moonlapse]

Electric is a solid body guitar (usually), that requires an amp for amplifying sound (as well as creating distortion), while an acoustic has it's own amplifier, the sound box (the body of the guitar, thats why they have the big hole at the end of the neck.

Pics:

Electric
Amp
Acoustic

 

[Sultan]

Originally posted by: Moonlapse
Electric is a solid body guitar (usually), that requires an amp for amplifying sound (as well as creating distortion), while an acoustic has it's own amplifier, the sound box (the body of the guitar, thats why they have the big hole at the end of the neck.

Pics:

Electric
Amp
Acoustic

so which one is better for a beginner? I read in one previous post that electric is better to start off with so that one can manage 4 strings before going to a hard 5 strings?

 

[TheNinja]

All guitars have 6 strings normally. Unless you are talking about a bass guitar (or just called a bass) they normally have 4. Electric is easier on the fingers and hands b/c the strings are thinner and the neck of the guitar is thinner too. If you only have $100 to spend you'd be better off buying a used one from a shop or try ebay. Even the bottom end Ibanez cost around $200.

As for acoustic vs ectric it's up to you and what style of music you envision playing. Electric is more versatile but you can't sit around the camp fire with it unless you have a large extension cord or generator for the amp.

 

[Sultan]

and how is this for amps?

amps

 

[Moonlapse]

Originally posted by: Sultan

Originally posted by: Moonlapse
Electric is a solid body guitar (usually), that requires an amp for amplifying sound (as well as creating distortion), while an acoustic has it's own amplifier, the sound box (the body of the guitar, thats why they have the big hole at the end of the neck.

Pics:

Electric
Amp
Acoustic

so which one is better for a beginner? I read in one previous post that electric is better to start off with so that one can manage 4 strings before going to a hard 5 strings?

?? MOST guitars have 6 strings. You're either confusing the guitar with a bass (which usually has 4 strings), or a Ukulele. What I meant by a mini or junior guitar (the guitar you linked in you're first post), is that it's just a shrunked down version of a "normal scale" guitar. As for what would be best, that's just a preference. With what money you have, you might as well do nothing, and save up around 200-300. If you can't do that, then find the best deal you can on a acoustic. Even then, expect to pay more for a guitar case, or a stand.

 

[Sultan]

anyone wants to give me a go-ahead with my selection of guitar and amps?

 

[Wahsapa]

dude, start out with an accoustic :thumbsup: because your a beginer im betting you'll learn a lot more by playing an accoutic. and generally going from accoutic->electric is an easy step because accoustic guitars are suppose to be 'harder' to play then elecrtic. they just take a certain finesse(sp?) that begining electric players dont pick up.

then if you even remotely like playing the guitar(chance are you wont) step up to an electric.

i'd rather buy an old used guitar(electric) somewhere thats decent then a new crappy one.

 

[Moonlapse]

I could, but it'll be more than double what your supposed limit is. If you have a local guitar shop in town, go there. Ask someone there that you're thinking about starting guitar, and then go on from there.

 

[Moonlapse]

^^ Poster above me is correct about the acoustic being regarded as more "difficult". Plus it's best to get it since its portable, which in turn can make playing more enjoyable. Give guitar playing a "test run" to see if you really like it or not, and if you are willing to put time and effort into it. You don't get good by letting the guitar sit in the corner 3-4 days a week.

 

[Sultan]

Originally posted by: Moonlapse
I could, but it'll be more than double what your supposed limit is. If you have a local guitar shop in town, go there. Ask someone there that you're thinking about starting guitar, and then go on from there.

You dont recommend these:

guitar
amps

???

I want to start off on the easier one anyways, so acoustic wont be a good idea

 

[Moonlapse]

Can't recommend something I haven't played (and something that is so "beginnerish" ) . If you have limited money to spend, then go to a guitar shop, or if you have a friend who plays, ask them. The problem with buying cheap equipment is that you won't get the sound you expect to hear, which can cause disappointment and disinterest. The reviews for what you posted seem good, but again, I'd highly recommend at least TESTING the equipment, before you make a purchase. If that's not possible, then just take caution.

 

[Mears]

Don't buy a new guitar, you can do much better buying used. Personally, I would recommend that you look for an Electra or Westone. Both were made at Matsumoko, a Japaneese factory that made good quality guitars in the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately, after a fire destroyed the plant, they left the market. If you decide to go with an Electra, make sure you ask the seller where it was manufactured, as a St. Louis factory (Crate) also produced guitars under the Electra name with lower standards. Trust me, these guitars have much more to offer than the bargain lines of today's major companies and you won't have to own the same guitar that every other beginner plays on.

Here are a couple links:

Westone - Geocities Page

Electra Page

Westone User Group


I noticed that ebay has both a Westone Pantera and Corsair listed right now. Those are both really good guitars.


Oh, and as far as an amp goes, that would really depend on your budget. It might not be a bad idea to buy a headphone amp to begin with and spend a little extra on the guitar. If you have decent speakers on your computer or in your home, you can feed it into your receiver or sound card.

 

[nan0bug]

If you want an electric guitar for under $100, you really only have one good choice, and thats this Kramer Focus VT111S deluxe, you can pick up the standard for about $10 less and a fatboy for a $100.

Here's some harmonycentral reviews

Honestly though, you would be much better off to just wait a couple weeks and save up enough money to buy yourself something in the $300 range and an amp to go with it.

It also doesn't hurt to have money for a decent stand, a pick holder, some picks, maybe a strap, some fast fret juice and a spare set of strings for when you inevitably break one on a sunday when your local music store is closed.

You will outgrow a $100 guitar pretty quickly. The $100 guitar segment is for lazy parents to buy their kids a guitar for their birthday so they can get them off their back. $100 guitars will sound worse, have crappier hardware and be a lot less durable and more susceptible to you damaging little things like knobs than a $300 guitar will. The tuners will be garbage, expect to tune the guitar every 2 songs or so.

I'm not saying they're complete crap. $100 will get you a lot more today than it would have 10 years ago. Most guitar gods you listen to learned on a lot worse. You can always upgrade the hardware if you so desire, and a good setup will go a long way on any guitar.

I learned to play on a beat to hell 2nd hand Epiphone strat copy that was in far worse condition than that Kramer Focus will be. Just keep in mind that I also got frustrated with it after about 3 months and bought a new guitar.

Edit: One more thing, which I'm sure has been brought up before, is that if you insist on buying a $100 guitar, you should really check out scratch and dent items. Music shops usually get shipments of guitars, and some inevitably have scratches or dents, maybe broken hardware, and they will fix them and sell them at a discount. If you could scrounge up another $100 you could probbably get the equivalent of a $300 guitar that just doesn't look as pretty as a brand new one.

 

[Moonlapse]

a pick holder, some picks

Ah yes, very important. Good way to protect against the dreaded pick gnomes . I've easily lost track of a 100 picks, none of which have been seen again....

 

[nan0bug]

Originally posted by: Moonlapse

a pick holder, some picks

Ah yes, very important. Good way to protect against the dreaded pick gnomes . I've easily lost track of a 100 picks, none of which have been seen again....

Oh yes. The pick gnomes are evil little bastards.

 

[nan0bug]

Originally posted by: Wahsapa
dude, start out with an accoustic :thumbsup: because your a beginer im betting you'll learn a lot more by playing an accoutic. and generally going from accoutic->electric is an easy step because accoustic guitars are suppose to be 'harder' to play then elecrtic. they just take a certain finesse(sp?) that begining electric players dont pick up.

then if you even remotely like playing the guitar(chance are you wont) step up to an electric.

i'd rather buy an old used guitar(electric) somewhere thats decent then a new crappy one.

This is a good suggestion too. You won't be able to shred right away, but you will get finger strength a lot quicker, which means doing stuff like hammer-ons on an electric will be much easier for you when you get that far. Also, if you have roommates or neighbors in close proximity, an acoustic will not bother them nearly as much for those nights when you just HAVE to learn a song, sleep be damned.