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Post subject: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:11 am
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hi! I have always wanted to play the guitar but i've also never known where to start. My musical influence include Red hot chill peppers, The offspring, Green day, Nirvana, Blink - 182. I want to buy a guitar that isn't really expensive as it would be my first and i would also like to create a punk/roc sound. Does anyone know of a good sounding, inexpensive guitar? you would really be helping me a lot! thank you.


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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:40 am
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You'd be wise to check out Fender's Squier line of "JV" instruments. They offer several different iterations of the Strat and Tele in an array of popluar colors and they represent a lot of guitar value for the money (around $325 or so).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 4:17 am
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have you every played a guitar before?

you might want to see about borrowing or renting something before you kick out any dough.

punk rock = power chords, distortion! really fast!

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 6:40 am
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Given the influences you've listed I'd probably recommend some sort of Squier with at least one humbucker in the configuration with a single coil. That will get you close to many of the influences you've listed as it's pretty versatile so you can use the bucker alone for the Blink style tone and then the single coil for the Peppers style tone then combine them when you want.

Not sure what your budget is, but the best advice so far is to borrow a guitar. Play it for a decent amount of time if possible. This will allow you to get past the honeymoon phase and see if you want to stick with it. Also, it'll teach you what you do and don't like about the guitar you've been borrowing. That way you've at least narrowed your search a little. Good luck!

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:23 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
You'd be wise to check out Fender's Squier line of "JV" instruments. They offer several different iterations of the Strat and Tele in an array of popluar colors and they represent a lot of guitar value for the money (around $325 or so).

Arjay

Agree 100%!
Since I'm not all that familiar with your influences, do some searches on YouTube videos to recognize the guitars they use.

In my over-simplified view, there are four major guitar types (with many inexpensive clones):
1) the Strat ..check out a Fender Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster 50's
2) the Tele ..check out a Fender Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster 50's
3) the Les Paul ..check out an Epiphone Les Paul Standard
4) the ES-335 ..check out an Epiphone Dot
All of these are <$400.

IMO when you skimp on cost for the very inexpensive ones, they're not likely to satisfy you if your interest piques nor are you likely to get much out of them if you lose interest and try to sell them.

Of course, you'll need an amp too and the Fender lower end ones will do to start: Fender Champion 40.

I'd avoid the guitar/amp inexpensive packages.

So now you're around $600. You didn't give a budget, so if that's more than your willing to pay, the previous suggestions of borrowing or renting initially may be a better route for you. Perhaps you can find a local music store with a 'rent-to-own' program?

One good on-line source for the suggested models I gave is Sweetwater.

Good luck.

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 12:20 pm
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Might also consider an acoustic to start out but NOT a cheap one! You can get very decent playable acoustics in the $4-600 range. I just think it will help you learn the basics better than an electric, if nothing else you won't spend any time messing with the controls on the guitar / amp. My 2 cents.


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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 12:52 pm
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dani27 wrote:
hi! I have always wanted to play the guitar but i've also never known where to start. My musical influence include Red hot chill peppers, The offspring, Green day, Nirvana, Blink - 182. I want to buy a guitar that isn't really expensive as it would be my first and i would also like to create a punk/roc sound. Does anyone know of a good sounding, inexpensive guitar? you would really be helping me a lot! thank you.


My advice would be to not to take any advice from anyone. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 12:55 pm
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IM4Tone wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
You'd be wise to check out Fender's Squier line of "JV" instruments. They offer several different iterations of the Strat and Tele in an array of popluar colors and they represent a lot of guitar value for the money (around $325 or so).

Arjay

Agree 100%!
Since I'm not all that familiar with your influences, do some searches on YouTube videos to recognize the guitars they use.

In my over-simplified view, there are four major guitar types (with many inexpensive clones):
1) the Strat ..check out a Fender Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster 50's
2) the Tele ..check out a Fender Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster 50's
3) the Les Paul ..check out an Epiphone Les Paul Standard
4) the ES-335 ..check out an Epiphone Dot
All of these are <$400.

IMO when you skimp on cost for the very inexpensive ones, they're not likely to satisfy you if your interest piques nor are you likely to get much out of them if you lose interest and try to sell them.

Of course, you'll need an amp too and the Fender lower end ones will do to start: Fender Champion 40.

I'd avoid the guitar/amp inexpensive packages.

So now you're around $600. You didn't give a budget, so if that's more than your willing to pay, the previous suggestions of borrowing or renting initially may be a better route for you. Perhaps you can find a local music store with a 'rent-to-own' program?

One good on-line source for the suggested models I gave is Sweetwater.

Good luck.

Yep. What he said.
However, I would also look at used instruments, since there's some pretty heavy depreciation on instruments...a good used Made in Mexico Fender might be the same price or less than a new one that was Made in China.

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 3:03 pm
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A good first guitar is any guitar with 6 strings. If you like it, you'll pick it up and eventually start buying better gear. If you lose interest, well at least you didn't lose a lot of money.
I started out with a Behringer electric guitar and a Behringer 15W (I think) amp that were bundled in a pack. It cost probably around 150$ - it was a gift from my parents so I don't know the exact price, and we have € here..but 150$ is a good assumption I think. I was 11 or 12 at the time. Once I got past the honeymoon phase, I started losing interest because handball was my main love at the time. Once I injured my knee, I picked it up again. Now I am sorta glad I injured the knee. I first progressed to a Fender Squier Strat and bought a Fender Frontman 212R guitar amp - quite a solid amp might I add. Then I treated myself with a Gibson Les Paul Studio (GREAT guitars which sound even better than Standards, but are half their price due to all the gimmicks that contribute just to the looks being taken away), a Fender Mustang IV amp, another year went by and I bought a Fender Strat, a year and a half later I bought my first tube amp and first effects that go on a pedal board and who knows what the future will bring for me. All I know is that I love playing guitar. And I also know that even if I had gear as expensive and as good as I have now right when I started (and if I hadn't injured my knee) that gear would be in a closet or sold. It doesn't matter how good your gear is, in the beginning you'll sound like $@!&. All of us did :) So rather start out with something less expensive and slowly get better quality stuff. Unless you have way too much money, of course :lol: If you do have too much money, go buy a high end guitar and a high end amp, and you might as well buy me a pedal or two for giving you advice :lol:

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 3:53 pm
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To really answer this, we need to know ... what is "inexpensive" to you?

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 7:46 pm
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Thanks guys! i do have a job but it's only a weekend one because i'm a teenager. But having a job means i can earn the money i spend back. I would spend a maximum of $600 on a guitar and i've been looking at a fender squire strat. I agree with everyone about the "honeymoon phase" because i don't want to pay money for a guitar and then get sick of it and let it collect dust. Sadly i can't borrow a guitar because i don't know any odd who owns one but i will look into renting on and seeing how i go with that too. They don't sell fenders in music stores in my ton though sadly but i might go to paw shops to find one.


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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:21 pm
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01GT eibach wrote:
To really answer this, we need to know ... what is "inexpensive" to you?


Good question!

Yeah, if you find you do like to play- GAS will get you sooner or later, :lol: I'm still a beginner/hacker, and I now have 10 guitars, 3 basses, 5 amps, and a MESS of pedals.

Of the guitars,
3 are high end US made models. Fender American Standard Strat, Gibson Firebird, Gibson 50's Tribute SG.
2 are really nice copies of Gibsons- An Epiphone Les Paul Traditional plus top Pro, and a Schecter Solo Special.
3 are Squiers- a Classic Vibe 60's Tele, Vintage Modified 60's Surf caster, and a cheapie Affinity Strat.
the other 2 are "super Strats" A Fender Blackface HH, and an Ibanez RG3 HH hardtail. (my first!)

There's something to be said for getting a nice guitar for your first. I can honestly say that buying that Ibanez first had a lot to do with my getting hooked. It plays so nice, is versatile, soundwise, and the stock pickups actually sound good. I doubt I'd have enjoyed it as much if I'd gotten that Affinity first. The Ibby was only $350- not at all a pricey instrument.

Haunt your local music stores, and try as many different ones as you can. Ask lots of questions. You aren't trying to impress the sales person with your musical coolness, you're trying to find the best guitar for YOU. Buy the one that feels right in your hands, that doesn't fight you too much trying to get sounds out of it, and most importantly- that stays in tune!! As Chappers says in his buying video- run your fingers down the edges of the fretboard- if they come away bloody- don't buy that guitar! If the neck is warped, put it back. if it feels dead when you play it- ie, the body and neck don't resonate, skip it. Also, if the sales person seems more interested in selling you what they want to move than in helping you find the guitar that's right for you, move on.

For a firsty, it's hard to beat the simplicity of a 2 pickup hardtail guitar. A Telecaster, an Epi Les Paul, or an Ibanez or Schecter without a whammy bar are all good choices. A Stratocaster has 3 pickups and a whammy bar, but it's still a lot easier to use than one of the Floyd Rose style bridges that most of the Shreddy type guitars have. It's also very comfortable to play, is very versatile,and is appropriate for much of the music you said you were interested in.

For amps, I'd also avoid going for the rock bottom cheapies. Yeah, they'll get you started, but they sound like crap! For me that was a deal breaker- nothing is more frustrating to me. Just because I play like crap doesn't mean I have to SOUND like it!! Picking a guitar you like to play, and that sounds good and plugging it into an amp that sounds good will go a LONG way towards keeping you interested. It'll help keep your interest during the frustrating times.

For those of us just starting out now, we are much more fortunate than past generations of guitarists. Not only are there LOTS of options for a good, affordable guitar- but good low cost amps are plentiful, too. I ended up buying a modeller- a Vox VT 20+, as I knew next to nothing about amps, what sounds I wanted, and which amps were appropriate for the music I liked. So I got a bunch of amps in one box. Is it a bit fiddly, yes. Did it give me a better idea of which sounds I wanted? Hell yes! Sooner or later you'll need to figure out how to work an amp anyway. Then I stumbled onto Fender's Mustang Series. By this time, I'd figured out that Fendery amps were what I liked. Got a good deal on a used Mustang III, and love it! These are very good sounding amps right out of the box. Once you learn how to get the most out of them, they sound even better. A new MIII is around $330. This is dirt cheap for what you get. The I and II are less expensive, and also sound pretty nice. They ARE, however, very dependant on hooking them up to a computer and using the FUSE software to get the best out of them. The III IV and V are MUCH less so. They also come with better speakers, and operate more like a "real" amp does. With digital/solid state amps like these, the actual power rating doesn't mean a whole lot. You can get pretty much any sound it's capable of making at home practice volume levels. (AND they all have headphone jacks- even the 150 watt M IV and M V.)

Again, use your ears and choose one that sounds good to YOUR ears- not just what others say is good. A logical, easy to use control panel is extremely helpful, too. Some built in effects can be nice, too- I, prefer to have reverb and tremolo on my amps- but you can safely ignore those until you're ready to learn them.


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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 11:29 am
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$600 dollar is a solid budget and actually can get you out of the Squier range. If you're looking at new they just knocked 50 bucks off each of these models over at sweetwater. Either will be perfectly suitable for punk and related music. I'd go with the Tele, but the Strat is more versatile in terms of tones. Good luck and let us know what you find and end up going with!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleBTMBK/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratPawnDMN2T/

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 2:15 pm
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A good way to go IMO is to buy a used MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster off of Craigslist for around $300 (the going price, pretty much). These are very solid guitars for the money, for sure. And if you decide later on that playing is your thing, then the MIM Std Strat is a great guitar to later mod with possibly new pickups and saddles.

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Post subject: Re: a good first guitar?
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 4:31 pm
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Last punk band I saw, the guitar player was playing a Squier Jazzmaster and was RIPPIN that thing!!

You should really go to a music store and try a few different guitars out.

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