Foo - anyone plays electric guitar???

I have decided I want to learn to play one... can anyone recommend a "beginners" guitar?

I can't, but if no one else replies I can ask my brother. What price range? $200 $2,000 $20,000 Does that price range include a practice amp, cable, strings, or just the guitar?

Musician's friend has the best prices, but is a huge PITA to deal with. Sent my brother the wrong guitar, etc. Local stores might cost a little more, but you can hopefully find an honest salesperson. My bro ended up getting a refund and buying local (his instructor gave him a good deal).

I can't, but if no one else replies I can ask my brother. What price range? $200 $2,000 $20,000 Does that price range include a practice amp, cable, strings, or just the guitar?

Musician's friend has the best prices, but is a huge PITA to deal with. Sent my brother the wrong guitar, etc. Local stores might cost a little more, but you can hopefully find an honest salesperson. My bro ended up getting a refund and buying local (his instructor gave him a good deal).

I would say $300 +/-$50.. and I already have an Amp...

Get a used Fender Stratocaster. http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0134600

Strats are so common, you should be able to find a good deal on one.
They are simple, light, easy to play, and attractive (Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn played them)
I would consider it a great beginner guitar, and one you should want to keep.

(I have a Gibson SG http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/sg/SG61Reissue.html
and a Fender Telecaster http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0106200.
The Gibson Les Paul is a great guitar, but way too pricey. http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/lespaul/index.html)

Just go to a mega music store and try everything they have.

I see one (Fender Stratacaster) at Costco for $250 (made somewhere in Asia)... is it worth it?

Stratacasters range from $135 to $35,000... :)

If you're looking for brand recognition then, yes a used Strat would be a good choice... depending on year and country of origin.

If you're looking at value then might I suggest you take a close look at the offerings from Cort. They have many quality guitars in your price range.

I have a Cort Classic, blindfolded you'd be hard pressed to tell you weren't playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom. I also have a older Cort short scale bass that's is a real neat little thumper.

My favorite guitar shop is a little mom & pop store set up in the local farmers market, only open Fri - Sun, they'd much rather make a return customer and friend, than a one time hit & run sale. If you can find a shop like that, do so and ask them for their best value.

Just my 2c. :)

I see one (Fender Stratacaster) at Costco for $250 (made somewhere in Asia)... is it worth it?

Stratacasters range from $135 to $35,000... :)

That Strat is like a Wal-Mart Schwinn.

Go to a reputable shop and look for a used one.

And really - don't buy anything you don't try out first.

And try out all kinds... my opinion is only that... an opinion.

Also, my partner is a southpaw and we couldn't find a lefty electric guitar in this area for under $600 :eek: She ended up getting one on eBay from this guy in NJ who has a brick and mortar store too. It's a Essex (SX) left handed strat look alike... for $99 plus $20-$25 shipping. A quick adjustment on the pick-ups and she was ready to rock. I was plesantly suprised, as were most people who bought one... so his feedback indicates. You might want to look in that direction too.

Fenders are nice, but the older made in USA Fenders are getting a little pricey. My personal favorite electric guitars are all Danelectros, mostly 'cause they're distinctive and different looking, relatively inexpensive and they sound great. And get a tube amp, they're the only way to go for the best tone.

Dano's are way cool, the '56 u-2 reissue is a sweet guitar. As. they are our of production AGAIN... veen the repo's are getting good money

how about this one: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511336/

anyone knows enough about lectric guitar to tell me what does "humbucking" means? :)

I just picked up an Ibanez GAX70 on Ebay a couple of weeks ago for my son who is just starting out. Anyone know anything about it? It was recomended by a friend because their kid had one and liked the way it sounded. Right now he is just playing around on it. His lessons don't start for a few weeks.

I have an Ibanez RG220 that I bought back when I was playing in high school and then later in my rock star years (not really while I was with the band we only released one demo). I made a poor decision, it wasn't a very good guitar. I'm a Gibson fan myself I rocked out on my roomates Les Paul most of the time when were played gigs.

For a cheap but good starter guitar I would suggest a Fender Strat, but I'd say get one made in Mexico, those are believe it or not pretty darn sweet.

what does "humbucking" mean? :)
Humbucker pickups have two coils wound in opposite directions in the same plane (~next to each other). Traditionally, stratocasters came with three single coil pickups. Gibson made the Humbucker popular in the 60's. In general they give you a fatter, more distorted and overdriven sound than single coil pickups. Think that clear high lonesome country guitar sound (Fender single coils) vs. Led Zepplin's or Gun and Roses' sound (usually Gibson humbuckers but Jimmy Page played a Dano, too). Of course, good guitarists like Hendrix could get their sound out of almost any set up...

The only way to really kill hum is by totally shielding the guitar pickups and electronics - something only Danelectro did in the early days, still relatively uncommon.

I have an Ibanez RG220 that I bought back when I was playing in high school and then later in my rock star years (not really while I was with the band we only released one demo). I made a poor decision, it wasn't a very good guitar. I'm a Gibson fan myself I rocked out on my roomates Les Paul most of the time when were played gigs.

For a cheap but good starter guitar I would suggest a Fender Strat, but I'd say get one made in Mexico, those are believe it or not pretty darn sweet.

Humm.. this one is made in Mexico. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511336/

if you look at this picture http://media.zzounds.com/media/brand,zzounds/013-4800-cde044b5539d9e4bdc9b0b0756ce3ddd.jpg you will see that it says "Made in Mexico"

how about this one: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511336/

anyone knows enough about lectric guitar to tell me what does "humbucking" means? :)


It's a noise canceling pick-up. Back in the day electric guitars were out fitted with single wound pick-ups, which if not properly grounded would generate a hum throught the line... not exactly the best thing for recording quality. Then someone got the great idea to use double windings on the pick-ups, so that the wave forms would cancel each other and buck the hum... ergo humbuckers. Least that's the story I've been told.

i play, what kind of sound are you looking for?

i play, what kind of sound are you looking for?
Im looking for a B.B. King, Santana kinda sound..

As for the Mexican Fenders, I have been partial to the look and sound of the Telecaster my whole life. Alas, when it came time to buy my latest guitar, I got such a good deal on the US Strat, that I passed on the Taco Tele. Don't get me wrong, I love the strat, but the Tele has that twangy sound that I really like.

One thing to consider is how it feels to you. Fenders will have a thinner neck than say Gibsons, weight is always and issue, as is location of pick-ups and types of pickups, switch and knob locations. They are a lot like bikes, each person has their own favorite.

cant go wrong with a strat, but look into a tele. Go to the shop and try a few out

Ha! All these forum questions on what kind of bike should I buy, and me a guitar player. Now, something up my alley, but my advice is really the same.

Much like bikes, you probably won't have a good grasp on what is important to you until you have played for a while. In the process of playing, you will come to understand better what features are important to you, and which are not.

As far as pickups, go, I think Randya explained it fairly well. Stratocasters and Telecasters usually come with single coil pickups which are "hotter" - louder, more treble-y, and "twangy". Humbuckers are considered to have a more "mellow" and "fat" sound. It depends on what you like - I'm a jazzer, and so I play an archtop with a floating humbucker ("floating" means that it is not cut into the top).

Electric guitars come as solid-body or hollow-body. Again, it's a matter of preference, but the solid-body type will by and large be less expensive. One thing to be aware of - Strats and Teles have a 25 1/2" scale (that's the distance between the "nut" - lowest end of the fretboard and the bridge on the other end). There are also many guitars with a 24 3/4" scale. The significance of this is that the longer scale means that the frets are spaced farther apart. For people with small hands (and beginners), this makes for a longer stretch. If you have large hands, the shorter scale may make you feel "scrunched up". Be sure to try both so that you can feel the difference.

Another issue which typically comes up is the "action" or distance between the strings and the frets. Cheap guitars especially have strings that are way too high, and especially as you play further up the neck, it becomes difficult to fret the note. In all but the cheapest guitars, this can be adjusted. When you start out, you will think the strings are too high anyway, but after a while you'll try someone else'e guitar and realize how much easier it is to play.

As with bikes, go to your LGS (local guitar shop) and try as many as you can to get a sense of the variations. Then buy something with the idea that you will later upgrade to something when you have a better sense of what you want. Personally, it's worth it to me to have a quality instrument, so my recommendation is to not go too cheap (I won't tell you what my custom guitar is costing :eek: ).

Good luck and have fun.

Ha! All these forum questions on what kind of bike should I buy, and me a guitar player. Now, something up my alley, but my advice is really the same.

Much like bikes, you probably won't have a good grasp on what is important to you until you have played for a while. In the process of playing, you will come to understand better what features are important to you, and which are not.

As far as pickups, go, I think Randya explained it fairly well. Stratocasters and Telecasters usually come with single coil pickups which are "hotter" - louder, more treble-y, and "twangy". Humbuckers are considered to have a more "mellow" and "fat" sound. It depends on what you like - I'm a jazzer, and so I play an archtop with a floating humbucker ("floating" means that it is not cut into the top).

Electric guitars come as solid-body or hollow-body. Again, it's a matter of preference, but the solid-body type will by and large be less expensive. One thing to be aware of - Strats and Teles have a 25 1/2" scale (that's the distance between the "nut" - lowest end of the fretboard and the bridge on the other end). There are also many guitars with a 24 3/4" scale. The significance of this is that the longer scale means that the frets are spaced farther apart. For people with small hands (and beginners), this makes for a longer stretch. If you have large hands, the shorter scale may make you feel "scrunched up". Be sure to try both so that you can feel the difference.

Another issue which typically comes up is the "action" or distance between the strings and the frets. Cheap guitars especially have strings that are way too high, and especially as you play further up the neck, it becomes difficult to fret the note. In all but the cheapest guitars, this can be adjusted. When you start out, you will think the strings are too high anyway, but after a while you'll try someone else'e guitar and realize how much easier it is to play.

As with bikes, go to your LGS (local guitar shop) and try as many as you can to get a sense of the variations. Then buy something with the idea that you will later upgrade to something when you have a better sense of what you want. Personally, it's worth it to me to have a quality instrument, so my recommendation is to not go too cheap (I won't tell you what my custom guitar is costing :eek: ).

Good luck and have fun.

All good information and advice. Like buying a bike, study up before you shop, take test rides, get a quality beginners rig, upgrade as your skills improve or you focus more on a specific type or style of playing. I like that!

Ha! All these forum questions on what kind of bike should I buy, and me a guitar player. Now, something up my alley, but my advice is really the same.

Much like bikes, you probably won't have a good grasp on what is important to you until you have played for a while. In the process of playing, you will come to understand better what features are important to you, and which are not.

As far as pickups, go, I think Randya explained it fairly well. Stratocasters and Telecasters usually come with single coil pickups which are "hotter" - louder, more treble-y, and "twangy". Humbuckers are considered to have a more "mellow" and "fat" sound. It depends on what you like - I'm a jazzer, and so I play an archtop with a floating humbucker ("floating" means that it is not cut into the top).

Electric guitars come as solid-body or hollow-body. Again, it's a matter of preference, but the solid-body type will by and large be less expensive. One thing to be aware of - Strats and Teles have a 25 1/2" scale (that's the distance between the "nut" - lowest end of the fretboard and the bridge on the other end). There are also many guitars with a 24 3/4" scale. The significance of this is that the longer scale means that the frets are spaced farther apart. For people with small hands (and beginners), this makes for a longer stretch. If you have large hands, the shorter scale may make you feel "scrunched up". Be sure to try both so that you can feel the difference.

Another issue which typically comes up is the "action" or distance between the strings and the frets. Cheap guitars especially have strings that are way too high, and especially as you play further up the neck, it becomes difficult to fret the note. In all but the cheapest guitars, this can be adjusted. When you start out, you will think the strings are too high anyway, but after a while you'll try someone else'e guitar and realize how much easier it is to play.

As with bikes, go to your LGS (local guitar shop) and try as many as you can to get a sense of the variations. Then buy something with the idea that you will later upgrade to something when you have a better sense of what you want. Personally, it's worth it to me to have a quality instrument, so my recommendation is to not go too cheap (I won't tell you what my custom guitar is costing :eek: ).

Good luck and have fun.





Cool! thanks for the good advice!! I realize that I know nothing about guitars, and I feel the same way I felt 5 years ago before I got my first road bike.
I am planning on getting the Fender Standard Stratocaster® HH (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511336/) (made in Mexico) I have listened to some sample sound files and I like the deep throaty sound it give. I am planning to give it a year, if I like playing I will get me a guitar that would fit my needs, if I don't like it, Ill give it to my son, or sell it..
http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/51/511336.jpg


What do you think of it as a beginners guitar? Thanks again..

Thanks again for your help. The axe will be here on Thursday. Have already aligned a teacher.. :)

For you here that are Fender fans, this is a great message board: http://www.fenderforum.com/forum.html