magicalfreddiemercury 14.11.2008 13:20 |
I went through this last year - my 13 year old asked for a guitar for Christmas. Last year I said no thinking it was a passing fad. However, she's stuck with piano (going on five years now) and a year on still talks about playing drums and guitar. We don't have room for drums and in my tiny attached home, I'm guessing my neighbors wouldn't much appreciate the gift. So... What questions do I ask when I shop for a guitar? What type should I lean toward? What type should I stay away from? What else can you tell me that will help in my search for the just-right ($$$) one? |
David Jones 14.11.2008 14:52 |
I'd go to some music shops and try out a few budget electric and acoustic/electro-acoustic guitars, see what she likes the feel of and if her hands are big enough! If she wants an electric, then get an electric (best advice my parents had). The Fender Squire packages are pretty good for starting out on and Yamaha Pacifica's are highly rated. When you go shopping, always be hesitant to go ahead and buy. See how much you can get thrown in to a deal (practice amp, leads, strap, stand, picks, books etc). Go to a music store aswell, don't buy from a catalog. That way you can try the guitar and make sure your happy with it. |
magicalfreddiemercury 14.11.2008 15:06 |
Thank you for all of that! I hadn't thought about having her 'fitted' to the guitar. I thought I could buy it then keep it out of sight until Christmas morning. What you said makes sense though. Thanks again. |
Micrówave 14.11.2008 15:40 |
Wanna get a guitar that's great and COOL as well? Check out the Avril Lavigne (SP?) Squier Telecaster. The Squier is a great starter guitar and won't break the bank if she decides to play drums next year. Plus it's got that extra Tele bite... you may find yourself tinkering with this from time to time. I do not own a real Telecaster (item #28 on my list), so this is kinda fun for me as well! link |
Micrówave 14.11.2008 15:45 |
I provided that link for reference, I must agree with David Jones... go to a music store if you can find one that can get this guitar. Squiers are all the same size, so you don't have to worry about differences there. You get a cheaper price on line, but much better service at the time of purchase and in the future. |
magicalfreddiemercury 14.11.2008 18:40 |
Micrówave wrote: I provided that link for reference, I must agree with David Jones... go to a music store if you can find one that can get this guitar. Squiers are all the same size, so you don't have to worry about differences there. You get a cheaper price on line, but much better service at the time of purchase and in the future. When I read your first post, I wasn't sure if you were being serious or sarcastic. Hmm. Wonder what made me question that. :-) Thank you for the info. I went to the site you posted and read the two reviews. I don't know what one comment means or if it really matters... maybe you can explain? It reads - "The one, and only one negative about this guitar is that there is no tone knob. It definitely needs one for leads as the humbucker is much more twangy and crisp than you would think." |
thomasquinn 32989 16.11.2008 06:03 |
Just bear in mind that Stratocasters (and Telecasters for that matter) have a very distinctive sound that not everyone likes. If your daughter is into, for instance, reggae, classic rock, hard rock and the likes, I couldn't recommend a strat (go for the Dean Vendetta instead, if you can get it. It's about the same price as a Fender Squier, and actually much better built (more sustain)). |
Micrówave 17.11.2008 11:08 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:Micrówave wrote: I provided that link for reference, I must agree with David Jones... go to a music store if you can find one that can get this guitar. Squiers are all the same size, so you don't have to worry about differences there. You get a cheaper price on line, but much better service at the time of purchase and in the future.When I read your first post, I wasn't sure if you were being serious or sarcastic. Hmm. Wonder what made me question that. :-) Thank you for the info. I went to the site you posted and read the two reviews. I don't know what one comment means or if it really matters... maybe you can explain? It reads - "The one, and only one negative about this guitar is that there is no tone knob. It definitely needs one for leads as the humbucker is much more twangy and crisp than you would think." The Squier Tele doesn't need a tone knob. It is twangy and crisp... it's a humbucker. If you're getting to the point where you have to adjust your tone, beyond using the selector switch, then you are ready to move onto a pro guitar. I did not find it too twangy for leads, but then I don't have overdrive, distortion, flange, phaser, and fifteen other pedals plugged in at once either. It is a starter guitar. A great lead player is going to go out there with a Squier. |
magicalfreddiemercury 17.11.2008 12:22 |
Micrówave wrote: The Squier Tele doesn't need a tone knob. It is twangy and crisp... it's a humbucker. If you're getting to the point where you have to adjust your tone, beyond using the selector switch, then you are ready to move onto a pro guitar. I did not find it too twangy for leads, but then I don't have overdrive, distortion, flange, phaser, and fifteen other pedals plugged in at once either. It is a starter guitar. A great lead player is going to go out there with a Squier. Very cool, thanks so much! Now all I have to do is scrape some more pennies together and I'm good to go. [img=/images/smiley/msn/thumbs_up.gif][/img] She's going to be thrilled. |
Brangwen Rocker 17.11.2008 12:57 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:Micrówave wrote: I provided that link for reference, I must agree with David Jones... go to a music store if you can find one that can get this guitar. Squiers are all the same size, so you don't have to worry about differences there. You get a cheaper price on line, but much better service at the time of purchase and in the future.When I read your first post, I wasn't sure if you were being serious or sarcastic. Hmm. Wonder what made me question that. :-) Thank you for the info. I went to the site you posted and read the two reviews. I don't know what one comment means or if it really matters... maybe you can explain? It reads - "The one, and only one negative about this guitar is that there is no tone knob. It definitely needs one for leads as the humbucker is much more twangy and crisp than you would think." Hi hope this helps. The tone knob alters the pitch, and a humbucker is essentially two pick ups joined together, info provided by my son, he plays lead guitar in a band, so knows his stuff! He would also recommend as a starter guitar the Peavey Raptor package. This is the instrument he started out on, and is as good as anything. Priced at around £120 - £160, you get, a guitar, guitar case, practice amp, stand and an instruction manual. Good luck |
Micrówave 17.11.2008 13:04 |
I had a (K)Raptor. Made in vietnam. Not attacking the above poster^, just warning anybody who thinks about buying the Raptor model guitar.
Review from Harmony-Central. Looks a bit Stratty but that as near as you get. The ply wood body is totaly dead. volume and tone control make more noise than the strings If you can get one for #40.00 then the price is about right otherwise put a few more on a Squire Strat there better value. Another Review from Harmony-Central. It is the first guitar I owned and will be the first one to be smashed on stage. Stay in tune...ha thats funny. Dont think about using the whammy bar, big mistake. Can not keep this guitar in tune for an entire song. Sounds good for blues anything else dont think about it. |
Brangwen Rocker 17.11.2008 13:32 |
Micrówave wrote: I had a (K)Raptor. Made in vietnam. Not attacking the above poster^, just warning anybody who thinks about buying the Raptor model guitar.Review from Harmony-Central. Looks a bit Stratty but that as near as you get. The ply wood body is totaly dead. volume and tone control make more noise than the strings If you can get one for #40.00 then the price is about right otherwise put a few more on a Squire Strat there better value.Another Review from Harmony-Central. It is the first guitar I owned and will be the first one to be smashed on stage. Stay in tune...ha thats funny. Dont think about using the whammy bar, big mistake. Can not keep this guitar in tune for an entire song. Sounds good for blues anything else dont think about it. Hi, showed your comments to my son, and he would not disagree, IF it was his principal or main instrument, as its failings in this regard come to the fore, however as a first guitar, it did everything it needed, to get him on his way as he was learning. As his guitar tutor once told him, until he was competent, commited and playing lead solos or the like, the Raptor was excellent value, and an ideal first instrument. |
David Jones 17.11.2008 14:06 |
I also started on, and still have, a Peavey Raptor. The one shaped like a Strat, not the later slightly sqaushed one which came part of a deal. I didn't think that Peavey still made guitars, I thought they stopped and focused just on amps. Never played it live but around the house its been a great guitar. No problems with tuning to report. |
Bo Rhap 17.11.2008 18:53 |
There is,ofcourse,another side to this problem. There has been a lot of really good sound advice being passed around about electric guitars.But what if she wants an acoustic guitar.Also,the thing about learning to play the guitar is that it is not like learning to play the piano.That sounds like a stupid thing to say,but what i mean is that unlike when you're learning to play the piano,you get blisters from playing the guitar.This often puts a lot of people off learning the guitar.This problem can be sorted.You see,the reason why you get blisters is because you have to press the strings down in order to get the notes.The higher the "action",the more painful it will be.Now the action is the space between the top of the fretboard and the bottom of the string.If the action is high then the more you have to press down to get the note.This is the case on all guitars. Now on acoustic guitars,i find that Yamaha make decent acoustic guitars which are cheap but certainly not nasty.In general i find them to be good guitars for a beginner to be learning on as they have quite a low action on them.Therefore encouraging the learner to take up the guitar. |
magicalfreddiemercury 17.11.2008 19:19 |
Bo Rhap wrote: Now on acoustic guitars,i find that Yamaha make decent acoustic guitars which are cheap but certainly not nasty.In general i find them to be good guitars for a beginner to be learning on as they have quite a low action on them.Therefore encouraging the learner to take up the guitar. === I know this is excellent information and advice, and I appreciate it very much. But now I'm way beyond confused. :-( |
AssDudeRule 18.11.2008 00:22 |
send her my way..................................................... |
thomasquinn 32989 18.11.2008 06:15 |
Micrówave wrote: magicalfreddiemercury wrote: Micrówave wrote: I provided that link for reference, I must agree with David Jones... go to a music store if you can find one that can get this guitar. Squiers are all the same size, so you don't have to worry about differences there. You get a cheaper price on line, but much better service at the time of purchase and in the future. When I read your first post, I wasn't sure if you were being serious or sarcastic. Hmm. Wonder what made me question that. :-) Thank you for the info. I went to the site you posted and read the two reviews. I don't know what one comment means or if it really matters... maybe you can explain? It reads - "The one, and only one negative about this guitar is that there is no tone knob. It definitely needs one for leads as the humbucker is much more twangy and crisp than you would think." The Squier Tele doesn't need a tone knob. It is twangy and crisp... it's a humbucker. If you're getting to the point where you have to adjust your tone, beyond using the selector switch, then you are ready to move onto a pro guitar. I did not find it too twangy for leads, but then I don't have overdrive, distortion, flange, phaser, and fifteen other pedals plugged in at once either. It is a starter guitar. A great lead player is going to go out there with a Squier. Now that's just plain bullshit. Tone-knobs are there for a reason. A guitar sounds different with ever single amplifier you use it with; if your sound is drowning in mid-range frequencies, you turn on the tone-knob. If it's too harsh, you turn it down. "If you're getting to the point where you have to adjust your tone, beyond using the selector switch, then you are ready to move onto a pro guitar" Absolutely not. You're ready for a pro guitar when the techniques you start using outgrow your guitar (for instance, most cheaper guitars don't respond well to bending, and depending on the quality of the frets, harmonics may not sound great). Tone has nothing to do with it: the sooner you start considering tone, the better. It's one third of the totality of music (the other two being rhythm and pitch). "A great lead player is going to go out there with a Squier." Now that's just a matter of opinion. If you play rockabilly, sure. If you play metal, not a chance. Every guitarist needs to find the guitar (and amp) to go with their own playing and preferred sound. Most guitars that are well constructed are quite suitable for learning to play, but the closer the sound is to what the guitarist in question needs, the longer it'll take before he/she outgrows his/her first guitar. |
magicalfreddiemercury 18.11.2008 07:36 |
ThomasQuinn wrote: "Now that's just a matter of opinion. If you play rockabilly, sure. If you play metal, not a chance. Every guitarist needs to find the guitar (and amp) to go with their own playing and preferred sound. Most guitars that are well constructed are quite suitable for learning to play, but the closer the sound is to what the guitarist in question needs, the longer it'll take before he/she outgrows his/her first guitar." === Think "Renegade" by Styx. She wants to play the guitar solo in that.She talks about it all the time. I'm guessing that's the 'sound' she wants. |
magicalfreddiemercury 18.11.2008 17:31 |
What's the consensus on this - http://www.8thstreet.com/prod.asp?pid=32421 |
Micrówave 18.11.2008 17:51 |
The guitar seems ok, but just so you know about the items that come with it. Guitar packages are designed for parents who think this is all they'll need to buy their spoiled little one. Only then, have they sunken their claws into you... Includes: Amplifier - Will be suitable for a bedroom, but any other use (rehearsal, live, etc.) would require a larger amp I say that because you'll be getting a 20 pound paper weight. If you were to buy a small combo amp, it would be quite flexable and give years of use. Plus you'd get much better re-sale value if you were looking to upgrade. No, you can't Mic a 5 Watt amp and sound good. Guitar Stand - Suitable, but easily knocked over. I would suggest a wall mount. $10 Instructional DVD - worthless, get lessons. Might teach you to re-string and play a couple of chords, but so can my Aunt Rose. Cable - cheap, you'll be replacing it soon... They say an instrument is only as good as the cable that's plugged into it. Worth an extra $10-15 to buy a good premium cable. Most have lifetime warranties. Electronic Tuner - Cheap, you'll be replacing it soon... Again, you're going to get a bottom of the barrel Quik Tune. It's not backlit, only tunes a certain way, doesn't offer special settings, eats 9V batteries, etc. Gig Bag - Gonna be a while until you really need one of these. Unless you plan on just carrying it around just because you have a guitar. Again, if re-sale is a possibility, a hard shell case is better. Even for a $200 guitar. Gator (brand) makes a pretty decent one for $50, Squier's is around $60. I'd get the matching case. Guitar Strap - Cheap and (ahem?) unstylish. Trust me. I gave my 13 year old daughter the standard black strap and she just looked at me and asked if I was "for real". Now she has a checkerboard one, one with cherries on it, and a purple lightning bolt one. They're like shoes with girls. Pick Sampler - If I knew your address, I'd send you 5 different picks. (No, I don't want your address, I'm just saying that) Most music stores have picks with their logos on them for free. Come to a PT show here in Dallas and I'll give you picks AND a free T-Shirt. And again, these are like jewelry for girls. They have to look good, too. |
Micrówave 18.11.2008 17:55 |
So, what I'm saying is if you're willing to spend that $200, spend it entirely on the gear she's going to need to use. Another great company for US buyers is American Music Supply. No, I do not work there. But they offer "easy payment plans". If you have a major Credit Card, you can "charge" up to $500 and break it down into three equal monthly payments, but get your gear immediately. So, if you think you could spend a little more in the next couple of months, check them out. Fast, free ground shipping, products arrive in 2-3 days. That's where I got my daughter's A.L. Squier Tele. link |
magicalfreddiemercury 18.11.2008 18:22 |
Micrówave wrote: The guitar seems ok, but just so you know about the items that come with it. Guitar packages are designed for parents who think this is all they'll need to buy their spoiled little one. Only then, have they sunken their claws into you... Includes: Amplifier - Will be suitable for a bedroom, but any other use (rehearsal, live, etc.) would require a larger amp I say that because you'll be getting a 20 pound paper weight. If you were to buy a small combo amp, it would be quite flexable and give years of use. Plus you'd get much better re-sale value if you were looking to upgrade. No, you can't Mic a 5 Watt amp and sound good. Guitar Stand - Suitable, but easily knocked over. I would suggest a wall mount. $10 Instructional DVD - worthless, get lessons. Might teach you to re-string and play a couple of chords, but so can my Aunt Rose. Cable - cheap, you'll be replacing it soon... They say an instrument is only as good as the cable that's plugged into it. Worth an extra $10-15 to buy a good premium cable. Most have lifetime warranties. Electronic Tuner - Cheap, you'll be replacing it soon... Again, you're going to get a bottom of the barrel Quik Tune. It's not backlit, only tunes a certain way, doesn't offer special settings, eats 9V batteries, etc. Gig Bag - Gonna be a while until you really need one of these. Unless you plan on just carrying it around just because you have a guitar. Again, if re-sale is a possibility, a hard shell case is better. Even for a $200 guitar. Gator (brand) makes a pretty decent one for $50, Squier's is around $60. I'd get the matching case. Guitar Strap - Cheap and (ahem?) unstylish. Trust me. I gave my 13 year old daughter the standard black strap and she just looked at me and asked if I was "for real". Now she has a checkerboard one, one with cherries on it, and a purple lightning bolt one. They're like shoes with girls. Pick Sampler - If I knew your address, I'd send you 5 different picks. (No, I don't want your address, I'm just saying that) Most music stores have picks with their logos on them for free. Come to a PT show here in Dallas and I'll give you picks AND a free T-Shirt. And again, these are like jewelry for girls. They have to look good, too. Holy crap, that's a LOT of info! Thank you, thank you. I was afraid the 'package' might be too good to be true but I had hope. I also now see why it's so important to shop for this in person. I'm going to need that personal attention since there are more questions to ask than I'd realized - though you've cleared up quite a few. Thanks again. |
Brian_Mays_Wig 19.11.2008 11:30 |
I had a Cherry red Squire Stratocaster with a humbucker at the bridge.....beautiful guitar. That was back in 93...unfortunately, it been about 7 different colours since and is now in bits under the stairs! I think i should put it back together, but if I was starting out again I'd definately go for the strat...a lot more versatile than the tele tonally so you can then make you mind up as to what you want to progress to. As for everything that goes with it....you can pick the lot up, amp included, for less than £100.......your amp doesnt need to be anything spectacular. Anything 10-20W will suffice, theres plenty of decent ones on the market. You can get decent Ernie Ball straps for about £5 and plectrums are about 50p each. I started with 1.2mm now play with 0.9mm. My lead cost me £20 in 1997 with a lifetime gaurantee and its still going strong after lots and lots of gigging. |
thomasquinn 32989 20.11.2008 07:05 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote: ThomasQuinn wrote: "Now that's just a matter of opinion. If you play rockabilly, sure. If you play metal, not a chance. Every guitarist needs to find the guitar (and amp) to go with their own playing and preferred sound. Most guitars that are well constructed are quite suitable for learning to play, but the closer the sound is to what the guitarist in question needs, the longer it'll take before he/she outgrows his/her first guitar." === Think "Renegade" by Styx. She wants to play the guitar solo in that.She talks about it all the time. I'm guessing that's the 'sound' she wants. Tommy Shaw played the solo on that song, so that'd be a Les Paul-type guitar. However, more important than even the guitar in getting such a sound is an overdrive/distortion effect. The type built into amplifiers won't do for this kind of work. Shaw used a Boss OD-3, which costs around $80,-. A cheaper Boss DS-1 would make her just as happy, though, I think. If you try playing this kind of rock on a stratocaster or other type of guitar that has single-coil pick-ups, you'd get enormous amounts of hiss, so I couldn't recommend buying a Strat-type if your daughter wants to play this kind of music, unless you're willing to buy her a noise gate pedal to go with it. |
magicalfreddiemercury 20.11.2008 07:31 |
ThomasQuinn wrote:magicalfreddiemercury wrote: ThomasQuinn wrote: "Now that's just a matter of opinion. If you play rockabilly, sure. If you play metal, not a chance. Every guitarist needs to find the guitar (and amp) to go with their own playing and preferred sound. Most guitars that are well constructed are quite suitable for learning to play, but the closer the sound is to what the guitarist in question needs, the longer it'll take before he/she outgrows his/her first guitar." === Think "Renegade" by Styx. She wants to play the guitar solo in that.She talks about it all the time. I'm guessing that's the 'sound' she wants.Tommy Shaw played the solo on that song, so that'd be a Les Paul-type guitar. However, more important than even the guitar in getting such a sound is an overdrive/distortion effect. The type built into amplifiers won't do for this kind of work. Shaw used a Boss OD-3, which costs around $80,-. A cheaper Boss DS-1 would make her just as happy, though, I think. If you try playing this kind of rock on a stratocaster or other type of guitar that has single-coil pick-ups, you'd get enormous amounts of hiss, so I couldn't recommend buying a Strat-type if your daughter wants to play this kind of music, unless you're willing to buy her a noise gate pedal to go with it. Well... I'd rather not buy more than I need to buy upfront. So I wonder... would she even notice this hiss? She's never played before so maybe, I'm guessing here, she could start learning on the type of guitar Microwave suggested and then, as she progresses, I can add what she needs for better or fuller sounds. ??? |
thomasquinn 32989 20.11.2008 11:10 |
If she seriously wants to learn to play the guitar well, she'll need to start taking lessons in both theory and guitar technique, and to take them quite seriously. As far as gear is concerned, for someone learning to play the most important thing is to buy an amplifier that sounds good. I suggest, for the best compromise between budget, sound quality and your and your neighbors ears, an amp between 15-30 watts. Have the vendor demonstrate the guitar you are going to buy to a number of amps, and choose the one you like best. Things to look for: - Equalizer must be three band (a separate knob for low, mid and high), - There must be a clean and an overdrive (also called 'dirty' or 'crunch' on some amps), noticeable by a "gain" or "crunch" know. - I'd give preference to an amp that also has a Reverb included. The most ideal scenario for the guitar if you are going to use it for serious study is to use a guitar that has long sustain (meaning the time a sound is audible is quite long), and preferably at least one humbucker and one single coil pick-up. link The ones on the outside are humbuckers, the one in the middle is a single coil. I can highly recommend buying a Yamaha guitar, and most guitar teachers I know give preference to them for student guitars. |
Poo, again 20.11.2008 11:19 |
Get her the cheapest guitar you can find. If she can make it sound good, then you'll know she's got at least some talent. |
Ms. Rebel 20.11.2008 11:36 |
It was Christmas 1994. I wanted a teddy bear. My parents bought me pajama instead. I cried. They never found out. Sad times. |
magicalfreddiemercury 20.11.2008 11:50 |
ThomasQuinn wrote: If she seriously wants to learn to play the guitar well, she'll need to start taking lessons in both theory and guitar technique, and to take them quite seriously. As far as gear is concerned, for someone learning to play the most important thing is to buy an amplifier that sounds good. I suggest, for the best compromise between budget, sound quality and your and your neighbors ears, an amp between 15-30 watts. Have the vendor demonstrate the guitar you are going to buy to a number of amps, and choose the one you like best. Things to look for: - Equalizer must be three band (a separate knob for low, mid and high), - There must be a clean and an overdrive (also called 'dirty' or 'crunch' on some amps), noticeable by a "gain" or "crunch" know. - I'd give preference to an amp that also has a Reverb included. The most ideal scenario for the guitar if you are going to use it for serious study is to use a guitar that has long sustain (meaning the time a sound is audible is quite long), and preferably at least one humbucker and one single coil pick-up. link The ones on the outside are humbuckers, the one in the middle is a single coil. I can highly recommend buying a Yamaha guitar, and most guitar teachers I know give preference to them for student guitars. This was like a mini-lesson. Thanks so much! |
magicalfreddiemercury 20.11.2008 11:53 |
Poo, again wrote: Get her the cheapest guitar you can find. If she can make it sound good, then you'll know she's got at least some talent. You know, for a while there, this is what I was thinking. But... if I'm going to spend the money, I want it to be on something of quality so she can get a true sense of what it's like to play. There's a lot of info here in this thread, and I have to sort through it all, but at least I have direction now. My thanks to all of you, you've been a great help. |