Looking at purchasing an electric guitar...

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Boundary Layer

Boundary Layer

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...but I have no idea what I should be getting.


I'll back up a little bit.

I've wanted to play guitar for longer than I can remember - but when given the choice between hockey and guitar as a kid, I picked hockey. Anyways, now I'm looking for a hobby where I can learn something and amuse myself with whether I'm alone or with friends. Guitar seems ideal.

So the problem, as I've already stated, is that I know nothing about guitars or what I should be looking for in one.

I won't be purchasing anything for about 2 months or so (when the money starts coming in from the summer job), but I don't think it's too soon to start shopping. I'm willing to spend in the area of $500 CDN to get myself whatever I need.

I've read around the forum a little (here and here), and that's given me some names/brands I can recognize but little else.

What are some of the features I should be looking for on a beginner guitar, and why? I don't want to feel too limited by the guitar in the future and definitely believe it when I read people in other threads saying that a beginner should get the best guitar within their budget.
​

(Just to try to let you know my tastes: my roomate has a Fender Squire that I like the sound and looks of. I've asked him for some help in picking out a guitar but he has little to say - he's basically a beginner as well)

edit: moved from Music Forum to Ask GTP. Not quite sure where this best belongs.
 
For an absolute beginner, a nylon-stringed acoustic is the best, but once you get the hang of it you'll probably want a steel-stringed guitar for a higher-quality sound (you can't just put steel strings on a nylon-stringed guitar, because steel strings require more tension). Still, nylon strings are easy on the fingers, the strings on beginner nylon guitars are usually set far apart (making fretting easier), and the guitars themselves are plentiful and cheap.

If you want something that'll last you longer, a basic electric guitar is a safe bet. Fender Squiers (yes it's spelled that way) are a popular and logical choice, because they're of good quality, but won't break the bank. Seeing as I own one myself, I know from experience that a Fender Squier is easy to fret, and the strings are relatively easy on the fingers. Aside from the fact that you'd need an amplifier any time you wanted to play, a basic electric may be your best choice.

If you can handle a challenge, though, a quality steel-stringed acoustic would probably be the most rewarding in the end. They're expensive, harder to fret, and harder on the fingers, but if you get a good one, they produce quality sound and (unlike an electric) can be played anywhere, any time.
 
My first guitars were a nylon Spanish guitar and a Squier Stratocaster. Wolfe has it spot on.
 
Although I like the Sqiuer Strats, I'm going to suggest that you buy a used guitar instead of a new one.

Guitar is something a lot of people pick up and then put down. Even for people who don't give up, they get new gear and sell off the old. So for the price of a new Squier, you may be able to find a used top-line Strat. Obviously not a vintage one, but one in solid shape.

The main things to look out for are any twist in the neck (sight down it with the guitar held flat in front of you, if it warps left or right, leave it) and any looseness in the neck or mountings. Lots of guitar stores take trades and consignments. Hang out in a few and get to know the guy behind the counter, particularly on slow days. If he's trustworthy, he'll steer you toward a good deal.
 
Guitar shopping is mostly about your musical tastes - you want to buy a versatile guitar that will cover the styles you listen to now and styles you may listen to soon.

Of course many guitarists will buy multiple guitars to specialize duties - as each type of guitar will be better suited for certain styles of music.

But right now something like a cheap fat strat would probably do you well.
 
If you're buying a secondhand, best to take someone who knows his way around a guitar and check it out for you. It's actually nice to buy steel acoustics secondhand (as long as the neck and fretboard are in good shape) because the sound is "seasoned in"... (oh don't ask me about it... they just sound better).
 
Depends what your looking to play, Squier standard stratocasters always work as a good starter guitar, but if your going to be playing rock & metal, I'd recommend getting something with Humbucker pickups.

With $500 SX is a brilliant guitar make to choose, they do all sorts of guitars, including strats. I currently own a Squier Standard Strat & a SX Scorpion SXPG, the strat has single coil pickups, but it has a sort of ringy sound others don't have.
 
Thanks for the replies - all are helpful.

I'll probably have an acoustic guitar here before the weekend is out. One of my girlfriend's friends has an extra one in her basement that used to belong to an uncle or something. She said she'd love for me to get it out of her way.

(I still want an electric though)

I was practicing on my roomates Squier for a few hours last night (learned to play Glycerine :D ), and my fingers feel absolutely raw - it's got pretty high action, he said he needs to adjust that. Hopefully this acoustic one will have nylon strings, just so my fingers can get used to it - but I'm kinda doubtful.

Does anyone have a decent site for online beginner lessons? I've checked a bunch of google results but they're all pay sites with cheezy testimonials.
 
The problem with picking out a first guitar is that you have no idea what you should really be looking for. I spent about an hour selecting my first electric. If I were to buy another now, I'd probably be in the store all day. On the other hand, ignorance is bliss. Since you're not going to be weighed down by the technical details, you can probably buy any guitar, and be just fine with it. In general, the more money you spend, the better the instrument will be, though that's not a guarantee. I'd say your budget of $500 CAD is right where it needs to be. You should be able to find a good guitar for $300, an amp for $150, and all that other crap (strap, cables, picks, strings) for $50. I spent about $350 US on an Ibanez RG, a 15W Crate combo amp, hardcover case, and all the other little things necessary to play. And with an investment that big, I was not about to quit :).

Before you go to the store, get that free acoustic from your girlfriend's friend, tune it up, and learn some chords. One of the most important aspects of a guitar is how it sounds--the tone. If you go to a music shop, and don't know how to play anything, you won't know how any given guitar actually sounds. Don't just rely on the people who work there--a skilled musician can make any instrument sound good. Learn some basic chords first (E, G, C, A, D, Em, Am, Dm, etc...). Then, when you're trying out new guitars, you can actually lay the pick to the strings yourself, and see what you think sounds best and is easiest for you to play.

Things to look (and listen) for:

Tone: Unplug the electric guitar. Does it still sound good, or does it sound like crap? Pick an instrument that doesn't need 100 watts of amplification to hide its weaknesses. Besides, it's not always practical to turn on the amp. Quiet practice sessions are usually appreciated by those around you, especially when you're first starting out :).

Neck: It had better be flat, straight, and solid. Most new guitars won't have any problems.

Action: Once you start playing guitar, you'll get plenty. Wait, that's not what's meant by "action?" Damn. Anyway, most guitars have adjustable action (the space between the strings and the neck), but in general, lower action is better, especially for beginners. It requires less effort and strength, and makes it easier to change chords and play scales. Action that is too low induces fret-buzz however. That's never fun.

Bridge: Don't get a floating trem. If you don't know what that is, just tell the salesperson that you don't want a floating trem. They make it harder to tune, change tunings, and don't stay in tune as well as a fixed bridge. And besides, whammy bars are little more than a gimmick these days. Unless you're teasing your hair and wearing tight leather pants, you won't be needing to perform any divebombs.

Strings: Make sure there are six of them (and don't let Pako sell you a six-string bass). Stock up on strings; you'll break a few. 9's and 10's are standard gauges, and should cost about $5 a set. Lighter gauges (8's and 9's) are easier to play, but don't sustain as well, and are easy to break. 10's are heavier, sustain longer, and produce better bass, but are still easy to work with. 11's, 12's, and 13's are for serious down-tuning, and people who have the hands of Thor. Also, heavier gauges require more guitar setup (intonation, truss rod, etc...). You can usually switch between 9's and 10's without having to make any other adjustments.

Looks: Beauty isn't everything, but it helps. Pick a guitar that you like to look at. Like a woman, if it looks better, you won't be able to keep your hands off :D.

As for online lessons, I know that cyberfret.com used to have some good beginners lessons and videos on there. I'd also recommend getting a basic instructional book at a music store. There are plenty to choose from, and many come with DVDs, all for $30 or so.

Above all, learning takes time, practice, and commitment. Playing guitar is not easy, and it will be frustrating for a little while. Don't ever think about giving up. Within a month or two (depending on how much you practice the basics), it will go from frustrating to super-happy fun. Once you're over that hump, you'll never stop.

And if it is too hard for you, you can always play bass instead :D.
 
kylenhat
Unless you're teasing your hair and wearing tight leather pants
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hrm... guess I'll scratch those 6 bottles of hair spray from my shopping list then...


+rep for that post, just for taking the time to type it all in a language I can comprehend. 👍 Thank you very much.

I've been trying to learn a few chords, chord progressions, and scales from some tabs I found online so that I can play something basic when I do go try a few guitars out, as you suggested. The scales are not too much trouble for me, but it's clear I've gotta become a little more flexible and nimble with my left hand for some of the chord progressions.

What would be helpful for me is if I were able to hear what something was supposed to sound like, and not just assume I've got the right sound when I hit all the strings cleanly with no buzzing or muting. I'll look into some sort of exercise book w/ DVD like you mentioned.

Thanks again.
 
Boundary Layer
What would be helpful for me is if I were able to hear what something was supposed to sound like, and not just assume I've got the right sound when I hit all the strings cleanly with no buzzing or muting. I'll look into some sort of exercise book w/ DVD like you mentioned.

Thanks again.
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There's a free program called PowerTab you might be interested in. It plays back tablature so you can play along with it. Once you get it you can get some lessons here.
 
The only thing I can give you as info is my own experience:

I began playing the bass guitar back in September, I had never touched a bass guitar before but my dad had a Westone Spectrum Series II bass guitar which did not had any frets, so, a fretless bass it was. He hadn't played for 2 years so I could have that bass.

After that, I began searching internet for basic lessons such as how to position your hands and stuff and learning the basics:

www.ultimate-guitar.com

Here, you'll find some usefull lessons so I recommend to take a look there 👍

Anyway, I gradually began to play more and more andI bought myself a bass guitar starter kit which included an SX 4-string bass guitar, the model was based on a Fender Jazz bass guitar, I got 5 picks, an amplifier and some cables and plug-ins and stuff...

But the most interesting thing was that it had a DVD as well with various lessons for bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar so that was quite the deal and the best was that it nearly did not cost anything. Like 100 dollars or something...

But anyway, we're now in March and I play the bass more and more, I now play perfectly along the whole album of "The Dark Side Of The Moon" and "Animals" by Pink Floyd. I also play along with Coldplay, Feeder, Pearl Jam and bands in these categories. In fact, the bass guitar has been the best thing I ever discovered so I'd really recommend sticking to it if you really like it.

I'm now looking forward to buy me a 5-string bass so I can move over to something faster and heavier ;)👍
 
Good post.

Kylehnat
Action: Once you start playing guitar, you'll get plenty. Wait, that's not what's meant by "action?"
.....

Bridge: Unless you're teasing your hair and wearing tight leather pants, you won't be needing to perform any divebombs.
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:lol:

Hey wait, my Ibanez has a Floyd Rose :grumpy:


Kylehnat
And if it is too hard for you, you can always play bass instead :D.
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You'd better hope Pako's arms aren't reading this thread. ;)


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So, BL, did you end up getting anything this weekend?


M
 
Sadly, no. Still waiting waiting to find a time when I can go see my gf's friend and pick up that acoustic. Our schedules didn't mesh over the weekend.

I've still been playing my roomate's Squier for an hour or two a day, which is fine. But he keeps his room locked when he's not here so that kinda limits my time, and I just feel kinda bad about playing with his toys for hours on end despite him saying that it doesnt matter.

I've got all of Wednesday to lounge about and stare out the window, so maybe I'll skip all that excitement and go for a drive around town to talk to some of the music store clerks and check prices.
 
Kylehnat
The problem with picking out a first guitar is that you have no idea what you should really be looking for. I spent about an hour selecting my first electric. If I were to buy another now, I'd probably be in the store all day. On the other hand, ignorance is bliss. Since you're not going to be weighed down by the technical details, you can probably buy any guitar, and be just fine with it. In general, the more money you spend, the better the instrument will be, though that's not a guarantee. I'd say your budget of $500 CAD is right where it needs to be. You should be able to find a good guitar for $300, an amp for $150, and all that other crap (strap, cables, picks, strings) for $50. I spent about $350 US on an Ibanez RG, a 15W Crate combo amp, hardcover case, and all the other little things necessary to play. And with an investment that big, I was not about to quit :).

*snip snip*
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GREAT advice, +rep to you.

I fully recommend playing that acoustic (once you get it) for about a week or so before buying an electric. It will make the transition that much easier.

Definitely have a friend who plays well go with you to the store when you decide it's time to buy. Don't ever go alone when you are new to an instrument - the salespeople will pick up on that.
 
kennythebomb
Definitely have a friend who plays well go with you to the store when you decide it's time to buy.
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Does anyone want to be my friend? :)



I don't have any friends that play well, otherwise I'd probably be asking them the majority of the question I have. I do have two friends that play poorly that would probably be willing to tag along if I buy them each a burger.
 
///M-Spec
Hey wait, my Ibanez has a Floyd Rose :grumpy:
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I couldn't stand the floating tremelo on mine. Ever since I wedged two pieces of wood behind it to keep it from moving, I've been much happier.
///M-Spec
You'd better hope Pako's arms aren't reading this thread. ;)
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Hey, my other guitar wears .45's :D. I think. It's been a year since I re-strung it. I use the old strings to winch cars out of ditches.
 
///M-Spec
You'd better hope Pako's arms aren't reading this thread. ;)
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In fact, I'll have to agree with Kyle's sentence there. I've tried to play the electric guitar a couple of times now but the strings are just so close and thin, I can't addapt to them when I'm coming over from the bass. The bass is just so much easier to play, much thicker strings, much more space to place your fingers, I think to play the bass is easier, yes 👍
 
okay, so I was looking around there on Musician's Friend (who seem to have very low prices 👍), and was reading in many of the guitar's specs something about scale length.

Is this the length of the fingerboard?
Would a shorter scale length and/or a greater number of frets mean the distance between frets is reduced?
(ie, would something with a 24 3/4" scale length w/ 24 frets have narrow fret spacing?)

Reason I ask is that I have difficulty stretching 4 frets on my roomate's Squier (which is 25.5" scale length w/ 21 frets according to www.squierguitars.com). I know that my ability to stretch my fingers will improve as I practice more, but right now the fret spacing on that guitar does not feel that comfortable to me. I think I must've inherited my grandfather's short fingers.
 
I do believe thats the length of the fingerboard. I'm not sure what the lengths of the frets are in that term though. Just don't get jumbo frets and you should be fine.
 
Could you explain that to me as well? I had noticed that too - that some come with medium-jumbo frets, some come with jumbo, and I didn't know in what way the dimensions of the frets varied because of it.
 
Boundary Layer
Could you explain that to me as well? I had noticed that too - that some come with medium-jumbo frets, some come with jumbo, and I didn't know in what way the dimensions of the frets varied because of it.
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Jumbo frets are a bit wider than others. If you have smaller fingers, it'd be best to stay away from the jumbos. medium jumbos are slightly bigger I believe. again if im wrong will someone please correct me. But yeah, I'd reccomend something with standard frets.
 
okay, I'm googling some info on fret sizes and have managed to thuroughly confuse myself.

First:
I hope that I can explain this right...Jumbo frets are a cheaper way of producing what is known as a "scalloped" fretboard. The idea behind this is to make it so that your fingers don't have to actually press all the way down onto the neck of the guitar, thus allowing you to have a lighter (and therefore (supposedly) faster) touch. What some guitarists would do is to have the fret board slightly dug out (scalloped) between the frets. Putting slightly higher (or "jumbo") frets is a lot cheaper than having a scalloped fretboard.
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source: http://www.guitarnoise.com/faq.php?id=108
That's not the full article. The author continues and suggests that beginners not use jumbo frets because it can mess up the sound of chords.

Then:
Fret size is a matter of preference to most guitarists. Generally, a beginner would enjoy smaller frets because it's easier to learn and finger guitar chords. More experience players may lean towards bigger fret sizes for a few reasons. Bigger frets allow you to bend your notes more easily, and feel better to some guitarists. Smaller frets may fret out as they call it when bending a note. Basically it means you can only go so far when bending a note with smaller frets.
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source: http://mediawebsource.com/guitar/howtobuyguitar.htm

It seems there's pros and cons at both ends of the spectrum here. But both sources, and silverzone, suggest smaller frets for beginners and I just don't see the reasoning based on what I've read so far. I would think that if larger frets allow for a lighter touch (as the first source suggests) that those would be better suited to a beginner who hasn't developed a lot of finger strength yet.
 
The problem is, you need a lighter BUT HIGHLY ACCURATE touch, to avoid bending the notes upward (in pitch) by pressing down too hard on the strings.

Scalloping speeds an experienced guitar player up by removing friction between the wood of the neck and the pad of the finger, and also by reducing the distance the string needs to be pressed toward the neck.

Think of it like a ballerina dancing on point: little, light, highly accurate steps.

But then think of a normal person trying to dance on point, especially a heavy person or a novice. That person is much more likely to step too hard or step out of place, so going on point is a bad idea.

If you press hard enough to ground the string against the neck of a scalloped guitar, you're pressing hard enough to put extra tension in the string and therefore bend the note upward in pitch from where it should be. But remember we're talking millimeters here, at most. It's going to be very hard to learn with that kind of precision required to make good notes.

Scalloping is really only done by speed freaks and metal heads who can't get enough Yngwie Malmsteen in their diets.
 
Thanks Duke.


I did some more googling and found a link that answered a few of the questions I asked earlier today about scale length.

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=297

I won't quote it all, but it says that a shorter scale length will result in a shorter gap between frets and that the guitar will have difficulty accepting heavier gauge strings. I've already expressed that I think a tighter fret spacing might be more comfortable for me(would have to try one to be sure though), and starting out I'd probably want lighter strings anyways (thanks again for that suggestion, kylehnat).

So maybe something like a Gibson or Ibanez with a 24 3/4" scale length and 22 or 24 frets wouldn't be a bad idea, if I can find a decent used one around that fits my budget. (Gibson's all look pretty pricey though)

edit: Something along these lines, perhaps:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-ARX100CA-Electric-Guitar?sku=517965
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-ARC100BS-Electric-Guitar?sku=517967
 
Boundary Layer
Thanks Duke.


I did some more googling and found a link that answered a few of the questions I asked earlier today about scale length.

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=297

I won't quote it all, but it says that a shorter scale length will result in a shorter gap between frets and that the guitar will have difficulty accepting heavier gauge strings. I've already expressed that I think a tighter fret spacing might be more comfortable for me(would have to try one to be sure though), and starting out I'd probably want lighter strings anyways (thanks again for that suggestion, kylehnat).

So maybe something like a Gibson or Ibanez with a 24 3/4" scale length and 22 or 24 frets wouldn't be a bad idea, if I can find a decent used one around that fits my budget. (Gibson's all look pretty pricey though)

edit: Something along these lines, perhaps:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-ARX100CA-Electric-Guitar?sku=517965
Click to expand...

Ah, Thats a beautiful guitar. Ibanez makes some great looking guitars, not just the standard metal guitars. The artcores are pretty good to look into aswell. They sound awesome. 👍
 
Boundary Layer
So maybe something like a Gibson or Ibanez with a 24 3/4" scale length and 22 or 24 frets wouldn't be a bad idea, if I can find a decent used one around that fits my budget. (Gibson's all look pretty pricey though)
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Gibson's cheaper line is Epiphone, a company that used to be its own entity but was bought out by Gibson sometime in the '80s or '90s, I believe. Epiphone makes a copy line of a number of different Gibsons, both solid body and semihollow.

The best cheap guitar ever was a thing called a Gibson Sonex, which was basically a Les Paul neck and internals in a molded body. It didn't look great, but it played 98% like a Paul at a fraction of the price. They made very few of them, unfortunately, and almost nobody's ever heard of them.
 

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