Looking at purchasing an electric guitar...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boundary Layer
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hrm, I'm impressed with that one. I was a little put off at first about having to sign up and pay for the lessons, but the video song lessons are free 👍
 
Oh, I didn't realize you had to pay for the lessons. I only clicked the first link under the lessons section. Sorry!
 
Some updates:
I (finally) got the acoustic guitar. It is a vintage Framus Gaucho, 6 string, hand made in Munich. If I'm reading the scribbles on the sticker inside the body of the thing correctly, it looks like the assembler's name was M[FONT=&quot]ũ[/FONT]ller.
It's identical to the following:

101130004355_01_01.jpg

(source:http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Framus-...mZ230078147192QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting)

Haven't really heard it yet. I tried playing part of Blister in the Sun (which I picked up the other day), but it's horribly out of tune from having not been played for some 10 or 20 years. Apart from that it appears to be in great shape.
Anyways, I think it should be fine for me to practice on. The neck and overall size of the guitar seems smaller than a lot of other acoustics, infact the neck is pretty similar in dimensions to my roomate's Squier, so it might make the transition to an electric easier later.

Also went and checked out a few local music stores today. I almost soiled myself when I looked at a few pricetags. At one store dealing almost entirely in Epiphone's, Schecter's, and something else (supposedly Ibanez clones according to the permafried salesman) I couldn't find a single guitar on their rack retailing for less than $750 CDN. Thankfully the joint across the street had some considerably more friendy priced Squier's, Peavey's, and Yamaha's - and a good thing too... it kept my bowels right where I like them.

At the five stores I checked today, I couldn't find a single one that carried Ibanez. Is this a rare brand? I didn't get that impression from reading up on them online.

Also, does anyone know anything about Washburns? I played a reasonably priced one today (poorly, I might add), and thought it was pretty comfortable but it seems pretty limited in features. The salesman was hovering over me though and wouldn't let me have too much fun with it or the amp I was tied to.
I found it on their site:
zoom_wi14wa.jpg

http://www.washburn.com/products/electrics/idol/wi14.aspx
 
That is one nice acoustic guitar bud, hope you'll have alot of fun with it 👍
 
Boundary Layer
101130004355_01_01.jpg

(source:http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Framus-...mZ230078147192QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting)
Haven't really heard it yet. I tried playing part of Blister in the Sun (which I picked up the other day), but it's horribly out of tune from having not been played for some 10 or 20 years. Apart from that it appears to be in great shape.
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Awesome! Dust it off, slap some new strings on it, and she'll be good as new 👍.
Boundary Layer
At the five stores I checked today, I couldn't find a single one that carried Ibanez. Is this a rare brand? I didn't get that impression from reading up on them online.
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They're a dime-a-dozen everywhere I look. Maybe they don't have as many dealers in Canada. Either way, Ibanez is far from rare, but they're generally excellent quality for the price.
 
///M-Spec
You'd better hope Pako's arms aren't reading this thread. ;)
M
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Haha, that was what I was thinking too. He'll snap your neck in a heartbeat. :lol:

Edit: Unless you got some super-steel-CF-titanium neck. Then he'll need atleast two.
 
The fact that Pako loves 6-string bass shows that he really would rather be playing guitar :p.

In all seriousness though, playing guitar makes you a better bassist, and playing bass makes you a better guitarist. I play both, and let's just say that neither instrument gathers any dust.
 
Kylehnat
The fact that Pako loves 6-string bass shows that he really would rather be playing guitar :p.

In all seriousness though, playing guitar makes you a better bassist, and playing bass makes you a better guitarist. I play both, and let's just say that neither instrument gathers any dust.
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I guess I should pick up the guitar, my Dad plays.

In any case, don't be one of those losers who take guitar lessons just to play Ironman, actually learn to PLAY the instrument. Play different styles and better yourself before wasting time.
 
Washburn makes a really nice acoustic.
On the lower end the quality is kinda spotty on their electrics.

My advice for an electric, is to find a Cort, or Peavey.
They are reasonably priced. Low-end Corts are prettier than just about any Peavey.

But Peavey's tend to be even sturdier than Fenders/Squiers sound as good, and the prices are comparable.

Check out Dan Smith's page for tips and lessons (Dansm).
It hasn't been updated in a while, but all the stuff is solid, and easy to understand.
 
I picked up an acoustic a couple of years ago. Easily the single best purchase of my life. I still play over an hour a day.

I'm now looking at electircs. I'd love to get a hollow-body, but I don't think I'll find anything reasonable in my price bracket. I think I might have to settle for a Godin (www.godinguitars.com) or get some used Strat or Gibson, I know a lot of people looking to sell fast.
 
I forgot to mention, that if you decide to go acoustic:
Check out Seagull guitars.
They start at about $400.
However, they play like they cost about 2-3 times as much, are incredibly well made, and they sound great.
There is also a new builder out there: Harrison guitars. They are made out of the good stuff. However, they are braced internally with carbon-fiber instead of carved wood bracing.
They are a bit more expensive than the Seagulls though.
With electrics, take a friend that is a guitar player. Play your way thre the inventory. Find the easiest playing guitar, that sounds the best UNPLUGGED.
Take my word, a guitar that sounds good unplugged will only sound better amplified.
A guitar that sounds like crap unplugged, will be louder crap plugged in.
 
I have to disagree. Things can change a lot when you add electricity into the equation. You aren't ever going to be seriously playing your guitar unplugged, so it doesn't matter what it sounds like.

I was always told to try out the guitar on your own amp if they'll let you, or one similar in spec to it, so you know exactly what the guitar will sound like when you're playing it properly. And if the salesman sees you're serious about dropping a couple hundred clams at his shop, he won't care how loud or how many guitars you play.
 
Just a quick update:

The money from the summer job has started to flow in, and the serious shopping has begun. After some reseach and trying out several amps this past week, today I ended up dropping a little over $200 CDN on a 30W Line 6 Spider III.

http://line6.com/spideriii/30.html
It seems pretty full featured for the amount I paid for it, and gets good reviews everywhere I checked.

It's a little better than a practice amp. I'd been cautioned away from the small and inexpensive 15W ones by a few articles I'd read around the net as well as the salesman (he's non-commission, the cousin of one of my best friends, and seems like a genuinely nice guy, so I trust him), saying that the sound and features I'd get for spending a little more on a decent amp are well worth it and will ensure that I'll not outgrow it too quickly.


I haven't purchased a guitar yet. I'm looking in the $350 to $500 CDN range. I'm debating between an Ibanez RG321, SZ320EX, and an Epi G-400. I played each one today, but I couldn't pick one on the spot... I guess I'm not what you call an impulse buyer. Based on feel I'm leaning a little towards the SZ320... but I don't like the choice of colors (only black or white) and to me it doesn't feel that different than the RG321. It's also $130 more than the RG. Not sure what to do... :boggled:

Anyways, for now I've rented a G-400 ($30 for 1 month)... it was the only guitar I was interested in that the store had available for rent. That will buy me some time to try out a few more guitars and make up my mind.
 
My brother has a Spider II 75W. He rarely plays it, I actually end up shredding on it far more than he does. Unfortunately, his giutar (Fender Esquire Custom GT) isn't good enough to fully use the capabilities of the amp, but you can still tell it's got a pretty big potential for a house amp. I thoroughly enjoy it.

I am not sure on the specifics of the third Spider, but judging solely on a long-term use of the second one, you've got yourself a pretty decent setup. As for guitars in that range, I'd recomend staying Canadian and leaping for a Godin if you can find one. I love them, and it's worth checking out if you weren't considering them at all.
 
That's a brand that kinda slipped under my radar (apparently I missed your earlier post), but I did see several of them on display at Long & McQuade. I didn't try one out but I'll maybe give them a closer look this week. 👍
 
The End:

After waiting for over a month for the local L&M to get it in stock, I finally bought this yesterday:

SA260FMAMB.jpg
SA260FMAMB_1.jpg


Ibanez SA260 in Amber Burst
:D:D

I had test played a prestige SA awhile ago and absolutely loved the shape/size and sound of it. It was a little lighter than any RG's I'd played and I liked the arched top. The SA260 doesn't have quite the same tone as the prestige model did... but fits my budget considerably better :sly: and still looks pretty damn hot with that flamed maple top.

I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face for hours after getting it.
 
That looks really nice man. How much was it?
 
I talked the salesman down a little and got it for $430CDN w/ an extended warranty (regular $455 +$20 for extended warranty).
 
How did I miss this thread?!?!?! Nice choice! Great looking guitar. The strings look 'whimpy' though. A man's guitar has thicker strings.

:)
 
A .105 gauge E string will not fit on a guitar, Pako ;). Nice geetar, Boundary Layer...I'm jealous :D:tup:
 
Pako
How did I miss this thread?!?!?! Nice choice! Great looking guitar. The strings look 'whimpy' though. A man's guitar has thicker strings.

:)
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lol
Sorry, I don't have 18" guns. I'll stick to these thin strings for now ;)

Kylehnat
A .105 gauge E string will not fit on a guitar, Pako ;). Nice geetar, Boundary Layer...I'm jealous :D:tup:
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Thanks :sly:
 
Pako
A man's guitar has thicker strings.

:)
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True, but not every one likes acoustic guitar...:trouble:

By the way, great axe.
Have lots of fun!
As you learn to play it will take longer to wipe the "silly grin" off your face.👍
 
gah! I missed all the action.

Nice choice on the guitar. I've been looking to pick up an Ibanez myself. Though, if I'd gotten here sooner I'd have steered you toward one with a wammy - they're fun.

My recommendation for learning to play that thing is to concentrate on picking things up by ear rather than reading tabs all the time. Tabs are good, and you should definitely do some of that. But I've been able to get to the point where I can hear a note and usually pick it out on the guitar on the first try - and that's really really useful for improvising/composing.
 
Seconded, I'm able to pick out tones as well, on the bass. Something which is more difficult at times, especially when some songs tend to have a low sound, not coming out of the background (turn those basses up!). But anyway BL, awesome guitar, you can never go wrong with an Ibanez, awesome guitars, looks lovely as well though the Stratocaster is more my style :cheers:

I'd recommend to begin with learning how to correctly place your fingers and maybe some chords as well, combining chord can make for awesome own-created songs 👍 To practice your picking, I always go with an exercise over the first 4 strings (or the 4 highest). I go in this direction: 4-1-3-1-2-1-4-1, etc. So begin with picking the 4th string, then the first, or highest, third, first, second-first and so on. Building up the speed and do this for like only a few minutes a day gives good practice :cheers:

I own a Stratocaster, but not a real Fender (I'm planning on buying a strat or telecaster eventually...). It's a copy but one of those cheap guitars. It's enough for me and with a decent distortion amp, it packs plenty of punch 👍 But I'm more of a bass guy :sly:


Anyway, have fun! :cheers:
 
Danoff
Though, if I'd gotten here sooner I'd have steered you toward one with a wammy - they're fun.
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It's got a trem bar ;), it's just not shown in those musik-schmidt pics. This one shows it though

ibanez-sa260fm.JPG


(My girlfriend took a few pictures of me with it when I got it back from the store. If they turn out to be any good I'll post them. I'll probably be wearing that big stupid grin I mentioned earlier)

As for playing anything by ear... a helpful suggestion I'm sure, but I'll really need to familiarize myself with the fretboard a lot more before I give that a serious go. I've got a good ear, and used to be able to play piano by ear half decently for a kid that never took lessons - but so far on guitar I'm sometimes suprised by the notes it creates. :)

Bram Turismo
I'd recommend to begin with learning how to correctly place your fingers and maybe some chords as well, combining chord can make for awesome own-created songs 👍 To practice your picking, I always go with an exercise over the first 4 strings (or the 4 highest). I go in this direction: 4-1-3-1-2-1-4-1, etc. So begin with picking the 4th string, then the first, or highest, third, first, second-first and so on. Building up the speed and do this for like only a few minutes a day gives good practice :cheers:
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I just do scale boxes with alternate picking. Need to learn them anyways. I've got the A & G Minor Pentatonic and C Major scales commited to muscle memory. Just trying to gradually work up the speed.

I'm also doing some exercises from www.guitarmasterclass.net (edit: hm, that site seems down for the moment...). The vast majority of the vids are way way way too advanced, and I'd say at least 2/3rds of the lessons fall somewhere outside my musical tastes, but the beginner section has pointed me to a few riffs that I feel are within my reach.



Bram Turismo
Anyway, have fun! :cheers:
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Will do :D
 
Boundary Layer
My girlfriend took a few pictures of me with it when I got it back from the store. If they turn out to be any good I'll post them. I'll probably be wearing that big stupid grin I mentioned earlier
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Here it is. Just back from the store at the gf's house. The other pics she took didn't turn out so well - forgot to turn on the flash and image stabilization.

p8080195s1rm0.jpg
 
Looks great man. [austin powers]That's dead sexy![/austin]
 
Sweet finish.

Make sure you learn how to fret your chords properly when you learn them the first time. I learned the "lazy" way to barre chords and found myself in deep waters when I should've been breast stroking my way into the deep end instead of doggy paddling it back to the shallow waters of the musical pool.
 
That thing is sex with strings 👍.
 
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