[Closed] Electric guitar for beginners

You don't need to spend anywhere near your budget, unless you insist on buying new.

Yamaha Pacifica guitar for around £120 and an amp for under £50, both off eBay. You've then got £80 to spend on an fx pedal if you really want to.

[url= http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160919302355008&gclid=CjwKEAjw_uvHBRDUkumF0tLFp3cSJACAIHMYvD_9JdvVDhISSkkGgdnmKaen4zD4T7zSyGjQ3H1QiBoCvajw_wcB ]This would be good value[/url]

Ta. I know absolutely nothing about them, so keep the advise coming.

second hand tele/strat copy (Squire etc) and a practice amp. Could be had for £150 tops.

[url= http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=170324309242001&gclid=CjwKEAjw_uvHBRDUkumF0tLFp3cSJACAIHMYQ9r6cTSxRJgxr1-pCZe0I0aAWYG5g_PBDnP8vCEWPRoC4EDw_wcB ]Guitar for £110[/url]

[url= http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_amps_detail.asp?stock=11112415451839 ]Amp for £70[/url]

Or a smidge over that (£180) for brand new...

Whereabouts are you?

Do you have a relatively local music shop you can wander in to and try out a few of their budget or second hand guitars?

Spend as much as you can on the guitar so you have something that has been nicely finished, is well setup and plays nicely.
Don't worry about fx - whatever amp you get will most likely have a clean and dirty channel - that's more than enough for now.

If you stick at it, you will upgrade it all later anyway. N+1 takes on a whole new dimension ... 😉

Yamaha is a good bet for getting something that will be of consistent good quality for a reasonable outlay.
The Yamaha "pack" is however not good value as the guitar model - 012 is the
bottom of the range and you can get a 112V or 112H for similar outlay and then get a cheap second hand amp - there are millions about and they are
almost worthless second hand.
Find a guitar shop and get some advice there - best done in person really
most shops have friendly staff .
The very best advice is to get a guitar that you want to pickup and play.
There are bargains to be found second hand if you feel reasonably confident about assessing a guitar for damage - lookout for Yamaha again as they are more consistent than almost any other make for build quality.

Just been in the local music shop on the way to swimming lessons. They will do me a Strat with practice amp and various other bits and bobs for £200. They let my lad have a go and he loved it!

Very tempting...

Those (Korean?) Strats are ok but it'd be better to buy a 10-15w practice amp second hand and spend a little more on a 'better' guitar. You'll be more likely to want to pick it up and play it if it's a nice thing to actually play, even not plugged in.

If you're anywhere near the North East I've got a 15w practice amp you can have for nowt if you can collect it.

edit- just because you're a relative beginner doesn't mean you have to buy a cheap guitar, same as you wouldn't buy a BSO for yourself if you were keen about cycling 😉

edit again- that Yamaha Pacifica 012 isn't the best value, I had one and compared to my relatively cheap (£240 or so new) Epihone SG Pro it was awful.

can't really go wrong with the yamaha up there ^^^^ though smoke will sound better with a pedal or two 😉

Sadly I'm not on the North East, but thanks for the offer.

Define "better" guitar. I'm all ears.

I'd want to buy the guitar new as i wouldn't know what to look for regarding wear or damage on a used one.

I dunno, just spend more on the guitar and less on the amp if you're on a tight-ish budget. Like buying a super-duper hardtail instead of a compromised FS sort of thing.

edit- recommend what you have-

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/search.asp?brandname=&search=sg+400&x=0&y=0

The prices have gone up since, you guessed it, Brexit though. Anything in the £250-£300-ish bracket (for just the guitar) will be decent. Practice amps can be had for buttons second hand.

edit- Rawk!

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160922302400008

I'd also emphasize getting a nicer guitar and cheaper practice amp. In fact I almost always use my iPad and GarageBand when playing at home these days going through a wifi speaker. Sounds really good and you can have pretty accurate representations of some of the top quality pro amps.

The second hand ideas are good ones. You can get a so-so guitar new, but a much better one second hand for the same price - they don't wear out as catastrophically in the same way as bikes... The best thing to do would be to take someone with you to look at them who knows what they're doing. But check the nut, check the frets to see that they have no obvious 'dimples' in them. Check that the action is neither too high, nor so low that the strings buzz against the frets all the way up the fretboards (this isn't critical, as it's usually easy to sort, but you might be able to negotiate a lower price). Sight down the neck from the body end and look the the neck isn't bent or screwy. Plug it in and check the volume and tone controls.

All of these things can be remedied (at least relatively) cheaply. Cheap practice amps are also the way forward, at least initially. But if you've got an iPhone or an iPad, as Roter Stern says, amp emulation is really very good and not expensive, even when you factor in something that lets you plug your guitar in and listen at the same time (google the iRig).

One of the benefits of buying from a good well known shop is that they will offer setups (possibly free with the guitar) which will make the guitar play much nicer - ensure the nut is cut right and the strings are low and buzz free. Even if you buy second hand it is worth getting a setup done.

If Manchester is anywhere near for you I've got a Marshall MG50 amp that I never use sat in storage. Give me a shout and it's yours.

I live in Prestwich and I'll take it off your hands gladly!

Do you know anyone who knows their guitars? If you do, then imho, 2nd hand is the way to go. I just got my son a lovely guitar (PRS SE 245) for not far off your budget.

Edit: does your teacher know you're looking? They might have a contact with 2nd hand gear?

Nice one. E-mail is matt at brutalevents dot co dot uk. Get in touch and we'll sort something out. Heading up to the Lakes this afternoon and won't be back until Tuesday but after thatl I'll be free to meet up.

So chuck your budget at a nicer guitar for the kid.

Nice.

In that case, get the Yamaha 112!

If we're doing bike analogies, it's a quality frame, with very decent wheels and finishing kit.
Very versatile too.

The cheaper Squiers can be a bit variable, and the materials and construction methods are compromised to a certain extent.

The Yams are proper guitars and seem to last very well.

@durhambiker that's really kind. May you have a puncture and fret-buzz free life!

It's not getting used, as I do all my playing through amp sims these days. I'd rather a keen kid ended up with a nicer guitar and put it to use!

If you go really cheap then a Telecaster is easier to set up than a Strat unless you block the trem mechanism. I bought a really cheap Thomann Tele (80e) initially for spares, and liked the neck so much I've worked on it and it's become one of my most played guitars.

A modelling amp means you won't need pedals. A second-hand Mustang II or III V2 is another favourite.

As above Squiers can be variable but the "classic vibe" Squiers are excellent. When you see a Squier neck on a historic telecaster in the hands of one of the best US country players you know they aren't second best.

The excitement of wandering the secondhand guitar shops as a teenager should not be underestimated. Granted, he'll get booted out for playing Smoke on the Water or Stairway, but being able to choose his own guitar from a budget may give him a much bigger kick than just picking up what a crowd of opinions recommend. He'll see his guitar hanging from the hook and just know that's the one he wants to play...

[img] [/img]

I went back to the guitar shop after being offered Matt's Amp and said I just need a guitar now.

30 minutes later and I've got a Washburn WIN14 for £50. Second hand, but tuned and warrantied.

I put all this down to karma because yesterday I helped Barbara over the road unload some bags of compost from her car and carried them to her shed.

Result, or you could call it a [i]win[/i]! Eh? Eh? See what I did there? No?

[img] [/img]

Badumtish

definitely don't get a floating tremolo at that price.

btw I'd recommend buying an electric guitar and audio interface(I've got a focusrite 2i4, but the 2i2 will do fine), so you can plug it into a computer(attached to speakers or a hifi(go as high or low as you want quality wise there, your choice)). Will allow multitrack recording (google reaper, but you might get a free copy of something cut down with an audio interface). An amp can come down the road if you ever need one. You probably won't with the above set up.

You'll need some kind of amp sim to get realistic sounds though, I've got amplitube, but there are others.

not the cheapest route to go down, but worth it, if interested in recording and home studios. This is something more you build.

You can get an amp that will work as an audio interface btw, check of blacktar ID:Core amps. i've got the 10, decent enough, but you get a better amp for the money more you spend. But it does work as an audio interface. Worth considering if you are looking at amps.

My setup is Tascam AI plus reaper & ableton, with NI guitar rig and amplitube. Also check out ninjam/jamtaba vst for online jamming. Need to do a separate post about that actually.

Need to do a separate post about that actually.

Dead right. I have no idea what you have just said.

Have you tried it out in front of the mirror yet?
🙂

We need pictures.

#multipurposedoddyface

Have you tried it out in front of the mirror yet?

Hell Yes!

It is all very exciting. My lad said that he wants it in his bedroom tonight so he can look at it. No chance. It is mine.

Bit OT but I find AmpliTube a bit of a con. I paid for what I thought was the full version but you get all these pop ups all the time telling you that for that feature it's an extra five euros for that feature it's an extra five euros and it was quite expensive in the first place IIRC.

http://imgur.com/gallery/R9NCh

£115 Squier Strat compares pretty well to a Fender Custom shop Strat at about x 30 the price

The same guys thought the Squier classic vibe Tele was the more expensive Fender in a blindfold test. The test would have paused for a retune the second they'd hit the Squier trem bar hard. I've got a MIM Strat and avoid more than a flutter. Two bolts good.

Choosing a custom shop is unfair on current Fender Strats, they should have compared a modern Strat with a maple compound neck and some Duncan splitable stack pickups - then they'd have felt and heard a significant difference.

speaking of amp sims, just been looking at whats out there these days, I just found this (it's better than the amplitube i just mentioned)

https://www.scuffhamamps.com/product/s-gear

on the 14 day trial the now, but its superb i have to say, think i'll buy it.

btw regards to a guitar, tbh, at your price you are just looking for something functional, stays in tune and isn't a bastard to play, plenty options.

tbh, i'd see if you could get a loan of someones electric guitar/amp(you must know someone with something kicking about) for 6 months and save up your money for something better.

after the 6 month period, you know if you are going to stick at it, so it's then worth ivesting more money in, and secondly even if you don't you'll have a pot of cash for soemthing else.

Edukator - Reformed Troll

The same guys thought the Squier classic vibe Tele was the more expensive Fender in a blindfold test. The test would have paused for a retune the second they'd hit the Squier trem bar hard.

The tremelo it doesn't have? 😆 I know you meant strat, but, it's still false- the squier standard has a 2-bolt, the classic vibe gets a 6-screw because it's supposed to have, well, a classic vibe- same as the american vintage 65. Nothing really to do with price. (I don't think there's a squier model today with a floyd but there has been in the past)

Agree the custom shop comparison was unfair- but in the exact way your post is 😉

Roter Stern - Member
Bit OT but I find AmpliTube a bit of a con. I paid for what I thought was the full version but you get all these pop ups all the time telling you that for that feature it's an extra five euros for that feature it's an extra five euros and it was quite expensive in the first place IIRC.

Two different guitars in the same post as you guessed:

1/ classic vibe Tele = one of the nicest guitars I've played.

2/ the Squier Bullet Strat in the vid up top which is of the six screw kind and no more likely to return to tune after a dive bomb than my MIM strat. Whereas a well-set up two-bolt does go back to tune when you let the bar go - just my experience.

My lad (14)i plays in brass bands but fancied the guitar as a 2nd instrument. I picked up a 2nd hand VINTAGE Les Paul for 150. I had Frank Usher who played with Fish from Marillion set it up for us and this guitar sounds fantastic. He was seriously impressed with it so have a look around for one of these. Serious value for money.

the Squier Bullet Strat in the vid up top which is of the six screw kind and no more likely to return to tune after a dive bomb than my MIM strat

Guess you didn't have yours set up very well. I had an MIM Strat with the vintage trem and OK is wasn't as good as a Floyd Rose but it could certainly return to tune OK at least a couple of times. Strangely PRS are still using a six bolt trem so properly engineered they do work. Mind you I've long since swapped to one of these [url= https://www.super-vee.com/ ]https://www.super-vee.com/[/url]

If find my MIM trem is ok, you need to always pull back on the tension to get it to return to normal if you use it alot, it's fine for delicate tremolo stuff, but anything dive bombish will more or less kill it after a few go's, I don't really use a trem though, Most I use it is without the whammy bar these days, and just use the palm of my hand on the actual bridge.

Harry, how have you two been learning?
Actual lessons or Justin?

I keep meaning to learn properly.

seosamh77 - Member
https://www.scuffhamamps.com/product/s-gear

My verdict on this is, f-ing awesome. tried another few out, head and shoulders above. download the trial, defo worth a go.

Vintage guitars are great. Check out Dave Simpson on YouTube. He has done a lot of reviews on these. Problem is he could make a plank a wood sound good.

I bought a vintage paradise, it's no bad, ilkinsin pick ups are great in it, if you did a bit of fret work on it and replaced the bridge, nut and tuners it'd be a great guitar. I don't like les paul style guitars though, so it lives in my brothers house now. Up to him if he wants to do the improvements.

I like a lot of the Trev Wilkinson stuff and Vintage do some great designs - love the Lemon Drop and the Hendrixy Strat I tried was absolutely spot on.

I've got a Squier, one of the Vintage Modified Teles with P90's.
It's my first guitar since I was a youth and I tried everything I could find under £300.
It's got a 1 piece maple neck that just felt better than anything else I tried.
Got it from Johnny Roadhouse, because.

And it looks like this:
[img] [/img]
which helped.

I also cheekily phoned up 'Guitarist' magazine one lunchtime and had a lovely conversation with a staffer who heartily recommended the guitar.

Still fancy a 112V though, in blue
🙂
I can vaguely wave a soldering iron around and there's loads of cheap pickups on eBay.

I console myself with the fact that Leo couldn't play a note 😀

Rusty Spanner - Member 
Harry, how have you two been learning?
Actual lessons or Justin?
I keep meaning to learn properly.

My lad is learning Classical through Bury Schools Music Service. I'm following his course at home to keep him motivated, but he is better than me.

Oof, classical.
How you finding it?

I find it hard enough keeping three chords together.

How much practice are you putting in?

All picking, no chords yet.

I try to do 10 minutes a day to keep up with him.

Learning to read music too, which I'm really struggling with.

Get your Angus Young on with one of these:

[url= https://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-sg-special-cherry/16841?gclid=Cj0KEQjwofHHBRDS0Pnhpef89ucBEiQASEp6LPnHeRgfN9AYq4jJGSQxrRwYuP_RvvRj-ThzaiKM6eEaAk2r8P8HAQ ]Epiphone SG Special[/url]

Throw in an Orange Crush amp:

[url= https://www.gak.co.uk/en/orange-crush-12-orange/907553 ]Orangey Goodness[/url]

I think that would be a cracking set up for learning myself. Should have enough change for a wee bit of overdrive.

[url= https://www.gak.co.uk/en/behringer-vt-999-vintage-tube-monster/982 ]I quite like the look of this....[/url]

Harry... are you learning classical on an Electric?

If so, how's it going?

I'm looking at getting a Guitar, and classical is more my style.

I have young children at home, so I'm looking at something electrical so I can plug in headphones to practise quietly.

Got both. My lad is being taught classical on his acoustic but he likes to have a mess about on the electric too. He does a Full-On-Hendrix version of London's Burning.

I'm following him and playing both. I can just about grind out Everybody Hurts, but I'm still only 0.001% of actually being able to play it properly.

The amp that [b]durhambiker[/b] kindly gave him means his room is definitely not a quiet place to be! My lad has had it up to 11 once, and got a bollocking off his mother that was up to 12. 😀

Good to hear that the amp is causing the kind of annoyance that Marshalls are supposed to create 😀

Top job on helping to spread the noise durhambiker. 🙂

[img] [/img]

i did 3 justin guitar lessons, got bored playing 3 little birds and then got the ultimate guitar app and started to play Back in Black which is much more fun. havent bothered with justin guitar since as its more fun working it out. There is probably loads of 'technique' but **** that - i just want to pretend im in a rock band....

now moving through the clashes 'stay or go'; suicidals 'i saw yuor mummy', and on to the 'March of the SOD' and the offsprings 'burn it up'

power chords for the win.

(the 8yr old is doing guitar at school so i`m doing her practice with her at home. bit od rockabilly, bit of michael jackson - all good practice but nothing more satisfying that smashing out a few saint vitus doom riffs)

its a good distraction from my fractured hip and minimal biking ability.