hey, my dad is wanting to get me an electric guitar and amp this christmas, and i was wondering, what are some 1st timer guitars and amps, note=it would be the 1st guitar i would ever have used, and il probably start getting lessons later on, plz post your thoughts
For a first guitar, you might be tempted to buy one of those starter kits that comes with a guitar, strap, small amp, etc...my best advice is don't. The guitars and amps used in those packages are mediocre at best and pretty soon you'll be looking for something better. Most people's first guitar is usually some kind of cheap Strat copy (Squier Strat, Peavey Raptor, Yamaha Pacifica, etc.), but again, those aren't gonna keep you happy for long. Getting a slightly more expensive guitar for your first one ends up saving you money in the long run, because having a quality guitar that stays in tune and doesn't give you problems keeps you interested in playing it. Something like this might do, but I have to say this is probably the best guitar I've ever played with a price tag under $300. As for an amp, I'd reccomend this for a starter, but I'm a huge Fender amp fan, so one of the smaller Line 6 or Crate amps might be good too.
You're right, tasta; my parents bought a "starter kit" for me for Christmas two years ago, and I'd lost interest in learning how to play guitar within a couple of months. (The only cool part about the guitar was that it was a copy of Clapton's signature Strat—but I hate Fender.) Right now, I've got a Jackson Rhodes, and I play it all the time. It stays in tune amazingly well (I haven't tuned it in almost a month and it still sounds awesome) and is really fun to play. Its shape appeals to me so much—I think that's why I play it all the time. My advice is the same as tasta: Buy a decent guitar as your first guitar and you'll be more inclined to play it. Take lessons, too; they help a lot. @tasta— That second guitar is beautiful. I'm getting an Epiphone Les Paul in the spring. I wish I could afford a Gibson. *sigh*
If you're getting a Les Paul then beware that it weighs an absolute ton. The sound you get off a real one is superb however. I started on one of those starter kits aswell. It was the Squier Strat one. I found the same thing as Will though, I just got bored of it. It's only since I got my Ibanez Artcore that I've become more interested in playing again.
Les Pauls are good stuff, just a little bit of warning about Epiphones, I've owned 2 Epiphone guitars (sold one cuz I didn't like it), and the stock tuners on them tend to slip a lot (guess the hardware is one of the places they had to cut on quality to make them so much cheaper than the Gibsons). My friend's Epiphone SG stays in tune fine, but if your Les Paul ends up having tuning problems, get the tuning pegs replaced, it helps a ton. I'm undecided on my next guitar personally, I might go with a Schecter Jolly Roger or something along those lines.
You cannot go wrong with a Dean ML (Mainly talking about the Dime-o-flage/Dime-o-Flame). They're cheap, they're playability is AMAZING, not to mention they look fucking sexy too.
And I'm going to go against you all now. I got a starter pack guitar a few years ago, a Strat copy, not a known make. Its the only electric guitar I own, Ive had no problems with it, it stays in tune really well. Ive not got bored with it and still play it now regularly, if not everyday. I think if you get a decent starter pack then its ok, and especially if your a bit short on cash its the way to go. Just try and take a friend who plays guitar with you (if you know one) and get them to play it for a bit, just see how it plays. Thats what will keep you interested in it. I myself am getting a new guitar in 2 months! And sorry Will, its a Fender Getting a telecaster, but I guess thats because I'm mainly into indie. So it also really depends on what style your into, If you like metal, a strat isnt gonna work for you, and so on.
You have a great point actualy. I had a start remake for a year or so (i gave it to my brother now) and i never had a single problem with it. They really aren't bad guitars, especialy for starting out.
A starters kit's great too start with in my opinion but face it you'll have to buy a better guitar after some time. I don't advice against buying a starters kit, though. _______ I got a starters kit (Fender strat. model but not a real Fender) almost a year ago in March. I really like playing guitar but I think I might have to get a new one and a better amp too. The starters kit is starting to bore me and it isn't the best quality either. I don't really improve a lot anymore either because of it. The only problem is I don't have the money/don't want to spend all my money on a guitar... I think I'll buy a new one next year when I've earned some more money. ______ I'm wondering if I could sell my starters kit ? Would second hand guitar store buy it ?
Yes, but i'm guessing you wouldn't get much for it. If you really want to make a buck, put it on Ebay around Christmas
The main fallacy with starter kits is that the amps are generally pretty terrible and you're going to want to buy a better amp within a couple months. At first, you may not be too great at guitar, so the amp isn't going to something you're going to be worried about. But once you begin to get better, you're definitely going to want something that sounds better.
True. I got a Guotar starter pack, and The amp sucked so much, if I put any bass at all, the amp started to shake.