Hi (long, incomprehensible post warning)
I am going to buy an electric guitar some time soon, but I have little idea what to buy other than a Les Paul type or a heavy metal guitar (Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, Schecter, etc.) at an affordable price, say, 500$ or less.
Also I am with NO previous musical instrument playing experience whatsoever, so I have to start from scratch, literally.
Thing is, I have little idea what sound to expect from the guitar. It's not so much that I'm into heavy metal. I'm more into heavy metal guitar solos mostly irrespective of genre (and I fully realize I won't sound like Marty Friedman from day one). I like heavy metal solos (Kirk Hammet), 80's metal solos (Marty Friedman, Gary Moore), rock solos and even blues solos (Gary Moore again). You could also throw in Mark Knopfler if you will.
For example, here's a sound that I absolutely love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUsYMiVkFVE
And here's another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72DI5E1Q0Ow
And of course I know Charlie Parra uses a Gibson Les Paul (in the former video) that's way out my price range, and he probably uses amps of similar stature, but you catch my drift.
I'm not really sure what it is that I want to make clear in this post, but it's probably that I don't want to waste money buying a guitar that sounds crappy, nor do I want to buy an otherwise good guitar that doesn't produce the sound I'm looking for.
I've been hovering over YT videos, but most guitarists don't display the whole spectrum of possibilities available, and there are so many letters and numbers to choose from any single brand.
Exactly how versatile are those guitars that I've been talking about? How far can I play around with the guitar playing and the amp settings to produce the various sounds that I like?
I think you will not need the whole spectrum of sounds. Find a guitar with humbuckers and a fixed bridge, like Les Paul. Buy a combo with a number of different settings, from clean to metal. You will need clean sounds as well as distorted to analyse your playing. Don't buy a V-shaped guitar as it is difficult to play sitting. Have you considered Ibanez?
Thanks for the advice.
I have considered Ibanez, yes, specifically their beginner jumpstart package. I understand the guitar is class, although everything else in the package is subpar.
By combo, you mean a specific type of amp? Are those more expensive?
Well Im going to go out on a limb, and say your probably not going to know your sound, or what tone you like till you have played for a year or so at least... that being said, I would get a guitar that you like, that feels good in your hands, and it is easy for you to play. There are planty of guitars in the 500 buck range that will fill the bill, and setting away a few extra for a setup on it would be my advice. A guitar you like looking at, picking up, and playing... a amp that sounds pretty good... add plenty of pratice and your good to go for the first year or so. :)
Paul B
I think that might make a whole lot of sense. I'm thinking too much, that's my problem.
I'll just buy a guitar with the following and any other reccommendations and worry less about the "sound", at least for now.
I'm actually leaning towards Epiphone Les Paul, they seem to be the golden middle way between value and money.
By combo, you mean a specific type of amp? Are those more expensive?
By "combo" I mean an amp which is "all-in-one", amp + cabinet. Almost all budget amps are combos. Choose one that emulates different sounds and can play at bedroom volume. Roland MicroCube works for me. Or you may choose a "multi-effect pedal" and play with headphones only. Either way, check that your particular choice has line in so you can plug your mp3 player in and play along with a backing track. Some pedals (Digitech comes to mind) do not have a line in and you have to buy an external mixer to play with mp3. That's bad because with a mixer you need more money, more space, more cables, and more power sockets in the end.
I'm also a beginner. I bought a Squire mini-strat for my 8 yr old son last August and started learning with him on that to keep his interest up. After a while I realized I was hooked and needed to get a full sized guitar for myself. After much deliberation (like you're going through now), I decided on a Schecter Omen 6 Extreme and a used Line 6 spider IV amp. So far, I've had the guitar and amp for about 4 months, I couldn't be happier. I love the Schecter. It came set up very nicely, has 2 humbuckers, but one of them can be split to sound cleaner and it stays in tune very well. The amp, while no tube amp, is also very versatile. So, with the two of them, I can get an incredible array of sounds very easily. Just my .02. I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose and everyone's preferences are different. Enjoy the journey, I know I am so far.
So, I'm reading all these advices about trying out the guitars before I buy them and looking at the details of the build quality, and if I'm a beginner, that I should ask a friend to perform these checks for me at the spot.
But of course I've never touched a guitar before, so I have no idea how to listen for anything in particular to be aware of, and I have no idea how to spot a badly built electric guitar, let alone a fake one. Not mention that I don't know anyone personally who could help me out.
My question is, if I only consider known brands like Epiphone and Ibanez, and I only visit known and trusted guitar shops that these producers list as official dealers (or whatever they should be called), is it then really necessary for me to go paranoid about the purchase? Can't I just buy a highly recommended guitar from a highly recommended brand (like Epiphone Les Paul Standard or Ibanez RG350) and be safe in the knowlede that I'm not buying a counterfeit product or one that has simply been badly built?
What would be the risk? There is absolutely no way that I'm ever buying a used guitar from a street corner, ebay or whatever.
I would say if you add in the cost of getting a setup done, most any known brand name guitar will get you started. Just look it over good. You might not know realy what to look for, but just looking for major flaws, cracks, odd noises etc will get you in the ball park. A string change, and a setup will get you better off, and also give a new player a baseline in knowing how the guitar should feel/play so you can be informed if something changes on it. [and it will with time/weather]
Paul B
I hope everyone's noticed that I'm using this thread primarily for various questions I haven't the answer to using the rest of the internet (Google).
Hope that's ok.
I've been noticing on a lot of YouTube videos where the audio recording is made with the camera mic, that picking the strings makes a distinct noise.
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3is2DiIPYlU
I'd rather not have that when the time comes, even though it's only there when the strings are picked relatively hard.
Does it depend on the string or the nail or something else? Is it perhaps unavoidable?
