I have the money to buy a guitar now...but what to do?

Well (assuming you have never played before) at first you are going to think anything sounds horrible. It will take a little time before it sounds like music but if you keep at it, then it will happen.

My first was a old cheapo beater acoustic. Cost about 100 bucks. Sounded horrible. Almost two years and four guitars later, it is still my favorite guitar and its sounds pretty good.

But ya.. wait for more opinions. Good luck to ya.

Jim

I'd agree with Jim.

I have a suspicion that the most important part of any sound is the ability of the player. With an electric guitar, how the amp is set up up (and how good it is) probably contributes the next biggest amount to what you hear. The actual guitar itself is often the least important part of the equation.

BB King said that he could make any old guitar sound like BB King and the reverse is also true - I can make a $5,000 guitar sound like a $50 one.. :wink:

So don't worry if you sound sound pretty rough when you get started - we all do - and it doesn't mean you bought the 'wrong' guitar. Any one of the ones you've looked at should get you going.

Best of luck.

Cheers,

chris

Man I wish this forum and the internet was here when I started. Sure would've helped me a LOT.

Haha, I just called some local music store and he's trying to influence me to buy his Squier Starter pack over all of my stuff. ANd he's trying to tell me I need an amp too with some other things which is obvious, lol.

He tried selling me one of those 'cheap walmart guitars' for $130 which is "just as good as a squier '51"

Then I asked how much it was to get a guitar set up and he said $20-25, so I think I'll just buy online and then go get it set up, lol.

Funny thing is, on teh website it says "We match ANY competitors price!!!" but when I asked if he could match the price for teh Squier '51 he said "no way we can go that low" lol

For a 16 year old, you are sure a good bargain finder and negotiator! Good for you! Don't let a salesman pressure you to buy what he has in stock. Buy what you want. You are in control - its your $$$ you are spending.

I would buy online and get the set up done for $25 locally. I have had great experinces buying online. The one time I sent a guitar back, it was because it wasn't really for me - the guitar itself was fine. Never had a real lousy guitar sent that I ordered online.

Amongst all the other advice, i will still recommend learning on an acoustic guitar.

You can take your acoustic anywhere.You don't have any plugging hassles.No heavy weight to balance.No feedback, harsh distortion and other hurly burly.

Moreover an acoustic will show your mistakes right when you commit them.An electric with distortion on, may not do so.

And your acoustic hopefully won't require lots of setup.Its very possible that you can play one right out of the box.

So, IMHO, invest in a good starter solid top Washburn, Yamaha or Samick.All of these shall not cost you more than 250 $ in any case.

Good Luck.

Rahul - you make some very good points in favor of learning on an acoustic. BUT, when most teenagers think about playing guitar, they want to ROCK on an electric guitar. So, if that is the instrument that interests them, I say, go for it.

^^Well, thing is, I really don't think I would be able to get into the acoustic guitar too much. I like hear ing acoustic songs here and there, but I wouldn't be able to learn that first. Down the line, yeah, maybe if I get good at electric. But I don't think my interest would be high enough at all. Thanks for the advice though.

Thanks CFB.

One last question (I hope :) ) Is it really necasary to buy Gold Coverage for the things I'm gonna buy on musicianfriend.com later today? Or is the basic return policy itself good enough?

You are welcome Kevin. It wasn't TOO many years ago that I was in the same place you are today. I totally understand why you are interested in learning to play - many of us here felt the same way when we started! But, I play electric and acoustic, so I am not knocking acoustic. Someday, you might find yourself interested in exploring acoustic.

To answer your question, I tend not to buy extended warranties, gold coverage, etc. for anything I buy. I have read several articles on how they simply don't pay for themselves in most cases. You should be able to determine if the guitar has a problem, as soon as you get it. Or, if you can't due to your inexperience, the person who sets the guitar up can tell. If it isn't right, the return policy will allow you to return it.

I agree, I just read the return policy and it doesn't seem like such a good idea.

Wll here is the list of thing I plan on buying

Guitar- Squier® '51 Electric Guitar 2-Tone Sunburst Maple Fretboard ($100)
Amp- Roland Cube 15 1x8" 15W Guitar Combo Amp ($70)
Tuner- Korg CA-30 Chromatic Tuner ($20)
Guitar Strap- Fender® Patchworks Coton Guitar Strap Black Fallout ($10)
Headphones- Sennheiser HD201 Professional Closed Back ($25)
Cable- Musician's Friend Tweed 1/4" Straight Instrument Cable Black 10 Foot ($6)
Gig Bag- Musician's Friend Elite Series Electric Guitar Gig Bag Black ($20)
Book- How To Play Guitar Phase 1 (Ernie Ball) : $6 (off of Amazon)

TOTAL- $250

Things I love about this is obviously the deal on the guitar and the amp, but the gig bag used to be $70. Huge deal there if you ask me. I know some people will say I need a guitar stand, but I really don't think I'll need one with the bag. Plus there isn't really a good play to put it in my room.

And for the book, I was reading the boards and I don't know what topic it was, but someone suggested that book, so I might as well give it a try. It seems like older books explain things better anyways. (My Mom plays piano and her old books from back in the 70s explain things far better than these new books she says).

But if anyone else has some suggestions for books, I'd appreciate that. The's the only thing I'm confused with right now.

You seem to have put together a good package....I mentioned earlier the Squier Starter Pack is value for money, but I forgot to mention, the lead and strap aren't great quality....if you factor that into the equation, I think you've probably got a better deal with the Squier '51 and separates....

I'd also agree it's easier to start on an electric than an acoustic, you can start bashing out 2 and 3-finger powerchords straight away...tuning to drop D or drop C, you can use one-finger powerchords... but with the added rider that you learn the full chords and fingerings, there'll come a time when you'll want to expand your musical horizons...

Anyway, good luck, and have fun!

:D :D :D

Vic

^^lol to me that was all like "what???" Ahh well, I'll know what you mean soon enough, I'm sure. ;)

What I'm getting at, with an acoustic, you need to play most of the strings to get a nice full tone....with an amplified electric, you can get away with hitting two or three strings, and it'll still sound good....it's easier to learn a few 2 or three finger powerchords, which are all basically the same shape, than it is to learn full chords all over the fretboard....

So using the powerchords, you'll be able to get something resembling music out of your guitar pretty quickly...

:D :D :D

Vic

^^^Ah okay, I see what you mean. I guess the term 'power chords' kinda threw me off. Do you think I should buy some picks online, or do you think I should go to a music store to get some that feel comfortable to me? I think I should get them online, because of teh better deals. The local store was charging about 50 cents per pick when I get a dozon online for $3

Sounds like a great setup, Kevin. Let me suggest you add one more thing - a guitar wall hanger: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/String-Swing-Wood-Guitar-Wall-Hanger?sku=450241

If you don't have the room for a guitar stand, screw this baby on any empty wall in your room, and you will have a safe, out of the way, and easily accessible place to put your guitar. A guitar teacher told me, back in 1981, when I was just starting, to keep my guitar on a stand in my bedroom. That way, I could pick it up in a second. Believe it or not, if your guitar is easily accessible, you are MUCH more likely to pick it up and play, even if you only have a few minutes to do so. I have four hangers (and two stands) in my home studio - takes only a second to strap on an axe!

If it is in the bag, you will think, "it's too much hassle to take it out if I only have a few minutes." The more times you pick up the guitar each day, the much better you will become, much faster.

Sounds silly, but its true - ask some of the experienced players on this board. Get either a wall hanger or a stand - you will be glad you did.

^^^Ah okay, I see what you mean. I guess the term 'power chords' kinda threw me off. Do you think I should buy some picks online, or do you think I should go to a music store to get some that feel comfortable to me? I think I should get them online, because of teh better deals. The local store was charging about 50 cents per pick when I get a dozon online for $3
At the store, you can pick up six different picks for $3, or 12 for $6, and figure out what you like best. Picks differ significantly (thickness, attack, feel, etc). Don't invest in large quantities until you know what you like.

Margaret