help with choosing two guitars, young and old

Have you considered used? There is a great market for used guitars out there... if you are in North America, you can try Kijiji or Craigslist. If you have someone to bring along with you that can help you test it out, and tell you if it is good.

The RG's are nice. If you can talk a bit about what style of music you like and what you are interested in learning, perhaps we can point you in other directions.

For you child, others may have other suggestions, but in my opinion, you can't go wrong with a good Squier Stratocaster for a first guitar. They look good, are easy to play and are cheap. Used, you can get a full kit (guitar and amp) for $100-150.

There are a lot of kids sized acoustics out there... and there is a mini-sized version of the Squier.

This is a great site... I have never seen a forum anywhere on the net, for any subject that is as nice and helpful as this group of people. Any questions will be answered (or search the forums, most already have been) and I have never seen a hurtful or teasing answer to even the most basic questions.

So, tell us about your musical interests and influences and we can suggest some more.

And.. yes... there are a few amp models out there that have multiple inputs. Sorry, I can't think of any specific models right now... but I have seen them.

Adding to what Lue42 wrote, regardless of brand, it's important that you make sure your son can reach all the frets of his guitar comfortably. Many kids start out with guitars too big for them and the initial frustration can be hard to work through.

Welcome to GN, by the bye. Looking forward to seeing more of you on the boards. And it's great that the two of you will be learning together!

Peace

Welcome aboard! It is refreshing to hear about your enthusiasm, and your goals or plans for your son. I can identify there, mine started on bass (full size) when he was 11.

Anyhow, first there are a few amps with 2 input jacks, but not many anymore. They do exist, but I haven't needed one since the 70's, still have one, and haven't seen too many since, except for models with high impedance and a low impedance input side-by-side. So, you buy an A/B or ABY box or a cable splitter. http://www.zzounds.com/cat--AB-Selectors--2604

The Ibanez RG, and you mentioned the 350 is a good guitar, but I think you're getting quoted overpriced. I looked, thinking of buying one for $400. I bought a used RX270 instead, quite old, same price, and it's been superb.

Here is some variety, IMO Godin's equivalent, and I have one of these too, except mine is a limited edition special order in quilted Amber Burst that you can't get, but they're the same guitar model, similar to amber flametop except for cosmetics and 24 frets. http://www.godinguitars.com/godinsdp.htm

Here are the rest of the well-priced Godins, notice the Freeway design, parts made in Canada, assembled in the US, and more than a match for that Ibanez. :wink: http://www.godinguitars.com/godinperfseriesp.htm

As far as I'm concerned, and I'm a little biased, the guitar for the boy is the 3/4 size Squier or Fender Strat. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-FEN-310100-LIST?SRC ="D0407FG0HAMS0000&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=feed"& or http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7751168&type=product&id=1210982227227&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src ="14110944&ci_sku=7751168"

All the best!

well, thank you for the warm welcome.

lue42, I have been looking at used, craigslist, and here and there. My worry is, I do not have an educated friend to bring along. So I do not know a good deal from a bad deal. Looking at new kinda has my mind at ease. I understand I must pay more for this. New always cost more, but hopefully I'll be keeping it a long time.
As far as music taste goes, I like near everything rock, from the Beatles to Metallica. To choose a Guitar player, I would like most to sound like, it would have to be Eddie Van Halen, if that helps in choosing the best guitar for me.
But I'm so far away from there.

I do want to choose a guitar I keep for several years. In no time, my son will be a teen and wanting to use it as well.

I have always wanted to learn, my son's interest has me wanting to learn today. I somewhat see the guitar I buy today, being his tomorrow.

There are so many guitars to choose from for adults, but for a 10 year old, the list must be narrow. Is there a model say around 100-200 Canadian dollars that would suit most needs. He likes AC/DC already if that helps.

well, any suggestions for models for me in the $400 Canadian dollar range would be great. If there is a "kids" guitar that is good for learning on, please let me know. And yes, he only wants electric :) .

fender standard telecaster. about $450 usd new. buy used if you want. unless it's abused, there's nothing wrong with a used guitar.
the g&l tribute asat classic is a very similar guitar, generally higher quality, about $600 new. same thing about buying used. the l in g&l is for leo fender, so there you go.
it's a rare person who doesn't get along with a tele. keith richards, jimmy page, johnny greenwood of radiohead, tons of other rockers, all sorts of country... it's very versatile.
if your kid's responsible, let him use it, too. a bad guitar sucks even if you're experienced and is hard to learn on.

i would not buy that ibanez for a first guitar. tuning with that tremolo would be a massive headache, and those pickups might disappoint you. i'd definitely go for a hard tail (no whammy bars) for a first guitar. if not a tele, a les paul copy might be good, such as a prs se singlecut.

but my gut says you'd be happy with a telecaster if you stick with playing.

My suggestions would be a Mexican Strat for you and an Epiphone SG (Angus Young plays a Gibson SG) for your son - depending on his size. I think at 10 years he might be able to use a full sized electric.

Once you have chosen a model and tried it out in the store, be sure price compare with online stores such as lamusic.ca

You may also want to consider a headphone amp... that way... when one of you are practicing, the other can practice on your own in peace. I have and love the VOX Amplug AC30.

What city are you in?

i just think keeping a floating tremolo in tune is too much of a pain for your first guitar. i have to go through all the tuners at least 3 times on my strat to get everything in tune.

Then lock (block) the tremelo in place... until such time as you want to use it.

http://www.guitarrepairshop.com/repairtremeloblock.html

that's also an option. i have a strat(g&l legacy), and i love it, and i used to have the trem blocked, but that's just an extra layer of complexity for a first guitar.
i still recommend a tele.

Something for the original poster (OP) to think about is the neck shape. Even if it's true that "everybody gets along with a tele" there are a number of different neck shapes out there including on teles. Different people have different shaped and sized hands - finger length, finger width, palm size, etc. - and these make different necks feel more comfortable to some. Try out a bunch in the store. Your idea of a comfortable neck will likely change as you practice and play more but pick something that feels good now.

Since the OP is in Canada there are a lot of Godin guitars available and it will make them a good deal in the used market. They'll get a lot more for their money with a Godin than a Fender and even more so in the used market.

For your son:

Squier Jagmaster

or

Duo-sonic

The 24" scale is excellent for younger players and will still be "big enough" when he gets older(heck, you might like it yourself)

For you:

Anything in the Squier Classic Vibe Series or Vintage Modified series will make an excellent first guitar.

But given your preference for Eddie . . .

I'd take a good hard look at a Schecter lady Luck

For amps, I'd grab a pair of these . . .

Vox Pathfinder 15r