Guitars

Pressure

Pressure

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I wanna buy a relatively cheap guitar and amp to teach myself how to play. I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything to me or point me to a site where I can learn more about guitars so I know what to buy. Much thanks :).
 
buy a sears brand guitar ..cheap and by the time you're good enough you'll need a new one ...dont makethe mistake of buying an expensive guitar if it's your first ..it's a waste of money till you get good enough to get to the next level
 
That's why I said cheap :). So how much are these Sear's guitars? Do they also have a cheap amp I could use?
 
Pressure said:
That's why I said cheap :). So how much are these Sear's guitars? Do they also have a cheap amp I could use?
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I think between $100-$200 and yes they have cheap amps. Also look to buy used. Ibanez makes great budget guitars and amps ..but they're still better than you need. btw eddie van halen's first guitar was a sears model
 
Go to guitar center and pick up a epiphone special 2. I got one for roughly 130 bucks on sale last year, and its a shockingly good guitar.


*edit* I would also stay away from a guitar at sears. Seems a little risky to me(might be total crap).

*edit2* a cheap crate amp should do you fine.
 
You should definitely visit Musician's Friend and check out the guitar packs section. You'll be sure to find some great beginners stuff at a very cheap price there. If you need any help with making a decision or if you have any questions about any of the equipment, etc., etc., just let me know.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com
 
Saboteur said:
You should definitely visit Musician's Friend and check out the guitar packs section. You'll be sure to find some great beginners stuff at a very cheap price there. If you need any help with making a decision or if you have any questions about any of the equipment, etc., etc., just let me know.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com
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Yea could you point me to some stuff that might be good I'm a complete noob.
 
Here are two different Squier Stratocaster packs from Musician's Friend:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/511681/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/519633/

Basically, the reason why the second pack is more expensive is because the amp is better than the amp in the first pack. The Squier Strat is a nice choice for the beginner guitarist. I would actually go for the Squier or an Epiphone Les Paul Special II...another good choice for the beginner. The link for this one is here:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/518677/

You also might want to consider getting an acoustic guitar.

What kind of music are you into or interested in playing?
 
Well I like rock, all kids of rock. My favorite band is probably metallica. I'll play anything.
 
You dont wanna buy some cheap shit tbh.. it hinders your learning.

Fender's sister company Squier do some wicked starter packs in both electric & acoustic, so have a look at them. The electric set comprises of a stratocaster, video to teach you (or dvd), amp, pick, strap, basically everthing you'd need!

Pressure said:
Well I like rock, all kids of rock. My favorite band is probably metallica. I'll play anything.
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For something heavier however, look at Epiphone. They do some sweet Les Pauls with a beautiful meaty sound, that aren't as expensive as one would think.
 
craig said:
You dont wanna buy some cheap shit tbh.. it hinders your learning.

Fender's sister company Squier do some wicked starter packs in both electric & acoustic, so have a look at them. The electric set comprises of a stratocaster, video to teach you (or dvd), amp, pick, strap, basically everthing you'd need!



For something heavier however, look at Epiphone. They do some sweet Les Pauls with a beautiful meaty sound, that aren't as expensive as one would think.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about this pack here?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/518677/
 
Yamahas are very good guitars. My first guitar was a cheap yamaha that came with small amp and I still use it. I just recently bought a Yamaha Pacifica, nice guitar to :)
 
How long would it take me to learn just the basics of guitar playing and is that one package i posted good?

Edit: I did play the violin in middle school like 10 years ago for 1 semester so I got a little experience pressing those strings lol.
 
That Epi you posted is okay I guess, but 'proper' les paul standards are better.

http://www.sweelee.com.sg/Images/Epiphone/Les%20Paul%20Standard(Enlarge).jpg
 
craig said:
That Epi you posted is okay I guess, but 'proper' les paul standards are better.

http://www.sweelee.com.sg/Images/Epiphone/Les%20Paul%20Standard(Enlarge).jpg
Click to expand...

Well you guys are throwing all these names and stuff at me and I'm so confused but some of you aren't posting any links to where I can buy this stuff lol. Could you post a link showing me that package you were talking about?
 
Epiphone Les Paul Standard

One of my first guitars. Great guitar to start out with. Got mine with Cherry Sunburst colors.

A Marshall MG 15 or Roland Cube 15 would be a nice amplifier to start out with..
 
Pressure said:
Well you guys are throwing all these names and stuff at me and I'm so confused but some of you aren't posting any links to where I can buy this stuff lol. Could you post a link showing me that package you were talking about?
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Yes, he was talking about the same style of guitar as the one in this link http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...ase_pid/518677/ , but only something better and more expensive like these Epiphones: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=electric/search/

The Les Paul style guitars deliver that hard rock punch and warm tones so if your looking to play some rock, I'd go with the Les Paul.

This package, http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...ase_pid/518677/ , would be one of your top options if you aren't looking to spend alot of money. This will give you everything you need to get started. The amp in this package kind of low end and won't reveal the guitar's full potential, but it's still a good fit for the beginner.

You can always upgrade sometime down the road, but I wouldn't go with something too expensive at first because you don't want to throw away the cash if you aren't going to stick with it.

If you do just want to go a little more expensive, PoLo did just make a great suggestion.

So yes, I am recommending this one: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...ase_pid/518677/

I've played it before and it is a great fit for the beginner. Just slap on some good strings and you'll be good to go.
 
I would absolutely encourage to you start on the acoustic guitar. When you get to be really good on acoustic, then try electric, and be amazed at how good you really are. Electric guitars, although more versatile, are very easy to play. If you're serious about learning, go acoustic first. I got a 160 dollar fender, and it treated me well. I actually haven't switched to electric at all yet, but I did upgrade and I got Martin. Boy is it gorgeous :)
 
I'd look for a used Epiphone or Fender Strat. If you get them used, (I got a Strat on E-bay for $230 US) they're cheap and you'll never have to worry about upgrading in the future because they are very good guitars that deliver a solid tone; you can just focus on buying better amplification/effects.
 
Get a cheap guitar of some kind. Perhaps a Squrie strat, or an Epiphone of some sort, or even an Ibanez.

For an amp, I recommend this: http://www.tech21nyc.com/tm10.html
Sweet sounding little amp, and if you decide to keep going at it, it's the perfect practice amp.
 
I bought a started pack at Cosco for about 170 bucks, and its been about a year now and the guitar is ****ing amazing. Its beautiful, the amplifier has perfect sound, i havent even changed strings yet and it still sounds awesome. The pack also comes with a case, a strap, an electric tuner, some books, and a set of strings. Its awesome, even people who have 1000 dollar guitars tell me they like mine better. Its a yamaga strat, eg112c starter pack i got at cosco.

By the way, i highly suggest getting lessons instead of teaching yourself if you are serious, because ive noticed people who teach themselves have a lot of trouble and usually learn the wrong stuff. I would say your music theory is the most important think to know. I tried teaching myself but i just wasnt going to where i wanted to go, got a teacher, in 4 lessons i made 10 times more improvement then i made teaching myself in 3 months. But its up to you in the end, and its just my opinion.
 
Pressure said:
How much better is that amp compared to the one that they include in this package http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/518677/ ?
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They don't even compare. The Tech21 amp is a studio recording amp. Starting out you may not realize there's too much of a difference in tone quality, but as you progress you'll realize just how good of a little amp that Tech21 is. It's going to cost you a bit more than than what the amp in that package would cost, but later on down the line it will be worth it. Later on, it will probably just become your practice amp for sitting in your room and practicing. However, no one wants to practice with bad tone. =]

Listen to that sound clip, the first Tech21 demo one. That was party recorded straight from that amp using a mic placed against the speaker cone. The rhythm tracks were made using the XLR input that comes built into the amp direct into a PC, which is also a cool feature if you decide to record some music lateron. =] Ofcourse there's a little trickery involved that makes the sound much thicker, but for the most part that is an accurate representation of how that amp sounds both live and direct cabled into a PC.

Oh, and you don't need an expensive guitar to get tones like that out of that amp. As it says on that page, they used a Yamaha Pacifica 112 which can be found here: http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA...l/0,6373,CNTID%3D2519%26CTID%3D223600,00.html
It's a rather cheap starter guitar. Just as the other guys have said, it's best that you start learning on a cheap guitar, then upgrade later. Can't say the same about amplifiers though, and if you take my advice, you'll thank me later. =]
 
I want a guitar that's best for like hard rock. Someone suggested like a Les Pauls or whatever they're called.
 
Pressure said:
I want a guitar that's best for like hard rock. Someone suggested like a Les Pauls or whatever they're called.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. I doubt you want to shell out the cash for a Gibson Les Paul, but an Epiphone Les Paul will do fine. They're great guitars.
 
My first guitar was a Cort 3/4 size Strat copy my Dad bought for my 15th birthday for $50. That and a little Gorilla amp. Even though I learned to play on it, I don't recommend it to anyone else. Anyway, for Metallica and the like, you're definitely going to want something like a Les Paul or a similar guitar with at least one humbucker at the bridge and a body with some mass to it. Strats are alright for stuff like SRV, Pink Floyd, etc., but they sound too thin to my ear for heavier stuff. THe main thing is, once you get the guitar keep practicing and don't get frustrated because what you're playing doesn't sound exactly like James Hetfield's crushing tone. Unless you want to shell out for an ESP with EMG's in it and a Mesa triple rectifier, of course. You're not going to be a super shredder after playing for a couple months.

One thing to consider when buying a guitar, particularly a cheap one, is the action. What I mean by that is how high the strings sit off the fretboard. High action will frustrate the hell out of you because it will be harder to fret, obviously. The strings should be as low as possible without any fret buzz. One thing I've noticed about those Yamaha jobbers in superstores is that the action is always screwed. Granted, action is something that can be adjusted, but unless you know someone who can do it for you, it's going to cost you a little bit of money.

Also, if you don't want to annoy your neighbors/parents/spouse/girlfriend/dog or whatever, then I suggest getting either a Line 6 POD or a Behringer V-Amp 2. Both can be found on Musician's Friend, and they are small, portable, you can listen to them through headphones, connect them to a recording device, etc. THe V-Amp 2 is considerably cheaper, and is basically a copy of the POD. You can dial in just about any tone you want with a little time, and they sound somewhat comparable to the real thing.
 
The Squier Strat is a very nice guitar, Dad has one, very comfortable to play on. My friend has the Epiphone Les Paul and it's also pretty cool, he uses it for alot of hard rock stuff, sometimes live, and it works great.
 
Hapless said:
My first guitar was a Cort 3/4 size Strat copy my Dad bought for my 15th birthday for $50. That and a little Gorilla amp. Even though I learned to play on it, I don't recommend it to anyone else. Anyway, for Metallica and the like, you're definitely going to want something like a Les Paul or a similar guitar with at least one humbucker at the bridge and a body with some mass to it. Strats are alright for stuff like SRV, Pink Floyd, etc., but they sound too thin to my ear for heavier stuff. THe main thing is, once you get the guitar keep practicing and don't get frustrated because what you're playing doesn't sound exactly like James Hetfield's crushing tone. Unless you want to shell out for an ESP with EMG's in it and a Mesa triple rectifier, of course. You're not going to be a super shredder after playing for a couple months.

One thing to consider when buying a guitar, particularly a cheap one, is the action. What I mean by that is how high the strings sit off the fretboard. High action will frustrate the hell out of you because it will be harder to fret, obviously. The strings should be as low as possible without any fret buzz. One thing I've noticed about those Yamaha jobbers in superstores is that the action is always screwed. Granted, action is something that can be adjusted, but unless you know someone who can do it for you, it's going to cost you a little bit of money.

Also, if you don't want to annoy your neighbors/parents/spouse/girlfriend/dog or whatever, then I suggest getting either a Line 6 POD or a Behringer V-Amp 2. Both can be found on Musician's Friend, and they are small, portable, you can listen to them through headphones, connect them to a recording device, etc. THe V-Amp 2 is considerably cheaper, and is basically a copy of the POD. You can dial in just about any tone you want with a little time, and they sound somewhat comparable to the real thing.
Click to expand...

Yes, PODs are nice and very good for recording too.
 
What type of guitar is used in Metallica songs usually during the middle of the songs. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about but it's when the sound get more high pitched (I hope that's the right term). They usually do it once per song.
 
Saboteur said:
Are you talking about the guitar solos?

I found this site that has a bunch of info on what kind of equipment Metallica uses.

http://www.allmetallica.com/info/equipment.php
Click to expand...

James Hetfield used to play a variety of Gibson Explorers, with EMG 81's for pickups. For amps he used MESA/Boogie. This was on their older stuff. Kirk used a variety of guitars, including a Strat, a Flying V, a Jackson Randy Rhoades, and others. At some point, (I think around And Justice For All) he and James signed endorsement deals with ESP, and that's basically what they've been playing ever since. ESP was sued by Gibson because the Hetfield Explorers looked exactly like Gibsons, so now the ESP Explorers look different, and I think worse.

Regardless, both James and Kirk still use EMG 81's which are active pickups. Those pickups combined with the sound of the MESA Triple Rectifier is where that Metallica crunch comes from. Also, Kirk uses a lot of wah on his solos, so you may be hearing that as well.
 
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