beginner guitar

so i decided im going to start playing the guitar..i'm gona look for something cheap, like in the 200$ range to start me off.. im looking at getting one of these http://guitar.about.com/cs/beginners/tp/electricguitars.htm ..what do you guys think i should get? i heard that u should get a guitar based on what kind of music ur gona play? well...i would like the play some classic rock, metal, prog rock like metallica, led zep, dream theater, edguy, pink floyd..all that good stuff..feedback would be much appreciated..i know how to read music and i plan on getting a teacher..thanks

Welcome to GT - it's always a pleasure to have another Pink Floyd fan on board! :D

As regards your first guitar, I'd personally suggest buying yourself an acoustic instead of an electric, to begin with. I know you want to rock, but an acoustic is still a good place to start. I started on a twenty-five-year-old 3/4 scale classical guitar! I'm not suggesting that you go to that extreme, mind you; but learning to play an acoustic will build up your finger strength very quickly if you practice hard. You will learn the basics of the instrument without the distraction of amp settings, tremolo bars, modulation effects etc, and can move onto the electric later.

If you really want to start with an electric, the Squier Bullet is probably one of the cheapest you can buy brand-new. You might also like to try a Squier California Series Stratocaster or Telecaster, or perhaps a Fat Strat, if you want something pricier. There are tons of smaller brands that sell copies of these guitars, as well. I'd suggest a Stratocaster or Telecaster type electric, because you want a versatile tone and a nice easy action to begin with. As your style evolves, you will probably move onto a more specialised (not to mention more expensive ;) ) model.

Anyway, have fun with the guitar, and I hope you like it here at GT!

well said mate... start off with an acoustic... thats the way to go...i did the same thing...soon enough, ud be skating on ice once u get an electric... but its up to u... :D

good stuff..thanks guys..ill let u know what i get..im loooking at the http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?form=prodsearch&q=squier+bullet (squier bullet)..they are super cheap on this website...what kinda amp n other stuff should i get? should i just get a pack that comes with a guitar, amp, wires n stuff?

I have been playing for about 16 months now. My first guitar was a fixed bridge Squier Bullet, while this guitar is not the best it is easy to learn on!! It has a nice neck and a lightweight body too. I would recommend this guitar to any beginner! It cost me £70!!! ALthough it was 2nd hand.

However I have just but my first acoustic (see the review of the tanglewood TW28) and I have found my playing has improved more in the last 2 weeks with this guitar than in the last 4 months with my electric!.

Electric is easy to hide faults when you have distortion on and I have just found that my barre chords were not perfect. Also I can play a lot fasater on my electric too because of the extra strength in my tendons/ muscles.

If I was you I would start on acoustic, it may not be as much fun to play but some of the greatest songs are acoustic!! Just think wish you were here!! How I love to play that song... oh and how I love the Floyd!!!

PS, Gilmours new album is awesome!!

Originally Posted by: rebs924good stuff..thanks guys..ill let u know what i get..im loooking at the http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?form=prodsearch&q=squier+bullet (squier bullet)..they are super cheap on this website...what kinda amp n other stuff should i get? should i just get a pack that comes with a guitar, amp, wires n stuff?

Yeah man, unless you can afford to splash out on each item individually, get yourself a starter's pack. Squier have a Bullet starter pack and an Affinity Strat starter pack for electrics; I don't know whether they do an acoustic starter pack, but Ashton have some very nice ones.

most likely i'm learning to getting the http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=518745

what do u guys think?

The SG is a really cool guitar, and that seems like a good value package to me. Like I said, I'd personally favour a Strat or Tele for my first electric, but hey, if you really want to rock - I'm not going to stop you, man! :D

Whatever guitar you get, make sure you have a chance to hold it and make sure that it feels comfortable before making the purchase. And after you've bought it, get your guitar teacher to check it over and make sure everything's in order.

ooo i guess i should go to a guitar store and hold it? i was just gona buy it online...whoops

yea it seems pretty neat...good reviews...just try to get heaps of research done on the piece ur looking for and compare 1 or 2 together... thats what i did... and when u have an idea you can sort of round it up to your personal preference...for me it was shape of the body once i narrowed it down...

Originally Posted by: jeffhxyea it seems pretty neat...good reviews...just try to get heaps of research done on the piece ur looking for and compare 1 or 2 together... thats what i did... and when u have an idea you can sort of round it up to your personal preference...for me it was shape of the body once i narrowed it down...

what was your first guitar? how did it work out?

o yea...how much money should i spend on lessons? and how many should i take? i plan on doing this in the summer while im off from school

i bought myself an ibanez gax 70 and its working great for me...doens go out of tune, well rarely...versatile too i guess or maybe its my amp...which is a hughes and kettner...im still considered a beginner so i dont really know wat significant difference is there between a beginners guitar and a more expensive one.... i also did some research on which stores that were having sale...tried to get the best out of it...wat can i say... im a happy man...

as for lessons its up to u i guess...im not sure abt guitar lessons but i heard they are expensive... im learning on my own and i dont intend to gofor lessons although its a plus since ud learn theory stuff which is really useful... yea but for me, anytime i face issues, i just post up a questino on the boards and mostof the time i get great responses...been playing for arnd 7 months learning by myself.... im strumming... theres music...starting to make my own... so yea...

just curious..what can u play? did u get a book or some kinda video or something to teach urself?

My first, and current, electric, is an Aslin Dane SC, which I bought at a steal - A$150! - from my teacher; my amp is a 15-watt Samick that I used to use for my bass guitar. It's pretty cheap gear, but it's functional, which is the most important thing. Besides, playing on a dodgy guitar has done great things for my finger strength and articulacy, and having a small amp has taught me to make do with minimal tonal versatility. I've decided that only when I get into a band will I treat myself to a nice Ibanez guitar and a Line 6 Amp.

So basically, your beginners' gear doesn't have to be fancy - just comfortable and functional. :)

Originally Posted by: rebs924just curious..what can u play? did u get a book or some kinda video or something to teach urself?

well i started when i met my teacher here whos been playing for 30 yrs or so... he has a country band that had started selling records and all that...somehow i got inspired one day for some reason and i learnt most of my stuff from him... he sent me a pdf file on chords and scales and everything...so yea i just wanted to play thesongs i always loved... adn i refer to the chordbook whenever i come to a chord i dont know... thats how i broaden my chord knowledge i guess... and then i meet new people who played longer than me and i learn from them too... today i just met another possible jam mate in uni... he stays nearby too...so im looking forward for a jam session... he too hasplayed longerthan me arnd 8 yrs...so i cud learn from him as well...i guess its better to know ppl so ud learn more? i reckon...well ive started to ear train myself and i can more or less improvise tunes by myself... (nth too fancy or else i wud just go haywire)... and i still depend on tabs depending on the song... i canswitch chords pretty decently...i guess ive still got long way more... the more theory stuff is wat im interested at the moment but i cant seem to learn it well enough... it takes time...and dedication...imjust crazy over it everyday i just practise long hrs... but not that im saying its a necessity...its up to u... half an hour per day of practise shud be fine too...

just my 2 cents! hope it helps!

i played for the first time ever yesterday on my friends guitar and i found that the harderst thing to do was to push the strings down in the right way to get the right sound..i was trying to play smoke on the water and after like an hour i got down the first 3 notes.....yea..5-8-10..practice makes perfect...how much $$ do lessons cost?

Originally Posted by: rebs924i played for the first time ever yesterday on my friends guitar and i found that the harderst thing to do was to push the strings down in the right way to get the right sound..i was trying to play smoke on the water and after like an hour i got down the first 3 notes.....yea..5-8-10..practice makes perfect...how much $$ do lessons cost?

That all depends on who you're taking lessons from. It's generally different from teacher to teacher.

well what is the range?

Couldn't really give you an indication of the range, it varies from area to area... see if you can do a bit of research. Ask around at the local music store or conservatorium.

on my 3rd day of playing my friends guitar...i can play the intro to metallica-one, seven nation army, satisfaction, and smoke on the water...yea i know these are probably really easy to ne person with experience but i think i'm showing improvment already..i think im gona buy the package next week when i go home