Beginner Guitarist requires help to purchase the right gear.

Hi,
Just joined GT to put my acoustic six string to good use :)
Started following the Core Learning System.After clearing the Basics,have moved on to Blues Level 1 and felt the need to buy an electric guitar. Went to a nearby shop to purchase one,but,to my utter dismay,got throughly confused !!! The store guy showed me several brands,amps,pedals etc.but I just could not understand what to buy as I have zero experience.

So I decided to ask the experts here to assist me before my purchase. Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

If you are into the blues, a fender stratocaster is a good choice. They make a stratocaster for every budget. Did they show you one of those?

Originally Posted by: Jon BroderickIf you are into the blues, a fender stratocaster is a good choice. They make a stratocaster for every budget. Did they show you one of those?

Thanks Jon,
I found this one interesting. What are your thoughts ?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/HA153LL/A/squier-by-fender-usb-stratocaster-guitar

A strat with a USB ouput...now I've seen it all!

In general, a fender squire strat would be a good place to start for blues with an electric guitar. The USB thing seems gimmiky to me. I suggest you go to a store that stocks squire strats and try one out. You can get kits too that include the guitar and an amp. They may also include an amp cord, electrnoic tuner, guitar strap, and pick!

Something like this might be better (and is cheaper!):
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Starcaster-Electric-Guitar-Starter/dp/B00403NKA0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1362066555&sr=8-7&keywords=fender+squire

Something else I noticed is that the apple strat has a humbucker in the bridge pickup. A "true strat" configuraiton is for single coil pickups in all 3 spots.

The sunburst on the apple strat is gorgeous. My strat is that color and it is something to behold. You can probably find a "strat pack" that has that color is you shop around.

Originally Posted by: maggiorSomething like this might be better (and is cheaper!):
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Starcaster-Electric-Guitar-Starter/dp/B00403NKA0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1362066555&sr=8-7&keywords=fender+squire

Something else I noticed is that the apple strat has a humbucker in the bridge pickup. A "true strat" configuraiton is for single coil pickups in all 3 spots.

The sunburst on the apple strat is gorgeous. My strat is that color and it is something to behold. You can probably find a "strat pack" that has that color is you shop around.

great observation. thanks a lot :)

Originally Posted by: singerarnabgreat observation. thanks a lot :)

No problem.

Strats are great, but they aren't for everybody. They are unique in many ways. For instance, strats have a longer neck than Les Paul style guitars. This may or may not suit you better. It's something I wish I was aware of years ago. The floating bridge for the tremelo can be a pain to deal with as a beginner.

As you go through the blues lessons, you will note Anders playing a Gibson ES semi hollow body with humbuckers. You can get down with the blues with humbuckers - the blues isn't just about the strat. I can make my lp scream and wail just like my strat.

Just some stuff to think about...

Hey Singerarab,

I am pretty much a Tele fanatic. I have been able to get some very good blues tones from my Tele with humbuckers, but as Maggior mentioned, Anders plays a Gibson ES on many of his blues lessons. That inspired me to seek out that type of guitar. Since I cannot afford the high priced Gibson models, I researched the Epiphone ES models and have just purchased an ES 339(natural). Great guitar! has dual humbuckers w/ coil tapping. You can get these everywhere for $399. Hard to beat... such a nice and versatile guitar in this price range.

@JCat - sounds like a really cool guitar. How do you like the coil tap? I have an lp faded studio which has humbuckers, but no coil taps.

Are you able to get a very different sound using the coil taps?

it doesnt really matter what guitar you get blues is a style, i used to work in a blues club. every imaginable kind of guitar was used . just pick one you like and go with it.. personally i play alot of blues and have many guitars of differnt makes and configurations. i play the same tunes withthem all from a fender strat ric 325 and a ej 200 that i added a pickup to to a old marwin acoustic that i added two single coil pickups to. they all work.. get a guitar you like and the way to do that is try them and dont listen to sales people because every one is out to make a buck..

ahwt i would suggest is this if you have an amp try to test the guitars in the same amp at the store or as close as you can get..

Hey Maggior, sorry it took me awhile to respond, I wanted to become more familiar with this new guitar before I replied... this does remind me a lot of playing an LP. The coil taps are pretty convenient, but will never replace my Tele Thinline for single coil tones. Overall though I am very happy with the Epiphone ES-339. I really don't know how they can sell these so inexpensively. Got mine from Sweetwater -$40 less than adverstised by talking directly to my Sales Engineer.

amx05462 - you have some very good points and are right...but please don't tell my wife. She will never believe me again when I tell her "I just need one more guitar"!

Originally Posted by: JCat55Hey Maggior, sorry it took me awhile to respond, I wanted to become more familiar with this new guitar before I replied... this does remind me a lot of playing an LP. The coil taps are pretty convenient, but will never replace my Tele Thinline for single coil tones. Overall though I am very happy with the Epiphone ES-339. I really don't know how they can sell these so inexpensively. Got mine from Sweetwater -$40 less than adverstised by talking directly to my Sales Engineer.

Hey JCat55 -

No problem. I suspected that the coil taps wouldn't replace the single coil sound of a Fender strat or tele. That's awesome that you are so happy with the guitar. It's great when you get a good deal too!!

I was in guitar center recently and played around with an lp studio that had the coil taps on it. My reaction was "meh". In single coil mode, I much perfer the single coil sound from my strat.