Originally Posted by: steelhorseangelI'm a female biker and a rock music lover from the UK.
I've always wanted to play, I've never had the time
I've never ever touched a guitar before
I've made 2 mistakes so far, ..snip.... it's too big. Not all guitars fit everyone. I've 5' 7".
I decided to buy a travel electric guitar called Anygig and I can't make a chord without muting a neighbour string or 2?
My fingers take too much space on the Anygig fretboard?
I've always been involved in gymnastics and my fingers are stronger than most.
What would be the ideal beginners electric guitar for an athletic lassie please?
Hi again Angel
Recommendations for a first electric guitar suited to ab through post initio learning and growing ability can most certainly provide useful guidance to a newb, and contrary to alternative opinion, doesn't have to be all about emotion nor impulse driven, and frankly shoudn't be for a practical tool to begin with [u]if success is the objective[/u]. Aesthetic glam won't surivive beyond the initial encounter with the first few challenges of playing guitar once that novelty of initial excitment at its sexy image and looks wear off. Those who buy on looks and peer associative headstock label wannabe image are just as prone to being the 90% who quit in the first year Fender's market research fact based stats refer to.
It's up to you whether you're wanting to buy into an idealised image or a practical tool of course. My own perspective is to [u]buy the tool for the job (learning) you can actually use first[/u], and add that expensive image or dream ideal later when skills have developed to a point you know what you really want and need, and here's the important part, you can actually make use of it. initially, it won't matter a tinkers damn tonally, and most of that can be sorted with any digital practice amp worthy of the label today.
BTW, I'm very into Rock, doing the Rock path here and elsewhere.
The things you've said above i listed in precis is what we have to glean meaningful information with which to assist you.
"I've made 2 mistakes so far"
Be wise enough to not make yet another one.
This illustrates you're operating from a position of newb as we all were at one time or another when starting out. Being able to read specs on an info sheet isn't experience, and hasn't guided you well so far in your own words. You don't really want to make another mistake do you?
[u]Let me make clear my Squier suggestion wasn't cast in stone[/u]. It was thought through on the info you had provided to that point about your height, probable build, and finger description, taking into account your newb status and previous dissatisfaction with your purchases.
"I'm wanting to play rock, so I'm looking for a good electric guitar. No budget, just looking for a quality instrument and not a bad copy of something."
From your current playing perspective, how will you define a "quality instrument", let alone recognise a "bad copy of something"? Let alone suitability [u]for purpose now[/u] and forseeable short through medium term future. By its price tag, or its silkscreened headstock decal? Cool peer appoved looks?
Let me draw you an analogy. You say you're a biker. I've been riding for 47 years now. I still do. By choice I own and still ride high performance pocket rockets that punch way above their weight and handle so that they will smoke 1000s in anything but a long long straight line, and usually those too when ridden by the average numpty who understands little about physics involved in riding fast and has even less ability under duress. Was your first bike a high HP rocket or large CC capacity, or was it a relatively low HP model suited to purpose? Do you think a high performance high HP bike is actually necessary let alone prudent to learn and develop skills on initially, and trust me when I say from runs on the board with both, learning guitar to get to where you want to play has a longer learning curve which is less exciting and more frustrating, even if the only real risks are breaking a nail or blowing out the credit card balance.
I play Rock, and the Classic Rock genre and course here and elsewhere now is my focus. You can play Rock with anything unless you're referring to metal. But that's in the future, you just don't realise that yet. Buy for today, and buy better tomorrow when you do know what you want. Clean is important too when learning. Much as distortion sounds cool, it also hides mistakes.
If you want a truly great playing and sounding Rock guitar that both looks and sounds awesome for that genre, and importantly will fit you at 5'7", with string spacing which will accomodate non-petite fingers, that is a quality guitar and yet reasonably priced, look no further than a Revstar model with twin humbucker configuration.Yamaha Revstar. Think Les Paul tones ....without the baggage, or the inflated price. Just choose your colour and model. Even the humble RS320 with its ceramic PUPs and no Dry Switch sounds utterly primal playing rock through any half decent amp.
[br]If I might further clarify, what you need (vs want/desire) right now is a [u]versatile[/u] [u]training[/u] [u]tool[/u] suited to the [u]beginner[/u] [u]purpose[/u] (learning) which [u]physically fits[/u] you [u]well[/u] so you'll want to pick it up and play it aevery time you walk past it -unlike your previous purchases which I'm sure seemed a good idea at the time. If it isn't expensive that's a bonus which leaves plenty of meat on the bone for those other tools you'll want, like a better amp (put the money into this), cables, & a myriad of other stuff, [u]most importantly, tuition[/u].
I'm neither a Fender nor Squier aficionado in particular, so those initial recommendations I made earlier on the premise of your initial post were practical and will get you off the starting block into the race and beyond. The ceramic bridge pickup on a Squier Affinity Tele can sound very Rock, as will an AlNiCo. It's really up to the operator. And If you can't learn and make the noises you want with the humbucker on a HSS Strat, even if later there are preferred tools, it's not any fault of the guitar.
[br]You can do anything with a Tele trust me on this, and not just me. e.g. Eat out your heart at the awesome rhythm playing and tone of the Tele in this example. And this demonstration in the hands of Warleyson Almeida. A huge thing going for the venerable Tele [u]for you[/u] is fit/comfort.
[u]Stratocaster players in the Rock[/u] genre you may have heard of.
Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple. "Smoke On the Water", "Highway Star" or "Black Night".Insufficiently challenging for a noob, or not rockin' enough for you?
Eric Clapton, not so much a Rock player, as famous for Blues, but "Layla"?
Dave Gilmour Pink Floyd. Legend. 'nuff said.
Jimi Hendrix? Nope those strats ain't no good for nuttin'
How about these gals performing Punk Rock and Rock with....gasp ...a Strat!
Many of today's Rock exponents & shredders choose to use SuperStrats, merely with a more contemporary styled body.
It's your money to spend, the easy part, and your time and effort to put into learning. With that initial electric guitar purchase, make the second something you'll want to do every day. That's the really important part. A guitar you like to play vs like the celeb associative look of in superficial imagery or on the shop wall will make that second part happen.
