Beginner needs gear advice

Hi! I want to play electric guitar and I know there is a lot of equipment stuff involved and I know nothing about that. So for a beginner, what kind of stuff do I need and what are some good brands to look for? I don't want to spend money on something I really don't need so please help me out! Thank you!

If blink182 is your ultimate band , then all you need is strat copy guitar , a Boss distortion pedal , and a small practice amp.
For a guitar that can do more styles , you may like to have a floyd rose tremolo & 24 frets in it.

Well, where to start.....

Squire by Fender make really nice guitars, for intermediate / beginner players. I used to have a Squire Strat in the early 80s and it was fantastic !

If you like Blink 128 check out the link below:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SQU318200

However it you want an axe with more versatility I'd go for a more standard model.

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=6015&Category=Electric_Guitars

Now, in terms of whistles and bells well all you really need is an amp and if you are playing in your bedroom well even an amp is not necessary (I don’t bother with one if Im only doing scales).

The nice people at Squire do a "Starter pack" with an amp, a cable, a guitar,a gig bag, a pick and an instructional video.

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=11890&Category=Electric_Guitars

I think Ibanez make one also, I don’t like Ibanez kit in general however you might ! This is where it is an advantage to go to a store and try out different packages.

On the other hand, people like Fender, Marshall, and Vox all make micro amps which clip to your belt (these are all very small but make an amazing amount of noise).

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=6646&Category=Guitar_Amplifiers

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=10856&Category=Guitar_Amplifiers

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=2348&Category=Guitar_Amplifiers

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=2349&Category=Guitar_Amplifiers

In addition you will want a cable, a strap and some picks all of which you can get at your local music store.

Don’t be afraid to buy on line, it is often cheaper than going to a store however it has two main disadvantages:

1) You don’t get to play the bit of kit before you buy

2) You don’t get to play other nicer / nastier bits of kit which can give you an idea or either what to avoid or what to grow into.

One last thing you may want to consider is a song book by your favorite artist that has chord shapes in the back (though chord shapes are easy to find on line). Make sure that this book contains tunes you a) like and b) know well enough to hum.

And finally....(pauses for breath).. welcome to Guitar tricks .com this place is full of people at all levels of ability, who are usually happy to help enthusiastic beginners.
Good luck

S

Oh yes you may also want to think about a tuner, a spare set of strings and a metronome !

Wow! That's a lot of stuff! Ok, question....If I am having a band like Blink-182 and All-American Rejects (West Coast Punk Band in other words) Is it ok to go with a guitar that you guys talked about for blink fans or should I get one of the others for more "well-rounded" feel. Like I said, that is the only music we are playing. Yeah, I feel very very dumb asking all these questions but you got to learn somewhere right? :)

This is a question only you can answer and to be in a position to do that you probably want to play a few different axes in a few different stores and find one you feel comfortable with. Don’t rely on brand names, they can offer a guide line i.e. a squire will be cheaper than a Gibson, however all guitars are different, even ones of the same model by the same manufacturer. So.... save your pennies, try as many as you can and go shopping !

Have fun

If that's your first guitar , I highly recomend that you take one of your freinds who has more experience with guitars to the store , so that he/she can try them out and help you to choose .... And NEVER EVER trust what the salesman says !

Originally posted by SLY
And NEVER EVER trust what the salesman says !

Yes yes, the man speaks the truth.

Bring a friend who knows guitars, a pick, some food money
and a good mood and you'll have a fun shopping day.
If the salesman do gets in your face:
Wine about how you don't like the fretboard radius, how
string height is too low, how the color is making you sick,
and that the store has a weird smell, and he'll leave soon enough
(Your friend can help you with all the jibberish).
Have a fun day shopping.

Ok, gonna sound very stupid but I am just making sure ok, so humor me. On the focus, It said its for hard rock so that covers punk too right? I know, stupid question, but I don't want a guitar made for nirvana music or rob zombie.

Anyway, I like the focus ones, and they are a good price since I have no money. And I really like the Tom DeLonge guitar and thats not bad either. So I will get the focus one before I get the other one, or vice versa, since the blink-182 one is more expensive and it won't take long to resave up for the focus.

Now about going to a music store to get all my other equipment. You all have said don't trust the sale man (which I already knew because they are like car salesman, all the same). You all have said go with a guitar playing friend or whatever. Problem is, the only guy I know that plays guitar lives like 15 minutes away and his mom would never let him shop with me cuz I'm a girl and she doesn't want him getting into a relationship, which is crap, cuz we aren't gonna make out or something at a store. But yeah, so there's the take-a-friend-to-music-store idea. Have a solution?

Originally posted by blink182fan
On the focus, It said its for hard rock so that covers punk too right? I know, stupid question, but I don't want a guitar made for nirvana music or rob zombie.

You can use almost any guitar for almost any kind of music. You can use a Telecaster for heavy metal or a Squier for neo-classical (OK, maybe I'm taking it a little far there). Anyways, never mind what the description says the guitar is made for; basically it just gives you an idea of what kinds of tones you can get out of it. However, for punk music, you don't really need to get picky with tone.

I can understand how it might feel a little intimidating to go into a guitar store with little or no knowledge of guitars and try to buy one cold. I did that for my first electric and acoustic guitars, and just happened to luck out and get two good quality guitars. In this situation, it may be good to use the salesman, if they're not too pushy. Feel free to annoy him by asking all kinds of questions, and always ask "why?" if he says one thing is better than another. Always be careful of the upsell! If you have a budget, try not to let the salesman convince you to exceed it.

BTW, how old are you? Is there any chance you'd go in with your parents? Generally older folks have a better sense of value, plus you might be able to get their help in getting a nicer guitar.

Finally, don't bank on liking Blink182 forever. At some point in the future, you may want to expand your guitar playing horizons, and you don't want to be stuck with a Tom Delonge one-pickup special. The only reason that his guitar only has one pickup is because he never used the other two on a standard Fender Strat. That means that you can get all his tones and more with a Standard Strat.

Wow, another long post! Looks like I'm starting to rival PonyOne!

... and that's all I have to say about that.

[U]ALL[/U] generalizations are [U]WRONG[/U]

[/sarcasm]

Permalink

Originally posted by blink182fan
Have a solution?

Get other friends of yours and your guitar guy to go shopping with you (I think that should be ok with his mom). :D
Anyway , if you get so frustrated , get the cheapest guitar you can find ... Few months later you'll be able to judge a guitar's playability and tone, so probably you're gonna pick up a new better one (happened with lots of my friends).


iamthe_eggman - Dude, I don't know if going with parents is a good idea ... Actually my father still doesn't know why the heck can this piece of wood with metal pieces , strings and some magnets cost hundreds up-to thousands of bucks ! ;)

Well, for punk music tones I would go for anything cheap that has single-coil pickups. Squiers are really good for a first guitar and they're very versatile. They're used for almost every music style.



[Edited by Lordathestrings on 07-17-2003 at 11:25 PM]

When I said not to trust what salesmen's says at the guitar store , I didn't realy mean anything about lying .

Salesmen are one hell of a MYTH SPREADING source , and most guitar store salesmen I've met in my life donno real crap about music,guitars, or anything related ... Now that I'm somehow experienced with guitars and so , I usualy spend so much time laughing at what the salesman was saying after a visit to a store with a friend or something.
And if I try to correct them , they're very hard to persuade ! ;)

Anyway , when you buy something based on a poor advice by a salemsman or a friend , it's your problem not theirs ... Don't spend so much money on something you're not quite familiar with.

Originally posted by iamthe_eggman
[QUOTE]Finally, don't bank on liking Blink182 forever.

Personally, I'm insulted...kidding..but I do get what you are saying. Going with my parents, not a good idea considering the fact my mom doesn't really think I am serious about this whole thing. Not really supportive...*eye roll*

I do have a fairly good idea of what I am going for. The fact that I hve to learn how to play...I'm figuring the cheaper focus is a good choice until I can play! Good decision right?

Ok, glad I found this site, really helpful. Wish me luck too!

I started playing with an guitar bought in the Sears catalogue, then went with a Hando II strat copy that had a fretboard twisted from all sides.

After 2 years of playing, since I new I was gonna stick with it, I bought a very used Gibson SG, still my main guitar today.

My first amp was a rigged turned table and I'm still playing with a 15 watt roland amp.

All this only to say, get the cheapest guitar and amp you can find, a distortion pedal would be nice but get one used. If you stick with playing the guitar after 6 months, then start thinking about upgrading to something better to play with a band if that's what you're looking for.

I always say to people who want to start playing the guitar to get USED stuff. That way it doesn't cost you a lot. A beginner will not sound better on a 300$ guitar than he would on a 100$ guitar. In the beginning it's all about learning to use the guitar and getting your fingers to work in a different way.

Just trying to save you some cash and if it cost less, your parent won't be too against it. I still remember how this was like, trust me you don't want to run a bill so soon :)

Just a suggestion, as much as playing with a drummer is fun, I wouldn't recommended it in the first months. You'll need a big amp ($$$) for that. Just a mistake I made early on, busted my amp/turntable lol

And one thing, eggman is right. I play trash/metal/rock/blues/classical on my Gibson. The guitar won't make the sound. You will.

take care

[Edited by Benoit on 07-19-2003 at 10:00 AM]

Sage advice from Benoit !

Don’t get carried away by the marketing and hype (propagated by sales men / advertising agencies…these products will improve your: playing/ salary / sex life /will make you play like Van Hallen etc etc), that only serves to part the unwary from their cash ! Just like Marlbro, they wont make you a real man / woman either !

Ebay is a good place to start looking for some of the axes mentioned in this tread thus far. Playing the guitar will really hurt at first, but as you progress the skin on your fingers hardens, your finger become more supple, you coordination improves and your fingers get stronger. Then their is a whole bunch of learning to do !

Daunting...yes, worth it..... every second (IMHO) !

Don’t spend too much at first, you may hate it / find your partner hates it / need to study or work harder than you’d thought in which case you stand to loose cash.

However if you find you love it and progress rapidly , then getting a new axe becomes very exciting, especially if you feel you have earned it.

Ok, you have all helped a lot. I know a lot about the guitars and all that. Now, amps... I need one that's a good quality but, cheap--er.. I know some people have mentioned a few but yeah...

I'm going with the focus guitar, I like it and I showed it to my guitar playing friend and he says its a good one for starting up and he liked it.

I got a cataloge from musician's friend and like American music supply or somthing like that. So if you guys know of any good...cheap amps in those mags, that would be good too! thanks a lot!

Well, I once had a peavey Rage. can't remember the model tho

150 or something like that, not sure

It was pretty good for the price, I think you can get one for under 100$.

It was only a 15 watt but you don't need more than that to jam with other guitarist and to practice.

ok..so...also, what are good amp brands and stuff. That way I can look around and find one on my own if I really need to so I know what's right for me.

Remember, all I need right now is for practice by myself while I learn. I can upgrade later for practice with a band.

Thanks again!

You could just get an amp modeler like a pod or a Digitech RPx or GNXx and a set of headphones. This will stop you upsetting people and also offer a vast range of effects and tones. If you are in your bedroom practicing you really don’t want a Marshall JCM800 full stack!