Thinking about an electric.....

Hi all

Situation is, I have a £200 Tanglewood acoustic that I am learning on and generally enjoying, but i'd like an electric to practice on as well, just to see how well I get on with it/prefer it.

Looking around at Guitar shops in Gloucester (where I live) they seem to have a wide variety of prices.Thinking of spending around £250. Any recomendations/ones to avoid?

I've got a dirt cheap Chinese electric guitar which I changed the strings on and now it sounds terrible, but that came with a cheap amp. Would a really cheap (£50 for guitar, amp, cable etc) amp be ok or do I need to be thinking about a better amp as well?

Thank you for any help!!

Originally Posted by: chrispike306

Looking around at Guitar shops in Gloucester (where I live) they seem to have a wide variety of prices.Thinking of spending around £250. Any recomendations/ones to avoid?

[/quote]

What style of music do you want to play? What is your current skill level & what are your musical goals?

[quote=chrispike306]

I've got a dirt cheap Chinese electric guitar which I changed the strings on and now it sounds terrible, but that came with a cheap amp. Would a really cheap (£50 for guitar, amp, cable etc) amp be ok or do I need to be thinking about a better amp as well?

What kind of guitar is it? A copy of a Strat?

Anyway, you can get a great beginner electric guitar & amp as a package from Fender or Epiphone for about $200. Examples:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratPkBSB--squier-strat-pack-sss-brown-sunburst

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PPEGEGL1VSCH--epiphone-les-paul-player-pack-vintage-sunburst

I strongly encourage you to go to a local music store & try several guitars. There's no substitute for putting your hands on an instrument to see which one feels good in your hands, against your body.

Hope that helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success guitar shopping! :)

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

Originally Posted by: chrispike306

Looking around at Guitar shops in Gloucester (where I live) they seem to have a wide variety of prices.Thinking of spending around £250. Any recomendations/ones to avoid?

[/quote]

What style of music do you want to play? What is your current skill level & what are your musical goals?

[quote=chrispike306]

I've got a dirt cheap Chinese electric guitar which I changed the strings on and now it sounds terrible, but that came with a cheap amp. Would a really cheap (£50 for guitar, amp, cable etc) amp be ok or do I need to be thinking about a better amp as well?

What kind of guitar is it? A copy of a Strat?

[br]Anyway, you can get a great beginner electric guitar & amp as a package from Fender or Epiphone for about $200. Examples:

[br]https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratPkBSB--squier-strat-pack-sss-brown-sunburst

[br]https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PPEGEGL1VSCH--epiphone-les-paul-player-pack-vintage-sunburst

[br]I strongly encourage you to go to a local music store & try several guitars. There's no substitute for putting your hands on an instrument to see which one feels good in your hands, against your body.

[br]Hope that helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success guitar shopping! :)

[br]Thanks Christopher!

[br]The one I have its a Strat. I really like the look of a les-paul, I am planning on going to a local shop to get one, just wanted a few informed opinions first!

[br]Music wise, mostly rock, 70s/80s stuff mainly. I would LOVE to be able to do improvised solos, air guitar style, but for real! I am currently finishing off the GF2 course, and will start Rock 1 as soon as I do.

Originally Posted by: chrispike306[br]The one I have its a Strat. I really like the look of a les-paul, I am planning on going to a local shop to get one, just wanted a few informed opinions first!

[br]Music wise, mostly rock, 70s/80s stuff mainly. I would LOVE to be able to do improvised solos, air guitar style, but for real! I am currently finishing off the GF2 course, and will start Rock 1 as soon as I do.

You're welcome!

I think the Epiphone is a better choice knowing that you want to rock 70s-80s style. :) It's Gibson's inexpensive version of the Les Paul style guitar. The humbucker pickups will get you closer to the rock sound.

It's also a slightly shorter scale length than the Fender Strats & Squiers. That means the frets are slightly closer together. That's either good or bad depending on each person's fingers & preferences. That's why it's really important to try before you buy. It's possible to get Strat style guitars with humbuckers in the bridge position for a rock sound.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratPHSSCAR

Have fun guitar shopping. :)

For more versatility (let's say you wanna try different genres like Blues, Rock and Metal to see what you love playing the most), you can get an affordable Squier Strat in your budget, and upgrade one of the stock single-coil pickups to a single-coil-sized humbucker. That way, you retain the rest of the single-coils for that bright sound, while also having a humbucking pickup at your disposal for a heavier/full sound required by rock/metal.

All the best!

If you are interested in a Les Paul look take a look at Epiphone Les Pauls. I recently bought a Epiphone Les Paul Studio for my daughter (cost me £200) and I was really surprised how well it played and looked.[br][br]https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Studio-LT-Ebony/1X0I

Personally, I enjoy playing Ibanez and they have some great value guitars in RG and S series the price range £200-300

[br][br][br]

Since you live in England have a look at a Yamaha PAC112V Double Cutaway Electric Guitar

Rating http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/yamaha-pac112v-electric-guitar

$400 in Canada or L220

For this price you can get nice Yamaha Pacifica. Check also everything from Cort[br]https://musicsquare.co.uk/118903g_Guitar-and-Bass-Electric-Guitars.html[br]https://www.gear4music.com/Guitars.html[br]https://www.sweetwater.com/c590--Solidbody_Guitars

Should have updated this!!

Went and tried a few guitars. Ended up with a 2nd hand Yamaha AES 620. Also bought a 30W amp with some effects built in (NUX frontline 30)

Got a lovely stand so i can see my guitar and pick it up and play it!

Thanks for all the suggestions