Electric Guitars

[JaeScheisse]

Does anyone know what brand of guitar is the best? (tier 1-tier X)
I am thinking of getting a ESP LTD EC-10 pack for 199 on gumtree. any suggestions are welcomed. i'd like to keeep my budget to below 300 as i'm only starting to learn

cheers all!

[kiersten]

For me, my Fender Strat - all the way. There is no better. Although I do have so conflict at times & favour my Les Paul, but those two are the best in the biz! Since you're just learning tho, there are affordable alternatives. A lot of people I know that own Fender Strats started out with Vantage Strat copys, which we've all later regretted getting rid of, since they are Fender copys, but still pretty decent guitars at a very affordable price. I got mine for about $200 when I bought it. As for Les Pauls, Gibson Guitars owns Epiphone, who also manufacture Les Pauls & they are affordable as well & can still be called an actual Les Paul since Gibson owns Epiphone. I got my Les Paul for $270 when I bought it about 10 years ago. So there are great options for around or under $300 if you know where to look. My other advice is get to know the guys in the store too, since sometimes they can swng you a deal. That was the case when I bought my Fender, they knocked $100 off of it for me just because I had bought some gear there in the past & was a loyal customer! Good luck & rock on!

[Pilgrim is hot]

have to agree with Kiersten, brought my first guitar about 3 -4 months ago, a Fender Telecaster for about £50 about $80 I think (was a great deal and was second hand). But for my first guitar it's just what I need, sounds great and affordable. The hardest part is transitioning from drums to guitar I'm finding guitar a lot harder lol. In terms of buying one I deffo recommend buying second hand as it is way cheaper and you can always spend more money in the future if you want to.

So yeah Fender is ace

[djt820]

If you're literally just starting, don't buy electric. Buy acoustic. The reason being is that acoustics are more difficult to get a hold of because the strings are tougher to finger. So once you become accustomed to an acoustic, you can switch to electric once you become better and be like "Oh wow, this is easy!"

And DON'T spend over $200. Something like this would be perfect for starters.

[jargon]

Acoustics are a good idea to start with, although being as familiar as possible with both is good. You might be able to find a halfway decent acoustic for VERY cheap and then not feel bad about buying the electric that you really wanted anyways.

As for electrics, I definitely agree that Fenders are amazing. Probably the most versitile sounding electric guitar in my opinion. Gibson sounds nice for hard rock and all, but if you want to be able to play a variety of styles, and get a good sound for all of them, Fender is where its at.

[kiersten]

Another thing to consider is the bass guitar. Everyone wants to play guitar, but not as many people want to play bass, so when trying to get a band together, it can be difficult to find really good bass players. Bass is also a bit easier to learn as well, & I know a few people who started out on the bass & then transitioned to guitar, making it a bit easier to learn. I know where I live, there are few great bass players, & the ones that are great end up playing in two or three bands at the same time (obviously not on stage at the same time tho), so bass is an easy way to pick up a lot of paying gigs if you find the right people & build a rep as a solid bass player. And as for the bass not being as awesome as playing the guitar, I need only point out that Sting (Police), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Geddy Lee (Rush), Les Claypool (Primus) & Marco Hietala (Tarot) all play the bass & are awesome front men to boot, so the sky can definitely be the limit as a bass player as well!

I picked up my Peavey Fury IV bass (with the active pickups) cheap at a pawn shop for about $270, so you can find a good deal on a used bass out there if you know where to look!

[Shevanel]

Originally Posted by djt820

if You're Literally Just Starting, Don't Buy Electric. Buy Acoustic. The Reason Being Is That Acoustics Are More Difficult To Get A Hold Of Because The Strings Are Tougher To Finger. So Once You Become Accustomed To An Acoustic, You Can Switch To Electric Once You Become Better And Be Like "oh Wow, This Is Easy!"

And Don't Spend Over $200. something Like This Would Be Perfect For Starters.

Qft

[Chip]

I'll reinforce Dylan's suggestion. Learning to play an acoustic steel string is definitely the way to go to start. You have to be willing to put up with some pain as you're starting to play because it will take a little time to develop calluses on your fingertips... but once that happens, you'll be able to play pretty much any guitar. If you start with an electric, you'll find it much more difficult to later play an acoustic... and almost every player worth his or her salt will find a place to use an acoustic guitar now and then, regardless of the particular genre of music they play.