Why are beginners associated with crappy guitars?

[frankenbich]

Originally posted by dinrodef The worst thing about beginners... to me... is not their cheap guitars or cheap amps...everybody has to start somewhere It's bad setups ... so painful to listen to a beginner play constantly out of tune cuz he doesn't have proper intonation.

Some guitars especially inexpensive ones can't be setup properly. That's one of the main reasons people should avoid them.

[peavey_impact]

Originally posted by bcjames I was damn lucky and my dad got me a US BCRich for my first, which I stupidly sold on a couple of years back.

:eek: Man I wish I coulda got a USA Rich for my first guitar!!

Instead I got a Harmony POS. God I hate Harmony.

I played the {censored} out of that bitch though.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by bgmacaw It usually goes like this, "Hey Jerry, you know something 'bout guitars, right? Can you look at my kid's guitar?"

LMAO!
How true...

[Mr_GoodBomb]

Would you give a new driver a porsche? Though it sometimes happens, it's a {censored}ing stupid idea.

They might wreck it, and probably will, just like most beginners might screw their guitars up, or more importantly and likely, never really take playing to seriously or get very good.

[markas214]

Most teenagers don't have more than a couple hundred bucks to spend.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by cincy_cosmo I wish I had a nickle for everytime I've seen this....but I've also seen the same thing happen with expensive guitars.

True, too.
I watched a neighbor do this recently. He can't play well at all, and refuses to practice anything to get better...rehashes the same 3-chord sh*t out of tune and off-meter, but bugs the rest of us to "jam" all the time (where he is essentially doing air guitar on a real instrument...horrible). So, he goes out and buys an American Deluxe Strat and a Hot Rod Deluxe, for "cred" and who knows what motivation.
I TRY to be nice...

[dinrodef]

Originally posted by jerry_picker Yeah, it's a conundrum. Players don't understand the concept of set-up and its implications on playing until they gain some expertise. However, they might have gained that expertise faster and with less pain on a guitar that was well set-up. The other factor is that under $250 guitars make paying $40-50 for a full set-up look prohibitively expensive., and a beginner who has no idea WTF her/she is doing shouldn't be mucking around with allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and soldering irons on any guitar.

Yes you're right... but I don't mean first lesson beginner... I mean newbie (maybe 6 months of playing)

For some reason, guitar players disregard the basics.. They skip right past intonating their guitars and go right to half stacks and emgs and multi-efx pedals. This results in covering up or amplifying a bad sound.

Go to any local music scene in the US.. and you'll find band after band like this... thousands of dollars invested in gear... but not a clue how to tune a guitar

[Darylb23]

Originally posted by jerry_picker The other factor is that under $250 guitars make paying $40-50 for a full set-up look prohibitively expensive., and a beginner who has no idea WTF her/she is doing shouldn't be mucking around with allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and soldering irons on any guitar.

Walks in wearing tool belt and goggles ............. what do you mean I cant work on my guitar?

Actually, mine came set up fine as far as I can tell. If intonation means it plays the proper note open and at the 12th fret, then mine is pretty darn good. Action is apparently low but I dont have much to compare with. The only time I get buzzing it is my fault.

I was prepared to have someone work on it if necessary. I guess I just got lucky.

[cfgsteak]

ripvan, what kind of guitar do you play? just curious.

[Pott]

Well I've been playing for a year and most players would be horrified as to how much gear I own, but I did some research before my first guitar and I got a Charvel model 4 for less than a MIM Fender. AMAZING guitar that's perfectly suited for any styles.

After a year, I do my own setups, file my own nuts, bias my own tube amps and do all the electronics on my guitars to my own tastes.

[KATMAN]

My brother bought a cheap Biscayne,kind of like a Walmart brand of B.C.Rich for his first guitar,the action was pretty good,but after six months he litteraly wore the paint of the fretboard,you could see the plywood! After that he got a Kramer Focus,he liked the Floyd Rose but not the guitar.After that a Kramer Baretta,now that was a neat axe.

[EvilThatMenDo]

heh, i dont know about anybody else, but when i got my first electric guitar, i expected it to play itself. i hit a sting and didnt hear a squeel of power and thought, "what the {censored} is this?"

and i think another reason beginners buy cheap guitars, is that they dont know there is better stuff out there until they learn more stuff like by coming to HC for example.

[Tom LP]

Originally posted by Slave_New_Wurld Most beginners buy those guitar sets with a 10watt amp and a guitar stuck together with sellotape. Shouldn't it be the other way round? Really really cheap guitars are much harder to play - more tension in the strings due to bad bridge and neck design, bad tone almost reinforcing how crap you are when you start playing.. I mean, aren't beginner guitars just making learning that little bit harder?

 

 

 

Beginner guitars are a damn site better now than they were 35 years ago. We would have killed for a Strat Pac back then. Beginners today don't know how good they have it.

[xupernaut]

My eldest son the beginner started 2 years ago playing on the Epi Les Paul and Sovtek/Crate half stack I used to have.I couldn't play because my right hand was messed up so I let him have at it.When he wanted an axe of his own I bought him a like new NJ BC Rich Warlock off E-bay for $200 he wanted to be like his guitar idol Mick Thomson from Slipnot
Kids these days don't know lucky they have it. Thats not super expensive gear but it was solid gigabble stuff hardly crap compared to what I had to play at his age.Now that guitar sits in his closet.

[Darylb23]

Originally posted by cfgsteak ripvan, what kind of guitar do you play? just curious.

 

 

 

I hate to even say it around here but I have an Agile LP copy. It is a beautiful black cherry flame. It really is pretty and sounds good to me. It was $159 and appears to be a great deal at that price.

 

I really dont know how good or bad it is because I dont have anything to compare to other than a cheap acoustic I attempted to play a couple of years ago. All I know is I love it and I cant wait to play it every night.

 

Thanks to you though, I am experiencing gas pains for a tele. I want an acoustic next but that tele is killing me.

[Diggsy]

I think a welcome addition for another sticky would be;"So You Want To Play The Guitar;Advice From The HC Community For Newbies Of All Ages".There's a chance some clashes are bound to happen on this one,but I'd love to see the overall direction from the players here......if there's a universal set of points that keep re-appearing.

[redwizard6]

Originally posted by ripvan Just a note. Not all beginners fit this description. I bought myself a cheap guitar for Christmas and have played it almost every day since. The skills are certainly coming slower than I want but I dont at all dislike the learning process. In fact, one of the more enjoyable things I have done in a while. I had no unrealistic illusions about becoming an immediate rock star. In my case, I couldnt justify allocating a larger portion of our family finances to a guitar. Especially when "cheap" guitars have become far more playable than in the past. I dont compare my guitar to the best out there but it plays pretty well.

Absolutely my story too! For sure learning slower than I want but still learning. I got lucky and got a good cheap guitar! Now I can justify lessons since the wife sees I'm really serious and its not just a passing fancy!

[cfgsteak]

Originally posted by redwizard6 Absolutely my story too! For sure learning slower than I want but still learning. I got lucky and got a good cheap guitar! Now I can justify lessons since the wife sees I'm really serious and its not just a passing fancy!

 

 

After playing for at least an hour a day for 8 months, my wife was really cool about me spending some serious cash (for me anyway) on a good guitar. I played the crap out of my cheap acoustic and my cheap electric.

 

We are lucky that we live in a time that a cheap guitar does not necessarily equal a crappy guitar.

[lamppost]

Originally posted by dinrodef If you ever want to help a newbie Show him/or her 2 things Setup their guitar in proper intonation...show them what a guitar is supposed to sound like when it is in proper tune.. .take them through the whole process... make them sit with you.... adjust the neck.... lower or raise the action.... adjust the bridge... check the tuning all up and down the neck That way they feel in control of their instrument... they'll understand it better. Then show the beginner vibrato...show them that they've gotta shake those notes and let 'em ring out a bit... instead of hanging on out of pitch semi-tones or whatever

 

 

Im one of those guys that takes something apart before i can even think about trying it out...after trying this with my 1st guitar a few years back i was lucky enough to have a friend who showed me how to put it back together, tune it, adjust the neck etc. and it gave me a sense of confidence and i know i have learned so much more then i would trying to figure this all out on my own(i doubt i would have gotten the guitar put back together anyhow lol)

 

luckily though, there are decent packages out there for the money. even the little guitars up at walmart are getting some decent reviews.

[L6Sguy]

Originally posted by Diggsy ......if there's a universal set of points that keep re-appearing.

this should be a very reappearing point:







Prince performs at the 19th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, on a $200 Hohner tele copy he's been gigging and recording with for 20+yrs





wax on, wax off.

[L6Sguy]

Originally posted by cfgsteak After playing for at least an hour a day for 8 months, my wife was really cool about me spending some serious cash (for me anyway) on a good guitar. I played the crap out of my cheap acoustic and my cheap electric. We are lucky that we live in a time that a cheap guitar does not necessarily equal a crappy guitar.

 

 

{censored}in' A right we're lucky. enjoy! and appreciate that missus, too.

[rockfan]

Because too many kids stop after a few weeks.
So, you buy a cheapo, let them get started, if they get good then get a better model.
I don't remember too many pros stating they started on a name brand guitar and amp.

[Zen]

Every beginner should have one very cheap and crucial thing...
































MORE COWBELL. I REALLY THINK THEY NEED MORE COWBELL.




Yup. I'm a begginer myself. Thank God I had HC educate me before I bought a guitar. I'm trying to get a soldering iron and a few scrap pots and wires and start doing some mods.















COWBELL GAS m/:mad:m/

[unistudent1980]

Firstly most newbs don't know how to find a good guitar. I sure as hell didn't and pretty much lucked out when I bought my first classical. No one really trusts their judgement starting out, (comfort is crucial), plus they don't really have the tools(konwledge and skills) to test a guitar if its right for them no one knows right of the bat about the truss rod, about adjusting pickup height etc etc. The internet and sites like this are helping with that though.

As for people of intermediate skills going with massive gear I don't really care what they do. After about 6-8 months you should have an idea of your identity as a guitar player. THe only thing I don't like seeing/hearing is people ripping gear because of THEIR limitations.

Honestly I've played maybe 100-200 like trying out in stores and using friends guitars since I started out maybe 6-7 years ago. From $50 pawn shop deals to a Nik Huber Dolphin. I have never thought that a guitar was unplayable that was decently looked after. I could do whatever I do on each of those guitars, the only difference was comfort. Some had flaws yes but you could work around them.

[ArKay]

I think it depends...

The first guitar I bought was one of those typical Yamaha sets. Strat-type electric, gig bag, 10W crappo amp, extra set of strings, etc.

I didn't like this guitar much and I practiced a little here and a little there, but overall I didn't use it much. Somehow it didn't do it for _me_ so no progress was made. I gave this set to my brother.

Then my colleague from work, who has been playing for 20-something years, told me about those (cheap) Les Paul copies which got pretty good reviews here at the database. He got one of those himself and is really excited about this instrument.

I then bought one of those for 110EUR (~130USD). It has become my practice guitar and I'm quite happy with it. I bought another hollow-body and a Strat copy with a Floyd Rose.

The latter is quite frustrating for a beginner because I'm either too unexperienced or the thing simply sucks, how could _I_ tell? It's a pain to tune. Would this have been my very first guitar, I would have given up after a week for sure.

So I think it totally depends. The Paula just does it for me, and I love to play (or learning to play) on it, even though it's still el-cheapo gear. Should I one day feel more experienced and confident I might get an original, maybe.