Members volvo1800 Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 get a burns if your in the UK the batwing is about that price and is a fa-nominal guitar. http://www.burnsguitars.com/ high quality, american wood selection, korean or UK build depending on the model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wax4213 Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 I've been fairly impressed with the 80's-90's Peaveys I've played, but not always the pickups. And I'll also second the Schecter recommendation, however I understand your dislike of the looks. My RG5EX1 plays and sounds good (surprisingly so really, and my trem stays in tune quite well), and while it doesn't inspire me like my other guitars, I keep it around because I can't get anything better for a price I'm willing to pay. And my mods definitely killed the resale value After a few years of playing, I've discovered more and more things I dislike about my guitars. The ultra-thick poly finish on my MIM Strat kept bugging me so I'm in the process of refinishing it, but it's a lot of work and I'm procrastinating. Frankly, if I were to go back, I'd buy a used low-mid end guitar (good Squier, cheap Epi, something along those lines) that I could sell for about what I got it for once I got to the point where I knew what I should really look for in an electric. Pickups, fret size and number, neck shape/size, nut width, bridge style, scale. I didn't know anything about these when choosing my first guitar. It's worth having some experience before buying a good guitar, or have a good guitarist help you with your purchase. IMHO of course. Good luck! Let us know what you choose, NGD threads are my favorite. Aside from build threads of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Schtang Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Buy any guitar with 6 letters in it's Brand name, they tend to be the better guitars. 6 letters in the name, always goodGibsonFenderIbanezYamaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammerthehammer Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 i like the idea of yamaha but really can't get excited about their pacifica range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cuppster Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 You really can't go wrong with one of the classic shapes - Strat, Tele, LP, SG. Practically anything you can find in a guitar store in those shapes will be a fine first guitar. And don't overthink it. It's not a used car, just just a slab of wood. Play it for a while; if something is misaligned it will be painfully obvious. Test all the moving parts; if something doesn't work right it will be painfully obvious. Plug it in and try all the pickup positions and all the knobs; if something is broken it will be painfully obvious. Look at it; cosmetic flaws will be painfully obvious. Spend 20 minutes with a guitar, and if there's nothing wrong with it and it's comfortable to play, then that is a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t1r2u3s4t Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Every guitar is different, even within the same brand same model. Play it before you buy it. Focus on the neck, if you don't absolutely love the neck move on. Bow the neck a little, check tuning again, if it's way out of tune, not a good sign. Play up and down the fretboard with the guitar being in tune to make sure of no buzzes anywhere. Sure you can sometimes adjust the buzz out, but there is no warranty in that. Double check the neck heel for any sign of crack on the wood or the paint. For a new guitar I don't tolerate any crack. On a used guitar I might take the risk with the paint crack. Try bending the string to detect sign of fretting out. If you fret out too much, then you'll probably need a flatter radius neck. Play the guitar standing and sitting to make sure you like the profile of the back of the neck, as your hand positions are likely different. One last one on the neck, see if there is the dreaded neck drooping problem when wearing on the strap. I like my guitars to sound good unplugged, in the theory that if it sounds good unplugged it would have the potential to do well with the right pickup. Check to see if the strings, especially the high ones, move on the bridge when strung hard. Plug the guitar into clean channel of a good amp, try all the pickup positions and the whole range of volume and tone control. If they sound nice and balance, they will probably do well distorted. If you're buying a guitar with tremolo, you tend to get what you pay for. Any test you do know won't really reveal durability problem down the line. Just make sure that the bridge posts are nice and perpendicular to the wood surface and bridge knife edges are sharp and rust-free. Don't forget secure the tremolo arm and you buy the guitar. Now check the whole guitar head to tail for any wear or damages. Check the strap buttons carefully for sign of cracks. Double check the lower button to make sure that the guitar hasn't been dropped into the button and push it into the wood. Those probably won't matter playability as you already tested, but they probably bargaining power. Last but not least, choose the color that you want. One can repaint a guitar, but that may change the way it sounds. Have fun picking one, and don't rush it.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members clay sails Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 i like the idea of yamaha but really can't get excited about their pacifica range They make quite a few other types -- many of which are good guitars. Folks on this forum are correct when they say that feel is crucial, however "feel" is often quite subtle (it took me years to know what I liked the feel of). Your best bet is to play dozens of guitars, then buy a versatile guitar with a respectable brand name, sink at least $300 into it, and keep open to the idea of someday getting a different kind of guitar as your preferences become more acute. Don't expect to hit a grand slam the first time out -- most of us keep a closet full of guitars as "backup" in case one breaks during a bedroom jam session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cuppster Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 They make quite a few other types -- many of which are good guitars.Folks on this forum are correct when they say that feel is crucial, however "feel" is often quite subtle (it took me years to know what I liked the feel of). Your best bet is to play dozens of guitars, then buy a versatile guitar with a respectable brand name, sink at least $300 into it, and keep open to the idea of someday getting a different kind of guitar as your preferences become more acute. Don't expect to hit a grand slam the first time out -- most of us keep a closet full of guitars as "backup" in case one breaks during a bedroom jam session. I can't tell you how embarrassing that is. Especially right in the middle of noodling random riffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammerthehammer Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 You really can't go wrong with one of the classic shapes - Strat, Tele, LP, SG. Practically anything you can find in a guitar store in those shapes will be a fine first guitar. And don't overthink it. It's not a used car, just just a slab of wood. Play it for a while; if something is misaligned it will be painfully obvious. Test all the moving parts; if something doesn't work right it will be painfully obvious. Plug it in and try all the pickup positions and all the knobs; if something is broken it will be painfully obvious. Look at it; cosmetic flaws will be painfully obvious. Spend 20 minutes with a guitar, and if there's nothing wrong with it and it's comfortable to play, then that is a good one. haha. put like that, it all seems painfully obvious. seriously. thanks so much for all of your help so far. I'm currently getting quite excited about the prs se range, which seems in my budget and, from what i gather, quite reliable in terms of qc. Ideally something with humbuckers but without a tremelo arm. I'm sure they do one like that. Again, thanks so much for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 i like the idea of yamaha but really can't get excited about their pacifica range I have a Yamaha hollow body. There isn't one bad thing I can say about it and it was maybe a $400 guitar new. I bought it for $239. The finish is great, the setup is nice, the pickups sound terrific, it stays in tune forever. If I had to give it a knock, perhaps I would say that it doesn't have as much personality as some guitars, but its dead solid reliable. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammerthehammer Posted July 23, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 23, 2009 I have a Yamaha hollow body. There isn't one bad thing I can say about it and it was maybe a $400 guitar new. I bought it for $239. The finish is great, the setup is nice, the pickups sound terrific, it stays in tune forever. If I had to give it a knock, perhaps I would say that it doesn't have as much personality as some guitars, but its dead solid reliable. EG Oh wow! I'd never really considered a semi-hollow but i have to say, that's an extremely nice looking guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members golias Posted July 23, 2009 Members Share Posted July 23, 2009 Best possible deal for a first guitar is this: Watch your local Craigslist for the a Fender Squier Strat, USA Peavey Predator, or Yamaha Pacifica, to sell for $50. Buy it. Go as high as $75 if you must. You might have to "lie in the weeds" for a while to catch a deal like that, but they come up all the time if you are patient. Have an experienced guitarist go over it for you and fix any issues, then play the heck out of it. A couple years from now, when you are ready to move on to something better, you'll be able to sell it for almost exactly what you paid (adjusting for inflation) and will have essentially rented a guitar for FREE for however long you had it. Use the money you saved by taking this advice to buy a KICK-ASS amp. Learning the electric guitar is a lot more fun if you enjoy hearing the sounds it produces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members golias Posted July 23, 2009 Members Share Posted July 23, 2009 most of us keep a closet full of guitars as "backup" in case one breaks during a bedroom jam session. If a string breaks when I'm playing the guitar in my bedroom, I re-string it. Backups are for the stage. Nobody wants to watch you re-string a guitar in the middle of a gig. And if you mean you're sometimes breaking the entire guitar in your "bedroom jam sessions", I really don't want to know what you're getting up to in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted July 23, 2009 Members Share Posted July 23, 2009 As an absolute beginner, I'd say run far, far away from this forum and find a friend or local guitar teacher you can trust to look at guitars. You'll get as much harmful as helpful advice as a noobie here and the more information you try to absorb (but don't have the frame of reference to truely understand and accept/reject) the greater chance you'll make a bad decision by taking a bunch of factors into account which are absolutely and excessively unneccesary at your skill level. Just keep this in mind: your first electric will not be your last electric. Everything else will work itself out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tag Intel Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 I hear that yamaha and schecter have really good quality control. I really can't stand the look of schecters though and for whatever reason can't get excited about yamaha's pacifica range. My guitar budget would be max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bluesidae Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 I have a Yamaha hollow body. There isn't one bad thing I can say about it and it was maybe a $400 guitar new. I bought it for $239. The finish is great, the setup is nice, the pickups sound terrific, it stays in tune forever. If I had to give it a knock, perhaps I would say that it doesn't have as much personality as some guitars, but its dead solid reliable. EG Wow EG - you keep bringing up the hollow bodies - Good on you. Creating GAS for the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dougie.Douglas Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 First time round? I'd go for something simple. Maybe a Squier strat or tele. I have recently bought myself a Squier Telecaster std and I honestly like the feel of the guitar better than my Dean ML which cost, what, 4 times as more. Also, looking for an amp, the Roland Cube is a very good option (Already seen people on here mention them, they are great amps). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted October 20, 2009 Moderators Share Posted October 20, 2009 If you're in the UK go to http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageadvance.html Choose the one you like the look of the most, then find your local Vintage dealer and go and buy it Job done:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Don't get too fussy about it. Just use your instinct - there are a lot of perfectly good guitars around. For a relatively cheap but good instrument, I don't think you can really go wrong with one of the Squier CV telecasters or strats - they have all been pretty good when I've tried them, although the finish on the 50s strat is a bit like a suntan line. The tele is the top of the bunch there. Vintage is a good make, as is Tokai, and Epiphone. Nearly all the Gibsons I've tried have been fine, and most of the moaning about them is bollocks - over inflated expectations etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.