Advice on my first elec guitar?
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
I'm really thinking about finally getting myself an electric guitar. I have the Rocksmith game on my PC that I plan on using to learn. Main reason I wanted to go this route is because I can use headphones and not disturb anyone. (or let anybody hear my terrible learning)
Are those First Act guitars or those sort of "beginner" guitar kits (like you see at Walmart/Target/etc) decent for someone like me?
I'm trying to get something that stays as close to $100 as possible; not interested in spending more than that on something that most likely will end up in a corner collecting dust.
Not much is important to me. I have no reference on feel or sound cause' I don't have any experience. Really don't care about sound cause it'll all be through the Rocksmith game anyway.
I just want something that might be considered "easier" for a beginner when it comes to like the feel of the strings - I have smallish hands and the abuse on my finger tips really turned me off when I tried to learn acoustic in the past.
So if those beginner guitar kits aren't ideal, is there like..some well know brand or model or whatever that is known to be good for beginners? -
@guatecoop Mar 2022
Hey @splittybooms the way that I did it worked for me. I got a guitar that I wanted and would want to play. That has worked out great for me, as I have always been drawn to it and it plays well. I also like the sounds that it makes. When I was considering buying one, I asked my friends to go down to the guitar shop with me to play it, as I couldn't play guitar at all. I ended up buying a 1980 Gibson SG in 1993 I think and paid 4 monthly payments of $107 on layaway. This year, that same SG was the guitar that I played almost exclusively. I have many other electric guitars now, but ended up playing that over and over for many different styles and sounds. So, I would strongly suggest to get something good, but also a guitar that you are drawn to playing.
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@vomvorton Mar 2022
Agreed with @guatecoop that you should aim for a certain level of quality as nothing will put you off learning quicker than a badly made guitar that is not comfortable to play or won't stay in tune etc.
The good news is that it seems to be much easier to get a decent guitar for less money now than it was when I was learning! I've heard good things about most of the entry-level Squier guitars and also the Harley Benton ones. I haven't actually played either so would be interested to have that confirmed by somebody who has, but they seem like solid brands for getting a good starter guitar. -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
Thanks, you two.
I was wondering if peeps would say that - get something decent that feels good instead of just any old thing. Makes sense, especially the point about playing on something bad all around would turn me off most likely.
Wish I could go back to 93'!
So something like this?
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Limited-Edition-Bullet-Telecaster-Electric-Guitar-Lake-Placid-Blue-1500000219366.gc?source=4WWMWXGL&storeCode=&source=4WWRWXGL&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7uRBhDRARIsAFqjulkM5CAHxx66CG5-uZoiJXn00josTzLVBgOqO9ev2a_mQODhFsc5v8gaAkmPEALw_wcB -
@toms Mar 2022
The beginner kits from Fender etc. are absolutely not worth anything, they are just trash and not really playable instruments, and the same goes even more for things like First Act, that's just throwing away money, really. You need to spend enough to get something that is playable. The best student quality guitars I know of are the Gretsch Streamliner guitars - e.g. the G2210 which you can find used on Reverb for 250 + shipping. I have played one of those and I own a G2220, which is the same guitar with a different neck pickup, and they are fully playable decent student instruments. My 2 cents anyway! :)
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@toms Mar 2022
Oh, @splittybooms I have a squire tele very much like that (different color) and they almost all have fret hang (where the edges of the frets are not flush with the next so they shred your hands as you play) and QC tends to be questionable, and it'll need a set up anyway, just FYI, but if you are comfortable taking care of those issues you can make them sound pretty good and it is a tele of sorts after all. :)
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@toms Mar 2022
(And I got that squire tele at a pawn shop for 100 bucks.)
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@cheslain Mar 2022
With cheap brands the quality often varies a lot when it comes to finishing. Whatever you choose to get, have it set up by a professional. Proper set up can make all the difference in playability.
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@guatecoop Mar 2022
Yeah that is probably an even bigger point--it must play well, have decent action, and stay in tune. Even if I got the most amazing guitar, it would be cancelled if it didn't check off those details. Good point @vomvorton and @toms .
@splittybooms , what kind of guitar do you like? That would be a good place to start, as there are so many kinds that not only look different, but play and sound VERY different from each other. I went with an SG because Ian from Fugazi played one and a bunch of other people too. I liked that sound. I absolutely am not a Stratocaster person, but I love Telecasters--both Fenders but very different in nearly every way.
What sounds would you like to get? Who do you like the sound of and what are they playing? So many questions....sorry, but it is kind of a make or break deal with a FIRST guitar. -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
Ok, so even for someone like me who isn't even sure I'll touch the thing 6 months from now, those beginner kits are still a bad idea because they might deter me even further from continuing to learn. And whatever I get, I need to take it somewhere and have it set up by a pro. And I take it frequent re-tuning is a turn-off as well.
Understood.
What should I look for when it comes to "feel"? Is it as simple as "does this hurt my fingers less than the other guitars?", or is it more complex than that? -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
Sorry, I guess I could just go watch youtube vids or read articles; just wanted to get some insight from a community I'm already familiar with and trust is all.
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
my cuz just told me he has an Epiphone Les Paul he's looking to sell for $120. what do you all think of something like that?
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@vomvorton Mar 2022
You should find that any electric guitar hurts your fingers less than an acoustic. If the opposite is true, then you found a really bad one :)
I don't totally agree that a first guitar has to have the perfect look / sound, as long as it's functional in the key ways then it'll give you a good idea whether it's something you want to keep working on. If you CAN get the full package then it's a bonus of course...
@splittybooms my only concern would be that Les Pauls can be kinda heavy which maybe isn't ideal for starting out? But if you live close enough to try it out, seems worth a go. -
@phenola Mar 2022
Gibsons and Epiphones (same thing) generally use a shorter scale length (24.75" as opposed to the much more standard 25.5"). This puts the frets slightly closer together, and may suit smaller hands. A lot of women seem to prefer Gibsons for this reason.
I would recommend re-stringing with nines (i.e. highest treble string gauge .009 inches). Most guitars come from factories with tens instead (.010"), which will require more pressure to fret. Some would recommend eights (.008), but I wouldn't suggest those because you're likely to be doing a lot of chord strumming early on, which is an activity which tends to break strings quite quickly.
In my opinion, $100 guitars are necessarily going to have some quality control issues, in particular the phenomenon of "fret sprout". You can fix this yourself with judicious use of sticky tape and a file, but you need to be careful. The point about getting it set up professionally is a fair one, but a setup could cost close to the value of the guitar in the first place, so you have to budget for that.
I don't know much about specific affordable brands these days, though. -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
haha ok, so there's no getting around the finger pain of learning a guitar...sigh, gotta just suck it up.
I was thinking more along those lines about the quality and stuff, too, @vomvorton...but I also 100% see where everyone is coming from about buying something decent to start out with, or i might get turned off quicker.
Makes total sense and I agree...but I also kinda wanna just see if I even WANT to learn guitar.
So your point plays to that mindset.
I think I'll ask my cuz if he'll let me try it out, maybe even for a week, then I should get a good idea not only if the guitar is good for me, but if guitar PERIOD is for me! lol
Thanks all - I have a good idea now of do's/don'ts when looking for a beginner/used/etc guitar!
(tired of all you super cool guitar players always making cool guitar songs and stuff and things...sounding all guitary...with your sideburns and long hair...get offa my lawn! :) -
@vomvorton Mar 2022
sounds like a great plan @splittybooms - if you can get a trial run then it'll give you a good idea of what you do / don't like about that particular guitar, as well as playing guitar in general. I think I didn't really figure out what kind of guitar I liked or wanted until I'd been playing for about ten years, haha.
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
Ah, ok good important info about the strings, @phenola thank you! My smaller hands is my main concern, so that's good news about the epiphone. And anything that is easier on my fingers, I'm gonna try to pursue. I remember taking my other little cousin's guitar into Guitar Center (major chain here in US) to get the action fixed and restringed (restrung?) and it all cost me about 50 bucks. I'm willing to pay that much. I guess one would say why don't i just spend $150 on a good new guitar then...but eh - this'll help my lil' cuz out by buying this off him, so whatever right?
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@jwhanberry Mar 2022
@splittybooms Good advice so far. One thing I've seen with cheap guitars is that they are hard to tune. You said "frequent re-tuning is a turn off". It is also necessary. All the guitars in the world are going out of tune as we speak! You want one that will tune up easily. Include a tuner in your budget. The clamp on ones are quite convenient. If it's not in tune, it won't sound good wherever you put your calloused fingers.
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
@jwhanberry ah ok, so re-tuning is just part of the guitar life, got it.
I do have a clip on tuner that I bought for my uke - that works, right?
Calloused fingers...oy lol NOT looking forward to that. Any advice on that front? -
@carleybaer Mar 2022
@splittybooms take the Les Paul! That's my favorite style of electric guitar, and a great price. Some people die on the Fender hill but I'm not one of them.
In terms of "feel," when you know, you know. The right guitar is gonna make you want to play all day, because it feels good. The wrong guitar will feel like joyless work. There's a whole world of options between the two, and what works for one person may not work at all for another, so you kinda gotta try a bunch and find what feels good to you.
But I'd still take the Les Paul. :D -
@gardeningangel1 Mar 2022
@carleybaer I've loved many Fenders in my lifetime but there is just something about a Les Paul <3
I'd check pawn shops and used/consignment sections of local music stores. You definitely want to try before you buy if at all possible. Even the same make/model will have differences from one guitar to the next.
A well set-up electric should be much easier on tender fingertips than an acoustic. As others have mentioned, find something that feels good to play and the callous building will happen naturally. -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
awesome - thanks!
It would be ideal if I could go around and try things out, but I'm def probably going to buy my cousin's les paul - he is gonna let me try it out for a week!
I know that will eliminate the important part of trying out many different guitars to see what feels good, unfortunately. But at least I can get a feel of THIS one to see.
Most important take away now is getting it set-up...I will definitely do that.
Actually kind of excited now. Really hoping I can get into it and stick with it.
Thanks again, everyone! -
@toms Mar 2022
@splittybooms I have small hands, and my most played guitar has a tele neck. Also, it really bugs me that GC charges so much for restringing and set up. Restringing is easy and since if you play a lot you can go through strings really quickly ( when I was playing out regularly I'd get a new set every night), and setting up a guitar is also easy, just need a tuner and the right wrenches & screwdrivers. About string gauge, I use 008 for the high E, not sure if this is true but with smaller hands and smaller fingers the really light gauge just seems easier to play. They also sound better for recording. For a while I was even using Billy Gibbons Dunlop Super Fine 007-038, and yeah I broke a lot of those, but there is a reason why Gibbons uses such light gauge. Finally, when you do get your guitar, if you have tuning issues, give us a yell, because low cost guitars almost always have tuning issues caused by friction at the nut, and that too is easy to fix. I totally recommend as well that you go strum a few guits at your local Guitar Center.
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@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@splittybooms That sounds like the best way to go especially since your cousin is willing to let you try it out for a while first. I recommend everyone always learn to do their own setups as well as everyone will want them in a different spot/strings size they're comfortable with/etc/etc/etc forever it can be as complex of a thing as you want to make it, or as simple as just being in tune while you learn some cowboy open chords.
It is a pretty amazing time to learn guitar... for under $200 there are SO MANY great options especially if you can do(or are willing to learn to do) some of the final touches yourself. When I started $200 MIGHT have gotten you a straight neck connected to pressed board with faulty electronics :D Hope you enjoy it! -
@toms Mar 2022
Post a picture of the Epi LP!!! :)
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@scottlake Mar 2022
If you are in the US, I recommend SX guitars from Rondomusic. Better than Squier quality for about 2/3 of the price. You can even follow some online instructions about how to file the fret ends if they are sharp using cheap files from Harbor Freight and ‘safing’ them.
Alternatively, if you live near a decent sized city shop for a used Yamaha Pacifica. Should be able to find one for around $100. Straight up proper strat copies way better than Squier -
@jwhanberry Mar 2022
@splittybooms Your tuner should work. You may have to push some button to make it look for guitar notes rather then uke notes.
Callouses are a process. Just keep playin'. Someday you'll stop and say "Hey, that didn't hurt so much." I've even gotten some little fingerprints back. -
@netnoise Mar 2022
I bought an Epi LP Special-1 for my son and it's quite a nice guitar for the money. At some point, you'll probably want to upgrade the tuning machines and maybe dress the frets but all in due time. The nice thing about these instruments is you can improve them over time with low-cost upgrades. Best of luck.
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@nadine Mar 2022
You have to ask yourself how badly you want to learn guitar. If it's just a try and you don't care if it fails, going with $100 is okay. But don't be bummed if the feeling is okay'ish, the string don't stay in place or knobs are weird. If you have serious intentions to learn, I'd rather save some more money and go to a shop. Try different forms until you found something that suits your fingers and is comfortable to hold.
I played a session of Rocksmith with my best friend who bought a Harley Benton. It's nice that you play a real guitar, learn how to tune and hear songs you know. But the order of the lessons was a bit awkward. My first impression was that you can learn chords and songs, but you don't learn notes and have no control about correct posture and techniques. What bothered me the most was that songs were original tempo and with effects, so even being two simple powerchords on 150 BPM, I'd wish i'd learn on 60 BPM until I hear that I play clean. This is why I decided to start with a teacher.... and he said acoustic first to learn clean playing. But well, everybody's different. -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
I can second @scottlake 's recommendation for https://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html
If you end up not liking your cousins or just for anyone else that may be thinking about a cheap yet quality guitar.
The stuff won't be perfect by any means, but in my experience nothing leaves his shop that isn't already at least perfectly playable. Their inventory changes all the time as well. -
@phenola Mar 2022
> Yamaha Pacifica is a great guitar for a beginner.
My first electric was a higher-end mid-90s Pacifica (512). I have no experience of the modern models, but I was extremely lucky with that guitar. I have nine guitars now, and that Yamaha is still the easiest to play out of all of them. It also has a superb bridge pickup with the highest output level of all the guitars in my collection.
Frets are knackered though. 28 years of playing will do that. :/ -
@toms Mar 2022
@dzdandcunfsd and @scottlake some of those are so good looking - it's amazing what you can get at the student level these days. Not exactly a Teisco tulip!
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@zecoop Mar 2022
@splittybooms - Another recommendation for guitars off Rondo Music. I have both SX and Agile guitars from them and are happy with them all. I have seen tons of positive reviews for the Yamaha Pacifica as well, which looks like a great guitar. :)
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@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@toms right! I had a Del Rey that I adored and paid not a whole lot, but relative to todays prices quite a bit for... whew was it a clunker.
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@johnstaples Mar 2022
Fun thread! Hey @splittybooms you've made an excellent choice! I've played an LP since 1977 and even though I own several others including a Strat, the LP is always my goto electric!
You are about to have such fun my friend!!! Keep us posted on your progress! -
@andygetch Mar 2022
Yes the tips and suggestions in this thread takes me back to buying my first electric. Remembering some of the pitfalls with guitar purchase. Oh, and the trade-offs between price and playability. A budget Epi Les Paul was my first electric guitar and I got a lot of playing out of it until I figured out what I really wanted to do on guitar.
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@timfatchen Mar 2022
@splittybooms I'll throw my hat in. Not a Gibson or look alike unless you have smallish hands because of the shorter scale length. My first electric was a Squier Bullet, barely played though about 15yo when I got it. $120 for guitar, SP10 amp, hardcase. My daughter now has/uses it. Subsequently a Squier Affinity, needing repair. Bought a Yamaha Pacifica (also a few year's old) for grandson & liked it so much a Pacifica is now my go-to. All these are down the budget end--although my current Pacifica cost $200, Indonesian made from memory--and the Bullet would originally have been a starter kit. Because they were older=second hand, did not have any of the fret overhang etc issues others are going on about. And also, were largely set up (and youtube exists to show you how!).
My guitar playing skills are limited and the Pacifica meets all my current needs. If I were to splash large amounts of money, it still wouldn't improve my playing! -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
Hmmm...lots of additional great stuff; thanks everyone!
I do indeed feel like right now, I'm only at the "just a try and don't care if it fails" stage like @nadine mentions. So I think I'm gonna see how this week with the Epiphone goes and just go from there. I also agree that I need to get out there and get my hands on multiple guitars to feel the differences for my small wimpy hands lol (great suggestion about taking a guitar player with me if i do so) I may think this les paul feels good, then get my hands around something at guitar center or pawn shop for around the same price and love it more. But for now, I'm gonna look forward to the epihpone.
I shall rely on youtube to see if fiddling with a guitar maintenance-wise is something I feel comfortable doing (lol I always get an image of a string snapping while I'm trying to put it on and just taking my eye out). I could see myself finding it fun.
Those suggestions on the rondo store will definitely be something I look at if I find I'm really getting into learning/playing and want to upgrade...especially since so many good things said about the Yamaha and SX...and those prices are looking good. Also good to hear encouraging things about the les paul.
I should be getting the les paul soon today, which means I'll be playing like Ernie Isley by the end of the week....right? :)
Thanks everyone for your input and encouragement and offers of expertise. Really hope this goes well! -
@zecoop Mar 2022
@splittybooms - I must also say that I love my Epiphone Les Paul a lot.
They are like children, tbh… you just love them all, lol -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@zecoop and some more than others :D
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@splittybooms also not a guitarist (but I am vowing to change that via 50/90!), I have to chime in amused about "not looking forward to callouses". There was a time when I spent several months in a row playing with my guitars and taking lessons, about 8 years ago, and I just started to get some callouses. Then over holidays I tried to do some fine bead/needlework I'd been looking forward to. Had this experience where I had the needle jammed into my fingertip instead of the work, I'm pushing and twisting it around and not knowing why I don't see the needle coming out the other side of the fabric. Dawned on me finally - do I really want to continue this instrument?! Because I can't feel the ends of the needle!!
* goes back to lurking *
Edit: Yes, take a guitarist shopping with you. I always did. You can't hear the voice of the guitar unless it's in the hands of someone who can play. -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@elainedimasi If I'm acoustic guitar hunting(something I will not buy without playing first unless I can freely return it) I always have someone else play it as well just so I can listen... if I already like how it feels and plays anyway.
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@berni1954 Mar 2022
The budget end of the guitar market these days is incredible. Asian made guitars were usually crap when I started out in the 1970s, but nowadays you are unlucky if you get a guitar with a problem from what I call the new big three Harley Benton (from Germany) Sub-Zero from England and East Coast also from England. They all stock Asian made guitars under their brand name, but they have a reputation to keep up and so the quality is generally up to a decent standard. The East Coast Guitars are particularly great value for money. Their Telecaster style guitars start from around your price range. If you can find out whether the manufacturers market their guitars in the US under another name, I would highly recommend you check them out.
Here is a link to the amazing guitarist Dave Simpson playing a top of the range East Coast Gold Top Les Paul that cost about $200
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwd7frmCHwM - Listen to his 50 minute jam after he talks about the instrument and you'll see why I am not using hyperbole when I say Dave is "amazing". -
@dukongp100 Mar 2022
The way I do it ( may not be suitable for your circumstance, situation etc )
I go to a second hand shop and look at what I think I would like. Then I ask to try it. Usually I buy it unless it’s horrible.
But I’ve found that if I like it enough, I’ll happily play it even with its flaws. Not to be looking for the perfect in the imperfect…
More like I’m cheap and don’t wanna spend too much money :D -
@toms Mar 2022
I think we might need a "share a picture of your first guitar" thread. :)
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
Bit of a delay with my cuz, so wasn't able to get it yesterday; should have it this weekend.
Good to continue to read that the budget market is good; I'm also a cheap-o, so I can see myself staying in this range even once I start looking for a new guitar. I'm hoping, though, that I won't see a need to upgrade.
I'll never be playing out anywhere (not my thing), and the one I'm getting seems to be thought of favorably, so the sound should be good enough for what I'm gonna use it for.
I think I'm set!
I'll def add a pic once I get it.
Also...I...kinda really really like how...cute all those little boxes are - y'know the pedals and stuff. Yes, I said "cute"...I dunno, they just look really cool and I would love to just have a lot like on display on a shelf or something lol
I may be in trouble when it comes to my bank account if I really get into this... -
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@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@splittybooms Its arguable, but when it comes to an electric as long as its playable(straight neck, no jagged or wonky frets to tear your hands up or buzz, stays relatively in tune and intonated/etc) 95%(or more) of your tone is from pickups/amp/speaker(all interchangable things)... or whatever plug-in/amp-sim/virtual cab/etc stuff someone may use (that stuff is getting REALLY good, but I know very little about it)
I've long been very outspoken about learning how to do all your own maintenance/upgrades/repairs and then other than looks or just wanting that brand new shiny there is no need to ever go out of a certain price range.
Those cute little boxes are an absolute blast :D but the same thing applies. There are clones of almost every circuit out there you can get for VERY cheap to at least try and see if it is something you would like to invest more into. That's the rabbit hole that gets me, I've got A LOT more money in pedals than I do in guitars, even though I can wire up a few basic circuits, but I still can't resist the new shiny there LOL -
@wolfkier Mar 2022
Musician's Lore states that a first electric guitar should be:
1) stolen
2) borrowed from somebody with more guitars than brains with no intention of ever returning
3) inherited
4) traded/bargained for in a PAWM shop with something else equally unfit for purpose (or paid very very little for) -
@scottlake Mar 2022
Do not buy pedals yet. Buy an amp sim multi fix unit first.
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@wolfkier Mar 2022
Amp? Yard sale.
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
^^ Except, buy a looper pedal :-)
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@toms Mar 2022
I say buy every single pedal you can! Most of them will be disappointing, some will be so very bad that you will never use them again, but even so, you will sometimes line them all up and take pictures of them and admire all of the colors and obsess about proper signal path and you will regret it if you ever sell your 1979 block logo MXR Distortion +... uh I mean if you ever sell some random pedal that you totally loved because you were broke and homeless just saying, it's a good way to spend your life...
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@phenola Mar 2022
My pedal collection consists of one wah-wah unit. I consider them overrated.
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@johnstaples Mar 2022
@splittybooms listen to @berni1954! That is such an excellent point! When I bought my first electric (Harmony Rocket) it was an "ok" guitar but mostly cheap guitars were crap. Fast forward to today and there are AMAZING low-cost guitars coming from China and other countries that are as good as the expensive stuff I bought so many years ago!
Oh and @scottlake is right! If you are not playing out then maybe a copy of Guitar Rig (or something cheaper as that one will cost the same or more than your guitar!)
Have we discussed amps yet? You're gonna need an amp unless you can connect directly to your computer which maybe someone here can comment on as I have yet to do that.
So for an amp, I am a Fender man myself. I have an original Fender Super Six Reverb circa 1975. It has 6 10-inch speakers delivering 100 watts rms. It will rattle the windows, frighten the neighbors and possibly sterilize you! YOU DO NOT NEED ANYTHING LIKE THIS!
But maybe something like this would make a great starter amp?
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Frontman10G--fender-frontman-10g-10-watt-1x6-inch-combo-amp -
@guatecoop Mar 2022
Oh lord @johnstaples YOU JUST HAD to go THERE, eh? Oh my. Well now we all have to regroup…..hahaha. I was certainly thinking it the whole time
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@guatecoop Mar 2022
So I’m going to be the guy who says that (in my opinion) plugging into an amp and hearing it out loud is better—especially starting out. I can’t imagine myself being drawn to playing into a computer with an amp modeling plugin when I was starting out on guitar. For the record, I still can’t, but some need to because of noise restrictions. But amps are sooo much fun and can inspire a song right off. @johnstaples started it….
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@standup Mar 2022
Well, @splittybooms original plan was to run the guitar through the Rocksmith game, which only takes a USB to guitar cable.
I love amps.
But getting started, maybe that's the easy way to go. -
@zecoop Mar 2022
@guatecoop knows FAR too well, that although I am a BIG amp lover, I also love the option of playing into headphones with a plethora of effects at my beck and call (yes I know what a plethora is). I have had a PodXT since 2003 and STILL use it occasionally. There is nothing wrong with emulating sounds - amp, speaker and FX. Placed in a the mix of a song, 99% of the people will likely not know it is not the real deal. I have had TONS of people ask me over the years what amp I was using, when I was playing through my PodXT. If it sounds good, it sounds good - period.
Now, as a guitar player, there is something VERY different about actually playing through an amp and feeling the feedback and interaction of your playing and the speaker.
On my 'heavy metal song with metalfoot this year, the main part of the song was through an amp - the guitar solo was through my PodXT. Unless I told you that, you wouldn't know. Do what you can afford, what fits your situation and was you feel comfortable with. :) -
@johnstaples Mar 2022
@zecoop yes, playing in front of the Fender Super Six modulates my bloodstream in a way that makes me play better. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking with it!
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@johnstaples lol
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@zecoop Mar 2022
@johnstaples = Yep, hahaha
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@timfatchen Mar 2022
Ampsampsamps: because I'm no longer playing out, my big amps (which are both keyboard amps and therefore can cope with bass guitars too) barely/rarely get used. This is a 178yo building with no foundations and while it can cope with local earthquakes, I don't want to try its temper _too_much... I use an SP10 (Squier) and an epihone equivalent bass amp for audible use, but most of the time the bass, guitar or cigarbox, like the two go-to keyboard/piano, go to the mixer before they go to the computer. It's easier to fiddle. Oh, the fiddle also goes to the mixer, for the sanity of the house and Macci the Dog. A good mixer is a wondrous thing. Behringers work fine down the bottom price range.
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@nadine Mar 2022
Talking about amps... Is it important to have a hardware amp and to learn how to set up?
I already own software amps and know roughly how to deal with them. But I have no idea how different hardware amps are from software cause I never got my hands on real ones.
Just asking cause I may switch to electric guitar next year or later. Playing live ain't my thing. -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@nadine Important? Not really, but it really is like trying to tell someone what type of underwear they should be wearing. If recording a whole other host of factors get involved, room sound/mic type/mic placement/etc... The biggest difference will be unless you get a modeling amp there will be no presets, and why my favorite amps will always just be a simple valve amp with a volume knob and maybe a 3 band eq and FX loop if I'm feeling super fancy. Sculpting a sound from there is what all those knobs and switches on your guitar are for... and all those cute little boxes IMO.
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@toms Mar 2022
Along with my first guitar I got an amp from the neighbor's basement, a 1960 Gibson GA-5T, which is a small tube amp in the 5 watt range and back in 1976 no one thought they were worth anything, so he was perfectly happy to part with it, and oddly I used it for about half of FAWM this year. :) Recording with a real amp is harder than sims, and sims these days are getting so good...but it really is just a lot more fun to play when you can turn it up a bit, and I have some big amps, too, but then I think about the neighbors... :D But nothing like that amp John!!! Good golly!!
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@toms Mar 2022
FWIW I started a Facebook group for pictures of first guitars :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1109837766536730/
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
Thanks for the amp advice, all. But no, I'm not looking to use an amp at this time.
All DAW all the time for me for quite some time. When and if the time comes for an amp, I'll seek everyone's advice.
I do have have Guitar Rig! I use it on my VST guitars and even use it on synth leads - I love it.
BTW, I got the guitar yesterday! Just been busy with work so I haven't even been able to take it out the case yet; can't wait till work is over today!
Also, thanks @nadine about the insight on Rocksmith - I did read some reviews that said it might not be the best for an absolute beginner, but I'm thinking that plus youtube will be a good combo.
As far as the little colorful boxes go, if I get to that point, I'm sure the community will have plenty insight when the time comes. Insight into counseling sources to help with my addiction and also financial advisors to get me out of debt, that is. -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@splittybooms Glad to hear it! I do hope you enjoy it. I avoided guitar for a long time, because most guitarists I knew were pretentious egomaniacal pricks. I was young and didn't just equate that to a human thing, though the guitar does seem to draw more than its fair share of people like that. As far as pedal support groups... with me you'll only find an enabler :D
@toms Even in the 90's those amps were super cheap and nobody wanted them. I always liked them and wish I'd of picked one up, but I would of sold it by now LOL. -
@splittybooms Mar 2022
hmm dunno how to post a photo lol
aaand I also reported my own post cause I hit the wrong button lol...oy
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPf0iw5ZB2n4rZTFNCk720FJlzH0bcxBHffqOv-
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOjiSmzsSK-8w5Sf_rqLSovH8GWrsPERhS50ClL -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@splittybooms the file has to be hosted on the internet(even if its the fawm hosting) and the link has to end in the filetype .jpg or whatever I think is all that needs to be done.
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
Like this?
Ah, did it!
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
So far all I've done is fiddle with Rocksmith to finally get it working right, and tried to play an E chord.
I'm already hurting lol
My left wrist and forearm ache just from trying to get my fingers in place to be ON the strings head on...THIS...not even the finger pain (which is already bad) is what deterred me in the past. Its like I can't curl my hand enough, and its extremely frustrating already!
I read that doing some wrist mobility stretches before and after can help, as well as only having short sessions with the guitar. I also finally learned that holding the guitar where its tilted back so you can see what you're doing is bad - which I was doing.
But I'm still not able to get a clean strum with that E chord. The bottom of my hand is still hitting the 1st string and making it mute.
Well, I won't be detailing my journey here on a play-by-play basis, just wanted to share the pic and how my first day went.
It hurts to type. lol -
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
@splitybooms that's a perfectly lovely guitar! You can always tune it to an openE and take a slide to it with it on your lap... each fret will be a power chord. The best bit of advice I can give is there is no right/wrong way, play it how it's most comfortable. Good luck!
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@andygetch Mar 2022
Nice!
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@splittybooms I understand completely. One of the reasons I gave up ~ 8 years ago was back pain, I never learned to find a relaxed way to sit and hold and so I never felt like trying to practice after a day at work. I am starting up again this season and think I've found ways to be more relaxed in posture so that I don't wind up tense and distracted. My goal is to come out the other side of 50/90 with clean changes on 4 or 5 cowboy chords.
I spent 9 years watching my (now ex) husband learn guitar from zero. He said one time, "You decide your fingers can't go on here. Then you see a huge guy with huge fingers all mashed together on the frets, playing like a god. And next you see a 12yo girl with tiny hands, playing like a god. And you get that that shape of your hands is not an excuse :-)"
Good luck! Oh and wish me luck! Because how much easier is it to go back to my keys and DAW and make noises that are worth the trouble :-) -
@nadine Mar 2022
I tried different guitars until I found something that works with my slender hands. It took me 5 weeks to find a good posture. Tilting into all directions for days and finally realising that I need a footrest. I'm still struggling with some fingernails not being short enough to hit from above and I cannot make them shorter for biological reasons. Guess it's the trouble everybody had in the beginning...
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@nadine "tilting into all directions for days" yes! I see this in my future! And I am trying to cut my nails shorter every time, not liking it one bit.
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@timfatchen Mar 2022
@elainedimasi @nadine classical school pianists weren't allowed nails! (click, click, jam....)
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@timfatchen I already think I don't have nails. I wear contact lenses and never liked stabbing my eyeballs. If my nails grow 1.5mm past the quick on the inside they start to bug me. But what I thought were short nails, are not short enough for this!
And the idea of making my left hand nails all short like that and my right hand nails long for classical guitar picking gives me brain cooties. -
@nadine Mar 2022
@elainedimasi Lol, I had wonderfully long polished nails until I started to play guitars. So I cut my left ones down and left my right long which worked very well in the first 4 weeks. Now they're all ran down by obsessive heavy strumming and I have to use picks.
Good luck on finding your position! -
@timfatchen Mar 2022
@elainedimasi I used to resort to banjo picks which hurt (!) until I realised my fingerpicking was so bad that no-one would notice the buzz of fingerpicking without nails! Playing electric, I use strum and nail-less picking for some sounds, and a plectrum for loud'n'clear. It's still pretty terrible :D
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
@dzdandcunfsd and @andygetch, I think so too!
All the best wishes, @elainedimasi! Hope you can find this new position you discovered remains fruitful and we'll hear some guitar from you come 50/90. That's a good point about the different spectrums of hand sizes that have mastered this friggin painful instrument.
A footrest!!! Hmm, that may be the key for me, too! I'll have to try that, cause no matter what I do, the 1st and 2nd strings are never clean-sounding.
Can I borrow someone else's hands, please???
(i also trimmed my nails, which I used to be in the habit of doing for my piano...didn't really help lol) -
@phenola Mar 2022
When I started playing, my left hand was so awful that the only way I could change chords was by *manually* repositioning my left hand fingers *using my right hand*. I actually had to take my right hand off the instrument and use it to wrestle my useless left hand fingers into position.
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@elainedimasi Mar 2022
@phenola I will not shy away from doing that if need be!
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@phenola Mar 2022
One other thing I'll say is this: Don't underestimate the usefulness of even beginner-level guitar within the wider context of music production. It's a live instrument, in a world of grid-locked, sterile MIDI events. I've done tracks before that have been purely electronic MIDI-fests, and in an attempt to add a little more soul to them I've grabbed an acoustic guitar (an instrument I don't even particularly like) and just chugged away on some chords in a rhythm that reinforces the feel of the piece. This is a surprisingly helpful device for thickening the texture and improving the rhythmic feel of something.
There are various movable three-string triad shapes for major and minor chords which you can play anywhere on the neck, which will serve just as well as full-blooded barre chords for this purpose. Or just use two- or three-string power chords. They'll still give you a useful rhythmic punch. Even repetitive single notes played in a suitable rhythm will contribute a lot to the feel of a composition. My opening track from two years ago was a faux 80s TV heist theme, based around an ostinato guitar line. This line ran for pretty much the entire piece, and contained a grand total of two (2) notes. That track is one of the best things I've ever done.
Finally, if you're using a fancy DAW that allows you to fix timing errors, you don't even need to be able to play in time (ask me how I know).
If you're trying to produce tracks rather than pass an examination, just about any level of skill at all has significant utility, in my experience. -
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@toms Mar 2022
People associate a footrest with classical players, I guess electric players are too cool for them, but a footrest is a really good thing, a cheap way to make life much easier, at least in my experience. Because, yeah, for years I was too cool for one. :D
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
I'm not cool in any way, so not a problem for me being caught with a footrest!
I do have visions of some little noodling in my electro-fests in the future, @phenola. Looking forward to the possibility.
That's a long way down the line, though.
Oy...my little uke was way more forgiving than this... -
@elainedimasi Mar 2022
I'm small enough, that I'm uncomfortable in a normal chair without a footrest even without a guitar. I've taken to standing up [insert complaint about how much I had to choke up the guitar strap! I think I sewed it] (electric only) or, sitting on a steamer trunk that's low to the floor.
That said, I do have a little folding guitar footrest thing. Don't remember buying it - maybe I accidentally stole it from someone :-) -
@zecoop Mar 2022
@splittybooms - pain is the number one reason people stop guitar soon after they quit. that's the first thing I tell people usually, since you just have to work through the pain and play enough to get callouses before you can play without discomfort. You'll get there. That is every January for me, haha.... I did a *little* better this year getting ready for FAWM earlier. Good luck and keep going! It gets better. :)
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@splittybooms Mar 2022
Thanks, @zecoop, gonna try.
I'm a wimpy baby whiner so I'm only able to go about 10 minutes at a time so far. Yesterday, I learned the A chord and was trying to go between E and A. Fingers were screaming. Still can't curl good enough to not muffle 1st and 2nd string. But...10 more minutes to look forward to today...and so on...and so on.
I'm looking at my Yamaha keyboard like "You'd never hurt me like this..."
I'm not a tall human, either @elainedimasi...i'm curious how standing would feel, but I gotta buy a strap first. -
@toms Mar 2022
Standing generally helps with arm and hand position, for me. 10 minutes a day sounds really good!
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@zecoop Mar 2022
@splittybooms - 10 minutes a day? Sounds about right to me! You have to work your way up. I’m definitely much more comfortable standing. I’ve never done well playing guitar or bass while sitting. And I learned exactly like you are. I learned the E chord then learned the A chord. Went between them for a while. Then added the D chord and went between then. Then added the G chord… then the C chord, etc. You’ll get there!!
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@headfirstonly Mar 2022
+1 on the footrest thing. I've used one for years.
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@siebass Mar 2022
I'm way late to this party, but all I was going to say was something cheap enough that if you play it for a week and never again you aren't filled with regret. As many said, Squier lineup is a good place to start (as is Epiphone). I gigged on a $100 SX jazz bass for almost a decade because I like the tone. Quality is present in the bargain bin for sure, and then no heartache if you hate it.
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@siebass Mar 2022
Man, I had a footrest for when I was kid learning classical guitar...those were the days....Now I just rest my foot on my acoustic guitar's hardcase, lol.
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@aflinner Mar 2022
As someone who has worked at the local music store for 11 years, I’ve helped a lot of people find their first guitar/(insert instrument here). My advice is this:
1) Especially for electric guitar, there are a lot of style variations. But while some may be a better tool for this job or that, they will all do the electric guitar thing. If at first glance something speaks to you about the instrument, that is a good indication that it’s a good one for you. That initial spark probably means it’s one you will want to pick up, use, practice, and enjoy.
2) Check out some reviews, and then take them with a grain of salt. People don’t always know what they’re talking about, but if enough people say the same thing, or say that the product is made well or poorly, that information is good to have. But don’t get too lost down the rabbit hole of comparing things online and pouring over specs—there are millions of guitars out there, and you will be happy with thousands of them. Which brings me to my next point.
3) Shop local if you can. You dan’t truly know what an instrument feels and sounds like until you play it, and your local music store may surprise you with what they have in stock. And if they’re good, they will be able to help you find the right instrument for you anyway. Do you really like this guitar, but the action feels a little high? Let them tweak it. Are the frets sticking out a little? Ask them to file them. Would you be disappointed if your local music store went away? It might just do that if you never shop there. Plus, if you see something new or used that you like, but is beyond your current budget, and you don’t wish to finance, they may have layaway options.
4) Finally, in general, if you want high quality, go with a reputable name brand with good quality control. That doesn’t mean an off-brand guitar won’t be really nice, or that a big name will necessarily be perfect out of the box every time. But it is a really solid place to s -
@aflinner Mar 2022
…solid place to start. Hope that helps!