[Guitar Filter] Help me upgrade to a nicer instrument
December 6, 2008 5:42 PM Subscribe
I bought a no name acoustic guitar a couple years ago on a whim. I've since taken lessons and been given a nicer Ibanez acoustic and a Fender Squire. I'm ready to make a more serious guitar investment, but I have no idea what I'm looking for or how to shop for a good guitar.
I'm considering upgrading both the electric and acoustic, so advise me on either option. Bonus points for amp advice because I know even less about those. More bonus points if you can explain your jargon.
Thanks
I'm considering upgrading both the electric and acoustic, so advise me on either option. Bonus points for amp advice because I know even less about those. More bonus points if you can explain your jargon.
Thanks
Get to a music store and sit down and play some. Figure out what works for what you want to play. Check for obvious problems like strings falling off/getting too close to one side of the fingerboard. Try to make sure it doesn't fret out anywhere with the action set up at a reasonable height (action is the distance from the strings to the fingerboard).
Play things with a 24 3/4" (Les Paul) 25 inch (Carvin/Paul Reed Smith) and a 25 1/2" (Fender) scale length. They feel very differently when you're playing them and going to a shorter or longer scale length may better suit how you play.
What price range are you looking at? Play everything in your price range and below. Really good instruments can be had at just about any price level nowadays, don't settle for anything that doesn't speak to you. Don't write anything off because of its price. I've played Mexican Strats that killed every American Strat in the store at 3x the price.
For acoustics check the same things out. Do you like a lot of high end out of an acoustic and want it to play like an electric? Check out some smaller bodied acoustics. Do you mostly strum an acoustic and want a lot of boomy low end? Check out a larger acoustic.
A lot of people steer towards tube amplifiers and they do sound better, once you get them up to lease breaking volume levels. For playing around in a house or an aparment look towards a tube amp and get some kind of attenuator, or if you want a lot of versatility look for a modeling amplifier from Line 6. It gets 90% of the way to a tube amp sound, at any volume level, and you get a lot of effects thrown in. It's fine if you're playing in Madison Square Bedroom.
Sorry about the stream of consciousness, but there are a lot of choices involved. What kind of music do you play? How much can you spend? Do you want to play professionally? Open mic nights? In jam sessions? In most cases, all else aside, the right guitar will speak to you as soon as you pick it up. Wait for one that does.
posted by mikesch at 6:22 PM on December 6, 2008
Play things with a 24 3/4" (Les Paul) 25 inch (Carvin/Paul Reed Smith) and a 25 1/2" (Fender) scale length. They feel very differently when you're playing them and going to a shorter or longer scale length may better suit how you play.
What price range are you looking at? Play everything in your price range and below. Really good instruments can be had at just about any price level nowadays, don't settle for anything that doesn't speak to you. Don't write anything off because of its price. I've played Mexican Strats that killed every American Strat in the store at 3x the price.
For acoustics check the same things out. Do you like a lot of high end out of an acoustic and want it to play like an electric? Check out some smaller bodied acoustics. Do you mostly strum an acoustic and want a lot of boomy low end? Check out a larger acoustic.
A lot of people steer towards tube amplifiers and they do sound better, once you get them up to lease breaking volume levels. For playing around in a house or an aparment look towards a tube amp and get some kind of attenuator, or if you want a lot of versatility look for a modeling amplifier from Line 6. It gets 90% of the way to a tube amp sound, at any volume level, and you get a lot of effects thrown in. It's fine if you're playing in Madison Square Bedroom.
Sorry about the stream of consciousness, but there are a lot of choices involved. What kind of music do you play? How much can you spend? Do you want to play professionally? Open mic nights? In jam sessions? In most cases, all else aside, the right guitar will speak to you as soon as you pick it up. Wait for one that does.
posted by mikesch at 6:22 PM on December 6, 2008
If you have a friend or teacher whose opinion you trust and who's willing to go with you, bring your friend along. Most important, though, is to sit down and try the guitars and see what feels and sounds right to you.
Keep in mind that you don't buy a guitar every day, and what you get will probably be with you for years and deeply affect the pleasure you get out of playing, so don't be afraid to spend enough to get a guitar you'll really love.
posted by kristi at 6:31 PM on December 6, 2008
Keep in mind that you don't buy a guitar every day, and what you get will probably be with you for years and deeply affect the pleasure you get out of playing, so don't be afraid to spend enough to get a guitar you'll really love.
posted by kristi at 6:31 PM on December 6, 2008
best bet is to take a friend that knows his stuff with you to the store.
I recommending buying a used guitar. You can get a better guitar for the money.
posted by magikker at 7:29 PM on December 6, 2008
I recommending buying a used guitar. You can get a better guitar for the money.
posted by magikker at 7:29 PM on December 6, 2008
And start with how much you are willing to spend. There are solid, good guitars in every price range. I only know about acoustics - but your choices will be different if you want to spend $3-600, $700-1000, or $1000 and over. Don't feel like you have to spend over $1000 to get a good guitar that will serve you well for a lifetime - you don't. When you want one of those, you'll have played enough to know it, and know why.
posted by Miko at 7:29 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by Miko at 7:29 PM on December 6, 2008
For acoustic steel-string guitars, Martins, Taylors, and Gibsons are good, but you just have to feel what it's like to play them firsthand, and hear how they sound to you. If you can get someone more experienced to come along and give you a second opinion as well, all the better.
I don't know your price range, but Lowdens are pretty extraordinary, too.
posted by umbú at 8:21 PM on December 6, 2008
I don't know your price range, but Lowdens are pretty extraordinary, too.
posted by umbú at 8:21 PM on December 6, 2008
(This evolved into a pretty detailed post because I'm waiting on hold; hope you like it.)
This is a spiritual decision. You need to go into a music store and check out each of the major types of instrument, and find something with a tone that really gets to you. I can only give tips on electrics because I haven't gotten into acoustics yet, so here's a micro-buying guide for electric guitars. I'm not going to get into technical stuff too much because that's easy to research; understanding broadly speaking what each major model is "for" is slightly harder.
A good place to start is to take note of what your favorite bands use, but you want to try all of the major types. The two main brands are Gibson and Fender. There are other brands which are quite popular too, but they tend to make a lot of instruments that are closely derived from various Gibson and Fender models in tone and/or appearance, so you're a long way there just by learning about the major models from the two biggies.
Fender's instruments are generally made with single-coil pickups, which means they have a bright and sharp tone. There are, broadly speaking, three major types of Fender instrument. The Stratocaster has a tremolo system (whammy bar) and is popular for blues-rock and pretty much everything else--it's what you get in your head when you imagine an electric guitar. The Telecaster's sound is very bright and metallic and is most often summarized as "country twang," but it's also used by a lot of indie and alternative bands nowdays, probably 'cause it looks cool. I bet a lot of them change the pickups, though, because indie music is not known for its country twang. (The pickups are the main contributor to tone in electric guitars.) Finally, there is the Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Mustang axis; these all have weird tremolo systems, generally sound really good played clean and are very popular in indie music; they're most stereotypically associated with surf-rock. I don't know if it's common to lump these last three together, but I think the connection is pretty obvious.
I know embarrassingly little about Gibsons. Categorically speaking, they've got a warm and dark tone (thanks to double-coil "humbucker" pickups) and are popular in hard rock and metal, in part because they sound good with a lot of distortion, but they can be found in every genre. The two biggest models are the Les Paul and the SG. I don't really know how they differ tone-wise; I think the differences are subtler than the differences between the major Fender models. Gibson also owns the Epiphone brand, and uses it for lower-end versions of their various models. I don't know if it's low-end enougn to call it their version of Fender's Squier brand, but it's definitely a lower tier.
I will also put an unfair plug in for Rickenbacker guitars; these are a second-tier brand (popularity-wise--the quality is mind-blowing) most famously used by The Beatles, The Byrds, The Smiths, REM and Radiohead. The main two models are the 330 and the 360; they're still hand-made (i.e., expensive) and the sound is awesome. Most often described as "chiming" or "jangly," it's just a beautiful tone. There are other less popular brands like PRS and Ibanez that have their stalwarts just as passionate as I, but I don't know enough about them to give my thoughts.
So, in summary, it's incumbent upon you before making this decision to go into a music shop and try at least the following: the Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster and the Gibson SG and Les Paul. No doubt you should explore beyond that, but there's your basics, and give a Rick 360 a try for my sake. Good luck.
posted by abcde at 8:27 PM on December 6, 2008 [2 favorites]
This is a spiritual decision. You need to go into a music store and check out each of the major types of instrument, and find something with a tone that really gets to you. I can only give tips on electrics because I haven't gotten into acoustics yet, so here's a micro-buying guide for electric guitars. I'm not going to get into technical stuff too much because that's easy to research; understanding broadly speaking what each major model is "for" is slightly harder.
A good place to start is to take note of what your favorite bands use, but you want to try all of the major types. The two main brands are Gibson and Fender. There are other brands which are quite popular too, but they tend to make a lot of instruments that are closely derived from various Gibson and Fender models in tone and/or appearance, so you're a long way there just by learning about the major models from the two biggies.
Fender's instruments are generally made with single-coil pickups, which means they have a bright and sharp tone. There are, broadly speaking, three major types of Fender instrument. The Stratocaster has a tremolo system (whammy bar) and is popular for blues-rock and pretty much everything else--it's what you get in your head when you imagine an electric guitar. The Telecaster's sound is very bright and metallic and is most often summarized as "country twang," but it's also used by a lot of indie and alternative bands nowdays, probably 'cause it looks cool. I bet a lot of them change the pickups, though, because indie music is not known for its country twang. (The pickups are the main contributor to tone in electric guitars.) Finally, there is the Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Mustang axis; these all have weird tremolo systems, generally sound really good played clean and are very popular in indie music; they're most stereotypically associated with surf-rock. I don't know if it's common to lump these last three together, but I think the connection is pretty obvious.
I know embarrassingly little about Gibsons. Categorically speaking, they've got a warm and dark tone (thanks to double-coil "humbucker" pickups) and are popular in hard rock and metal, in part because they sound good with a lot of distortion, but they can be found in every genre. The two biggest models are the Les Paul and the SG. I don't really know how they differ tone-wise; I think the differences are subtler than the differences between the major Fender models. Gibson also owns the Epiphone brand, and uses it for lower-end versions of their various models. I don't know if it's low-end enougn to call it their version of Fender's Squier brand, but it's definitely a lower tier.
I will also put an unfair plug in for Rickenbacker guitars; these are a second-tier brand (popularity-wise--the quality is mind-blowing) most famously used by The Beatles, The Byrds, The Smiths, REM and Radiohead. The main two models are the 330 and the 360; they're still hand-made (i.e., expensive) and the sound is awesome. Most often described as "chiming" or "jangly," it's just a beautiful tone. There are other less popular brands like PRS and Ibanez that have their stalwarts just as passionate as I, but I don't know enough about them to give my thoughts.
So, in summary, it's incumbent upon you before making this decision to go into a music shop and try at least the following: the Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster and the Gibson SG and Les Paul. No doubt you should explore beyond that, but there's your basics, and give a Rick 360 a try for my sake. Good luck.
posted by abcde at 8:27 PM on December 6, 2008 [2 favorites]
The Ibanez acoustic sounds like a decent guitar. Most Ibanez acoustics are pretty good from the get-go. Unless you're concerned with status and want to plunk down $600-$1200 for a Taylor or a Martin, I'd stay put on the Ibanez.
The Squier on the other hand, well again, that's more of a status thing too. There are some great Squiers being made now that I'd feel perfectly comfortable with bringing on stage. Some of the older ones had a lot of die cast metal parts and felt cheap but the newer ones are not bad at all. The usually fall short in the area of setup and intonation as well as pickups. The pickups are pretty weak compared to a full blown Fender Strat.
I'd say to avoid the following traps:
1. For electrics, avoid boutique and/or reliced guitars. Boutique guitars (classic ones like a 1957 Stratocaster or a Les Paul gold top) tend to be priced astronomically high and there's a lot of scammers out there. Unless you're prepared to keep it behind velvet ropes, avoid buying them.
2. Same with reliced guitars. Reliced guitars are new guitars that have been beaten up and stressed to look like they've been played in a smokey juke joint in the deep south. They are also the biggest scam in the world. I prefer to beat up my own guitar.
3. Don't go with the first guitar you try. I've made this mistake a lot. When guitar shopping, it's always best to try as many guitars in as short a time possible. If you happen to find "The One" you will know it and remember it out of the 20 guitars you play that day. That's how I decided on my last guitar and I don't regret it.
4. If you decide on getting a Fender, don't get caught up in the Mexican made vs. American made debate. A ton of players (myself included) use Mexican made Fenders on stage and they are fine guitars. Fender players tend to be a snooty bunch and some will only buy American made Fenders believing them to be the finest instruments ever made. They seem to forget that Japan has been churning out some absolutely stunning Fenders and 3/4 and sometimes 1/2 the price.
5. For amps, see#3. People tend to gravitate toward tube amps for their warmer, natural sound but there are plenty of fine solid state and modeling amps out there as well. The trend is toward low watt tube amps since you can crank them up without blowing windows out and get that nice tube sound. I have both and live, I don't even use an amp any more. I play through a Line 6 XT live which models all the classic amps (Marshall, Fender, Soldano, Mesa, etc.,). Let your ears be the judge.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:41 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Squier on the other hand, well again, that's more of a status thing too. There are some great Squiers being made now that I'd feel perfectly comfortable with bringing on stage. Some of the older ones had a lot of die cast metal parts and felt cheap but the newer ones are not bad at all. The usually fall short in the area of setup and intonation as well as pickups. The pickups are pretty weak compared to a full blown Fender Strat.
I'd say to avoid the following traps:
1. For electrics, avoid boutique and/or reliced guitars. Boutique guitars (classic ones like a 1957 Stratocaster or a Les Paul gold top) tend to be priced astronomically high and there's a lot of scammers out there. Unless you're prepared to keep it behind velvet ropes, avoid buying them.
2. Same with reliced guitars. Reliced guitars are new guitars that have been beaten up and stressed to look like they've been played in a smokey juke joint in the deep south. They are also the biggest scam in the world. I prefer to beat up my own guitar.
3. Don't go with the first guitar you try. I've made this mistake a lot. When guitar shopping, it's always best to try as many guitars in as short a time possible. If you happen to find "The One" you will know it and remember it out of the 20 guitars you play that day. That's how I decided on my last guitar and I don't regret it.
4. If you decide on getting a Fender, don't get caught up in the Mexican made vs. American made debate. A ton of players (myself included) use Mexican made Fenders on stage and they are fine guitars. Fender players tend to be a snooty bunch and some will only buy American made Fenders believing them to be the finest instruments ever made. They seem to forget that Japan has been churning out some absolutely stunning Fenders and 3/4 and sometimes 1/2 the price.
5. For amps, see#3. People tend to gravitate toward tube amps for their warmer, natural sound but there are plenty of fine solid state and modeling amps out there as well. The trend is toward low watt tube amps since you can crank them up without blowing windows out and get that nice tube sound. I have both and live, I don't even use an amp any more. I play through a Line 6 XT live which models all the classic amps (Marshall, Fender, Soldano, Mesa, etc.,). Let your ears be the judge.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:41 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the comments so far :)
To answer the questions, I listen to a variety of stuff and would like to be able to play any of it. I was kinda hoping to be able to adjust the sound with the amp or some pedals. I'd like a guitar that can handle a range of rock to metal. Some days I want a nice, clean, David Gilmour sound. Other days Black Sabbath sounds right. As long as I can go in between those I'm happy. Can I do that on one guitar or would that mean getting separate instruments? As far as the sound goes, I can't tell what comes from the guitar and what comes from the amp.
I'm leaning towards spending something like $500. I could go higher but probably shouldn't.
No intention to do concerts, at least for now. It's just a hobby I really, really enjoy.
My guitar playing friends all moved away, otherwise I'd have asked them to come along.
The Ibanez acoustic I have now is a great guitar and it sounds awesome, but the strings are really tight and unforgiving. I can't even pretend to bar chords on it. My cheapo acoustic is much easier on the fingers even though the action is much higher. I'd just like something that's low action and easier to play. Is there any way to lighten up the strings on the Ibanez? I've swapped the strings themselves a couple times, but I just don't know what else you can do to adjust an acoustic.
How much variation is there of instruments of the same make and model? I mean, if I try out one Stratocaster is it worth trying out the one next to it too?
posted by valadil at 9:13 PM on December 6, 2008
To answer the questions, I listen to a variety of stuff and would like to be able to play any of it. I was kinda hoping to be able to adjust the sound with the amp or some pedals. I'd like a guitar that can handle a range of rock to metal. Some days I want a nice, clean, David Gilmour sound. Other days Black Sabbath sounds right. As long as I can go in between those I'm happy. Can I do that on one guitar or would that mean getting separate instruments? As far as the sound goes, I can't tell what comes from the guitar and what comes from the amp.
I'm leaning towards spending something like $500. I could go higher but probably shouldn't.
No intention to do concerts, at least for now. It's just a hobby I really, really enjoy.
My guitar playing friends all moved away, otherwise I'd have asked them to come along.
The Ibanez acoustic I have now is a great guitar and it sounds awesome, but the strings are really tight and unforgiving. I can't even pretend to bar chords on it. My cheapo acoustic is much easier on the fingers even though the action is much higher. I'd just like something that's low action and easier to play. Is there any way to lighten up the strings on the Ibanez? I've swapped the strings themselves a couple times, but I just don't know what else you can do to adjust an acoustic.
How much variation is there of instruments of the same make and model? I mean, if I try out one Stratocaster is it worth trying out the one next to it too?
posted by valadil at 9:13 PM on December 6, 2008
It sounds to me like you might want to pay more attention to choosing a new electric. Most of the music you're interested in is better played electrically, by the sound of it.
Is there any way to lighten up the strings on the Ibanez? I've swapped the strings themselves a couple times, but I just don't know what else you can do to adjust an acoustic.
Yes. You can take it to a good guitar shop and ask them to "set up" your guitar for lower action. A setup is a standard fine-tuning operation for acoustic guitars and most shops should be able to do it decently. They will do what they can, and can make adjustments to the bridge and truss rod to slightly change the angle of the neck, and the height of the strings coming over the bridge, to create lower action. Sometimes this is a tricky operation, so take it somewhere you trust. And sometimes you can get lower action but on a cheaper guitar the lower action might produce more buzz than you want. You just have to try and see. But a setup is much cheaper than a new guitar and may solve your action problem on your acoustic.
Also, have you tried lighter gauge strings? That alone can solve the action/barring problem sometimes, and soften the sound a little.
posted by Miko at 9:22 PM on December 6, 2008
Is there any way to lighten up the strings on the Ibanez? I've swapped the strings themselves a couple times, but I just don't know what else you can do to adjust an acoustic.
Yes. You can take it to a good guitar shop and ask them to "set up" your guitar for lower action. A setup is a standard fine-tuning operation for acoustic guitars and most shops should be able to do it decently. They will do what they can, and can make adjustments to the bridge and truss rod to slightly change the angle of the neck, and the height of the strings coming over the bridge, to create lower action. Sometimes this is a tricky operation, so take it somewhere you trust. And sometimes you can get lower action but on a cheaper guitar the lower action might produce more buzz than you want. You just have to try and see. But a setup is much cheaper than a new guitar and may solve your action problem on your acoustic.
Also, have you tried lighter gauge strings? That alone can solve the action/barring problem sometimes, and soften the sound a little.
posted by Miko at 9:22 PM on December 6, 2008
If I had to have only one guitar, it would be a Strat. It would be a Japanese Strat. (In fact, it would be a 1985 Japanese Strat loaded with Fralin Real '54s and with the trem backed against the wood, not floating - wait, I already have that guitar. Lucky me.)
If I had to have only one amp, it would probably be a Mesa. But if I had to have only one amp that didn't have to make my ears bleed to sound like it was designed to sound, I would probably get a Line 6 modelling amp, or else run a Line 6 Pod XT through a Roland Jazz Chorus (either 77 or 120, depending on how much weight you want to lift.)
If I could have 2 guitars, the second one would be a PRS McCarty model, and I would use it where other guitarists would use a Les Paul. I would probably opt for a pretty one.
The pretty makes it sound better.
Of course, I own 14 guitars, so I am probably the wrong guy to ask. (pretty!)
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:24 PM on December 6, 2008
If I had to have only one amp, it would probably be a Mesa. But if I had to have only one amp that didn't have to make my ears bleed to sound like it was designed to sound, I would probably get a Line 6 modelling amp, or else run a Line 6 Pod XT through a Roland Jazz Chorus (either 77 or 120, depending on how much weight you want to lift.)
If I could have 2 guitars, the second one would be a PRS McCarty model, and I would use it where other guitarists would use a Les Paul. I would probably opt for a pretty one.
The pretty makes it sound better.
Of course, I own 14 guitars, so I am probably the wrong guy to ask. (pretty!)
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:24 PM on December 6, 2008
Response by poster: I am paying more attention to the electric. The one I have now needs to be replaced, whereas the acoustic is just difficult. I'll definitely try getting the Ibanez set up as you suggest. Now the trick is figuring out which guitar stores near by are any good.
posted by valadil at 9:25 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by valadil at 9:25 PM on December 6, 2008
There's plenty of variation. Much more so with acoustics, which have a subtler tone and are much more influenced by their construction, materials, etc. With electrics, you'll certainly be able to figure out the overall sound of a model by trying one example, since the electronics and hardware (which are very uniform) contribute to the tone a lot more than the wood of the body. Better to try a couple of each model in case you got a real lemon, though, or something that's behaving badly for superficial reasons like dirty strings or being tuned slightly too low.
In any case, once you've picked a model, you'll definitely want to try as many guitars as possible of that type and buy your favorite, because even in the case of electrics there are distinct differences between instruments. This is why getting instruments off eBay sight unseen is a bad idea.
And again, with acoustics the craftsmanship on the individual instruments is more important, so the variation between instruments can sometimes be more than between models, and it's worth trying as many examples as possible of each model you're vaguely interested in.
posted by abcde at 9:30 PM on December 6, 2008
In any case, once you've picked a model, you'll definitely want to try as many guitars as possible of that type and buy your favorite, because even in the case of electrics there are distinct differences between instruments. This is why getting instruments off eBay sight unseen is a bad idea.
And again, with acoustics the craftsmanship on the individual instruments is more important, so the variation between instruments can sometimes be more than between models, and it's worth trying as many examples as possible of each model you're vaguely interested in.
posted by abcde at 9:30 PM on December 6, 2008
Ah, you're posting.
Dave Gilmour plays a Strat and really uses the long scale length and the hard maple neck, with bends and vibrato. I think his bridge floats too. He plays through big 6L6 amps, Fenders and Hiwatts.
Tony Iommi plays a Gibson SG with heavily overwound humbuckers through a Marshal. Totally different animal.
You have, in fact, pretty much named the two extreme poles of electric guitar tone. One guitar won't suit you. You will need two.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:33 PM on December 6, 2008
Dave Gilmour plays a Strat and really uses the long scale length and the hard maple neck, with bends and vibrato. I think his bridge floats too. He plays through big 6L6 amps, Fenders and Hiwatts.
Tony Iommi plays a Gibson SG with heavily overwound humbuckers through a Marshal. Totally different animal.
You have, in fact, pretty much named the two extreme poles of electric guitar tone. One guitar won't suit you. You will need two.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:33 PM on December 6, 2008
ikkyu2: Aw, come on, surely someone makes something with a humbucker on the bridge and a single-coil on the neck or something odd like that that can be massaged into pulling off either sound tolerably, for an enthusiast's purposes anyway. Don't discourage him ;)
posted by abcde at 9:40 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by abcde at 9:40 PM on December 6, 2008
Response by poster: I don't have a problem with getting two (though not at the same time of course). It's the girlfriend who doesn't want me keeping too many guitars around.
Now this "heavily overwound humbucker" business, is that something I'd have to get installed or would there be guitars that come with that sort of thing?
posted by valadil at 9:44 PM on December 6, 2008
Now this "heavily overwound humbucker" business, is that something I'd have to get installed or would there be guitars that come with that sort of thing?
posted by valadil at 9:44 PM on December 6, 2008
Try to accept that if you don't know what you are looking for, you will never find it (by definition). I remember when I first started playing guitar, I couldn't really tell what I liked or what the difference was between two guitars. I could tell that they sounded different, and felt different, but I couldn't tell you why. I think you are in the same place -- when you get your first electric you're not really going to know or understand it's finer points. The best thing to do (IMHO) is just dive right in with whatever guitar feels sufficient. Play it for six months and then re-evaluate. Don't spend too much on it, so you can go back and try something else later (if need be).
As a first purchase, you shouldn't worry about pick-ups or bridges or even action. You want to find a guitar that is the right scale: the right neck width, fret length, and weight (of the body). In other words, something that is easy to play. Entry level Fender, Epiphone, and Ibanez will all do the trick.
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 10:17 PM on December 6, 2008
As a first purchase, you shouldn't worry about pick-ups or bridges or even action. You want to find a guitar that is the right scale: the right neck width, fret length, and weight (of the body). In other words, something that is easy to play. Entry level Fender, Epiphone, and Ibanez will all do the trick.
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 10:17 PM on December 6, 2008
Get an American made Gibson SG, strap some .13 gauge telephone cables on it, tune that fucker down to C, buy a Laney stack to plug it into and march off to conquer the universe to the opening riff from Children of the Grave.
posted by The Straightener at 10:26 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by The Straightener at 10:26 PM on December 6, 2008
valadil: "I don't have a problem with getting two (though not at the same time of course). It's the girlfriend who doesn't want me keeping too many guitars around.
Now this "heavily overwound humbucker" business, is that something I'd have to get installed or would there be guitars that come with that sort of thing?"
There are a number of guitars that come with overwound pickups but you can also by one separately and slap it in. I tend not to care too much from one humbucker to the next. Some people swear they can hear a difference but I really can't.
In the Fender line of guitars, you could get a lot of mileage out of a Fat Strat. It's a regular strat guitar with a humbucker at the bridge, single coil in the middle and single coil in the neck. There's a switch to "split" the humbucker and make it a single coil thereby making your guitar sound more strat-like. I have one and it's very versatile and affordable.
If you want a Gibson in a Fender body, get a Fender Toronado. They are simply bad ass with tone to spare. They are going for pretty cheap and are becoming collectible.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:22 AM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Now this "heavily overwound humbucker" business, is that something I'd have to get installed or would there be guitars that come with that sort of thing?"
There are a number of guitars that come with overwound pickups but you can also by one separately and slap it in. I tend not to care too much from one humbucker to the next. Some people swear they can hear a difference but I really can't.
In the Fender line of guitars, you could get a lot of mileage out of a Fat Strat. It's a regular strat guitar with a humbucker at the bridge, single coil in the middle and single coil in the neck. There's a switch to "split" the humbucker and make it a single coil thereby making your guitar sound more strat-like. I have one and it's very versatile and affordable.
If you want a Gibson in a Fender body, get a Fender Toronado. They are simply bad ass with tone to spare. They are going for pretty cheap and are becoming collectible.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:22 AM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'd definitely buy one guitar (not two) right now. In a year, you'll have a much better idea what you want, and the girlfriend is less likely to notice if you sneak them in one at a time.
I'll second KevinSkomsvold's suggestion of a Fat Strat. That was my first guitar and it's still my second-favorite, and it's certainly got a lot of versatility. Mine's a Mexican one and it's just fine, although I have replaced all three of the pickups.
My favorite guitar is a Paul Reed Smith Mira, which has two humbucker pickups that can be split into single-coils and is almost as versatile, although you'll never quite get a perfect Clapton strat tone out of it.
A big part of the reason I like the Mira better is that its neck and scale length fit my fingers better, and it's lighter in weight. So try guitars yourself and see what feels good to you. Think of the thing you currently have the most trouble playing, and try it on each guitar until you find one where it seems a bit easier. List the three most annoying things about your current guitar (physically, not tone or prestige) and find one that doesn't annoy you.
For amps, you have two choices: a tube amp will sound good but only give you one type of sound, and a modeling amp will give you a wide variety of sounds but not quite the quality or the snob factor. I have a Vox AD30VT that can sound (reasonably) like a dozen different amps, and it works great for me since I haven't settled on a particular tone or style of music I like best. At this point I'd rather have lots of different sounds than one perfect one.
I think getting a guitar that feels good to you and is playable is more important than anything. You can swap out pickups easily, and you can hook up all kinds of effects or amps if you're looking for a different sound, but learning to play well trumps all of that. I'm sure David Gilmour could pick up your Squier and play something that would make me cry.
posted by mmoncur at 1:05 AM on December 7, 2008
I'll second KevinSkomsvold's suggestion of a Fat Strat. That was my first guitar and it's still my second-favorite, and it's certainly got a lot of versatility. Mine's a Mexican one and it's just fine, although I have replaced all three of the pickups.
My favorite guitar is a Paul Reed Smith Mira, which has two humbucker pickups that can be split into single-coils and is almost as versatile, although you'll never quite get a perfect Clapton strat tone out of it.
A big part of the reason I like the Mira better is that its neck and scale length fit my fingers better, and it's lighter in weight. So try guitars yourself and see what feels good to you. Think of the thing you currently have the most trouble playing, and try it on each guitar until you find one where it seems a bit easier. List the three most annoying things about your current guitar (physically, not tone or prestige) and find one that doesn't annoy you.
For amps, you have two choices: a tube amp will sound good but only give you one type of sound, and a modeling amp will give you a wide variety of sounds but not quite the quality or the snob factor. I have a Vox AD30VT that can sound (reasonably) like a dozen different amps, and it works great for me since I haven't settled on a particular tone or style of music I like best. At this point I'd rather have lots of different sounds than one perfect one.
I think getting a guitar that feels good to you and is playable is more important than anything. You can swap out pickups easily, and you can hook up all kinds of effects or amps if you're looking for a different sound, but learning to play well trumps all of that. I'm sure David Gilmour could pick up your Squier and play something that would make me cry.
posted by mmoncur at 1:05 AM on December 7, 2008
It's the girlfriend who doesn't want me keeping too many guitars around.
SOs, unless they are also musicians, are notorious for considering instruments needless clutter. This must be disregarded! There is no such thing as "too many instruments" if they are all contributing something unique to your music. It will be a lifelong battle, but it is one every serious player fights...
On the other hand, this is true:
the girlfriend is less likely to notice if you sneak them in one at a time.
So wear her down slowly.
posted by Miko at 6:08 AM on December 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
SOs, unless they are also musicians, are notorious for considering instruments needless clutter. This must be disregarded! There is no such thing as "too many instruments" if they are all contributing something unique to your music. It will be a lifelong battle, but it is one every serious player fights...
On the other hand, this is true:
the girlfriend is less likely to notice if you sneak them in one at a time.
So wear her down slowly.
posted by Miko at 6:08 AM on December 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Don't listen to any nonsense about 'upgrading to overwound humbucking stratfuckers' or that 'you will never get the two sounds above unless you buy two guitars'. There are two parts of the guitar hobby, Playing and Gear. The Gear side of the hobby is fun and interesting, and buying the right things WILL make you sound better and closer to a particular idol if you know what you're up to, but all you really need is a workable instrument (and a nice Squier is certainly that) and a loud enough amp with working EQ.
My brother has an old Fender Squire and it plays and sounds great. It doesn't sound like either David Gilmour or Tony Iommi because neither of us plays as well as those guys. If one of us did, it'd still not sound exactly like those guys. But I can play it in my bedroom and people sing along, or at a gig and nobody in the audience who isn't a guitar nerd can is thinking, "This band is good, but the shimmering crystal highs of that guitar aren't as shimmery as they could be. Maybe he needs a Floyd Rose bridge."
Like bikes, coffe makers, computers, and all other 'premium-able' bits of kit, guitars have an objective "This has good parts and is solidly constructed and is set up nicely" range of qualities, and also a subjective "Phwoar, when I see that beast I just want to play with it" quality. Don't think that the second part isn't as important as the first. For example, ikkyu2's blue guitar doesn't look nice to me* - it doesn't matter how good it sounds (and I'd bet it sounds lovely) I could never be happy playing that model. If you buy a guitar that everyone agrees is a good'un, but you know in your heart doesn't really excite you, then you'll not use it as much. You'll want a guitar that:
1) Sounds nice through the shop's amps in clean and distorted mode;
2) Makes you go, "I want to play that sexy beast RIGHT NOW" every time you walk into the room where it lives.
It's more important to foster enthusiasm than to worry about which guitar has more sustain or resonance or slightly better components or whathaveyou. If you get a guitar that sexes the insides of your trousers, you can always upgrade the bits inside it when you decide to pursue the gar parts of the hobby.
So yeah:
1) Choose a price point
2) Play every guitar up to that price point in a 50-mile radius of where you live
3) Don't buy until you find one that a) feels comfy b) sounds good and c) makes you want to pick it up every time you see it.
It might take a year to find the right one. Your Squier will do you fine until then. It's like dating - you don't think "I'm going to go out and find a long-term girlfriend this weekend." You go to places where potential matches might be, and you meet lots of them, and hopefully sooner or later one will catch you eye and there'll be a tangible chemistry there.
*No offense, Ikkyu! As I say, this part is all subjective. My guitarist would go crazy for that model, it's just not for me.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 2:14 AM on December 8, 2008 [3 favorites]
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Get to a music store and sit down and play some.
Don't listen to any nonsense about 'upgrading to overwound humbucking stratfuckers' or that 'you will never get the two sounds above unless you buy two guitars'. There are two parts of the guitar hobby, Playing and Gear. The Gear side of the hobby is fun and interesting, and buying the right things WILL make you sound better and closer to a particular idol if you know what you're up to, but all you really need is a workable instrument (and a nice Squier is certainly that) and a loud enough amp with working EQ.
My brother has an old Fender Squire and it plays and sounds great. It doesn't sound like either David Gilmour or Tony Iommi because neither of us plays as well as those guys. If one of us did, it'd still not sound exactly like those guys. But I can play it in my bedroom and people sing along, or at a gig and nobody in the audience who isn't a guitar nerd can is thinking, "This band is good, but the shimmering crystal highs of that guitar aren't as shimmery as they could be. Maybe he needs a Floyd Rose bridge."
Like bikes, coffe makers, computers, and all other 'premium-able' bits of kit, guitars have an objective "This has good parts and is solidly constructed and is set up nicely" range of qualities, and also a subjective "Phwoar, when I see that beast I just want to play with it" quality. Don't think that the second part isn't as important as the first. For example, ikkyu2's blue guitar doesn't look nice to me* - it doesn't matter how good it sounds (and I'd bet it sounds lovely) I could never be happy playing that model. If you buy a guitar that everyone agrees is a good'un, but you know in your heart doesn't really excite you, then you'll not use it as much. You'll want a guitar that:
1) Sounds nice through the shop's amps in clean and distorted mode;
2) Makes you go, "I want to play that sexy beast RIGHT NOW" every time you walk into the room where it lives.
It's more important to foster enthusiasm than to worry about which guitar has more sustain or resonance or slightly better components or whathaveyou. If you get a guitar that sexes the insides of your trousers, you can always upgrade the bits inside it when you decide to pursue the gar parts of the hobby.
So yeah:
1) Choose a price point
2) Play every guitar up to that price point in a 50-mile radius of where you live
3) Don't buy until you find one that a) feels comfy b) sounds good and c) makes you want to pick it up every time you see it.
It might take a year to find the right one. Your Squier will do you fine until then. It's like dating - you don't think "I'm going to go out and find a long-term girlfriend this weekend." You go to places where potential matches might be, and you meet lots of them, and hopefully sooner or later one will catch you eye and there'll be a tangible chemistry there.
*No offense, Ikkyu! As I say, this part is all subjective. My guitarist would go crazy for that model, it's just not for me.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 2:14 AM on December 8, 2008 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Amp-wise I like a lot of the simpler tube amps. Fender Blues Deville or Blues Junior. I own 2 Epiphone Valve Juniors (head version, played through cabinets I made). I like the valve juniors because they are pretty low wattage (5 watts) - this is plenty loud enough for almost all situations you might be called on to play in, it's *plenty* loud but also it's not so loud that I can turn it up and play in the sweet zone (most tube amps do not sound their best at the low end of their amplification scale, you want to get to the part where it starts to distort nicely). Someone I know swears by Blackheart amps - they have some amps very similar to the Valve Junior but better made and with a few more features. The valve junior is like an old fender champ but made in china, pretty cheaply. It has one knob (volume) and a switch. I think it sounds OK though.
Guitar wise, I really don't know what to tell you. Most people who play guitar seriously own at least a few guitars and I don't know anyone who doesn't own one of:
Fender Strat (american if possible, but mexican strats are ok also)
Fender Telecaster
Les Paul of some sort, or maybe a Gibson SG
posted by RustyBrooks at 6:09 PM on December 6, 2008