What guitar should I save for

[ducttapemaster]

i am just a lowly beginner and would like to learn guitar but what should i get the FENDER AFFINITY SPECIAL STRAT WITH FRONTMAN 15G AMP
or the FENDER STARCASTER STRAT PACK

[Myke013]

Well I'm surprised you're going for a Fender as a begginer. My first guitar was an XCC, which was terrible. A Yamaha Pacifca is a good electric guitar for beginners, and can be good even when you get skilled. I got mine for £50, admitedly second hand.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Gigmaker-EG-Electric-Package/dp/B000WFNH9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1247001106&sr=8-1

That's a quick search I did on Amazon, and that comes with a GA-15 amp, Gig Bag, Chromatic Tuner, Guitar Cable, picks, instructional DVD, strap, strings and a tremelo bar.

Just compare prices, because with either of those Fenders you are getting a good quality guitar, and Yamaha are good for being decent quality at reasonable prices.

I personally love the Gibson Firebird. I've played one, I can't afford one right now but I have a Tokai Firebird.

http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww107/Myke013/DSC00005.jpg

[Koolpenguin89]

That question is almost impossible to answer, as every person looks for different things in a guitar, and every guitar does not fit every person. My suggestion to you would be to go down to your local Guitar Center (http://gc.guitarcenter.com/locations/cities.cfm?state=Arkansas), or any other store, and tell the salesperson what price range your looking at and what style you will play most. Then he will give you a few different guitars to try out. Look for one that is the right size for you, which includes weight, balance, fretboard length, fretboard width, and neck thickness. Play through a few licks on each guitar and find which one feels right for you. If none of them really click with you, tell the salesperson and he will help you find the best one. Remember, the guitar picks the player, not the other way around.

Dylan

[Jakekilgore]

i think you should check out some ibanez, they have amazingly good guitars for cheap

[Nonsensical studios]

I had the privelege to talk to my local AV/Guitar God and he told me that starting with an acoustic guitar is good, because then electric is easy to pick up from there.

[ducttapemaster]

I had the privelege to talk to my local AV/Guitar God and he told me that starting with an acoustic guitar is good, because then electric is easy to pick up from there.

yes but my musical taste is leaning more towards electric grunge, rock, blues, ect.. and the action is lower so it doesnt hurt your'e fingers as much.:D

[jpeenut]

my first guitar was a strat

[theradoreo]

Please don't complain about it hurting your fingers. haha

My first guitar was a Squire, but I think you should stop by Guitar Center and talk to some of the sales people. All of them where I live are really nice and helpful.

[ducttapemaster]

Please don't complain about it hurting your fingers. haha

My first guitar was a Squire, but I think you should stop by Guitar Center and talk to some of the sales people. All of them where I live are really nice and helpful.

ok that was a bit woosy but actually the one i am leaning more towards is a squire but it is still owned by fender:erik:

[Jakekilgore]

the best thing is to start out playing a guitar with high action, your fingers will build up strenght way more

[ducttapemaster]

hmm... thhat's true but i'm still pretty sure i want electric

[theradoreo]

Yeah, I started on electric and I can play acoustics fine, but I guess it depends on how much you play, etc.

[Koolpenguin89]

I played an acoustic for 2 years before upgrading to a strat, and i think that experience is invaluable. That being said, not everyone has the finances to buy a new guitar every year or two. If you do choose to start on an electric, i highly recommend against squier. Yes they are owned by fender, but that means nothing. You can find much better guitars for the same price as the squiers. Epiphone, like squier, is an spin-off company making guitars overseas, but some of their guitars are much higher quality than squier.

Dylan

[jugglingfreak]

This

http://images.guitarcenter.com/products/optionlarge/SquierbyFender/307564jpg.jpg

/thread

[tambrm1016]

As someone who's been a musician both professionally at times, and as a hobbyist for over 25 years I can tell you that it doesn't matter which guitar you buy. Go to guitar center and try out the Epiphone, Yamaha, Ibanez, and Squire pack type guitars. Then buy the one YOU like. you get a great deal buying one of the combos with the amp and accessories. It won't sound all that great, but it gives you what you need to start learning.

Don't spend a lot of money until you "Get over the hump" Most people get discouraged early on and quit before they can actually play anything. You will have a lot of work to do early on learning scales, cords, and doing exercises to teach your brain and fingers to work together. All of the cheap stuff from Squire, Yamaha, Ibanez, and Epiphone are perfectly fine for someone who is just starting out. When you get good enough to start playing with other people you will want to upgrade to better equipment, and at that point you will have to decide what kind of gear gets you the sound you want.

Also, and i can't stress this enough, start out from the biggining playing and practicing along to a metronome or click track. You need to learn to keep time well or you will never be able to play with other musicians.

Good Luck!!!!

[zeddie1]

well at the moment,i have a Gibson les paul studio ;wine red finish,with chrome hardware,and it is a lovely guitar,but i wouldn't recomend it for a beginer,as in one years time,you may decide you don't want to play the guitar anymore,and it's a lot of money wasted,my first guitar however was an 'squire strat'
and i mean it's alright for beginers,and it came with a 15W fender frontman amp,and then you are more appreciative of your next,hopefully better guitar

hope this helped

[ducttapemaster]

well at the moment,i have a Gibson les paul studio ;wine red finish,with chrome hardware,and it is a lovely guitar,but i wouldn't recomend it for a beginer,as in one years time,you may decide you don't want to play the guitar anymore,and it's a lot of money wasted,my first guitar however was an 'squire strat'
and i mean it's alright for beginers,and it came with a 15W fender frontman amp,and then you are more appreciative of your next,hopefully better guitar

hope this helped
sounds georgeous but i am going to try to get a "starter pack" so that if i decide i dont want to play or it's to hard for me it's not extreme money wasted

[HomemadePictures]

my first was a Morris Les Paul from my dad, and the first one i bought was a Squire Strat from a pawn shop, (love both of those guitars!!)
if your going for grunge (like me) then i would suggest something like a Squire strat, and you can always lower the action yourself, (or get someone to do it for you) which is what i did, and now my Squire plays just like a real Fender

nice avatar by the way! Nirvana rocks!

[KMProductions]

I love Ibanez's. I've been playing them for 4 or 5 years and I love them. I have a RGX something and a Custom Destroyer. However I wouldn't recommend the Ibanez starter pack because Ibanez amps suck. I started with a $150 Ibanez and a Fender Frontman 15G amp. So I would recommend that set up.

[ducttapemaster]

my first was a Morris Les Paul from my dad, and the first one i bought was a Squire Strat from a pawn shop, (love both of those guitars!!)
if your going for grunge (like me) then i would suggest something like a Squire strat, and you can always lower the action yourself, (or get someone to do it for you) which is what i did, and now my Squire plays just like a real Fender

nice avatar by the way! Nirvana rocks!
grunge rules!!!!!!! and thank you. the squire strat is what im most likely now going to go for for one reason im on a grunge thing right now i am most likely going to get the FENDER AFFINITY SPECIAL STRAT AND FRONTMAN 15G AMP it comes with like everything except for a stand:cool:

[ducttapemaster]

my first was a Morris Les Paul from my dad, and the first one i bought was a Squire Strat from a pawn shop, (love both of those guitars!!)
if your going for grunge (like me) then i would suggest something like a Squire strat, and you can always lower the action yourself, (or get someone to do it for you) which is what i did, and now my Squire plays just like a real Fender

nice avatar by the way! Nirvana rocks!
grunge rules!!!!!!! and thank you. the squire strat is what im most likely now going to go for for one reason im on a grunge thing right now i am most likely going to get the FENDER AFFINITY SPECIAL STRAT AND FRONTMAN 15G AMP it comes with like everything except for a stand:cool: and i love nirvana

[elscottomagnifico]

If you want to go with a Squire Strat - the Affinity Strat isn't as bad a guitar as some say, but Squire's quality checking is terrible. So you should pick the color you want and go to your local guitar center. Try out every Strat from the packs in that color and go with the one that feels/plays the best (it is alot easier if you bring along a friend who plays guitar well for this part).

If you've found yourself a good one, you can switch out the cheap electronics later on when you get better and have a guitar that compares pretty well to an actual Fender.

[theradoreo]

Don't get a Squire strat. Mine has a short in it, the strap button fell out, my second tone knob doesn't work, it gets out of tune really easy, and the input gets really loose even after you tighten it.

Save yourself the trouble and get something else.

[ducttapemaster]

:eek:ok i have in my mind what guitar i am going to gethttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41yxlmXvKkL._SL500_AA280_.jpgisn't she beautiful? it's the fender starcaster strat pack 3 tone sunburst it comes with like- everything

[Koolpenguin89]

Starcaster? Never heard of it. Is it an actual Fender, or a squier?

Dylan

[ciwi286]

I'm kinda late to the conversation but if your checking guitars out in a shop, try out a fender telecaster... amazing guitar.

If your looking for a cheap beginner pack there is a squire telecaster pack thats way cheaper with amp, leads and all the stuff you need.

[PatsO]

havaian guitar I think

[jugglingfreak]

Starcaster? Never heard of it. Is it an actual Fender, or a squier?

Dylan

http://www.fender.com/starcaster/

[HotLikeBea]

This

http://images.guitarcenter.com/products/optionlarge/SquierbyFender/307564jpg.jpg

/thread
Nah. This one.... girls will be all over him like white on rice when they see him rockin' out with this bad boy.

http://www.4guitars.co.nz/images/DRDSS.jpg

[evmo]

go for the red special

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w238/AmyMay90/the_red_special.jpg

this is the worlds greastest gituar

http://www.brianmayguitars.co.uk/

^buy them there^

[Koolpenguin89]

http://www.fender.com/starcaster/

WTF? Fender is trying to make drums now too? I think you might be better off with a squier. Just because it has the Fender name on it, doesn't mean its of good quality.

Dylan

[HotLikeBea]

Don't buy a starcaster, they're basically fake Fender guitars. You may as well just get a Squier. Don't get a Squier. Get a Fender Standard Mexican made guitar, Strat or Tele.
lol, brand doesn't matter when you're first starting out. I started off on a Squier when I was 10 and upgraded as my skill level went up.

Kind of reminds me of people who come to play golf with the best high-end brand equipment but play like shit.

[HotLikeBea]

I'm not saying he should get a Gibson Custom, but the Fender Standard is around $400, that's reasonable for a beginner's guitar.
$400 is still pretty expensive for a guitar newbie.... either that or I'm really cheap. I started off with a Fender pack that came with a Squier, a 15-watt amp and the cable. Great for a beginner and I think it was $150-$200 if I remember correctly.

[Skycarl]

I've taught people how to play guitar for many many years
and I can tell you that if you are serious then a Squire would
be fine to start out with. They play fine and have good action
that is more than good enough to start. Another idea is to go to
a music store and rent one for a few months. Either way, it's
going to take some time and dedication to really learn anything.

If you go into it with the idea of jamming with the band in two
months, have someone shake you to wake you up. If you are
still working hard at it in six months, then you may want to
consider a better axe,, but until then focus on the learning, not
the instrument. Best of luck to you. There's a great reward if
you stick with it.

[ducttapemaster]

$400 is still pretty expensive for a guitar newbie.... either that or I'm really cheap. I started off with a Fender pack that came with a Squier, a 15-watt amp and the cable. Great for a beginner and I think it was $150-$200 if I remember correctly.

no 400 is pretty high for a guitar and that's exluding all the extras picks strings amp cord ect.. i found a good starter pack with like everything for $200 i have toyed with guitars before and i decided that if i just cant do it it won't be big money wasted