Any guitar players out there?

[Nighthawk07]

So basically I've decided I want a new hobby, and it's between playing the guitar and/or photography. I'm thinking both will be about the same cost, but I'm leaning more towards guitar right now. Anyways, I've never played before, my experience only goes as far as guitar hero haha. So my question is, what's a good guitar to start with? and amp? I know I want an electric guitar, but I know nothing more than that. Help a fellow 8thcivic brother out!

[GeezerSi]

Go to a good guitar shop. Tell them you want them to show you good starting guitars. You don't want to get too cheap, otherwise you'll become frustrated by the poor playability and sound. Once you think you have an idea which one is best for you, go online and find the best price. Find a good teacher to get you going. Be true to your self and practice to give yourself a chance to find out if it's still interesting. Once you are sure you still like guitar playing and as you get better, you should invest in a better quality guitar. If you buy a high quality guitar, it will be much more expensive ($$$$$), but it will also hold its value, or even appreciate with age. Good luck and have fun.

[xmx250]

play piano instead lol j/k

[Nighthawk07]

Originally Posted by GeezerSi

Go to a good guitar shop. Tell them you want them to show you good starting guitars. You don't want to get too cheap, otherwise you'll become frustrated by the poor playability and sound. Once you think you have an idea which one is best for you, go online and find the best price. Find a good teacher to get you going. Be true to your self and practice to give yourself a chance to find out if it's still interesting. Once you are sure you still like guitar playing and as you get better, you should invest in a better quality guitar. If you buy a high quality guitar, it will be much more expensive ($$$$$), but it will also hold its value, or even appreciate with age. Good luck and have fun.

thanks! Do you think it would be hard to teach myself? As in just research it online and download guitar tabs and such?

[D1BSI]

I started (electric) with an Ibanez GSA60. i think its an amazing begginer elec. because it doesnt feel lke it was made as a begginger guitar. those begginer guitars really arent that great builds. its not all cheap like what most people consider "beginner" guitars its much better. id Get some ex light strings or light strings and it will play super easy as you start off....build is awsome, i got it a while ago and its still in very good shape and it has an excellent range of sunds to mess with. sounds good acoustic and heavy and every thing in between.. if you do end up getting a cheap begginer you will probably grow out of it real soon. about the amp my amp sucks and i dont recommend it so i wont even mention it but ive borrowed a friend fender frontman 100 amazing (crazy price tag) But anyways this is the way i see it ...i say you borrow a frineds old guitar if youre not sure if youll stick to it, because i personally dont see the point in buying a cheap guitar and amp now to learn and in a couple months youre going to be wishing you had somehting better.. and probably will buy somehting better...so now youve spent more money than you would have in the beggining. I own a Ibanez GSa60, my fav Ibanez AEG20 VV acous.(Vintage Violin color OMG BEUTIFULL strange too cause its rare and doesnt come out on that guitar in catolgues it comes out on the higher end guitars), nd i sold a fender stratacoustic to a friend .. looks sweet but sound sucked...

[Nighthawk07]

Actually my friend does have a guitar he might let me borrow. My girlfriends dad has a few also.

[D1BSI]

Tabs are not hard to learn at all i think
i began with a "teach yourself" how to play book and some tabs online then took a guitar class in school . (i recomend the book if you're on you own).. as for learning real music.notes and all that... thats hard especially by yourself but the cool thing about learning music is that they can put any piece from any where in front of you and you should be able to play it. assuming its not like some insane work where you got to be a bad ass.... its worth it though

[GeezerSi]

I learned to play on my own, but you will go much faster if you have an accomplished guitarist teach you.

[Nighthawk07]

Sounds good. I'll probably be better off learning on my own for now because of time and money issues. If it doesn't work out I'll and I'm really into it, I'll hire a teacher.

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.

[D1BSI]

No problemo and good luck!

[civsnake]

Self-Taught: Works perfectly fine for teaching yourself technique and gaining dexterity.

Instruction: Good for picking up theory and learning about styles.

I started self-taught and just played around with my friends for about a year. Then I took lessons for about 6 months. I would recommend this route to anyone. You don't feel like you're wasting your time with the lessons because you'll know your way around the instrument already.

In terms of starter guitars, it really depends on the type of music you want to play. Different guitars will lend themselves to different sounds and feels.

My first guitar was an American made Fender Strat, and I would recommend that to anyone. Even the entry level Mexican made ones have pretty good build quality. They are pretty easy to handle, with a good neck for middle of the road playing. Sound-wise they can do almost anything depending on the pickups you choose.

My friend has Ibanez RG and S series guitars. These make excellent shred machines. If you're interested in heavy metal, speed metal, thrash, etc., these are great guitars. The necks play super fast (it's easy to move your fingers up and down the fretboard quickly) and they're not to unwieldy, especially the S series... those things are practically weightless. The downside there is that you're not getting the same full tone you would get from a heavier instrument.

I currently play a Gibson Les Paul. It's heavy and the neck is not particularly fast, but the sound is amazing.

I wouldn't recommend a non-traditional shape for a first guitar, like Flying Vs, Explorers, etc., simply because they're hard to play sitting down.

One last note on strings: light strings are easier to play, but heavy strings will make you stronger. I typically play heavy sets, and when I pick up a friend's guitar, hot damn, there's a huge difference in the amount of effort involved. You can fret notes without even trying.

[Shephert]

Go to http://www.musiciansfriend.com. They usually have free shipping. I would get a Standard Fender Stratocaster. They are relatively cheap, plays well, are good quality and you can upgrade them later as you progress. Also the resale is not all that bad on a Strat. When I say Standard, I don't mean the American Standard (upwards of $1000.00). I mean the "Made in Mexico" Strat. I own one (I have been playing for 12 years) and own an American and while there are differences, you will not notice them. You can get a new Strat for $399.00 (it comes with a gig bag), a Fender Frontman 15G for $79.00 and add another 20 bucks or so for a cable, strap and picks. That set up, with a lot of patience will have you on the way to becoming a "shred master"!

[SIdechick]

I am a guitar HERO! LOL! One of the best games EVER!

[Nighthawk07]

Wow, lots of info. Thanks guys, this is a lot of help. I'm gonna start looking into it this weekend and I'll let ya know what happens.

lol @ sidechick

[mikepesikan]

+1 for Mexican Strat............good ergonomics, easy to play, versitile, fairly inexpensive, sounds decent.