Hi guys,

I am a complete novice when it comes to types of guitars and their differences, most certainly i know that there are spanish guitars, there are Hawaiian Guitars, there are Electric Guitars, then there is something called Acoustic guitar, then something called Bass guitar...goes on.. but what are they? and how to differentiate, and which is the best for first time buyer like me, when i want to buy an electric guitar (cheapest please and Brand name!)

if you guys know of any known store in and around NYC or NJ then let me know.or an online store where i can buy? and then what are amps? i am confused by the jargon...please help

thanks

Brand name guitars are usually expensive. Find someone that can play and ask them tag along when you're going to buy other than that considering your knowledge of guitars I'd say start with an acoustic.

I have heard these, the FJ Folk series, are very good and not to expensive to start with.

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Catalog/Catalog_GSMFCX/0,6357,CTID%253D220950%2526CNTYP%253D,00.html

Hey, a topic I know something about!

I play guitar and currently own five electric and two acoustic beauties - all bought online from various British dealers, although one was from ebay.

It all depends what type of music you want to play, but if it's basic electric guitar skills you're after, I recommend picking up a stratocaster (strat) and a small amp.

I started with an acoustic (non electrical) guitar, but find playing electric guitars a lot more fun!

http://www.axetopia.com

http://www.ilearnmusic.com

Hi guys,

I am a complete novice when it comes to types of guitars and their differences, most certainly i know that there are spanish guitars, there are Hawaiian Guitars, there are Electric Guitars, then there is something called Acoustic guitar, then something called Bass guitar...goes on.. but what are they? and how to differentiate, and which is the best for first time buyer like me, when i want to buy an electric guitar (cheapest please and Brand name!)

if you guys know of any known store in and around NYC or NJ then let me know.or an online store where i can buy? and then what are amps? i am confused by the jargon...please help

thanks

Spanish Guitar - Is just a classical guitar or a Nylon string guitar. These are recomended for beginners even though their neck is wider and harder to reach around. Their strings, however, are softer and their action (the distance between the fretboard and the strings) is lower then regular acoustic guitars. These don't have any fretmarkers (those little dots you see on guitar necks)

Hawaiian guitar - I think you mean a Ukalale (spelling?). It's the tiny guitar which produces those cool Hawaiin music sounds.

Electric guitar - Is your standard electric guitar. It has very little sound resonance on it's own so it needs an amp (amplifier speakers) to produce the sounds. This category can get daunting because there are thousands of different possibilites when trying to choose an electric guitar. Your more popular brands of electric guitars are Ibanez, Fender, Gibson, PRS etc etc. You don't need a tricked out electric guitar because besides workmanship there aren't too many differences a novice would be able to tell between a $2,000 guitar or a $500 one.

Acoustic guitar - Is a regular fat assed guitar you see every country star holding. It is made of wood (different types of woods), has steel strings. I started with a dreadnaught acoustic guitar and it was hard. Since acoustics are harder to play then electrics it is recommended you don't cheap out when buying an acoustic guitar...it can make the difference between playable or completely painful.

Bass guitar - Is you standard bass every rock band plays. 4 string is the norm but it also comes in 5 strings and 6 strings. It has it's own special type of amp to put out such low frequencies of sound...a normal amp would would blow trying to put such treble.

I got a starter pack from Ibanez as a beginner...it came with everything and after a year and half it still kicks ass. For a value package it actually comes with a pretty decent guitar.

I suggest Sam Ash stores or Guitar Center stores in NYC.

www.music123.com and www.musiciansfriend.com are two big music sites to buy from also. They usually have pretty cool specials going on.

I'd say start with an acoustic.
A novice should start with a acoustic because it will be much easier to play an electric. I however started with an electric and regreted it

A novice should start with a acoustic because it will be much easier to play an electric. I however started with an electric and regreted it


Not really. It's an old belief that everyone should start on the acoustic. You DON'T have to but I prefer you do if you're serious about learning how to play.

It builds the calouses on the finger tips faster and gets you used to the higher action faster.

It's basically a better chops (guitarist slang for technical skill) builder.

I've been playing for sixteen years and own Gibsons, Fenders, Heritage, and acoustic guitars.

Get a experienced guitar playing buddy to help you shop for a guitar.

DONT BUY A GUITAR ONLINE!!! You need to have someone check it out and play it.

The "guitar playing buddy" should help you find a guitar that is lightweight, will stay in tune, and has a straight neck with no cracks or breaks.

Look for quality USED instruments.

I would buy a steel string acoustic, because when learning a instrument you don't want to have your novice fretwork amplified with a (cheap) amp.
It will sound terrible and can discourage you.
You'll want to kind of quietly pick and strum when learning and it's tough when someone yells- "Turn that shit off!!"

If you really want to go electric, your best bet is a used made in mexico Fender stratocaster or telecaster.
Amps are another ball game- Line 6 makes some quality practice amps. Small Fenders and Marshall's are great, too.

If I was looking for an acoustic I would look for a used Taylor, Takamine, or Yamaha. I would avoid any Fender acoustic guitar.

Buy a guitar tuner and learn to use it. It will save you a lot of frustration.

I have heard that starting on acoustic is better for you in the furture. Fender is a good company. For novice and cheap electric, try Squire it's like the cheap Fenders.

try Squire it's like the cheap Fenders.



NOOOOOO

Bad idea. Squier Fenders suck...mucho.

The early eighties (1983-1985) Squier's are quality guitars..i owned one with a birdseye maple neck and it was a stock guitar.
The new ones are iffy..but, Ive played a couple that were good starter guitars.

Bad idea. Squier Fenders suck...mucho.
Well, when original Fenders suck mucho you'd expect that from an imitation :D

Go with the Ibanez Starter Pack. Forget the Squier. My friend got it and he says that the tremelo bar broke off, the bag broke and the tuner will brake easily.

Sargent: The Hawaiian guitar was the first version of the electric steel guitar. It has one neck, sits in your lap, no pedals, you play it with a steel. I suppose you could think of it as an electric dobro, bridges the gap between the dobro and the modern pedal steel. Hawaiian music is full of its sliding sounds.

As for the original question. I'll give you the advice I give everyone who's thinking of learning to play an instrument. DON'T CHEAP OUT! A mediocre instrument will hold you back. The action, intonation, neck thickness, tone... everything about a cheap guitar makes it downright difficult to play and even more difficult for a beginner with weaker fingers.

By all means buy a used one and save some bucks, but don't buy a "student" model or a knock-off made in Uzbekistan. Take someone with you who plays seriously and knows axes, let them pick it for you.

BTW, all the bars that used to have deejays are slowly switching back to live music. (Thank the goddess! Disco and the whole concept of the "discotheque" is finally, truly, dead!) All of us old-timers who have been playing "classic rock" tunes since they were still on the top forty are dusting off our instruments and getting gigs. It won't be as easy to find one of our old guitars and buy it cheap as it used to be.

I don't think any bassists have spoken up here. I'm one. I played guitar for twenty years before I woke up and realized I was born to play bass. Except for the occasional guy like me or Paul McCartney, most bassists were frustrated guitarists who changed instruments because it was easier to find work. If you find yourself paying attention to the bass lines in songs then you might have the soul of a bass guitarist.

It didn't use to be easy to learn bass, you almost had to already be a guitarist and figure it out for yourself. (The fingering is the same.) Now you can take lessons. The main problem with being a bass student is that you can't just stand there and play by yourself. You have to play along with recorded music. Makes it tough to use headphones and avoid annoying your family or neighbors.

The same rules apply to buying a bass guitar. Don't cheap out. However, I would suggest not going all out and buying one of the new five- or six-string basses. I've been playing a traditional four-string model for thirty years and I find these new ones bewildering. I think it would be exasperating for a student. Buy yourself a really nice four-string--you can't go wrong with a Fender even though I don't have one--and wait for the day when you're so hot that you need the extra strings.

Well a squire still plays and they are good for a beginners, that is what my friend did and he owns now... so

How's this one?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SVTSS11PAK

You can find good used instruments at pawnshops for cheap sometimes. Always bring someone with that knows how to examine the instruments for condition. for the type to learn on? electrics with a fender like neck are pretty easy on the left hand, but the body shape isnt exactly ideal for anything but playing with a pick imo. steel stringed acoustics usually have a narrower neck which is nice to learn on, but fingering the strings can be a bit painful until you get callus on fingertips. a nylon stringed instrument usually has the widest neck, and fingering the strings is pretty painless but fingerpicking style is usually used rather than a single pick. if i were going to learn on a nylon string (classical guitar, if i had it to do over anyhow) id get a 3/4 sized guitar or shop around for a brand that has a less wide neck if there is such a thing.
in general i think spend as much money as you can afford. A cheap instrument can sound and play bad enuf to discourage learning it! on the other hand, i think many more people who try an instrument and dont stay with it might be far more likely to stay with it if they were given a really high end( high quality) instrument to learn on to begin with.

That package shouldn't be too bad zion, after a few months you wont have lost too much money if you quit playing or you'll know exactly what you're looking for in a guitar.
id get a 3/4 sized guitar...
That is a good idea, I have a 3/4 acoustic here for my son and it is much easier on the wrist.

I use custom Mansons... they really are amazing guitars

http://www.mansonguitars.co.uk/entry_page.htm

my collection is in the artists section.

"id get a 3/4 sized guitar..."

i wouldnt. learn how to play a full sizedone, then you wont have to switch later

"and then what are amps?"
amp stands for amplifier, it is basically just a speaker. except much better quality, so that it can play a guitar through itwithout getting damaged

Play the damn things. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY is the name of the game here.... Oh and new isnt necessarily good at all so chech out pawn shops and the like... Any guitar before ummm 83? ,I think, is handmade. No matter the price and you can find a jem even amongst the cheapos... Oh yah and every guitar no matter what brand, what price, what shape its in, sounds different. It cause there wood they arent ever in perfect tune the humidity mosture the minute differences on where you put your fingers etc etc etc ... Amps... well... better TEST IT OUT and make sure it sounds like what YOU wanna sound like... Do not cheap out on an amp you will regret it bad amps are probably the biggest thorn in any budding electronic guitar players side... the squier amps that come in the beginners package for example suck ass But as for guitars some people have no clue the value of the guitar so... rip em off or whatever be honest do your thing you may go to the pawnshop and find n excellent guitar for a low price merely cause its slighlty worn looking... But play the damn thing try it out no two guitars will ever be the same... I own a squier strat which sounds fine and all but its noisey as hell it picks up so much electronic interference so theres always a little hum in the background yet my sis has the same guitar and it picks up just a little less interference i also own a yamaha acoustic which i did get to try before i bought and for the price 400$(canadian) brand new i think i did well on that one cause it sure sounds nice... And then theres the "series a" mystery guitar from the 80's i have no clue on this guitar except its got humbuckers (ask the dealer the difference between a humbucker and a regular pick up... they sound different humbuckers are cruchier, distort earlier in volume, and have better sustain) and a floyd rose locking trem (for its time it was a very nice piece of hardware) ive googled it and found nothing its old its worn and its the raunchiest crunchiest sounding thing ive heard this side of banging the amp till its tubes start making buzzing noises. The thing crackles when you move its tone nob or pickup selector. It does things that you wouldnt expect from a cheapo little squier amp and boss ds1 pedal (the classic orange rock distortion pedal another thing everyone should get as a begginer thing as well as a good tuner) Umm except I pulled the old speaker out of the amp its like a wimpy little 9 or 8 inch that sounds like its in the bottom of a well and hooked it to an old "sondar" amp's 12" which sounds so much better its not funny lol...

Like others have said, get someone who knows guitars to come with you. There are a ton of differences between diffrent guitars, and how they'll sound.

For electric, I'd say don't go too cheap (I'd say don't go below $200(Canadian)) but don't go too expensive. Seeing as how your a novice, going all out at first is a bad idea. Too many people buy guitars and sell them withen months, or find its not their thing.

Again, as others have said, starting on an acustic is a good idea. Thats how I started, and when I eventually decided to get an electric, it was a trillion times easier, and I could play so much better. That might make you think that it would be better to start with the easier one. Its not. It only seems much easier in comparison to an acustic, which will prep you.

Also, don't just buy a guitar for its look...chance is, the fancier or more elborate it is, the worse it'll be (unless of course its a brand name with a hefty price...then they'll just be trying to make their best guitars look even better)

I would say, go cheaper with the guitar, and more on the expensive side with amp, because thats what you're really gonna be hearing.

Also, for amps, they come in many different sizes, and with diffreent features. You can tell the power by the watts of the amp. A 10 watt amp is very small, and the type of thing you get in those beginner packs. I wouldn't suggest getting that. If you're going to buy a new amp, it will be expensive. A 30 watt Marshall(a good brand) for example could be around $300-$400. (its been a while since I went instrument shopping so I can't remember exactly). You could a get a used 60 watt for the same price, as I did. But I think a 30-40 watt amp is good enough for a beginner.

Then there are the effects. An amp can have effects like reverb or distort(like in metal songs) Some amps will have a few effects, others will have tons. But don't worry about that too much.

Now for guitars. If you're gonna go for an electric, non-bass, then there's (a norm) of 6 strings. There are also 12 strings and others, but you don't want that. Hopefully , you'll have a buddy to help you out with seeing the quality of a guitar. Things to checks are the hieght of the strings off of the guitar(can effect sound and playability), the pick ups(types and such(they are what "catch" the sound)), and over all sound. Strings can make a diffrence in the sound, and even the type of pick you use (there are harder of softer picks(what you usaully play with)).

Also check just your overall comfort with the guitar. You might notice some guitars have a bar thing on them, near the bottom, that can be turned to be over the strings. This can be pressed down on, to..create an efecct with the sound. (sry, its hard to explian)...its not an important feature, but just so you (kinda) know what is.

Get a tuner to help you tune, because once the guitar goes out of tune (which it does often enough) it will sound bad. Learnig to tune by ear can be difficult, so a tuner can be useful (though tuning by ear is a useful skill).

For myself, I went with a cheap beginner guitar, but was a good quality begginer. A peavey (more known for their amps, but they're beginner guitar is deffinately up to par with the other widley know bigginer guitars(such as squire, which isn't really that good from what I've seen, heard, and expirienced)..so mine might be better then that. But I got an expensive-ish amp. Love 'em both.

Overall, Take your time choosing your instrument, since its not a cheap item, so your stuck with it. I searched about a month before my desicion was made. Like others said, don't limit yourself to new items. Good luck, and have fun.

Take a friend who knows a thing or two about guitars with you. Play a lot of different models. Make a decent first investment in a mid-quality guitar. Start with an acoustic. Buy what feels best to you.

As a professional I can say there are two kinds of guitars, on the level and not on the level.
The only way you can find a halfway decent guitar or amp for low $ is to find someone who knows a lot about guitars and go with them.

The good news is - you can get a junky guitar combo pak for under 200$ and that is ok for sitting in your house and learning how to play "smoke on the water", or whatever. When you are good enough to go play in a band you can give that cheap combo pack to your cousin, or little brother, or goodwill, or whoever.

Also re: the tuner - having a shitty guitar and knowing how to keep it in tune is worth more than having a nice guitar. What you learn about making cheap guitars ( which is anything you would probably find) stay in tune is this -

(you might not understand all this, but when you learn a little tiny bit about playing the guitar you will, and you can use these ideas to make any guitar work for you)

1) Stretch out your strings when you put them on, pull them pretty hard (about the same amount of force you would exert picking up a half gallon of milk) - this not only helps the strings stay in tune but will also weed out a bad string, better to pop one during this process than when you are playing.
You stretch them and then tune them, stretch them and tune them repeatedly (at LEAST three or four times)
2) ideally you would stretch the strings with no note held down and tune, repeat, repeat, then stretch them with your finger on the fifth fret, repeat, then with your finger on the tenth fret, repeat, then fifteenth fret, repeat
3) when tuning, tune down below the note and then tune UP to the note - with cheap guitars the strings tend to catch on the nut if you tune DOWN to the note, and then the guitar will go out of tune when you bend the string or pluck it hard. Also cheap tuners will slip, so stretching the string makes sure that the slipping happens while you are tuning, not while you are playing.
4) wipe the strings of with a t-shirt when you finish playing (some people's hands will eat strings very quickly)
5)eventually you will need to learn to tune your guitar without the tuner, but as long as you use the tuner and follow these steps you will be already be in tune a lot more often than 50% of the people who call themselves musicians.

Good luck.

P.S. If you are learning to sing, and write, and play songs then buy an acoustic, but if you want to play rock guitar on electric - DON'T buy an acoustic. For example, having someone who loves metal, or the blues, start on acoustic is ridiculous. You will have to buy new stuff when you switch to electric. And cheap acoustic guitars are much more difficult to play than cheap electric guitars.

i guess i'm pretty late in this thread :)

i wonder which guitar he bought after all