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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: AdamIsConceited on 20 Oct 2005, 06:41
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I'm currently "attempting" to learn how to play guitar... let's just say I'm proficient enough to play a few chords without falter and that's about it.
I own 2 acoustics at the moment and wanted to take the obvious step to purchase an electric. My current price range is less than $300. My first thought would be a decent Fender Strat.
Thanks in advance.
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Thank you.
Also, your avatar makes me want to execute myself WWII Japanese officer style or remove the breakfast in my stomach in the opposite direction... depends on the mood I'm in.
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For a twangier sound, something like Hendrix or Jeff Beck or Clapton, I agree with spinless, a Fender Stratocaster is a great guitar. You could also go for a Fender Telecaster, they're very 1965-retro. A Telecaster was used for the solo to "Stairway to Heaven," and that's all I can really say about Teles, they're fucking brilliant.
If you want a darker sound with a longer sustain, like Jimmy Page, go for a Les Paul. I reccomend the Arbor Les Paul, it only costs US$300 but it's just as good as a Gibson. And that can be vouched for by any Arbor owner. Epiphone Les Pauls are good as well, but I can't begin to tell you how much better the Arbor is. And the Arbor is so much cheaper.
If you're not on a tight budget, you could go for a Rickenbacker, but those things are fucking *expensive*. My best mate's dad bought a 1975 model in 1979 for US$800, and now it's worth about $10,000. New ones sell from 3 grand to 5 grand.
If you want a 12string and a 6string doubleneck and you're on a budget, go for the Epiphone G-1275. I've played it and compared it to a Gibson, and there's hardly any difference. It doesn't have as powerfully dark a tone as the Gib, but it's about 1 grand cheaper.
I hope I didn't bore you too much!
Edit: didn't read the full post. I'd say go for an Arbor Les Paul. Here's a link for you:
http://www.musicorp.com/products/details.asp?ncatid=38&nsubcatid=485&nproductid=9251&sSKU=AP230CS
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no no no... that's more than enough information thank you! Hearing first-hand experience from seasoned guitarists inspires me to play more hehe.
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Hehe, alright. I really do recommend an Arbor. I edited that post, I left you a link there as well. I bought my Arbor for only $300, even though the site says 359. I'm the biggest guitar nerd you'll ever meet, I've played almost every kind of electric guitar that there is, and yes, I've even played that Rickenbacker I mentioned. If you have any questions at all, I'm more than happy to help. :)
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go used!
you can get for that money some nice guitar...
iīd say go to any guitar shop and try... fender stratocaster and telecasters are different guitars... i personally prefer a stratocaster neck (easier to play, for me), but i prefer the telecaster sound. itīs more "personal", a bit limiting perhaps, but great.
bloc party itīs a band that uses all telecasters. you can have an idea of the sound via that.
other options..
epiphone les pauls / sg. good for the money, lots of sustain, more of a "rock" and "heavy" guitars. you can swap the pickups later and then you will have a veeery nice guitar comparable to a $1000 les paul for example.
epiphone dot (355). hollowbodies have a nice, fat, dark tone. i like them, used a lot by new order, trail of dead, countless others. you can find a used one for that price.
but, btw, do you also need an amp. generally is more important than your guitar (seriously). did u considered that?
hope it helps.
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you probably should got to a guitar-shop first and check a few guitars out, and then take the one you like best.
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If your budget lifts dramatically, you should check out the Gibson ES-335. Clapton used a 335 when he played "Crossroads" with Cream live, that famous recording. I can't begin to tell you how much I love playing my mate Lukas' dad's 335 (Luke's dad used to be a guitar collector).
Oh, hell, just tell me to shut up already. ^__^
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Haha it's fine, I appreciate hearing stories/sharing of information...
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What type of guitars does Adam Jones(of Tool fame) use?
I'm guessing expensive ones. I'd like to have the Lateralus album sound.
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I'll have to keep that in mind.
I did some research and found he uses a "1980S GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM SILVERBURST ELECTRIC GUITAR" or so sayith: http://guitargeek.com/rigview/593/
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New Fenders are garbage. At that price range, your best bet is probably one of the really cheap Gretsch synchromatic guitars (about $200, I think they just stopped making these, but a lot of stores still have stock), a Danelectro, or an Epiphone.
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I adore Telecasters. My pride and joy is a Tele Standard.
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yes, telecasters are nice guitars, i own a really really cheap copy made by some random guy, but it sounds pretty good and it's better than a squier and it didn't cost as much...
but my ultimate dream-guitar would be either a yamaha sgv 300 (because it looks good) or a fender jazzmaster (just because).
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This is probably an unpopular opinion on my part, but avoid Fenders. Really, ever since they stopped handmaking their guitars, the quality just isn't worth the money.
If you're looking for something on a budget, my first (and currently only, though I may buy a Gibson as a high school graduation present to myself) guitar was a Gretsch. Gretsch is a German company whose guitars sound a little darker than Fenders, but are a whole lot cheaper. I got mine online for a little less than 400 dollars, and have never had a problem with it.
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You know WHY Fenders have started to suck this past decade? Because of those stupid fucking kids who just buy guitars to hang on their walls. Same story as to why Gibson quality has gone to shit. My Arbor Les Paul, a $300 guitar, plays better than any Gibson Les Paul made after the year 1996.
I say we *real*musicians* go out and murder all of those kids. That way, 1. they can't breed their overly self-conscious stupidity into the next generation and 2. so that our fucking guitars stop sucking and are actually WORTH THE $4027635 WE SPEND ON THEM.
Social bitching aside, Fenders are actually a lot better than you guys are giving them credit for.
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Try the Gibson Les Paul. It's a beauty. Try checking out www.guitar.com and go to the forums, then head into Electric. You'll get TONS of good information from that stuff.
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http://www.guitar.com/Discuss/showboard.asp?boardID=100
Sorry that's the direct link to Electric in guitar.com Enjoy!
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in my humble opinion, yamahas are the best starter guitars. they don't cost a ridiculous amount but they have good quality control. i have had 2 yamaha pacificas, one 112j and one 112x. both are really nice guitars for under $300 and i bought both used so they only cost my around $80 each. it is also basically the same design as a fender strat, which appeals to some.
but regarding fenders in general, they are pretty expensive if you are going to buy an american model. they range from 500-5000(this doesn't inculde squiers, which IMO suck major balls). the mexican models tend to have worse quality control, but its essentially the same guitar and you can get the mexican equivalent of a fender costing $700 for just around $350.
regarding gibson LesPauls, these are not beginner guitars for under $300, unless used. you can afford an epiphone LP for around $300 though. epiphone is the same company as gibson, but cheaper.
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You know WHY Fenders have started to suck this past decade? Because of those stupid fucking kids who just buy guitars to hang on their walls.
I say we *real*musicians* go out and murder all of those kids. That way, 1. they can't breed their overly self-conscious stupidity into the next generation and 2. so that our fucking guitars stop sucking and are actually WORTH THE $4027635 WE SPEND ON THEM.
I would agree, but the fact is that I don't play my guitar all that much either. I didn't buy it just to be cool, I actually want to learn to play, but I'm in the middle of my most important year of high school and am working 20-30 hours a week on top of that, and I just haven't found the serious time to devote to it (which is why I'm delaying until after I graduate to buy a second one).
To be a bit more on topic, you should try ESP Guitars, especially if you want to play metal. I don't own one myself, but every one is handmade, and I've heard nothing but positive feedback about them.
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http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/518353/src=01340
Get a used one. Or save up a bit more and get one brand motha-spankin' new.
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ESP can be used not just for metal though. I was playing Cream on this one ESP guitar at a music store in Clovis, CA, and it had a very nice tone to it. Very dark tone with that neck-thru design.
And Storm Rider, you still have my respect for the fact that you actually *wanted* to learn to play. It's just those kids who buy the really fucking expensive guitars and have no intention of playing them ever who piss me off.
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I have an ESP, and it is an excellent guitar. While this will go a little against what I am about to say, I used to own an Ibanez before the ESP, and I wasn't happy with the cheap pick-ups that come in Ibanez budget models.
However, if you do have a bit of money, Ibanez do make some sweet guitars. As do Fernandes. Keep this in mind if you want to play anything heavy at all.
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Alternately, get an LTD and upgrade the pickups. I did that with mine and it's easily as good as my mate's ESP.
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I still say Arbor pwnz all of you. $300 for a Les Paul that sounds better than the real thing? You've got yourself a deal, as far as I'm concerned.
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Spinless, if you're looking for a small-bodied acoustic that still has good sound, you're screwed. There's only one real brand to go for at that budget though. And they've actually got quite a good reputation. Takamine guitars are FANTASTIC and very inexpensive.
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in my humble opinion, yamahas are the best starter guitars. they don't cost a ridiculous amount but they have good quality control. i have had 2 yamaha pacificas, one 112j and one 112x. both are really nice guitars for under $300 and i bought both used so they only cost my around $80 each. it is also basically the same design as a fender strat, which appeals to some.
I agree here. My first guitar was a Yamaha, and I still play it sometimes. Great starters.
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Alternately, get an LTD and upgrade the pickups. I did that with mine and it's easily as good as my mate's ESP.
My ESP is an LTD model, and I'm much happier with the pickups on this one than I am with the ones on my old Ibanez.
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I can deal with the larger size, I have pretty long arms. But it's the edges of the guitar that'll kill me. A guy I know has a 'bowl' shaped electro acoustic. I'm not sure of the name, but I did find it comfortable once I got around it slipping off of my knee.
Simple solution there is a strap.
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It took me a while to get used to the Les Paul body style of my Arbor electric, but that's because I was used to my shitty Strat copy with the comfort cutouts. It just takes about a week's worth of getting used to, is all.
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I can deal with the larger size, I have pretty long arms. But it's the edges of the guitar that'll kill me. A guy I know has a 'bowl' shaped electro acoustic. I'm not sure of the name, but I did find it comfortable once I got around it slipping off of my knee.
Myu dad has one
way above the price bracket stated thouhg
best guitar I've ever played, still.
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Khar's drunken posts are the best posts this forum has to offer.
anyways, I have an old DanElectro thing that I bought for 70 dollars: It's a damned nice guitar, actually. It gets what I at least need it to get done and isn't a really cheap Fender.
You know WHY Fenders have started to suck this past decade? Because of those stupid fucking kids who just buy guitars to hang on their walls.
UGH. My friend did that and never actually learned how to play it. He bought a really good guitar, and really fancy amp, and then never played with it. And here I am, using my entire collection of second hand garage/estate/flea market bought amps and instruments and shit 12 hours a day.
And I've been saving up for either an ESP or Ibanez, but have been having a few problems making a choice. So far in this thread it seems ESP is the better option (Especially for those who are going to be working with a small budget).
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It goes something like this: expensive ESP = expensive Ibanez > cheap ESP > cheap Ibanez.
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Sorry for the randomness. My father is the proud possessor of an Ovation Model.1119, with a fitted contact mic he added himself.
(http://www.ovationguitars.com/pics/models/ACFivNrui.jpg)
It's body is made of hand picked spruce. The fretboard is ebony with an inlaid ivory binding. The fret inlays and other decorative work are mother of pearl. The machine heads are gold plated. It sounds incredible. Taking it out of it's velvet-lined Ovation hardcase and playing it makes you feel like some sort of God. I suspect they probably stopped making this exact model because of the ivory, but it's still, according to them, one of the best guitars they've ever made.
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I particularly liked the headstock.
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Sorry for the randomness. My father is the proud possessor of an Ovation Model.1119, with a fitted contact mic he added himself.
(http://www.ovationguitars.com/pics/models/ACFivNrui.jpg)
It's body is made of hand picked spruce. The fretboard is ebony with an inlaid ivory binding. The fret inlays and other decorative work are mother of pearl. The machine heads are gold plated. It sounds incredible. Taking it out of it's velvet-lined Ovation hardcase and playing it makes you feel like some sort of God. I suspect they probably stopped making this exact model because of the ivory, but it's still, according to them, one of the best guitars they've ever made.
I must say I really dislike the look of ovations. It's a cliche but I like the look of Takamines.
Although I play a Fender.
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Wow, this has received more replies than would have ever fathomed... thanks guys for the help.
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I must say I really dislike the look of ovations. It's a cliche but I like the look of Takamines.
Although I play a Fender.
I think Takamines look pretty bottom-heavy tbh. Also, when I looked them up to refresh my memory on google, I found this:
"What's the best acoustic guitar for worship? This question could cause a rumble. For us, we feel that the higher end Takamines are ideal for worship."
zomg not satanic enough!
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dude, if ESP guitars made a flying V acoustic guitar, i would so worship that.
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Though a V shaped acoustic would probably sound totally crap...
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of course, but it would look so good no one would care
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I'd care. Then again I'm a total sound whore.
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It goes something like this: expensive ESP = expensive Ibanez > cheap ESP > cheap Ibanez.
So basically, if you're a poor bastard like me and are going to get the cheapest you possibly can, go with ESP. Bingo.
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Yes. Keep in mind the cheaper ESP models are sold under the LTD brand, though. Same difference, really.