Topic: Beginner Guitar Advice (Read 18880 times)

Mnementh · « **on:** 06 May 2005, 11:56 »

So I'm thinking of celebrating my pay raise with an electric guitar. I haven't played in close to 15 years. I'm not looking for anything fancy, I don't want to spend too much, basically going to teach myself to noodle out some Phish tunes.

Also, I'm a bit on the tone deaf side (making this an adventure) and can't tune a guitar worth shit, so I need suggestions for a tuner.

Give me your thoughts.

Questions, Comments, Snide Remarks?

ASturge · « **Reply #1 on:** 06 May 2005, 12:44 »

Well, we really do need to know your budget for this one.

Also, electric tuners are evil. Tone deaf or not, you might not have a tuner as you step on stage and realise that your guitar is tune-fucked.

Ear is the way. (tuning forks are also a definate yesyes)

Mnementh · « **Reply #2 on:** 06 May 2005, 12:48 »

Well, I've no real intention to play on stage, and I've a poem planned for future marraige proposals, so this is for sheer personal pleasure.

I'd say between 150 to 200 USD. Also, I have short, fat fingers.

blindsuperhero · « **Reply #3 on:** 06 May 2005, 12:56 »

The problem with cheap guitars is that the quality varies so much. Most of them are awful but every now and again you can find a pretty decent guitar. the only problem is, you'd have to know a bit about guitars to be able to tell which ones are good.
If you're not bothered about how it sounds, or becoming a good guitarist, I'd say just pick one that you like the look of.

ASturge · « **Reply #4 on:** 06 May 2005, 12:56 »

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47073&item=7320483976&rd=1
Well, I'd say this one looks a bit nifty. I quite fancy it myself. It's humbuckered, has volume, tone-ige and with a free hardcase to boot it seems like quite a nice little buy.

Hell of a shipping cost though...

(remember, Ebay is your friend)

Mnementh · « **Reply #5 on:** 06 May 2005, 13:04 »

Ebay has it's pluses and minuses.

- no instant gratification, more reasonable voices in my head will probably stop me from impulse buying

+ I lack motivation to go to a store and sales resistence. Ebay eliminates these.

Cpt.Fantastic · « **Reply #6 on:** 06 May 2005, 14:55 »

The tuner of some awesomeness is a Qwiktune Chromatic tuner. Tunes to anything and it's about £20. Personally I have developed burning hatred towards mine, but it's a nifty little thing.

Signum_Tenebrae · « **Reply #7 on:** 06 May 2005, 14:58 »

Check out Squier, or maybe Epiphone.

blindsuperhero · « **Reply #8 on:** 06 May 2005, 14:59 »

The problem with tuners is they make your instrument out of tune.

Not really a problem with guitars, since guitars can't actually play in tune.

Kai · « **Reply #9 on:** 06 May 2005, 15:04 »

I personally started out with a pitch pipe and nowadays my ear, but eh.

Mikendher · « **Reply #10 on:** 06 May 2005, 15:36 »

I got my Dean guitar (performer E) for 220$. It's still one of the best guitars I've played. You probably won't find one for under 200 though.

EDIT: silly me, just realized you said electric. sorry, I know nothing about electric

Tartar Martyr · « **Reply #11 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:05 »

Ibanez makes some decent $200ish axes.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #12 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:13 »

What s your prob lem with electuc tuners? What did the ever do to you?DISCRIMINATOR! just because they're not as twangy as tyhe fork-based runing machines!

Cpt.Fantastic · « **Reply #13 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:14 »

Alcohol again, Khar?

KharBevNor · « **Reply #14 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:19 »

did a band who were not tankard once do a soing called 'alchohol' about their discovery of said toxin and the joy it cuased them,? I remeber it had a line likje 'when i discorvert alchohol' but with less druinken typos caused by the inhibition of my brainial fucntions.

Cpt.Fantastic · « **Reply #15 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:20 »

Yeah... you're pissed

blindsuperhero · « **Reply #16 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:27 »

Quote from: KharBevNor

What s your prob lem with electuc tuners? What did the ever do to you?DISCRIMINATOR! just because they're not as twangy as tyhe fork-based runing machines!

They use Equal Temperament (as do guitars), not Just Intonation. Just Intonation is the only thing that's actually in tune

KharBevNor · « **Reply #17 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:27 »

SHUSH! others may not hafe noticed!

Mnementh · « **Reply #18 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:36 »

Too late. Some nice mentalhead sold me a starter pack. It'll do me for now.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #19 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:47 »

Hurrah!

And blindsuperhero, you should realise that i'm far too addlet
to know what temperament and all that is.

So why do I still know what floccinoccinihilipilification and honorificabilitudinatatibus mean? gah!

Jooooosh · « **Reply #20 on:** 06 May 2005, 16:48 »

i like my Ibanez sz, i think it is much sweet. a song tha was easy for me to learn was Modest Mouses 3rd planet

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #21 on:** 06 May 2005, 17:09 »

Quote from: blindsuperhero

The problem with cheap guitars is that the quality varies so much. Most of them are awful but every now and again you can find a pretty decent guitar. the only problem is, you'd have to know a bit about guitars to be able to tell which ones are good.
If you're not bothered about how it sounds, or becoming a good guitarist, I'd say just pick one that you like the look of.

Too late now, but my advice in reference to this would be to get a friend or family member who knows their guitars to come with you and help.

Mnementh · « **Reply #22 on:** 06 May 2005, 19:28 »

screw learning songs. I've remembed three chords from guitar lessons 15 years ago. I don't know which ones they are, but I can play them quickly in succession. I'm gonna go get a duck cut and start a pop punk band!

ForteBass · « **Reply #23 on:** 06 May 2005, 19:30 »

I'm calling drums!

Kai · « **Reply #24 on:** 06 May 2005, 19:55 »

Anyone have a bass? I don't play bass, so it makes me all the more qualified to join your punk band.

Anyways, I play an old DanElectro 56-U2 that I bought for 70 dollars at a garage sale and it works wonders. I love it. I mean, how can you not argue with a 200 dollar guitar for 70 bucks?

Mnementh · « **Reply #25 on:** 06 May 2005, 21:57 »

Fiona is on bass.

ForteBass · « **Reply #26 on:** 06 May 2005, 21:58 »

And we're a trio. No quartets, no quintets. We're like McLusky, only we suck out loud.

Kai · « **Reply #27 on:** 06 May 2005, 22:03 »

Fine, can I be like Sid Vicious and say I wrote all your songs for you even though I don't join until after the last album?

ForteBass · « **Reply #28 on:** 06 May 2005, 22:05 »

Hell no. I wrote the damn songs

Inlander · « **Reply #29 on:** 07 May 2005, 00:14 »

Ooh - punk band! I bags being the Malcolm McLaren-esque manager: "You know none of these kids had any notion of forming a band before I brought them all together. When I first met Chuck he was just a grotty, skinny little kid. He spat in my eye, I thought it was genius even though nobody else saw it. And then I invented rap."

Kai · « **Reply #30 on:** 07 May 2005, 00:15 »

I invented punk, but only because I stole it from Napoleon who stole it from me.

Damniel · « **Reply #31 on:** 07 May 2005, 07:48 »

qwiktone electronic tuners are great but just being able to ear tune is way better...or harmonically tune the guitar...i had an electronic tuner to begin with and now i struggle to tune by ear when its batteries die...so being flexible is really the way to go

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #32 on:** 07 May 2005, 14:43 »

Haha we own.

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #33 on:** 07 May 2005, 19:19 »

Our band is called Not Val Kilmer and we own you all.

Inlander · « **Reply #34 on:** 07 May 2005, 19:35 »

Just as long as you remember that it was all my idea. At least, that's what I'll be telling people.

Johnny C · « **Reply #35 on:** 07 May 2005, 20:24 »

Can I join as keyboard player when you "go heavy" on your third album?

Uh, anyway, yeah, I recommend learning how to tune by ear. Eventually your ear learns what a proper E sounds like (or D or C, depending on how low you tune), and you tune your guitar from there.

Inlander · « **Reply #36 on:** 07 May 2005, 20:28 »

Third album? Nah mate, there's gonna be one album, then a shambolic overseas tour, and then I'm gonna run off with all the money.

Johnny C · « **Reply #37 on:** 07 May 2005, 20:30 »

A guy can dream.

Inlander · « **Reply #38 on:** 07 May 2005, 20:35 »

You can be in the reunion tour in 20 years time. The one that I'll have no part of, because they'll all be too busy slagging me off, even though if it wasn't for me none of them would have ever met each other, let alone formed a band, and I made them what they are today, and . . . And . . . And did I tell you I invented rap?!

DonkeyPirate · « **Reply #39 on:** 13 May 2005, 18:21 »

to learn the most comon chords, go to www.tabheaven.com. on the side bar is a chords link. it gives you a really convenient and easy to use chords chart. from there go to www.thetabworld.com and find your favorite band. look for either tabs of them, or chords of them and start playin. ive been playin accoustic/classical guitar for about 3 months and i can play most any song from chords. and most guitar rifts since they follow scales

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Author Topic: Beginner Guitar Advice (Read 18880 times)

Mnementh

ASturge

Mnementh

blindsuperhero

ASturge

Mnementh

Cpt.Fantastic

Signum_Tenebrae

blindsuperhero

Mikendher

Tartar Martyr

Cpt.Fantastic

Cpt.Fantastic

blindsuperhero

Mnementh

thehoopiestfrood

Mnementh

Mnementh

Damniel

thehoopiestfrood

thehoopiestfrood

DonkeyPirate