Guitar Advice

[cd02]

Okay so I've read the other thread about guitars etc but just want some quick advice.

My other half wants to learn and wants me to buy her an electric guitar. I'm not looking to spend alot as its 50/50 that she'll even carry it on but was just wondering, would this be okay for her or am I been too cheap ?

"DOLLYROCKER" PINK ELECTRIC GUITAR AMPLIFIER STARTER PACKAGE

bearing in mind she's never played one before.

Any advice etc would be appreciated..

[Larkino]

my first guitar was a squire
they're a good price, quality build (distrubuted by fender), and you can get them anywhere, like Argos.
Buy Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocastor black. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .
the guitar lasted me a couple years till I got a strat.

you can probarbly get the squire for cheaper aswell

[pitteth2001]

As starter guitar packages go might be best to get a pretty one. One that her favourite rock star wields might maintain the interest too. Yamaha Pacifica is very nice starter I think- never been disappointed with one.

[delude]

Keep in mind that if you don't but into a bigger brand, there will be no real resale value if she decides not to continue. I would recommend either a Squire (by Fender) or Cruiser (by Crafter) as a first guitar. Both are very affordable and often come bundled with everything that is needed.

[barcelonic]

i've been playing for nearly 10 years and have a few guitars yet my fave is an acoustic i bought for £24 in a bargain basement, lol, which even came with a free case. it is a 3/4 size guitar but it's brill!

cost isn't everything. if i were you i'd get her the one you've suggested PLUS get here the cheapest acoustic you can find with nylon strings.

because it helps a newbie to understand the difference between the two, and to learn on both if possible.

most starter package guitars like the one you've got are fine to learn on, and in fact are usually Fender Stratocasters, or at least based on the Strat.

it seems like a good choice if she can stand the hideous colour that is, lol

edit: and if she needs any tips at any point don't be a stranger : )

[the_saint]

I would say just stick to the electric. I've never heard of the brand but I always worry about even starter guitars for less than £100. It will probably do to start off with, but if she sticks to it she will want something better very quickly.

The amp will be terrible but to be fair you will get that with any starter pack. I know my local dawsons do a pink squier if its the colour she likes and I would say if you can afford pay the bit extra because you know what you are getting with a squier. I got my squier to learn on in 1996 and still have it now! The pickups need replacing but it's still a great guitar.

[barcelonic]

yep the squire will serve you well, but should she keep on at it she will eventually need to make the transition to acoustic and will find it very difficult if she's only ever practised on an electric.

electric guitars are are a lot easier to play. just make sure she doesn't give up on the idea of playing the guitar because it takes time.

the way i learnt was simple: learn guitar tablature and then go on sites like ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS ARCHIVE | 300,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs! to find her favorite songs in tab form and practise them over and over again. learning to play guitar can be a lot of fun if you teach yourself in this way

edit: you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy tabs are to read

[the_saint]

Originally Posted by barcelonic

yep the squire will serve you well, but should she keep on at it she will eventually need to make the transition to acoustic and will find it very difficult if she's only ever practised on an electric.

Why will she need to make the transition? I agree she will probably want to, but there is no reason why she will need to and could end up only ever playing electric.

My feeling is that as far as beginners are concerned, they should practice on something that is easy to play so that they don't lose heart and think it is too difficult and give up. Once they get to a decent standard they should then move on to harder things if they want, but by then they will be well along the learning process and be more likely to stick to, and overcome, the harder challenges.

But acoustic guitar isn't that much harder to play than electric, especially if you use a lighter gauge. The only difficulty if if you are using a nylon stringed acoustic but why would she? I think in the 14 years i've been playing I've played a nylon string about 8 times. Most people use steel string acoustics.

the way i learnt was simple: learn guitar tablature and then go on sites like ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS ARCHIVE | 300,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs! to find her favorite songs in tab form and practise them over and over again. learning to play guitar can be a lot of fun if you teach yourself in this way

Yes. Start by learning to play songs you like. This will help youo get a good feel for a guitar and strengthen your fingers. Then move onto learning scales etc. And that is a very good site for tabs.

[delude]

I started on electric, and still play electric. I have made no transitions, and am not going to make any transitions. Why is there a need to?

[barcelonic]

you have a good point i suppose. it depends what music you want to play, as when i learnt i learnt classical, folk etc.. and i personally feel that to be a good guitarist you do need to learn other styles other than rock.

perhaps my comments would be more relevant in six months when she's learnt the basics already. but i feel a lot of young guitarists these days are only interested in learning punk/metal, which won't help you in the long run, even if that is what you want to play.

the best punk/metal guitarists i feel are the ones who have taken time to play other styles of music. many of the bands out these days have one-sided guitarists and it shows in the unoriginality of their music. one popular exception of course are the fratellis, who have a fifties rocknroll feel to their guitar parts.

in other words, it is not essential to learn other styles of music but it will make you a better guitarist if you do, and as for nylon strings they are more adept to classical, folk etc.. because they are suited to picking as opposed to strumming, which i agree does sound better on steel strings.

[Schism]

Can't go wrong with a Yamaha Pacifica tbh

[the_saint]

Originally Posted by barcelonic

you have a good point i suppose. it depends what music you want to play, as when i learnt i learnt classical, folk etc.. and i personally feel that to be a good guitarist you do need to learn other styles other than rock.

Depends what you mean by good. Good technique? Good songwriter? Good for peopla to listen to? etc.

There are lots of technically great guitarists out there who's music I wouldn't listen to if you paid me (Steve Vai anyone?). Then there's guitarists who aren't particularly great on their technique - and who will admit to that - but know how to write a good song (depending on personal taste Noel Gallagher, Billy wotshisface from greenday etc).

It really depends on personal taste and what you want from the instrument. I agree it's never a bad thing to broaden your horizons and try new styles, but you don't need an acoustic guitar to do that. Jazz guitarists for example generally have great technical ability but more than often than not will play electric (or at least semi-acoustic) guitars.

[Larkino]

by good guitarist, im assuming he means a player who knows his way around scales, and knows chords.
a good guitarist, is in general, a guitarist who knows how to "jam". you might be able to play a killer solo, but if you dont know which notes you need to play during a solo, or which chords go with which, it doesn't matter.
I personally would define someone as a good guitarist if they know enough scales/chords so that when you hear them play, you dont get bored.

[barcelonic]

i am referring to guitarists who write, if you want to be in a cover band then ignore me.

the_saint, i am only expressing my belief that learning on an acoustic helps you to become a better player. if you were to learn on an acoustic you would later find the electric easy as pie to play.

i feel that sticking to just an electric won't do you any favours in the long run because you are ignoring certain styles of music which cannot be played well on an electric, styles which help you to become a better songwriter.
and yes, semi-acoustics are still acoustics as far as i'm concerned.
electric guitars are great for certain things, and acoustics are better for others.

the fact is though there is no ONE WAY to learn the guitar. i'm simply offering tips for the newbie, and the more tips from different people the better. regardless of what you think, i know for a fact i wouldn't be half the player i am if i'd never picked up an acoustic guitar. and i also believe that learning on an acoustic, albeit more difficult, will make playing electric so much easier. i also think that classical guitar is a great way to improve your technique regardless of what style of music you are into playing.

when i started learning flamenco for instance, i later found that i could play all the rock songs i knew better than ever before because my technique had improved. i also found that i could write far better music as a result of learning a variety of styles. having a steel-stringed acoustic sounds better when strumming, put nylon are better for picking with your fingers.

this may not be the same for everyone, but pls don't suggest that my input is not welcome in any way because i truly do know what i'm talking about. and as i said in my original post, you can pick up an unbranded acoustic v. cheap these days so it wouldn't hurt for a learner to use both.

[the_saint]

this may not be the same for everyone, but pls don't suggest that my input is not welcome in any way because i truly do know what i'm talking about.

Woah! Easy Tiger! Where did I say your input is not welcome? Where did I even suggest it? Just to clarify, if you think my disagreeing with you on something is to suggest that your input is not welcome then you are wrong. You might not like people disagreeing with you on things but that is life and I'm not going to agree with everything a person says just because they can't handle conflict.

This is a debate - a discussion of ideas, thoughts and opinions. I never said you were wrong (except for point (1)), I just said that;-
(1) there is no need for someone to pick up an acoustic. I agree acoustic is nice to play and she may well want to do so at a later date, but there is never any need for someone to do so - which I think is not really opinion, but a true fact.

(2) I don't want to rehash what I said above, but the simple fact is that CD02 obviously knows his girlfriend better than us. From what he has said she may be slightly flakely on the whole sticking to the guitar. On that basis there will be more of a risk that if she starts with an acoustic, which by your own admission is trickier to play than an electric, she will give up. If she starts with an electric it will be easier and she will be more likely to stick to it, getting an acoustic later if she wishes.

Surely it is better for her to start on electric and work her to acoustic and other styles, than to start on acoustic and just give up because it is hard to play and thus never getting to the stage of trying other styles etc. - which as I have said seems to be a real concern. Learning on an acoustic may help you become a better player if you stick with it, but if he is concerned that she won't stick with the guitar generally why make it more difficult?

I just think that when you are at the beginner stage you just need to get into playing the guitar and anything that can be done to be make it easier so that you will stick with it is a good thing and you shouldn't, at this stage, make things any harder than they need to be. Especially if as said above he thinks she might give up.

For the avoidance of doubt, that is not to say I don't value your input just that I disagree with your views in this set of circumstances. I think I have set out clearly why I have formed my opinion and the logic and reason I give supports my assertions. If you disagree then fine, but I wouldn't take that to suggest you don't value the input.