Time to pick up a real guitar **Updated**

**ImmortalX** · Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 392 Location: Massachusetts

I'd definitely go with anything Fender/Squire.

Honestly, I've never felt more comfortable guitars. If you ask me, Gibson's are shit unless you have an idea of what you're doing. And if you're professional... well, then you can get Fenders to sound better in general :P

So, basically, get a Fender/Squire no matter what. /opinion

For reasons that I think that they're better, well, the strings are much easier to press down, and they also bend far more easily. Also, I've found they don't go out of tune NEARLY as much as other guitars. They're high quality.

What I suggest: Get a Squire Stratocaster for ~$200. Then, get a Line 6 amp for about ~$100.

Two of the highest quality starter items you can get, and for the best value you can find. This is what I plan to do (unfortunately, I already had bought a piece of shit before I even realized how different guitars actually were). However, I do not have $300.

A place I suggest going to: Guitar Center. If you have one near you, go there. The people there are really nice, and are often more helpful than anybody else ever will be. In fact, most of them not only know about all their products, but are usually skilled musicians. I know that at my local Guitar Center, there's nobody working on the floor of the guitar area that has been playing for fewer than 10 years.

So yeah, the store is always really good to visit, especially because they sometimes find/make deals. Hell, I got a set of $70 lock-in tuners for $65, got them installed overnight (whereas normally it would have taken weeks) and did not have to pay the fee (it's about an $80 fee or some crazy number to have have them installed). Why? Because they guy that sold them to me bought them using his store discount, and then brought them to his personal shop, where he installed them for me for free. Not only that, but he completely reworked my guitar (piece of shit) for free, by working over the electronics, changing my action (distance of the strings from the neck) to a more workable range, tuning it for me, and even giving it a bit of polish. Whereas, if I had gone the official route through Guitar Center corporate, I would have paid out the nose and gotten barely anything, and after a few WEEKS.

/rant

tl;dr

I rant about how awesome Fenders/Squires and Guitar Center are.

Super cool.

Edit:

**TJShultz** · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 1261 Location: Seattle, WA

Guitar Center (retail chain) owns Musician's Friend (internet/mail-order).
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nickb611 wrote:

Alright, let's review.

1) You're using numbers in place of words.
2) You're spelling at the second grade level.
3) You're posting in CAPS.
4) This post is in the wrong place, and should have been in Software.

Conclusion: Custom songs are not your "cup of tea", and I'd suggest undertaking a much more simpler hobby. Perhaps tree watching.

**Bigern1990** · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 247 Location: NJ

**TheCustodian** · Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 127 Location: Scranton Branch

I would go for a Squire Strat - like the one you are looking at. It's the guitar I use, albeit in a different color, and it's great. The frets are easy to push down, the intonation is good, and it's sexy-looking. As for an amp, get a Roland Micro Cube. They're a little bit more expensive than other amps ($25 more) but you've never seen a better low-end amp. Honestly, the thing has effects up the whazoo to play with and shape your tone, and it even runs on batteries if you need it to.

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**cjfolland** · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 216 Location: Billerica, Mass

**Bigern1990** · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 247 Location: NJ

Found a Squier Value Pack here. Will it be better to get the Squier by itself (the one I posted before) and then the amp, or get the value pack I just posted?
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"Failure is not an option -- it comes bundled with Windows"

**ravagetalon** · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 2131 Location: KY

I have an Epiphone SG Special. As part of a Epiphone SG Performance pack. Came with the axe and a REALLY GOOD 15 watt amp all for under 300. Some have seen me play it (badly) on stream. Its really nice and plays well, feels good, sounds good. My only gripe with it is i wish it had bigger frets and tone and vol knobs for each pickup (after trying some with larger frets at guitar center). However its definitely great for a beginner for their first year or more.

PS.... DONT GET SQUIER!!!!
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**Bigern1990** · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 247 Location: NJ

Hey guys, I updated it. I got the guitar, you can see it on the first page of this thread.

Anyone know any good sites where I can learn the basics? Any good applications or videos too?

Thanks for all your help guys!
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"Failure is not an option -- it comes bundled with Windows"

**TJShultz** · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 1261 Location: Seattle, WA

Congrats on the new guitar! The best advice I can give you is this: start slow. Learn the basics, and learn to play CLEANLY (I don't mean distortion-free, I mean technically clean - make sure you're only fretting one string and not touching others, etc.) from the get-go. Having to un-learn bad habits and then re-learn is obnoxious.

The best site out there for free online lessons, in my opinion, is www.justinguitar.com. He doesn't have metal lessons or anything, really, but he has all of the basics that you'll need to get you playing, and his warm-up exercises are really great for developing hand strength, speed, and dexterity.

Good luck, and above all else, have fun!

E: http://justinguitar.com/html/beginners_html/00-03-Prac.html is a good place to start out.
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nickb611 wrote:

Alright, let's review.

1) You're using numbers in place of words.
2) You're spelling at the second grade level.
3) You're posting in CAPS.
4) This post is in the wrong place, and should have been in Software.

Conclusion: Custom songs are not your "cup of tea", and I'd suggest undertaking a much more simpler hobby. Perhaps tree watching.

**Kiyrugoji** · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:00 am Post subject:

You are incredibly lucky - best starter set I've ever seen.

And take the above posters advice - http://www.justinguitar.com/ is awesome.
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Briane wrote:

Especially in RB, knuckle heads grab a guitar and think they are Hendrix and starts mashing the frets. Next thing you know someone has inadvertently navigated you to the the RB store and just wasted $2 on some Jimmy Buffet song about a cheeseburger in a volcano.

**Bigern1990** · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 247 Location: NJ

**Kerrang** · Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 945 Location: West Midlands, UK

Everything but the MG is win

. Have fun learning.

Oh and,

http://justinguitar.com/
http://www.youtube.com/JustinSandercoe
http://www.youtube.com/user/JustinSandercoeSongs

Enjoy.

**josh84** · Joined: 21 Jul 2007 Posts: 105

I had a special 2 in black, hated it, but i love my gibson that i got for my bar mitzvah.
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**N.T.F.** · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 613

**Monk** · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:09 pm Post subject:

i am totally content with my yamaha strat and it only cost me a buck-fitty. the amp i have sucks, its the esteban american legacy POS that comes with the acoustic bundle, and has nothing but volume, bass and treble knobs. im either working on getting a multi pedal, a new amp alltogether( guitar store is having tourney GH3 here end of month 1st place = good amp) or investing in the line6 pocket pod.