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Any guitar players out there?

All solid advice. I'll also echo Mr. Souldog - stick with something like a Strat, it'll be the best bang for your buck starting out. Gibson are awesome guitars, but you'll appreciate it more once you've got a little more experience under your belt. Check out the used section of Guitar Center, especially for an amp. When I first started I picked up an old Peavy backstage amp for like $40, it's still kicking. I've been playing for about 10 years, but haven't picked up the ax in a while (playing time dramatically decreased once my son was born). Beware though - guitars can be worse than cigars, with all the pedals amps and accessories available it'll suck your wallet dry! :laugh:

Good luck finding one!
 
I've played for about 15 years and have taught lessons for the past few years. Here's the advice I give to my students:

1. If you're serious about learning to play, don't get the cheapest guitar you can. The action (height between the strings and the fretboard) usually sucks on cheap guitars and they're impossible to keep in tune. Very frustrating for beginning guitarists.

2. Learn to play on an acoustic before you pick up an electric. If you learn on an acoustic first, the transition to electric is smooth and easy. It does not work the other way around.

3. Learning to play the guitar is a lot like riding a roller coaster. The work is at the beginning, when you're learning chords, getting your fingers adjusted, and figuring out how to transition between chords and scales. After you get the basics down, it's all downhill from there. You'll be able to pick out some familiar songs, and playing around with that will help you develop your own strumming patters and fingerstyle technique. Point is, don't give up early.
 
I'm really a drummer, been playing all my life but I've also played guitar here and there for a long time too. If you're gonna go electric probably the best all around bang for the buck is one of the Fender Strats made outside the US (Mexico, Korea).

If you find one you like also check out musiciansfriend.com they have good deals and free shipping.
 
flamchop said:
I'm really a drummer, been playing all my life but I've also played guitar here and there for a long time too. If you're gonna go electric probably the best all around bang for the buck is one of the Fender Strats made outside the US (Mexico, Korea).

If you find one you like also check out musiciansfriend.com they have good deals and free shipping.
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Ditto for me- I investigated the Mexican Strats/Tele's and found that mainly some of the woods, and the labor is basically all that is different that the US made ones. One thing you HAVE to keep in mind is what you intend to do with it, and how you want to be heard if your going to be playing with a group or in my case team. I have been involved in doing church worship music for the last 15 years or so, and the last 8 or so I have been the worship leader at our church. If I am leading the band, I usually want my telecaster, because it's much brighter and cutting than the others. Most of the time I lead the quieter music with my Guild acoustic with pickup because of the softer music. But if I am not in the capacity of leader, I like to use my strat or this really cool Les Paul copy I bought on ebay a couple years back. It was a Taiwan/Viet Nam made copy by a guy named Antoniosai, and supposedly he is quite the luthier over there, but the thing is just loaded with mother of pearl inlays with abalone, etc. mixed in. I had an appraisal done on it, and my music store guy said if it was done here on a really good guitar, one could expect to pay at least 3 to 5 thousand for the inlay work. Oddly enough it sounds much like a regular Les Paul after I set it up, and I may invest in some different pickups in the future. But be careful buying those, I hear the humidity there will often cause the acoustics to crack when brought back here to the states and put in a house with say a wood stove. It really is just what your looking to do amd what kind of performance your looking for out of a guitar. (start cheaper)
 
Bumping this up in case you haven't purchased a guitar yet I figured I'd throw my .02 in there. I began playing about 9 years ago (the number of years changes every day, one day its 14, next day its 7, I can't remember!) and I started out playing a $99 Johnson Acoustic guitar. Biggest piece of crap I've ever played, however, learning how to play on that made every other guitar I've ever played feel like a dream! The only reason I would suggest acoustic (I know you're going the electric route) is because like others have said it will build up your dexterity and calluses which will make playing an electric much much easier. However, if you start with electric then decide to switch to acoustic you'll have a harder time with it, not impossible, just harder. I've played Gibsons (SG and Les Paul), Fenders (Mexican and USA, Strat and Tele), one Paul Reed Smith, and one Washburn but my go to guitar has been my Schecter. You don't hear a lot about these guitars, but boy, for the price, you just can't beat it. It all depends on the amp you're cranking it out of, but the only guitar that I'd rather have on the above list is a Paul Reed Smith (and a PRS cost about 2-5,000 more!!) Right now I have the C-1 Classic, and it sounds as good as it looks! Normally I play acoustic (Alvarez Yari) but when I do any recording, and most of the stuff I do live on electric (depends on the type of music) I'll pick the Schecter over the USA Strat and Tele I have. Good luck in finding what you're looking for (if you haven't already), and the best advice I can give to someone who is learning is do not quit until you have learned at least one song all the way through. Once you learn how to play that song you'll get the bug and you'll never be able to put it down!
C-1 Classic

C-1-Classic-DVS-lg.jpg
 
Brickhouse said:
Love my Epiphone Les Paul....it does what I need it to.

I just play some tabs and the chords, and not all that well yet. But I love to pick it up from time to time and strum out a song.
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I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I love it. I'm more of an acoustic guy though... I have an Olympia that I absolutely love. Play before you buy for sure. I've been playing for 3 years and I taught myself from tabs. I play everyday mostly while reading up on here. :)
 
Squiers are a pretty decent beginner axe, despite what some people say. Not to mention, it's a Tele. Sweet guitar man!
 
You could always switch to bass. It's my instrument of choice and isn't boring if you get creative with running bass lines. Then again, I'm biased. Good luck with your fret board endeavors.
 
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