Social Anxiety Support

Tau Sin · 10-06-2009, 09:14 PM

So I've wanted to learn how to play the guitar for a long time now (I took a class in junior high and learned some basic stuff but lord knows I don't remember anything anymore). I'm gonna' go borrow a friends acoustic to re-learn some basics but eventually I'd like to get my hands on an electric guitar. I was wondering if any of you metal heads (or pop stars) could point me in the direction of a good starter kit that would go for under $300?

I don't know anything really about guitars but this kit get's my underside all tingly:

http://www.amazon.com/Silvertone-SS1.../dp/B000BU42LM

Please give me some advice and opinions, thanks!

Paper Samurai · 10-07-2009, 05:17 PM

I use to play guitar... badly lol. One piece of advice I can give you is that you should look to buy a guitar made of solid wood, rather than light weight ply - the heavier the better. You get a much better sound and tone from a guitar made of more solid material - if this means sacrificing looks for practicality so be it

I remember seeing alot of beginners getting what they considered the flashiest looking guitar in their price bracket, and sounding awful - not helped by being noobs either I guess lol.
Some good brands for a beginner are Epiphones (my personal favourite), Jacksons and Fenders (Pricey!) Avoid Squire branded guitars like the plague!

Phibes · 10-07-2009, 05:33 PM

Epiphone Casinos' were used by a lot of top musicians like beatles for instance and they are a lot cheaper than Gibson but still are respected among guitarists who are used to having expensive guitars.
If you're into that whole semi-hollow body look

If you aren't planning on playing metal and after a clean tone, an epiphone casino would be rad.
http://dane.lauda-audio.pl/prod/5148/Casino.jpg

Epiphone custom les paul. <- more versitle than the above casino, metal players use les pauls, indie rock, jazz, blues, etc, etc. They use the les paul.
http://erikguitars.com/catalog/image...PaulCUSTOM.jpg

Amp wise, get something like a roland cube15x or something like that because it has a built in guitar tuner + it has various 'amp emulators' as i like to call them which basically turn it into sounding like all sorts of amps so it gives you flexibility to find out what tone you're after so in future if u want to go all out and get an amp you'll know what you want.
'Acoustic, Fender Twin Reverb, Vox ac30, Tweed, Classic Marshall Stack, Metal amp' <- some of the different sorts of digital emulations you get . :>

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/revie...15x/index.html

Tau Sin · 10-08-2009, 09:15 PM

Thanks guys I'll keep this thread in mind. I picked up my friends acoustic and I'll get around to fiddling with it once I take a shower.

Unlikely hero · 10-08-2009, 09:24 PM

Learn to play EVERYTHING on a acoustic. Thats why I do. If i find a hard song i want to learn, I try to learn it on acoustic. You can't hide mistakes on a acoustic guitar like you can with distortion on an electric. Plus, your fingers will get stronger faster, so when you pick up an electric pressing the strings will be like floating on air.

squirpe · 10-12-2009, 01:40 AM

Very good tip - I am taking acoustic guitar lessons with a view to playing electric in a couple of years maybe. I've have learned a lot in a short time, it's definitely the way to go

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unlikely hero

Learn to play EVERYTHING on a acoustic. Thats why I do. If i find a hard song i want to learn, I try to learn it on acoustic. You can't hide mistakes on a acoustic guitar like you can with distortion on an electric. Plus, your fingers will get stronger faster, so when you pick up an electric pressing the strings will be like floating on air.

telefy · 10-12-2009, 08:46 PM

I would suggest going to a pawn shop... but you'd have to somewhat know how to appraise a good guitar in order to avoid getting a bad deal (I would never buy an acoustic from a pawn shop though)...

You could probably pick up a decent quality amp from a pawn shop for cheap and not need to know what you're doing, just write down the model# and plug it into Google to see if that's an ok used price. Turn the amp up to fairly loud and play a cord and listen for a lame staticy-crumply noise. If you get a staticy/weird noise then the speaker is blown out and you offer them a quarter of their asking price for it.

My way, you get to practice haggling too --yay confrontations! =D

Oh, btw, I bought a beat up guitar that was origianly worth $999 for... $150 from a pawn shop!

theuprising · 10-12-2009, 09:22 PM

Get a "first act" guitar for starters, to see even if you'll stick to it. Playing solo you could get an acoustic, but I like an electric due to sheer versatility. If you stick with it, move up to the bigger boys. If you've played a string instrument like a violin extensively before, you should get a unfretted guitar, and you will automatically stand out of the crowd.

EDIT: yeah I'm not so hot on acoustic since I'm playing with my EZ mode first act guitar with easily bendable strings, I guess I should buy an acoustic just to hone my skills. But then again I don't want to be a guitar prodigy, just a lead singer. The guitar is an excuse to let me sing.

Unlikely hero · 10-13-2009, 07:03 AM

I don't know why people think acoustic and electric guitars are so differernt; they are the same thing. You could play anything on an acoustic the same way you play it on an electric. Theres no such thing as, "I play electric, but i want to learn the acoustic, or vice versa."

Rixy · 10-13-2009, 08:32 AM

What Hero said ^^ If you don't want a teacher then I suggest you get a book or find a good website. You don't want to develop any bad habits that aren't good for your playing style. Also, stretch your fingers and your wrists before you play.

10-06-2009, 09:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tau Sin Status: Master deBater Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California Gender: Male Age: 22 Posts: 165	Guitars for the Nub So I've wanted to learn how to play the guitar for a long time now (I took a class in junior high and learned some basic stuff but lord knows I don't remember anything anymore). I'm gonna' go borrow a friends acoustic to re-learn some basics but eventually I'd like to get my hands on an electric guitar. I was wondering if any of you metal heads (or pop stars) could point me in the direction of a good starter kit that would go for under $300? I don't know anything really about guitars but this kit get's my underside all tingly: http://www.amazon.com/Silvertone-SS1.../dp/B000BU42LM Please give me some advice and opinions, thanks! __________________ :::: Me so tHorny! ::::

10-07-2009, 05:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
Paper Samurai Status: SAS Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Gender: Male Age: 20 Posts: 127	I use to play guitar... badly lol. One piece of advice I can give you is that you should look to buy a guitar made of solid wood, rather than light weight ply - the heavier the better. You get a much better sound and tone from a guitar made of more solid material - if this means sacrificing looks for practicality so be it I remember seeing alot of beginners getting what they considered the flashiest looking guitar in their price bracket, and sounding awful - not helped by being noobs either I guess lol. Some good brands for a beginner are Epiphones (my personal favourite), Jacksons and Fenders (Pricey!) Avoid Squire branded guitars like the plague! __________________ Sweet is sleep to me and even more to be of stone, While the wrong and shame endure. To be without sight or sense is a most happy change for me, therefore do not rouse me. Hush! Speak low.

10-08-2009, 09:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tau Sin Status: Master deBater Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California Gender: Male Age: 22 Posts: 165	Thanks guys I'll keep this thread in mind. I picked up my friends acoustic and I'll get around to fiddling with it once I take a shower. __________________ :::: Me so tHorny! ::::

10-07-2009, 05:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
Phibes Status: blessed with lucky sevens Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia. Gender: Male Age: 21 Posts: 641	Epiphone Casinos' were used by a lot of top musicians like beatles for instance and they are a lot cheaper than Gibson but still are respected among guitarists who are used to having expensive guitars. If you're into that whole semi-hollow body look If you aren't planning on playing metal and after a clean tone, an epiphone casino would be rad. http://dane.lauda-audio.pl/prod/5148/Casino.jpg Epiphone custom les paul. <- more versitle than the above casino, metal players use les pauls, indie rock, jazz, blues, etc, etc. They use the les paul. http://erikguitars.com/catalog/image...PaulCUSTOM.jpg Amp wise, get something like a roland cube15x or something like that because it has a built in guitar tuner + it has various 'amp emulators' as i like to call them which basically turn it into sounding like all sorts of amps so it gives you flexibility to find out what tone you're after so in future if u want to go all out and get an amp you'll know what you want. 'Acoustic, Fender Twin Reverb, Vox ac30, Tweed, Classic Marshall Stack, Metal amp' <- some of the different sorts of digital emulations you get . :> http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/revie...15x/index.html

10-08-2009, 09:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
Unlikely hero Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 116	Learn to play EVERYTHING on a acoustic. Thats why I do. If i find a hard song i want to learn, I try to learn it on acoustic. You can't hide mistakes on a acoustic guitar like you can with distortion on an electric. Plus, your fingers will get stronger faster, so when you pick up an electric pressing the strings will be like floating on air.

10-12-2009, 08:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
telefy Status: A safe distance Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Minnesota Gender: Male Age: 24 Posts: 29	I would suggest going to a pawn shop... but you'd have to somewhat know how to appraise a good guitar in order to avoid getting a bad deal (I would never buy an acoustic from a pawn shop though)... You could probably pick up a decent quality amp from a pawn shop for cheap and not need to know what you're doing, just write down the model# and plug it into Google to see if that's an ok used price. Turn the amp up to fairly loud and play a cord and listen for a lame staticy-crumply noise. If you get a staticy/weird noise then the speaker is blown out and you offer them a quarter of their asking price for it. My way, you get to practice haggling too --yay confrontations! =D Oh, btw, I bought a beat up guitar that was origianly worth $999 for... $150 from a pawn shop!

10-12-2009, 09:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
theuprising Status: SAS Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 140	Get a "first act" guitar for starters, to see even if you'll stick to it. Playing solo you could get an acoustic, but I like an electric due to sheer versatility. If you stick with it, move up to the bigger boys. If you've played a string instrument like a violin extensively before, you should get a unfretted guitar, and you will automatically stand out of the crowd. EDIT: yeah I'm not so hot on acoustic since I'm playing with my EZ mode first act guitar with easily bendable strings, I guess I should buy an acoustic just to hone my skills. But then again I don't want to be a guitar prodigy, just a lead singer. The guitar is an excuse to let me sing.

10-13-2009, 07:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
Unlikely hero Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 116	I don't know why people think acoustic and electric guitars are so differernt; they are the same thing. You could play anything on an acoustic the same way you play it on an electric. Theres no such thing as, "I play electric, but i want to learn the acoustic, or vice versa."

10-13-2009, 08:32 AM	#10 (permalink)
Rixy Status: Falling into Guru Muhk Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Gender: Male Age: 17 Posts: 228	What Hero said ^^ If you don't want a teacher then I suggest you get a book or find a good website. You don't want to develop any bad habits that aren't good for your playing style. Also, stretch your fingers and your wrists before you play.