Question for all the OS guitarists

[caseyd]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Cool. I just found out that Guitar Center can get in the Ibanex GRG170DX. That's the one that I was really interested in. Reviews are very positive and my daughter's guitar teacher says that it's a really nice guitar for the money. It's just going to take a couple weeks to come in so that I can try it. I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Line 6 Spider III amp. Can't remember if someone mentioned that. Anyone have experience with that?

[eXperiment63]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No spider III. The Spider line is HORRIBLE! Horrrrrrrrrrible! The only people who like it are noobs that don't know good tone yet lmao.

Roland Microcube is awesome
Vox AD series is awesome

Go with one of those. If you're more into classic rock and cleaner sounds, get the AD series. If you're more into metal, get the Cube.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Get a real amp and skip the solid state is my advice. You can find a Fender Blues Junior or a Peavy Delta Blues for $350 or so on CraigsList, etc. pretty easily. If you're at all interested in natural amp tone (i.e. not playing speed metal or saturating your guitar with effects), go with a tube amp for sure. There's absolutely no comparison sound-wise.

Of course, they're more expensive in general, but as long as you know that you will still be playing guitar 4-5 years from now, then it's a good investment. If you're just wanting to get something to mess with and haven't really determined if you have a lasting interest in playing, then by all means go with a Yamaha guitar and a solid state amp. Don't say that I didn't warn you when you sell it for beans and regret not having bought a real amp.

Heh, sorry, I'm a snob when it comes to amps. My recommendation as far as a guitar is something by G&L -- they make really great guitars and they aren't that expensive. I don't really like Ibanez's lower model guitars at all, I'd MUCH rather get a Schecter or even an ESP over a cheap Ibanez. Schecters are great guitars, especially if you're into metal/punk kind of stuff.

I play blues and jazz primarily, so I've always been a Stratocaster kind of guy. The Fender Standard Strats (made in Mexico) are nice guitars and are generally well-made. You're paying a bit extra for the name, but they do have a certain benchmark of quality that they follow at Fender, so you're less likely to end up with a lemon than with buying a Yamaha/Peavey/Ibanez that costs $200. I'd look for a used one (just check the neck and hardware to ensure that it plays well the entire way up the neck) because buying guitars new is as big of a waste as buying a new car -- you're paying to not ahve someone else's fingerprints on it, essentially.

Of course I bought all of my guitars new because I was stupid and picky. But if I did it again, I'd definitely troll used music stores and CraigsList looking for used guitars, because you save 50% at least and the product is essentially the same unless they treated it like ****. Most people buy them new and realize that guitar just isn't in them and end up selling it hardly played for almost nothing.

EDIT: And yeah, I have an undying hate for any amp modeling amps (Line 6). The tone is so plastic-sounding I can hardly stand it. Unless you're literally just playing distorted power chords, stay the hell away from solid-state 'modeling' amps. Just buy a tube amp and effects pedals.. trust me.

[KENYON06]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Buddy, I had a Line 6 Spider, and a Marshall MGD at one time, those are the 2 worst amps I have played.

Like I said, for under 130, a Micro cube is a safe bet. I'm not too experienced with higher end amps if you eventually look into those.

Or check out Amplitube/Guitar rig, etc, they are software amps that replicate the circuitry of real amps, and as long as your speakers and soundcard don't suck, they are pretty good. Problem is you can't do much except practice on your computer.

[coffeeholic]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

I like those little Mesa Boogie combo amps. The sound and power those things have is amazing,and can be found at a decent price with some smart shopping. If it doesn't have alot of features-a good Boss chorus pedal thrown in will thicken things up.

[caseyd]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Wow. All the reviews I see of the Spider IIIs are really good. Strange that nobody here likes them. I don't have $350 to spend for a practice amp, so unfortunately, that's out of the question. I'm just looking for something to use at home. I asked my daughter's teacher about the Microcube because they seem to get very good ratings too, and he didn't seem to high on them. I'll just have to try some out.

[eXperiment63]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Microcube or Vox AD15VT

[NCAAFootballFreak]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

The trick with Guitar Center is to see if they have the same guitar in the back -- unopened. Now keep in mind that two identical guitars can still feel different from each other, but at least you will have tried out a guitar of that type. The reason I say to do this at Guitar Center though is because you'll have 30-100 guys/wannabes per day coming in and just hammering the crap out of those guitars and not even caring because they're really not in there to buy. They're in there to show off what they can play and what they think will impress the average guitar player.

(brings to mind the clip from Wayne's World -- Ahem, uh *points to sign* "No Stairway" -- classic)

Having said that, I'm more of an acoustic player so I can't really tell you anything specific to electrics other than 1 -- make sure you like the general way the guitar feels -- the neck width, the width the strings are apart from each other, arrangement of tuning pegs, etc. and 2 -- make sure you like the sound of the guitar. Even with electrics, each guitar can sound differently through the same amp with the same effect settings.

If you like the way it feels, and you like the way it sounds, you can't go wrong.

That's my two cents -- take it for what it's worth, and enjoy the experience of buying your first guitar. It's a blast!

Bought my first one at a pawn shop -- actually, my mom did for me, but it was a sweet experience none-the-less. A little $100 Ephiphone acoustic that I still own. I still love that thing.

[HiJumpr111]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Hey. I have a question for all you guitarists. Do you have any recommendations for electric guitars that would be good for someone just really getting into it, who also doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg? I was looking at:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-GRG170DX-Electric-Guitar?sku=512496

and http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...tar?sku=519426

Looking to spend anywhere up to $300 for the guitar probably. Any recommendations on decent amps for not a lot of money? I have a 25 watt Yamaha that I got from a friend a while ago. Haven't really tried it out with my daughter's electric, so maybe it will be ok.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I currently play two Ibanez instruments quite regularly and am very pleased with both. (An S2170SE and and Iceman CX400). Ibanez does a great job of manufacturing good solid body electrics that have amazing sustain and yet don't weigh a ton. I also own two different Les Pauls (one Gibson, one Epi) and actually can feel the pain in my lower back and shoulders from playing one during the course of an evening. I like your choice, though! The GRG170 is a good guitar within its price range.

As far as your amp situation, you really have to analyze your playing habits. It's true that the difference in sound you get from a solid state or a hybrid amp is exponentially dwarfed by that of an all-tube "box of thunder," but you will have to cough up big bucks. Even a smaller 50-75 watt combo all tube will run a pretty penny. I play through an older Marshall JCM Head and a 4x12 Celestion cab. But I do own a Spider III (75 Watt). Yes, while it pales in comparison, it is an absolute blast to play when I'm sitting in my house. I call it my "fun" amp. Without any pedals or external devices, I can (in 10 seconds or less) recreate the sound of virtually any guitar that has been recorded. (Note--I said "sound" not "musical expertise.") The built in presets are amazing.

I say stick with this Ibanez and experiment around town with various amps. You'll know what you like as soon as you hear it.

Happy playing.

[windseer90]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Got a question. I'm planning on trying to learn guitar this summer, but I want to get an electric. If I learn on an electric, will I be able to transfer over to an acoustic and play?

[eXperiment63]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Yep, you'll just play like an eletric player on an acoustic. Electric and Acoustic playing styles are VERY different. Acoustic players generally work in tons of open strings in their melodies, whereas Electric players don't tend to; they muddy up the sound with moderate gain.

But as far as the basics go, of course you can play an acoustic after learning on an electric.

[HiJumpr111]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

I totally agree with eXperiment.

If you are a beginner, one of the things you'll need to get comfortable with is the sensation of your fingers fretting the strings -- this can easily be accomplished on an electric as much as an acoustic. Most electrics will have a bit slimmer profiled neck which will allow for more dexterity with your fretting hand.

Of all the beginning students I teach, I would say 75-80% start out with an electric.

Just hop online find some well-written tablature (there is actually some out there) and practice, practice, practice.

Two very helpful programs are Guitar Pro and Power Tab -- both are tablature editing software that will allow you to play along with music at a pace comfortable for you. GP is around $50 and PT is free.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Yeah, your style will be slightly different if you learn on an electric... but at the same time, there are plenty of jangly fingerpickers on electrics, so that's not always true. The style of music that you like to play should be the determining factor in my mind... if you only listen to and care about electric music, then definitely go that route... if you're a huge Bob Dylan fan or something, then you might want to go with an acoustic.

The key is maintaining your interest over the difficult stretch when you're learning (and your fingers are sore as hell) -- getting tablature/chords for songs you know and love is the best way to do that in my experience. I learned on an electric via online tabs, but the real meat of it came when I would cloister myself in my room and play song after song from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix tab books -- that enabled me both to learn those songs as well as learn the theory behind the music so I could solo on my own, create my own riffs, etc.

Electrics are much easier to play and hurt your fingers less, so that's the best route for most people. You can learn all the chords on electric since they're easier to play, then by the time you play acoustic, your fingers will be strong enough to make the chords on the more difficult to play acoustic.

[KENYON06]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

Got a question. I'm planning on trying to learn guitar this summer, but I want to get an electric. If I learn on an electric, will I be able to transfer over to an acoustic and play?

Yes, all the principals still apply. It is easier to go from acoustic to electric though, because usually acoustics are stringed with 11,12's, or 13's which makes frettting chords and vibrato a real pain when starting. However, it makes the transition to electric easier than vice versa. But like they said, everything still applies so if you can play electric, you will feel fine with an acoustic.

Also, make sure when you start, you pay attention to technique and don't let tension creep in. Tension will F you up. I lost about 2 years worth of time completely redoing my technique from scratch.

[windseer90]

Re: Question for all the OS guitarists

After talking to a few people at school and after reading the majority of posts, I'm going to start off on an acoustic. It just seems to be the best way to start, and everyone seems to say its easier to go from an acoustic to an electric.