[Hobby] Guitar

[MR_Candyman]

It's a great bass, good solid construction. I love the neck on it, it's very thin so it won't be too much of a change from your Ibanez. The only thing i don't like about it is the lack of countouring on the top of the bass. It's fine if i play finger style, but if i'm playing with a pick then i can get some marks on my forearm where my arm keeps hitting the edge of the bass.

Try it out, you can probably get them at a very good price.

Good to know. And ya, price-wise the shop I deal with has them for 350 canadian. I just wanted something cheap but able to hold it's tune and have a good sound to learn on. The Ibanez has actually been a great bass.

[The Teej]

Hey all, I'm looking to pick up the guitar in the new year as one of my new year's resolutions. I've got a budget of anywhere between ?50-?100 - is this enough? Is there anything specifically I need to look out for? Or alternatively, does anyone have any suggestions on what Guitars to go for for a newcomer like me? I'm looking to go to Electric Guitars eventually but want to pick up the basics with an acoustic guitar to begin with.

[DanielZ]

Hey all, I'm looking to pick up the guitar in the new year as one of my new year's resolutions. I've got a budget of anywhere between ?50-?100 - is this enough? Is there anything specifically I need to look out for? Or alternatively, does anyone have any suggestions on what Guitars to go for for a newcomer like me? I'm looking to go to Electric Guitars eventually but want to pick up the basics with an acoustic guitar to begin with.

I thought starting off acoustic was a good idea, too, but now I regret it. I originally bought myself a Fender acoustic for around ?100, and after learning a couple of chords and some basic music reading skills, I got bored of it. Around a year later, I finally saved up to buy myself an electric, and I haven't been able to put it down since then- I'm always playing it. It mostly depends on what you're looking to play, I guess? if you want to play rock/metal, then you're better off with an electric from the start. If you're looking to play classic rock, blues, or to pick up chicks, then you'd best get an acoustic.

[ShamRocker1]

I play Bass, not guitar. I have an Ibanez GSR200. I just hook it up to my PA system through my DIGI002 mixer. It works well, and if I want I can run it through Pro-Tools to change the sound how I want.

Yes you do. You play Bass Guitar. ;)

I thought starting off acoustic was a good idea, too, but now I regret it. I originally bought myself a Fender acoustic for around ?100, and after learning a couple of chords and some basic music reading skills, I got bored of it. Around a year later, I finally saved up to buy myself an electric, and I haven't been able to put it down since then- I'm always playing it. It mostly depends on what you're looking to play, I guess? if you want to play rock/metal, then you're better off with an electric from the start. If you're looking to play classic rock, blues, or to pick up chicks, then you'd best get an acoustic.

"If you're looking to play classic rock, blues, or to pick up chicks, then you'd best get an acoustic."

Tell that to Jimmy Page. ;)

[Brian M. Veteran]

I thought starting off acoustic was a good idea, too, but now I regret it. I originally bought myself a Fender acoustic for around ?100, and after learning a couple of chords and some basic music reading skills, I got bored of it. Around a year later, I finally saved up to buy myself an electric, and I haven't been able to put it down since then- I'm always playing it. It mostly depends on what you're looking to play, I guess? if you want to play rock/metal, then you're better off with an electric from the start. If you're looking to play classic rock, blues, or to pick up chicks, then you'd best get an acoustic.

I started out on an electric (1962 Strat) and although I play acoustic occasionally - I simply don't have as much fun with it.

Does anyone have any experience with the Line 6 Floor Plus by any chance? I'm thinking of picking one up tomorrow - at the moment I'm using a Boss DS-2, Digitech "Death Metal" pedal, and a Crybaby fed into a Marshal stack, and I'm getting a little bit bored of the not-so-wide range of stuff I can do with the pedals.

[The Teej]

I thought starting off acoustic was a good idea, too, but now I regret it. I originally bought myself a Fender acoustic for around ?100, and after learning a couple of chords and some basic music reading skills, I got bored of it. Around a year later, I finally saved up to buy myself an electric, and I haven't been able to put it down since then- I'm always playing it. It mostly depends on what you're looking to play, I guess– if you want to play rock/metal, then you're better off with an electric from the start. If you're looking to play classic rock, blues, or to pick up chicks, then you'd best get an acoustic.

Yeah, looking to play rock/metal more then anything. I mean, it's still easy enough to learn the basics with an electric guitar, right? Thanks for the advice, though, much appreciated!

EDIT: Won't I need an amp to properly play the electric guitar, though? Or can I just run it through my PC?

[DanielZ]

Yeah, looking to play rock/metal more then anything. I mean, it's still easy enough to learn the basics with an electric guitar, right? Thanks for the advice, though, much appreciated!

EDIT: Won't I need an amp to properly play the electric guitar, though? Or can I just run it through my PC?

Yes you'll need an amp, but amps are incredibly cheap. You don't need anything more than a 10 or 15-watt practice amp. Just make sure it has enough distortion- some amps aren't made for metal. And yeah, the electric guitar follows the same music principles, as long as you use standard tuning. Some amps have headphone-out jacks, and then you can run them into your computer for recording and such.

[Ji@nBing]

Yeah, looking to play rock/metal more then anything. I mean, it's still easy enough to learn the basics with an electric guitar, right? Thanks for the advice, though, much appreciated!

EDIT: Won't I need an amp to properly play the electric guitar, though? Or can I just run it through my PC?

You can get something like a Line6 Guitar Port that will let you hook up to your PC and use amp models, but I'd suggest getting an actual amp. I use the Peavey Bandit 112 at home for a practice amp and it sounds great. Lots of distortion for metal. It gets loud as hell too. You might also want to look at the Roland Cube 20. It's got built in amp models and effects and it sounds pretty good. It just doesn't sound too great loud, so if you want to play loud, you're definitely better off with the Bandit.

You can get the Cube for $180-200. The Bandit costs $250-300ish. I'm personally a fan of the Bandit, but you can't go wrong with the Cube either.

[The Teej]

I'm not really looking for anything too loud, as I want to be able to practice without my door being kicked down for being ridiculously loud :p

So, that Roland Cube 20 sounds great, thanks for that :) Now, what about a Guitar? Any recommendations? Or will any electric guitar do for a beginner like me?

[Ji@nBing]

I'm not really looking for anything too loud, as I want to be able to practice without my door being kicked down for being ridiculously loud :p

So, that Roland Cube 20 sounds great, thanks for that :) Now, what about a Guitar? Any recommendations? Or will any electric guitar do for a beginner like me?

Well, you're definitely going to get something decent. Cheaper guitars don't stay in tune well, and that's very frustrating when you're learning. I'm going to once again recommend Agile. Mine cost me about $300 and I actually prefer it over my $1200 Gibson. They're really great guitars. I'd say go with an AL-2000 series to start. You can look at a page two two back as well for more colors. If you want to spend a bit more and get something nicer, look at the AL-3000/3100 series. Again, other colors are available on previous pages.

Hope that helps, if you have any other questions I'm happy to help out.

[The Teej]

That's awesome, many thanks Ji@n :) The AL-2000 series definitely seem to look really nice, and not -that- bad price either. My only problem now is finding a place that sells it in the UK... (don't suppose you know of anywhere, do you? :p)

EDIT: Ah, I see Rondo are the company that actually make the Guitar. Looks like they can do shipping to UK, but it's added a ?50 shipping fee onto my purchase... ouch :/

Edited December 27, 2009 by The Teej

[DanielZ]

That's awesome, many thanks Ji@n :) The AL-2000 series definitely seem to look really nice, and not -that- bad price either. My only problem now is finding a place that sells it in the UK... (don't suppose you know of anywhere, do you? :p)

Well according to Ji@nBing's post on the previous page, these are online only. If you want to buy a guitar in a brick-and-mortar store, you're going to have to pay a bit more, for something like a Squier (****), Ibanez, or ESP.

[MR_Candyman]

ya, even shipping to canada for me is another 83 bucks, PLUS it requires buying a case, putting it at least 105 bucks extra (if I go for a soft case). The guitars look great, but that is a lot in shipping.

[Ji@nBing]

That's awesome, many thanks Ji@n :) The AL-2000 series definitely seem to look really nice, and not -that- bad price either. My only problem now is finding a place that sells it in the UK... (don't suppose you know of anywhere, do you? :p )

EDIT: Ah, I see Rondo are the company that actually make the Guitar. Looks like they can do shipping to UK, but it's added a ?50 shipping fee onto my purchase... ouch :/

Oh, I didn't realize you're in the UK. It might not be worth it then. You may want to look at something like Epiphone or Schecter instead.

ya, even shipping to canada for me is another 83 bucks, PLUS it requires buying a case, putting it at least 105 bucks extra (if I go for a soft case). The guitars look great, but that is a lot in shipping.

Yeah, the shipping is a bit expensive. However, even with the added shipping costs, if you go and look at the guitars in a place like Long and Mcquade that are in the same price range, they aren't even in the same league. FYI, you are not forced to buy a case. Those are just suggestions. You can have it shipped in a box with foam in it at no extra cost.

[MR_Candyman]

Oh, I didn't realize you're in the UK. It might not be worth it then. You may want to look at something like Epiphone or Schecter instead.

Yeah, the shipping is a bit expensive. However, even with the added shipping costs, if you go and look at the guitars in a place like Long and Mcquade that are in the same price range, they aren't even in the same league. FYI, you are not forced to buy a case. Those are just suggestions. You can have it shipped in a box with foam in it at no extra cost.

"Customers ordering guitars outside the US are required to order cases and must provide a phone number for customs"

from their "view cart" page.

Are these guitars better than a schectre? If so, it might be worth the shipping

[Ji@nBing]

"Customers ordering guitars outside the US are required to order cases and must provide a phone number for customs"

from their "view cart" page.

Are these guitars better than a schectre? If so, it might be worth the shipping

The AL-3000/3100's are. I don't have personal experience with the AL-2000 models, so I can't comment on that. People who have them seem to be impressed with them though over on the Agile Forums.

As far as the case, all I know is both my brother and I have ordered from them without a case no problem. I'd say just try and complete the order without a case and see if it lets you.

[The Teej]

Oh, I didn't realize you're in the UK. It might not be worth it then. You may want to look at something like Epiphone or Schecter instead.

Any particular type of Epiphone or Schecter you have in mind?

[Ji@nBing]

Any particular type of Epiphone or Schecter you have in mind?

Well, what's your budget?

[The Teej]

Well, what's your budget?

Anywhere between ?100-?150 preferably, but no more then ?200 if I can help it. Absolute maximum is ?300 as I don't fancy going over 2 months saving on a guitar...

[Ji@nBing]

Anywhere between ?100-?150 preferably, but no more then ?200 if I can help it. Absolute maximum is ?300 as I don't fancy going over 2 months saving on a guitar...

As far as Epiphone, you should be able to find a Les Paul Standard within that range if you look around. Schecter I wouldn't buy new as you can track down great deals on them used. I'd recommend a C1 model. Just make sure it doesn't have a Floyd Rose tremolo on it as they are a little complicated for beginners. You can also look at the Damien if you want to buy new. Again, no Floyd Rose.

Hope that helps and feel free to ask away with any questions you may have.

[metal_dragen Veteran]

I dabble around with the guitar though I haven't really pushed myself to practice much. I have a Fender Squier Strat and a Washburn A-10 Stage Series Reissue.

I love the way the A-10 sounds, but I find that I much prefer to play my Strat.

[Ji@nBing]

Here's a few pics of my Agile PS-900:

I'm also looking to pick up one of these (Agile AL-2000). They're only $200!!! (This guy has modded his out, I'd probably do something similar):

[MR_Candyman]

They're nice. I love the paint on them

[Razorwing]

So guys I was thinking to trade my guitar in for another one.. would that be a smart choice? Tuning Floyd Roses/Floating bridges are a pain for me.. And I always want to tune up and tune down. I really don't think the Ibanez is the guitar for me. I played it for about a year.. and I'm not liking it. Should I trade it in for like a Godin or Fender/Squire? My apartment is small so I can only have one guitar at a time and also budget too.

[That Guy Veteran]

I just happened to bump into this thread at a time I wanted to start to learn to play the guitar. I'd be interested morei n rock/metal type tunes, but would you recommend starting with a cheap electric or going for an accoustic first?

Also, any recommendations on particular guitars for a newbie on a budget (<?150 really)?