Another what guitar thread.....

[rlw]

Spend a weekend with a couple of young cousins who are excellent players and I am inspired to learn before it (really is) too late. I'm not bothered with accoustic although I probably should be but heigh-ho.

Budget is low as this may be a waste of time - say £250 for a guitar and an amp - so what should I look for and what would anyone recommend for a near beginner. I've looked at Squier strats but the impression I get is not good. Is the telecaster a better bet from them or are they best avoided altogether?

I read a great review of an Orange guitar which was quite positive too. I'm happy to walk into a shop and have a good look and feel around but since I know sweet FA and can only play three chords (A,E,B7...slowly) I think a pointer or two would help.

If pushed, I would aspire to play blues in the style of EC or Peter Green, and country rock along the lines of the Blasters. My all time hero though is Ry Cooder from his Magic Band time and I do love a bit of slide. In fact I can play more in open E and A than standard tuning.............but that's cheating probably.

And to add to all of this, I'm 62 and my right hand is buggered with RSI - index finger doesn't bend - but my left is still OK but a bit stiff - so no time to lose.

Ta.

[GlynMo]

From a returned-to-the-guitar at late 50s to a 62 year old - before all of the usual suspects are recommended, let me throw in a curve ball. I have 2 Indie guitars, both are extremely well made, have a good action, retain their tuning well and are nice to play, and they are good value. Depends where in the UK you are, but this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/indie-shape-quilted-stan... might be worth a look (depending on where the bids get to), and he says he'll throw in a practice amp. (I don't know the owner, I was just browsing the Indies when I saw your post).

[Tom_C76]

For a beginner pack, there's not a lot wrong with the Squier Affinity as long as it's set up by the shop when you get it.

[singlecoil]

I agree with Tom, and would widen the range to include more or less any guitar that you fancy and that is affordable. I'm not aware of any actually bad guitars on the market, it's all in the set-up.

Get them to fit light gauge strings while they are at it, and make sure you purchase a tuner. D'Addario do a very good one that clips to the headstock and costs about £15 on eBay.

Plenty of tutorials on YouTube to get you started.

[Tom_C76]

For the tuner the Planet Waves one is great, it's small enough that it can stay on the guitar permanently including in the case. I can never work out which guitar either of mine is on...

[dojo]

A affinity tele in butterscotch... nothing wrong with that.

Yammy or Peavey so some decent guitars in that price range too.

I actually bought a great little Peavey off gumtree for £45, worth looking around. Whereabouts in the SE are you? I might have one sat in the garage you are welcome to on a long term loan?

[lockhart flawse]

Frankly - you're going to find it it very tough so don't waste a lot of money. A Squier Strat is perfectly good and much better than you will ever (probably) need. I bought a £50 Strat copy from the second hand rack in my local music shop for the kids and it is perfectly adequate for a beginner. Buy a tuner if you don't have a musical background otherwise whatever you buy will sound crap.

[rlw]

Went to Macaris and bought an Epiphone dot. I love the look and feel of the thing and the sound can be so dirty - think southern states circa 1955, kind of John Lee Hooker.

Now at the bottom of a very steep learning curve but I am keen to learn.

30 minutes practice every day is the plan and some lessons too.

Thanks for all your comments, even the most pessimistic ones......................

[lockhart flawse]

Let us know how you get on with it. Most people that start these threads are never heard from again.

[rlw]

lockhart flawse said:

Let us know how you get on with it. Most people that start these threads are never heard from again.

..possibly because they are having so much fun playing their guitar :-)

[C2james]

maybe look into a second hand epiphone les paul although the vintage les paul copies are very good and a laney lc15r, nice quality combo for a learner.

[rlw]

Guitar wise I seem to have landed on my feet. Judging by the users' comments on various sites the Dot is a damn fine piece of kit, preferred by some over a real Gibson 355, so why do you never see them mentioned here?

Anyway, three chords in now and sore fingers via Justinguitar; looking forward to getting a bit quicker and playing the songs. Also, I've been playing about a bit generally and my Elmore James slide technique is definitely improving too but now in standard tuning.

I already have the urge to acquire a bigger amp but I think the tiny Orange Crush will suffice until I get onto the intermediate stage.

Edited by rlw on Saturday 15th November 10:51

[SWoll]

On the amp front, Andertons are currently selling off the Blackstar HT1 for £119.

[Mave]

Not much wrong with squiers, especially if you can get someone to take a looķ and make sure it's a good 'un. Should also be easier to sell / trade in than an unknown brand.

[Mave]

SWoll said:

On the amp front, Andertons are currently selling off the Blackstar HT1 for £119.

Nice, I got a HT5 as a practice amp, far too loud!

[SWoll]

Mave said:

SWoll said:

On the amp front, Andertons are currently selling off the Blackstar HT1 for £119.

Nice, I got a HT5 as a practice amp, far too loud!

The HT1 is perfect for home practice IMHO. Super portable, well built and more than enough power for bedroom playing. Plus you can actually drive it to the point where the valve is in it's sweet spot without losing your hearing.

Mave said:

Not much wrong with squiers, especially if you can get someone to take a look and make sure it's a good 'un. Should also be easier to sell / trade in than an unknown brand.

Some of the lower end models aren't that great but the vintage modified and classic vibe ones are great value. I picked up a custom tele deluxe last month that Andertons where selling off for £150 (down from £400) and it's fantastic.

Edited by SWoll on Sunday 16th November 22:27

[macdaddy11]

FWIW I returned to playing the guiter earlier this year. I was nervous about acuiring a proper instrument from a proper shop as obviously I was no expert... In the end I bought an Ibanez Gio. It was £150 with an excellent action and very playable. On top of that I got a second hand Roland MicroCube amp (£50-£80). Not sure if it has already been mentioned but it has a lot of effects on it already, so you can play a large variety of music and make all kinds of sounds.

The most important thing to be spending your money on is lessons, find a good tutor (usually the first lesson is free) and start playing the songs you like. You'll be up to quite a reasonable standard in no time.

[rlw]

lockhart flawse said:

Let us know how you get on with it. Most people that start these threads are never heard from again.

Almost twelve months on and it's going well, if slowly. Not enough time to practice as much as I would like is the problem. Anyhow, got a great teacher who I see once a week. I'm learning lots of stuff and trying as hard as I can to remember it and practice it until I know it backwards.

Age doesn't help as my fingers are reluctant to move as quickly as I would like, but that is improving all the time, and the stretches aren't as easy as they might have been once. But I'm getting there.

Sold the Dot; bought and sold a nice Strat; Currently have PRS SE 245 Soapbar (going soon); Vintage Tele V52; LP Studio; LP Standard. Playing through a THR10C and a Cornford Harlequin for noisier days.

Enjoying learning BB King and Buddy Guy songs with bits of EC thrown in too.

[andy-xr]

I quite like open G tuning, there's a little too much temptation to just play Stones songs, but you can come up with interesting things if you put your mind to it