Guitar advice please.

Guitar advice please.

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13m

Original Poster:

26,271 posts

221 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
quotequote all

It turns out one of my offspring is musical. He plays acoustic guitar, piano and a full-size bass in a proper band, despite not being much taller than the instrument itself.

Anyway, I've set him a target with his music and if he hits it he will be rewarded with an electric guitar. I am unsure, however, whether to buy him a really good one that he will keep long-term or a cheaper one that he will replace. I think it is fairly certain that he will continue with his music.

He would like, but doesn't think he will get, a Fender Stratocaster, which I believe can be had from £450 ish (standard model). However I believe that copies can be had for far less.

So, is a basic Stratocaster a good investment for a (very) young musician, or would I be better off spending £250 less on something else and upgrading it later?

Thank you for any advice chaps.

Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
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You haven't actually said how old he is, with young kids I'd tend towards cynicism and believe they might drop it for another hobby, but I know plenty of teens and adults that decided they wanted to learn music only to give up for myriad reasons.

It's a tough one, you can get a good guitar for £250 but it's easier to find if you can play yourself and know what to look for on a test drive. A Fender is easier to sell on if the kid gives up, but you'll still take a fair hit to the value of it. A real cheap guitar will just put him off, so good on you for not looking at the real bargain basement stuff. Sorry I can't be more help.

If it was me, I'd go for the Fender, tell the kid he has to treat it like a baby and really look after it and if he packed in guitar I'd keep it for myself, but that is easily said as I can already play guitar!

chemistry

2,121 posts

108 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
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Depending on how old/big he is, if you are after a reasonably priced full size 'Strat style' guitar, I would look at the Yamaha Pacifica range.

I've owned several incarnations in my time and even the basic models (the 112s) are invariably very well made, are easy to play (no sharp frets, baseball bat necks, dodgy tuners or mile high actions, etc.) and sound fine.

Personally I'd have a Pacifica over a Squier or similar any day, and actually have an old Pacifica 512 in my collection alongside 'better' guitars such as an American Standard Strat and an Artist Spec PRS CU24 (which I am not worthy of!).

More generally, for a youngster, weight can be an issue (Les Pauls etc. tend to be very heavy) and if he's got small hands you might want to look for either a 3/4 scale guitar (Ibanez Mikro?) or something with a 24.5inch 'Gibson' scale length rather than a 25.5inch 'Fender' one.

Don't fogey you'll need some money for an amp - a good guitar through a cheap amp sounds awful!


chemistry

2,121 posts

108 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
quotequote all
Mastodon2 said:
tell the kid he has to treat it like a baby and really look after it
The joy of Strats is they arguably look better beaten up; folks pay a fortune for them to be professionally 'reliced' (battered)! Rock on!

https://worldguitars.co.uk/shop/fender-custom-shop...


13m

Original Poster:

26,271 posts

221 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice so far guys.

Some of the reading I have done suggests that a good grade copy is better than an entry level Fender. Which makes sense.

In terms of him giving up, yes of course he might. I think it unlikely however for a number of reasons that aren't important here.

He'll be 11 when he needs it and whilst I take the point about size, he is playing a full-size Fender P Bass copy.

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Saturday 18th June 2016
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13m said:
Thanks for the advice so far guys.

Some of the reading I have done suggests that a good grade copy is better than an entry level Fender. Which makes sense.
Agreed, providing it's a known, well regarded copy. It'll be much easier to sell on a squier or yamaha than a rocktek or some unknown brand, no matter how good they may be.

suthol

2,154 posts

233 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
There are a few great Fender lookalikes out there.

Over the years I have owned a few Fenders that are now worth an extraordinary amount of money but we're just old guitars when I moved them on.

Squier guitars are very good if you go the the right level, the cheap Afinity models are just that but make a reasonable modding platform and the Classic Vibe series are simply very good guitars, I have a CV Thinline Tele that I have upgraded the pickups in to 52 Blackguard spec, it sounds and plays much better than my mates Custom Shop Tele.

Recently in the US I had the opportunity to play a Telecaster FMT HH ( google it ), absolutely stunning looking guitar that was sadly unplayable

For an instrument that cost as much as that one did ( $875 USD ) the nut was too tall and it pulled sharp on any fret, the action was set way too high as well and the pickups were too low so it had a weak & weedy sound.

I know these things are a simple fix that I could definitely do myself but a brand new instrument at this price point with an F or G on the headstock should not have these amateur problems out of the box

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
When I was a lad and needed trainers, they came from the local market. Rebook, or Nicks, I believe. "What's the difference?" my parents used to say, "They're fine to run around in". Which of course they were.

translate that over to guitars and it's remarkably similar. It's snobbery, pure and simple, but having an electric guitar from Fender or Gibson does make you stand a little taller when you strap it on (unless it's a Les Paul wink). The other bonus is that if it doesn't get used and ends up being sold you'll make back almost all of your money on it, as the second hand market for them is really strong.






13m

Original Poster:

26,271 posts

221 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
suthol said:
There are a few great Fender lookalikes out there.

Over the years I have owned a few Fenders that are now worth an extraordinary amount of money but we're just old guitars when I moved them on.

Squier guitars are very good if you go the the right level, the cheap Afinity models are just that but make a reasonable modding platform and the Classic Vibe series are simply very good guitars, I have a CV Thinline Tele that I have upgraded the pickups in to 52 Blackguard spec, it sounds and plays much better than my mates Custom Shop Tele.

Recently in the US I had the opportunity to play a Telecaster FMT HH ( google it ), absolutely stunning looking guitar that was sadly unplayable

For an instrument that cost as much as that one did ( $875 USD ) the nut was too tall and it pulled sharp on any fret, the action was set way too high as well and the pickups were too low so it had a weak & weedy sound.

I know these things are a simple fix that I could definitely do myself but a brand new instrument at this price point with an F or G on the headstock should not have these amateur problems out of the box
The Classic Vibe has been mentioned as a very good instrument. They are about £100 cheaper than a basic Fender too.


Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
davepoth said:
When I was a lad and needed trainers, they came from the local market. Rebook, or Nicks, I believe. "What's the difference?" my parents used to say, "They're fine to run around in". Which of course they were
Which is fine, assuming they work functionally. My main problem with some of the lower end guitars is when they put on lots of eye candy features at the expense of basic quality. A guitar which won't stay in tune, breaks strings, and has crackly electronics and shoddy intonation won't last long in the school band. I'd happily recommend spending £250 on a squier or yamaha (although I bought a shabby but fully functional eBay American standard Tele for £300 last year :-) ), but there's lots of stuff around £250 that I couldn't recommend without having a good look at.


Edited by Mave on Sunday 19th June 09:44

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
13m said:
The Classic Vibe has been mentioned as a very good instrument. They are about £100 cheaper than a basic Fender too.
The classic vibes I've tried have all been pretty good. Something I'm pondering though is whether £250 is the wrong amount of money - too much for a basic "give it a try for a year or two" guitar, and not enough for a proper keeper. I was trying to convince myself to get a classic vibe last year to scratch the Tele itch- but realised that once the novelty wore off I'd probably go back to my Strat and '335 because whilst the vibe is well set up and nice enough to play, I didn't think it played as nicely as my other guitars.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
Mave said:
Which is fine, assuming they work functionally. My main problem with some of the lower end guitars is when they put on lots of eye candy features at the expense of basic quality. A guitar which won't stay in tune, breaks strings, and has crackly electronics and shoddy intonation won't last long in the school band. I'd happily recommend spending £250 on a squier or yamaha (although I bought a shabby but fully functional eBay American standard Tele for £300 last year :-) ), but there's lots of stuff around £250 that I couldn't recommend without having a good look at.

Edited by Mave on Sunday 19th June 09:44
All very true, but any guitar shop worth the money will have set up the instrument properly before selling it. In some ways the advantage of buying second hand is that all of those niggles will have been worked out.

My main acoustic guitar cost me £108, and I don't care what's on the headstock - I know it's all solid wood and plays very nicely.

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

134 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
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If you want to do a bit of dad/son bonding, you can help him build a very good Strat from a kit. It's all bolt together (a classic "check twice, cut once" job), and can be finished by hand, too (gun oil, etc). If he learns how to set it up - perhaps get a local tech to spend half a day with it while teaching him - he'll save a fortune over the years, too.

Won't help if he really must have a Fender logo, of course.

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
davepoth said:
My main acoustic guitar cost me £108, and I don't care what's on the headstock - I know it's all solid wood and plays very nicely.
Ah, but presumably you know how to spot a good 'un. Would you recommend that someone who (presumably) doesn't know much about guitars spends £250 on unknown brand clone? £100 maybe, but £250?

13m

Original Poster:

26,271 posts

221 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
Mave said:
The classic vibes I've tried have all been pretty good. Something I'm pondering though is whether £250 is the wrong amount of money - too much for a basic "give it a try for a year or two" guitar, and not enough for a proper keeper. I was trying to convince myself to get a classic vibe last year to scratch the Tele itch- but realised that once the novelty wore off I'd probably go back to my Strat and '335 because whilst the vibe is well set up and nice enough to play, I didn't think it played as nicely as my other guitars.
Looking at this from a different perspective then. He wants a standard Fender Strat in Lake Placid blue. If I were to buy one what shortcomings will it have over and above, for example, a Classic Vibe?

Mave

8,208 posts

214 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
13m said:
Looking at this from a different perspective then. He wants a standard Fender Strat in Lake Placid blue. If I were to buy one what shortcomings will it have over and above, for example, a Classic Vibe?
Well, it'll be more £££ :-)
To me, the main downside to the standard fenders versus the CVs is that the CVs have more fashionable (retro!) details. I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of the standard or American tuners, pale wood necks, or bright white plastics. I prefer the more vintage look to the CVs. The CVs arguably have better (more characterful) pickups than the Fender standards, but IMHO the fenders sound better acoustically which means that ultimately they have the potential to sound better with a pickup change.

chemistry

2,121 posts

108 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
What sort of music is he planning to play? Different guitars (and different models of Strat etc) suit some genres more than others.

13m

Original Poster:

26,271 posts

221 months

Monday 20th June 2016
quotequote all
chemistry said:
What sort of music is he planning to play? Different guitars (and different models of Strat etc) suit some genres more than others.
Probably fairly broad, but leaning towards rock.

smn159

12,440 posts

216 months

Monday 20th June 2016
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I'd have a look at these

http://www.bloodstoneguitarworks.com/buy-custom-bu...

Don't know what they're like but the Tele bodied Strat's look cool (to me anyway)

chemistry

2,121 posts

108 months

Monday 20th June 2016
quotequote all
If he's leaning towards rock, a 'fat Strat' with a humbucker and two single coils might suit him better than a standard, three single cool job (although to be fair, you can always stick in beefier single coils or mini humbuckers later, but it adds to the cost...).