Beginner electric guitar

[JayP1]

Looking to start playing - complete beginner.

Any tips on buying first guitar and kit would be great.

[Mojooo]

Yamaha Pacifica is often recommend and is what I have.

[Pothole]

good call, Mojoo. OP, you can often find them in Cash Converters style places cheaper than guitar shops

ETA, I'd go for something 'proper' like the Yamaha as it will tend to play better (not buzz, stay in tune etc.) the cheapy ones are cheap for a reason and I'm sure they end up putting people off.

Edited by Pothole on Sunday 30th December 00:06

Edited by Pothole on Sunday 30th December 10:22

[guitarguy]

The Yamaha Pacifica is a great entry level guitar that will serve you well - I bought one for my lad when he started playing. Quite a few of my pupils have/have had them too... (the slightly higher spec version with the coil tapping option on the rear humbucker gives more tonal options - 112V??? from memory?).

A few guitar shops stock second hand instruments - you get slightly more for your money buying second hand (or the same item for less!). Gumtree can be a good source of second hand instruments locally, with a chance to try before you buy - but no comparison facility as in a shop....

And on that note, if you're gonna try stuff out in a shop, do the decent thing and buy from them.... most match online prices now. You get the 'try out before you buy', a better set up guitar (usually), the knowledge and support of the sales staff, and some after sales follow up if required... that's worth the few quid extra that you may pay).

Most (but not all!) entry level guitars now are surprisingly well made (generally in the same factories as higher spec makes and models) - you'll be surprised what you can get....

If you have time go round all your local music shops for a recce - check out what they have in your price range, check out reviews on line then go back and compare your shortlist.... before committing. Like buying a car.... it's gotta feel right! If you are a total/near beginner take a friend that plays..... for that much valued second opinion

Good luck.... and happy playing!

[davepoth]

I'd echo all of that. The Pacifica is a safe choice as Yamaha quality control is brilliant, but you can get decent playing guitars from the Chinese manufacturers. If you have a friend who plays they should be able to sort the wheat from the chaff.

[JayP1]

Thanks guys - will go for the Yamaha then. Not the cheapest option, but will have a value if I need to sell it in the future.

[sawman]

you can also get starter packs, including practice amp, couple of picks and lead. These are usually direct from the manufacturer specials and very competitively priced although if you are buying everything at once the guitar shop may be able to build you up a package, with a bit of a cost saving - I just bought my daughter a fender squier strat pack, which seems to tick many boxes for her.

Her guitar teacher recommended the fender squiers or yamaha pacificas.

[guitarguy]

Oh yeah JayP1 - the other tip would be find a good local guitar teacher.... worth their weight in gold to get you moving in the right direction!!!!

I see loads of people that have tried teaching themselves (I teach privately full time) but got frustrated/bogged down.... picking up many bad habits along the way. The fastest track is 'an hour lesson once a week'.... a good teacher will cover in an hour what most people can practise in a week, without either getting bogged down or bored!. Topped up with what you'd choose to do yourself using Youtube/internet/books etc you'll make fast and satisfactory progress (far more rewarding than dabbling half heartedly and then loosing interest through lack of structure/guidance)). Depending on where you want to get/how fast you want to get there, you can hop off the teaching treadmill at any point..... and go it alone... Everyone is different as to when that might be...

Best starting point might be the Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT) list of tutors (http://www.rgt.org/tutors/index.php) - doesn't mean that much in it's own right but anyone that has bothered to join a professional body generally means business.... A good teacher will have a good web presence... check out what they say (and others have to say about them!). You'll be able to build up a good picture of what they have to offer...

Once again - good luck!

[Gaspode]

JayP1 said:

Thanks guys - will go for the Yamaha then. Not the cheapest option, but will have a value if I need to sell it in the future.

Good choice. the Pacifica is a great starter guitar. Buying cheap guitars is always a mistake, especially for beginners. They are nasty and difficult to play, and sound crap too - which are likely to put the the learner off before they've got started.

And GuitarGuy is dead right - get yourself some lessons, you'll make loads of progress really quickly, and you won't pick up any bad habits which are difficult to get rid of later on.

I wish I had taken this advice when I was young, instead of thinking I could teach myself. As a result I spent 20 years not really getting anywhere beyond simple stuff, and my right hand technique needed (and still needs) a lot of work. Even apparently simple stuff like holding a pick properly can catch you out later, if I hadn't picked up my habit of holding it with two fingers and thumb instead of just index finger and thumb, I'd be able to do hybrid picking styles much easier.

[gbbird]

I recommend the Yamaha Pacifica as a starter guitar. However, for a little less money take a look at the Peavey Raptor guitar, either on its own or in a starter kit which can be purchased for around £130. I helped my mates girlfriend buy one of these as a suprise christmas present this year. I had a go on it the other night and the guitar really is very good indeed; great quality and value for the money.

[singlecoil]

And budget for a chromatic guitar tuner too, it will make your guitar sound a lot better!

[Pothole]

singlecoil said:

And budget for a chromatic guitar tuner too, it will make your guitar sound a lot better!

Or just learn to tune it. I've never used a tuner in my life.

[davepoth]

Pothole said:

singlecoil said:

And budget for a chromatic guitar tuner too, it will make your guitar sound a lot better!

Or just learn to tune it. I've never used a tuner in my life.

It's a better idea to learn to use a tuner; saves embarassing pauses on stage while everyone listens to the "beats" through your amplifier.

[Pothole]

davepoth said:

Pothole said:

singlecoil said:

And budget for a chromatic guitar tuner too, it will make your guitar sound a lot better!

Or just learn to tune it. I've never used a tuner in my life.

It's a better idea to learn to use a tuner; saves embarassing pauses on stage while everyone listens to the "beats" through your amplifier.

The OP is asking for advice to start playing and you've got him 'on stage' already? Amazing.

[singlecoil]

Pothole said:

singlecoil said:

And budget for a chromatic guitar tuner too, it will make your guitar sound a lot better!

Or just learn to tune it. I've never used a tuner in my life.

Beginners (I've taught a lot of them) have enough to learn without having to learn that as well. They often have difficulty in distinguishing which of two close notes is the highest, which makes tuning a guitar by ear difficult. They may also not have access to a suitable source of reference notes, thus they may end up a long way from concert pitch even if they get the guitar in tune with itself.

[davepoth]

Pothole said:

The OP is asking for advice to start playing and you've got him 'on stage' already? Amazing.

Start as you mean to go on. Learning to tune by fifths is important, but then so is having a guitar that's actually in tune. If he's spending as long as I did in the beginning getting the guitar in tune he won't have too much time or inclination left for the playing.

[Gaspode]

Pothole said:

r just learn to tune it. I've never used a tuner in my life.

It's a bit of a bugger if you haven't got perfect pitch, though, don't you think? For a beginner, learning to play along with songs is made immeasurably easier if you can be confident your guitar is in standard tune.

[Pothole]

I can't remember ever finding it difficult. I can't play very well but I'm a mean tuner!

[Gaspode]

Pothole said:

I can't remember ever finding it difficult. I can't play very well but I'm a mean tuner!

Are you talking about ensuring the guitar is in tune with itself (agreed, it's easy to learn to do this), or ensuring that it is also tuned to concert pitch (A440MHz), which without a tuner is astonishingly hard for normal mortals? If the latter, then I take my hat off to you.

[Pothole]

Gaspode said:

Pothole said:

I can't remember ever finding it difficult. I can't play very well but I'm a mean tuner!

Are you talking about ensuring the guitar is in tune with itself (agreed, it's easy to learn to do this), or ensuring that it is also tuned to concert pitch (A440MHz), which without a tuner is astonishingly hard for normal mortals? If the latter, then I take my hat off to you.

Why would you want to do that to "play along with songs" as you put it earlier? Most songs on the radio or (especially) youtube etc. are not reproduced at concert pitch or even consistent from one to the next so tuning to concert pitch is often pointless, whereas being able to tune quickly to whatever pitch the recording you want to play along with is playing at is a skill well worth learning (imho, of course).