Electric recommendation for teenager

[Jack852]

I have a lot of experience with acoustic guitars, but zero experience with electric. My niece is 13 and a very talented musician, playing several instruments. She wants to now learn guitar and wants an electric. She wants something that is small and light, compared to a standard guitar, but it should also be something that will grow with her skills and still be something she will enjoy playing as she grows and gets bigger over time. Budget is up to $1200. I am looking for recommendations.

Also, I need to determine what a decent amp would be without going crazy on the cost. It should sound good, be small enough that a teenage girl can move it, and be good enough for her to play for others.

I would envision her performing either solo or as part of a band so I want quality for her.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[Monty Christo]

Fender has a MIJ "Junior Collection" of short-scale models of their iconic guitars. I've only seen the Telecaster, but it looks great and would certainly remain a viable player as she grows, in both stature and ability.

[Dave Hicks]

Fender Mustang? My wife likes hers - they're $800 new for a Player (Mexican made), $430 for the Squier version ($200 for the Squire Sonic). 24" scale and generally 7 lb or less.

D.H.

[warfrat73]

Those little Gretch Jets are really nice. Some very good deals on them at ProAudioStar. Have some "cute" colors too

[FrankHudson]

In cases like this it's good to take a hard look at what you think is best and what the young musician themselves thinks is best.

Unless she has very small hands most any guitar is likely to fit her.* Because wood varies so much, weights also vary considerably between electric guitars, even guitars of the same exact model, so it's hard for me (or others) to say "get an WXYZ, they're lighter" -- even if there's a tendency for that model to lighter than average. Even larger adults often dislike heavy guitars.

In such cases of youngsters and well-meaning adults, blind love may be better than all our experience. I'd suggest going somewhere (or even a couple of somewheres) and given a price cap let them choose.

The quality of guitars currently sold new from about $500 to $1000 is generally good. While there are opinions about what constitutes "professional quality" for electric guitars (and definitions of "affordable" vary too), to my mind there is no objective reason that a well-played electric guitar in this price range won't produce effective music.

Here's what is important: if you don't know how to setup an electric guitar, plan to spend money to have that done. A well setup guitar is more pleasurable to play and some faults in setup can harm the potential sound of the instrument.

Amps? I expect Steve DeRosa will be here with his recommendation, though I have not played them myself. I don't know your budget, but when I think lightweight amps, I think of the Fender Tonemaster line. They aren't the cheapest, but they do classic sounds and have things that make them work as well as lower-volume practice amps while having enough power to work in most band situations. Forty pound and up combo amps are not easy for me to lift with one hand anymore. Maybe she'll want a hand truck? Or assume that small and light is fine for starters and what she'll get for a later band is a later decision. Style she wants to play might come into what kind of amp will work best in a band, and if that's not known, maybe it's best to get something smaller and likely cheaper first and leave the band amp to a later decision.

Hope any of this helps.




*I sometimes play jumbo sized full depth hollowbody guitars. They might be too much for a smaller frame, though I've seen it done. Even a wide bout thinline semi-hollowbody like the popular Gibson ES335 and the like might be an issue for shorter arms. If the young person is something of a klutz or might be subject to having an instrument get dropped or tipped over, there's something to be said for a solid body design in the classic Fender mold. The lack of headstock tilt back angle makes them more resistant to the common and serious damage of a neck break just below the headstock.

Once you get above the lowest end of the Fender lower priced imported Squier line, there are some good instruments in that line. At current new prices, the Mexican made Fender branded Fenders start at just under your ceiling. I have examples of both (and I've played American made Fenders too) and they are no longer all that far apart in quality.

If you go to a store that sells used instruments, and one catches your 13 year olds eye, that can save some money.

[Rad]

The logical solution is to spend an afternoon in one of the big box music stores, like Guitar Center, playing everything in the price range.

Bring a tuner, tune the guitar and just let her hold it and strum it open strings. You play it so she can listen to it.

I would advise against paying much attention to what the sales staff tells or suggests in those big box stores.

Important, walk out without buying a guitar and have her think about what she wants now that she has a little bit of knowledge and can do some internet research to help her decide.

Good luck.

[Melt in the Sun]

Nobody's commented on the amp yet - for that, the most important question is what does she want her electric guitar to sound like? Which musicians will she be learning and playing along with?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Melt in the Sun

Nobody's commented on the amp yet - for that, the most important question is what does she want her electric guitar to sound like? Which musicians will she be learning and playing along with?

A Fender Champion 40 (or 50) would be a good candidate for your purposes. One thing that helps a new player is having an amp that "looks" right, which the Fenders do.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Jack852

...My niece is 13 and a very talented musician, playing several instruments. She wants to now learn guitar and wants an electric. She wants something that is small and light, compared to a standard guitar, but it should also be something that will grow with her skills and still be something she will enjoy playing as she grows and gets bigger over time. Budget is up to $1200...

Also, I need to determine what a decent amp would be without going crazy on the cost. It should sound good, be small enough that a teenage girl can move it, and be good enough for her to play for others.

I would envision her performing either solo or as part of a band so I want quality for her...

I hope your niece realizes that she's a very lucky young lady to have an uncle like you - when it came time for my first electric in the mid-60's the AGF wasn't around, and my folks and I had to learn hands-on (with some excellent advice from my then-teacher, jazz legend Jack Wilkins) what worked and what didn't. That said, while you've got a bunch of great people here - all of whom have years of experience they're happy to share - ultimately it's a case of sitting down with her, doing your mutual homework (including finding out what style[s] of music she likes and the sounds she thinks of when she says "electric guitar"), and getting out there in the real world together to road-test potential candidates...

For a first electric I'd be looking for something that can cover as much sonic/stylistic ground as possible, built to a decent standard of quality without going overboard on cost (she can always use it as a band/home practice, recording, or backup instrument when she moves up to something better/more expensive). Since you also list light weight as one of her criteria I'd take a hard look at Epiphone's Worn SG Classic P-90 solidbody and Worn Casino double-cut hollowbody, both of which typically scale in somewhere in the low sixes (with occasional examples in the high-fives - about as much as some larger acoustic guitars); BTW if you're not familiar with its virtues the P-90 single-coil - developed in the early postwar years and Gibson's longest-running pickup offering at nearly eight decades - can cover (and has covered) just about every style of popular music from supper-club jazz to hard rock, and in spite of the fact that it can get noisy at higher volumes (the 60-cycle hum that triggered the development of the humbucking pickup in the mid-1950's) it's a time-tested and highly-versatile design, IME well-suited to a beginner searching for his/her preferred style/tone. While the SG is obviously dimensionally smaller compared to the Casino (which at 16" is as wide as a full-size acoustic), they both weigh about the same thanks to the Casino's thin hollow body, and are similarly priced at under $500 street; finally, although the SG has the classic rock vibe (think Carlos Santana and Pete Townshend at Woodstock), a lot of highly-influential music has been made with the Casino - you might recall that the Beatles used them extensively both on tour and in the studio, from Rubber Soul through the end of their career - and I wouldn't dismiss it on looks alone...

When it comes to an appropriate amp for a beginner, I'm reminded of the story of how Dhani Harrison expressed his interest in learning to play guitar to his dad (whom I understand knew a little something about good electric guitar tone...); long story short, Papa George presented him with a Stratocaster (a bit heavier than she might like, hence my lack of recommendation), a tweed Fender Bassman amp (great-sounding, but heavy in the extreme... ), and a cable - with strict orders not to ask for anything else until he had mastered that combination. Although modeling rigs have become increasingly sophisticated (and complex) since their emergence on the market in the mid-1990's - and they unquestionably have their place for a studio player or pro-level cover-band musician who needs "that sound - right now" in a time-is-money situation - much like the late senior Mr. Harrison I'm unabashedly old-school in this respect: keep it simple with a moderately-powered tube or analog solid-state combo amp, with basic WYSIWYG controls and a minimum of unnecessary bells and whistles. Once again, this is something the two of you are going to have to try out in person, in terms of both tone and weight: although I've heard excellent reviews of the Fender ToneMaster combos (single-purpose digital re-creations of their iconic mid-1960's blackface amps, at half the weight of their all-tube counterparts) that Frank mentions above, at $900 for the entry-level Princeton Reverb they're kinda pricey - unless you're an expert haqgler, in which case you might be able to negotiate an Epiphone P-90 SG/Casino and ToneMaster Princeton (or the big-brother/higher headroom ToneMaster Deluxe - a better choice for playing out IMO) package for around $1300-1400, not too far above your stated budget...

Another possible choice is the 50W Quilter Aviator Cub available in both American- (tweed/blonde/blackface) and British-voiced (Vox AC30/Top Boost/Marshall JMP) versions; at $699; either one is a lightweight (21 pounds), highly versatile package that will allow her to explore several different amp types without the complexities of scrolling through menus - just plug into a different input (there are three to choose from), adjust your volume/EQ, and you're good to go...

Finally, other than any built-in effects in the amp you choose I'd avoid stompboxes until she gets an idea of what type[s] of music she wants to play - IME they can become an expensive rabbithole over the long run, one that she really doesn't need in these early stages of her journey...

All the best to both of you...

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Jack852

I have a lot of experience with acoustic guitars, but zero experience with electric. My niece is 13 and a very talented musician, playing several instruments. She wants to now learn guitar and wants an electric. She wants something that is small and light, compared to a standard guitar, but it should also be something that will grow with her skills and still be something she will enjoy playing as she grows and gets bigger over time.

That's tricky. Small, light guitars aren't likely to be what she wants anymore when she's older.

Budget is up to $1200. I am looking for recommendations.

Great electrics don't come cheap. You'd probably do fine with a Squier Telecaster, a Squier Stratocaster, an Epiphone SG, or something from Paul Reed Smith's SE series.

None are the world's greatest instruments, but they can all hold their own admirably on stage. Do you know what kind of guitars she admires? Or players she admires?

If you're like me and want to keep your money in North America, Godin makes absolutely terrific electrics in your price range. The problem is they're not what kids would call iconic. Though they're reminiscent of popular brands, they're their own breed. That might matter to her. It deserves a conversation.

Also, I need to determine what a decent amp would be without going crazy on the cost. It should sound good, be small enough that a teenage girl can move it, and be good enough for her to play for others.

Look into used Roland Blues Cubes. They're easy to use, they sound great, and they're built to last.

Purists prefer tube amps. (The Blues Cube is solid-state.) If you want to encourage that route, a lower-end Fender tube amp, like the Pro Junior or Blues Junior, might be in her future. They're easy to carry, and they're pretty loud. A Pro Junior was my Numero Uno for years.

I would envision her performing either solo or as part of a band so I want quality for her.

Again, small + light-weight + cheap doesn't equal quality. I'd forget small altogether, not put too much effort into light-weight, and just concentrate on quality.

Keep in mind that electric guitar is usually (usually!*) an ensemble instrument, not a solo instrument.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

You're welcome in advance.

What a great present to give a kid!

The most important thing (unless it's a surprise) is to find out what guitars appeal to her. That's a better starting place than trying to figure out what she'll want later. Really, short of time travel, there's no way to tell.

-------------

*Whenever I say that, someone jumps in to tell me how ignorant I am. Yes, yes, yes, there are plenty of sensational solo electric guitarists, even if I can't think of one off-hand. So I said usually.

[Horseflesh]

If the kid doesn't want to emulate a specific tone, one of the all-in-one modeler and effects cabs seems like a good move.

I may be shot for suggesting something here without vacuum tubes, I don't know.

[Jack852]

Thanks to everyone for all of the good suggestions!