Newbie to electrics. Any advice appreciated

[DamagedSurfer]

Greetings AGFers,

I've been playing acoustic for 10 years now and would describe myself as an intermediate-advanced player as I can create my own songs and have progressed to playing more complex fingerstyle arrangements.

But lately I've been wanting to branch out and experiment with my style. And there's so many songs I want to learn that just don't translate well to acoustic.

When it comes to electrics, I'm a complete novice. I would prefer an all-around guitar--as I play all music styles--so something that can handle rock, blues, country, etc. More research is needed. Ideally, this being my first electric, I'd like to keep my guitar (and if possible, the whole setup) under 1,000$. Also, I have no desire to splurge initially on electronics and pedals. I'm only playing this guitar at my home. No gigs. Just need a basic setup to get started playing.

I know there are many, many options these days regarding guitar brands, and I'm not adverse to trying them. So I'm certainly open to suggestions. Thanks for reading this post. Cheers.

[DamagedSurfer]

Also, I usually buy used. I think I've only ever bought one new guitar. So that should help the price.

[Jaden]

I think a Fender Stratocaster is a good choice; I know telecasters are popular among acoustic guitarists but the strat is a better performer at low volume and has a softer feel to the strings with body cavity reverb even without using tremolo. Since it’s inception the strat has probably outsold the tele five to one, while the latter is more dependent on amplification to really bite.

[muscmp]

i would partially agree with jaden and would recommend a strat also. but first, i would recommend that you go to your local big box store and play different strats thru different amps. start with fender amps but try others too. a lot of people feel that the amp is 40% of the total sound. leave your wallet at home as you are just testing guitars and amps. then, you can search for a used strat and used amp, hopefully within your budget.

play music!

[raysachs]

I play more electric than acoustic. It's a different style of playing and a whole different way of approaching the same basic grouping of notes and chords. Because the sound is so different. I approach the acoustic almost like I might approach a piano - I approach an electric more like I'd approach a horn.

In terms of instruments, I've always been a strat guy - it's an instrument with a lot of sounds in it, and they're sounds I personally tend to love. But I'd say both telecasters and semi-hollows (like a Gibson ES-335 type - of which there are a LOT) are also guitars that are both simple and deceptively versatile. I think both are well suited to play just about any style of music (maybe other than speed metal and some could pull that off too). The strat is too, but it's such a singular sounding instrument it's really down to whether you like it or not. I love it and always have, but many don't. And whether you want a tremolo, because while it's easy enough to disable the tremolo on the strat, it's not easy to find one without a trem. I'm one of those rare strat guys who doesn't like tremolos and my strat is a hardtail, but there's only one current strat production model that doesn't have a trem and I think they sell about 7 or 8 of them per year!

I'd go start playing some of them and see what feels right to you. It'll be somewhat strange coming from an acoustic, but if you're an experienced player, you'll probably find yourself having clear preferences soon enough. Let that guide you... My approach with electric guitars is generally to play a bunch of them and one of them is likely to tell me it's my new guitar and insist on coming home with me...

-Ray

[AxeDude]

Fender Strat is a great choice. Make sure the neck is good.

[Steel and wood]

Yep, Fender Stratocaster covers all bases and then some. (That would be my suggestion also).

[1neeto]

Another vote for a the Strat. But even that isn’t that simple because there’s so many kinds of strats available at all kinds of prices. If you want to keep everything at under $1000, then the good news is that it’s very possible to do, almost quite easy to do.

Going used is always a good option with solid body guitars because time tends to be kinder towards electric guitars. With acoustics, you have to worry about neck bows, belly bulges, cracks, bridge lifting etc. With electrics, the worst you usually find is a bad pot or input jack.

As for amps, I always recommend a modeling amp for newcomers into the electric world. A modeling amp will give you all kinds of amp models and effects and it’s a great way to find that tone you like the best. Once you find that tone, you can start building a real rig from there. Modeling amps are inexpensive, and can often be sold at minimal loss. I’d look at the Fender Mustang series. Good luck!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by DamagedSurfer

...I've been playing acoustic for 10 years now and would describe myself as an intermediate-advanced player, as I can create my own songs and have progressed to playing more complex fingerstyle arrangements...
...I would prefer an all-around guitar--as I play all music styles--so something that can handle rock, blues, country, etc. ...I'd like to keep my guitar (and if possible, the whole setup) under $1,000... Just need a basic setup to get started playing....

In no particular order:

• You just need a "basic setup" with no outboard equipment - so skip the modeling amps and go for a good analog combo with a minimum of bells and whistles; at this stage you need to get acquainted with the fundamentals of electric guitar tone production, and you're wise to think in those terms...
• Many players coming from a strictly-acoustic background find the transition easier when the guitar in question is close in feel to their main instrument, which means something in the way of a hollowbody or semi-hollow (a thin-bodied electric with a solid center block); that said, in the words of a recent Ibanez ad campaign they are considered "guitar royalty" and are often priced accordingly vis-a-vis solidbody instruments of comparable quality - with two very notable exceptions I'll discuss below...
• Given your preferred styles you'll need a pickup whose principal assets are clarity, warmth, and definition rather than raw power, which to this 55+ year electric player suggests either mini-humbuckers (Gibson Firebird, Taylor Solidbody, et al.) or P-90's (the early Gibson "dogear" and "soapbar"); while Fender-style single coils and full-size humbuckers have their place - I own guitars with both - I'm also a eclectic player, and I find the recommended pickups allow me to cover all the styles/techniques you list (as well as a number of others), as well as getting a sweet bluesy crunch through a nice tube amp...

In the guitar department, you might want to check out the Godin CW II - a single-cutaway, dual P-90 deep hollowbody electric (comparable in size/feel/weight to a Seagull mini-jumbo) which, with single volume/tone controls and a 3-way switch, has everything you need and nothing you don't at a $1K street price - or one of the Korean-made Gretsch Electromatic 5400 (hollowbody)/5600 (semi-hollow)-Series instruments, all of which sell for under (sometimes well under) $1K; I personally own examples of both - the Godin is my jazz/blues box, and the unfortunately-discontinued 5622T-CB (a 3-pickup double cutaway with cats'-eye soundholes like George Michael's '40s Gretsch archtop) is my grab-&-go, with the ability to substitute for an acoustic in an amplified band setting when I need to travel light. FYI Tony Bennett's guitarist has been using a CW II on tour for several years - I'd be inclined to think both he and his boss know a little something about tone - and I'm sure you're familiar with Chet Atkins' early fingerstyle work on his namesake Gretsch instruments...

Anyone who has ever been around hard-core electric tone junkies knows that tube amps are widely considered the Holy Grail; thanks to recent advances in both circuitry and construction techniques, along with the availability of good-quality tubes from the former Soviet-bloc countries, that creamy-sweet tube tone is available at bang-for-the-buck prices comparable to many mid-line solid-state analog amps. I'm a long-time fan/owner of the Bugera V-Series combos, and if you're looking for something that'll handle home practice duties as well as the occasional coffeehouse gig, the V5 Infinium is about as good as it gets for around $200 street (very negotiable on Holiday Sale/Coupon Days at your favorite big-box/online retailer - I've seen them as low as $149 and got mine for even less): built-in attenuator lets you power down to 0.1W for late-night practice (and a headphone out - rare in all-tube amps, especially in this price range), simple three-knob gain/tone stack (highly interactive - and loads of fun when you start discovering the range of available tones), best built-in digi-verb I've heard in any amp anywhere near the price, and with some good Soviet mil-spec surplus tubes (available from thetubestore.com) you've got a serious little tone machine that'll hang with the big-buck low-wattage boutique amps that have become all the rage. If you need more clean headroom and/or anticipate playing out in the near future (you will, sooner than later - trust me) the V22 Infinium will take you from the bedroom to mid-size (600-700 seat) halls with tons of tone, more built-in versatility and control (3-band EQ, mid-boost, footswitchable OD, and two power levels) for around $400...

My thoughts: shop wisely and don't be in too big a rush - electric guitars and amps work together as an integrated system, and you can put together a $1K+/- rig that'll easily last you a lifetime if you choose the right components...

[clintj]

How about a Vox AC4 and a used MIM Standard or Squier Classic Vibe Strat or Telecaster? With a little shopping around, should be doable for around 700.

[DamagedSurfer]

I was a bit worried people would perceive my initial post as lazy. I've actually done some research but figured this would be the best place to post since many players probably have a similar acoustic-oriented background.

So thanks for the serious and well-considered replies. I'm always blown away by people's willingness to share their experiences via this forum.

A Strat has definitely been on my radar, and I do have access to trying a few out. I think what gets overwhelming at times, isn't just the guitar models/brands, but the sheer amount of amp choices/pick-ups/set-ups. Of course I remember feeling that way as a newbie acoustic player as well. Different learning curve.

I'm also interested in checking out other models. The beauty of having no clue is I really have no pre-conceived notions of what I like.

I'm in no hurry whatsoever. And lucky for me, living in Santa Cruz, I have access to some decent guitar shops within about an hour's drive. Again, thanks for the replies.

[David Eastwood]

A Strat is a great choice.

But do make sure you understand exactly what you're getting into with the tremolo. It can be a confounding beast for a novice.

[DukeX]

I prefer Telecaster and ES-335 style electrics. If I had to choose one it would be a Telecaster.

[roylor4]

Strats are great and pretty versatile too. That said, You may wish to consider something that has a wider tonal/power palette (the second one will make sense when you start playing electric). I will explain a tad. Strat pickup positions are different, but for new ears, going from a neck pickup to 2nd position or middle pickup will offer tonal; variation, but not huge ones.

With the ability to switch from a SC to a humbucker, you essentially get the result you would with an overdrive pedal.

I generally prefer 2 pickup guitars but that have different pickups in each position. HB and a single coil or HB and a P90 will give you DRASTICALLY different flavors and with relative ease. My G&L Tribute Bluesboy is a perfect example - Tele twang at the bridge, close to LP fatness at the neck HB'er and very "Strat-ish" tones in the middle position. My next acquisition will be a Yamaha Pacifica 611. Upgraded everything on this guitar, just not made in the USA.

I also recommend the Vox MV50 series of amps. The AC model has the pronounced mids of an ac15 or 30. The Rock head provides very Fendery tones (unfortunately all the videos of this head uses it in high-gain applications. It has beautiful Cleans and breaks up nicely.

I will be quite specific. A Yamaha Pacifica 611 and an Vox MV50 Rock or AC head plus any decent 8 ohm cabinet and you have power, tone and quality - all at under $1000. You can cover any style with these too (IMO).

Good luck. The electric rabbit-hole is even deeper than the acoustic one.

[Gary1953]

Another vote for a Telecaster. It truly is a great guitar. I have 18 guitars, Strats, Les Pauls, Semi Hollow Gibsons but they are all jealous of my Teles. My favorite is a humble MIM tele that I reassembled with an Allparts pine body. Total cost was in your budget. Even my humble Squire Surf green Bullet Tele rocks with some aftermarket GFS Alnico pickups. Teles are like a kit guitar.