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  #1  
Old 01-22-2019, 03:20 PM
Whitey#1 Whitey#1 is offline
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Default Electric For Beginner

I am pondering heading to the Guitar Center in Evansville tomorrow. Thinking seriously about picking up a new electric to practice on but I don't want to spend a lot of $$$ yet.

What brand(s) should I consider? What brand(s) should I shy away from? Any recommendations for a lesser expensive electric for me to practice on?

r/Mike
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  #2  
Old 01-22-2019, 04:38 PM
Tele16 Tele16 is offline
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For the money, it's pretty hard to beat the Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster. You didn't say how much you wanted to spend, but that is under 400 bucks. Fender, Squire, Gibson, Epiphone, Ibanez all have good to great offerings in the beginner level.

The most important is how does it feel and sound to you.
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  #3  
Old 01-22-2019, 05:12 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Hi Mike. Do you know whether you want humbuckers or single coils? If not, that's ok. Do you know what type of music you want to play, i.e. country, metal, classic rock?

What's your price range? $100 vs $300? As Tele16 mentioned (^), the Classic Vibe series is great but it'll cost you closer to $400.

One thing to note is that the amp gives you roughly 50% of the tone so a cheap amp may give you a less than stellar sounding guitar. Just something to consider.

Check out the used guitar section while you're there - bigger bang for your buck.
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Old 01-22-2019, 05:31 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Just a few questions:
  • How much guitar-playing experience do you have, on what kind of instrument(s)?
  • What style(s) of music do you play, and who are your main influences?
  • How much are you looking to spend?
  • You're going to need an amp - if you don't already have one did you set aside ~50% of your total budget?
  • Do you plan on playing out (you will, sooner or later - count on it) - depending on the time frame have you considered saving your bucks and stepping up to something better from the get-go (FYI good-quality name-brand equipment is never a bad investment)?
Give us an idea where you're coming from, and we'll be glad to give you some direction...
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Old 01-22-2019, 05:42 PM
Whitey#1 Whitey#1 is offline
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Ok, here goes.

I have a Stadium acoustic guitar. Got it about two years ago. Practiced for awhile, found it difficult. Lost interest. Its collected dust for the last 18 months.

I'm now, probably due to the cold/snowy weather, getting the fever again. I've read where learning on an electric is a little easier than learning on an acoustic.

So, I thought I would find me a lesser expensive electric to once again try and learn to play on. No amp at this time. That's why I have the thread on playing without an amp. I want to be sure I keep the interest. I think an electric might help me keep that interest more so than the acoustic did.

Budget? Hopefully I could find a decent beginning electric for $200 or less.

Influences? Not really any. If I had to pick someone it would be the Guitar Player episode of the Andy Griffith show. That's why I posted the other thread about this.

Type I would like to play if I ever got good enough? No hard rock or heavy metal. Mostly classic, or oldies rock, maybe some Johnny Cash type songs.

r/Mike

Last edited by Whitey#1; 01-22-2019 at 06:45 PM.
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Old 01-22-2019, 05:47 PM
Tahitijack Tahitijack is offline
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I'd choose a Squire Strat. I like the Telecaster, I think a strat will take you down more roads. Good luck.
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Old 01-22-2019, 06:05 PM
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martinlover martinlover is offline
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Can’t go wrong with a “TELE” of any breed
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Old 01-22-2019, 06:13 PM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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you may want to look for a used tele on CL. but, you should take a guitar playing friend to help you assess it. note that i'm afraid that after your purchase, you would tire rather quickly of not being electrified.

play music!
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  #9  
Old 01-22-2019, 06:45 PM
Whitey#1 Whitey#1 is offline
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Ok, forgive my ignorance here, but...…

What is a Tele?

What is a Strat?
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Old 01-22-2019, 09:23 PM
1neeto 1neeto is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitey#1 View Post
Ok, forgive my ignorance here, but...…



What is a Tele?



What is a Strat?


Tele is short for Telecaster, and Strat is short for Stratocaster. Both are Fender designs, and extremely popular.

When you’re starting out, you need something that’s easy to play. Sound wont matter much because, you’ll be busy learning chord shapes and basic scales, and not exactly making much music. The Classic Vibe Series Strat or Tele are great guitars, but there are more budget friendly guitars that play just as good, but lack the higher quality hardware and electronics. Again, those things won’t matter as much as playability when starting out. And like someone else said, you’ll need an amp.

Here’s my recommendations for starter guitars:

Squier Affinity series Strat or Tele $200
Epiphone Les Paul Special $150-$250

Those 3 guitars are three of the most iconic designs and have their own vibe, tone, feel, and personality. It’s like Chevy and Ford.

As for amp? I highly recommend a Fender Mustang I ($120) to start out. It sounds great, and has enough amp models and effects for you to discover what tone you’re looking for.
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Old 01-22-2019, 09:47 PM
rwmct rwmct is offline
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Squier is Fender's budget line. They tend to be more or less copies of more expensive guitars sold under the Fender brand. They (particularly the least expensive models) have less expensive hardware and electronics than the Fender equivalent. OTH, the necks and bodies can feel very similar to the Fender equivalent, particularly on the more expensive Squier models. They represent, IMO, a lot of guitar for the money.
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Old 01-23-2019, 07:46 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Check out the Korean-made Gretsch Electromatics (skip over the low-buck Indonesian/Chinese stuff) - you'll pay a little more but you'll get a lifetime-keeper guitar in the bargain...
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  #13  
Old 01-23-2019, 08:58 AM
Tahitijack Tahitijack is offline
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An added feature of the Strat is the whammy bar, which will be needed for certain types of music. A Telecaster does not have one.
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:58 AM
Whitey#1 Whitey#1 is offline
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I never made it to Evansville today. Too much bad weather, too much rain. I decided to wait and go tomorrow. Looking forward to this too as if I recall correctly they have a huge selection of guitars, both new and used.

Sure hope I find something I like. Something that will keep my interest piqued as well so I can learn to play.

r/Mike
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  #15  
Old 01-23-2019, 12:13 PM
Jaden Jaden is offline
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Yesterday I looked over a Squier Affinity Telecaster in “slick silver” finish for just a little over $200 new here in Canada. Has a slight sparkle to the paint; just required a little fret finish on the ends but even can be handled as is. With rosewood fretboard it was a nice looking guitar for not much money.
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