guitar advice please

[jim@55]

im wanting to get a guitar (for me)but know abs nothing about them,what should i b looking for?itl prob b electric/ electro accoustic cos i just think they look btr,but should i b looking at an accoustic for a beginner .il b wanting some kind of tuition guide as well (cd/book you know not proper lessons), any body selling something like that??i dont want to spend a fortune on something thats prob gonna get replaced/upgraded ,just something to get me started ,i played a bit at school but tbh im starting again as i cant rem much from waaaaaay back then .i fancy being able to play a tune (you know oasis kind of thing camping /round a fire/party and that so im not looking for anything special (no face melting solos or anythin like that )so any thoughts folks ,links (not sausage ones ),or advice :smt100 :smt035

[on yer bike]

I'm selling my electric guitar actually. Its the full kit suitable for beginner, including amp and accessories (including floating gig stand not mentioned below), I also thought I had to learn on acoustic, but they are completely different styles and I ended up learning on both. Now all my time is spent on study and my bike and I just haven't played it in well over a year, so no point in keeping it. (even if it does look cool). I haven't got any books though, sold them a while back, sorry. But like you, I taught myself through books, and through guitar tablature sites on the internet.

Open to offers on the price!

I am unable to deliver it due to its size and my only transport having 2 wheels. so its a pickup from near Livingston.

pm me if you're interested at all.

http://sv650-s.co.uk/Images/Guitar.jpg

[northwind]

I could put my Squier back together :) It's under the bed gathering dust with no pickups...

If you want an electric, then a Yamaha Pacifica 112 is ace, no better mix of value and performance if you ask me. Looks more or less like a stratocaster... Under £140 for a new one.

http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/images/img_prod/large/large_1.1.1.1.1-30-250.jpg

Or if you want to spend a little more, the Squier Standard Vintages are pretty ace... They look great, which is important if you ask me, but they play easily too and they're well specced and put together.

http://www.fender.jp/squier/products/images/vintage/img_eg_04_2.jpg

Pop into Sound Control and Merchant City Music, and Guitar Guitar down near the barras, and that other one by Central Station, and just have a look and see what you like. What sort of noise do you want to make? It's like bikes, nothing wrong with buying the pretty one in the fastest colour... GAK is worth a look too, good prices, and Peter Cook's Guitar World has a huge range.

And amps, well, harder to say. I know I've got a rubbish practice amp in the house somewhere that you'd be welcome to use till you decide if you'll stick it, but did I mention it's rubbish? Well, it is. 9/10 of all amps in beginners packs are, really.

Roland Cube 15X, £90, or £55 for the old one. Or the old Cube 30 for £110 is pretty ace... Line 6 and Vox have good 15W options at around a ton.

On yer bike's package would be a great buy if you want to do it cheap. No part of the rig's great but the whole thing's less than the guitar I'm recommending, so that could make a difference ;)

or acoustic... I like Crafter. Really like them actually, my wee travel acoustic was an absolute gift when I found it. Crafter T-035 is a nice acoustic at £140. I mention them because I've never found a rubbish one yet, which I can't say for any other make. They do good ones, and not so good ones...

http://www.cheapstringsandthings.co.uk/product_list.asp?subcat=acoustic

Worth mentioning at this point that I'm still absolutely gash... Despite making money rebuilding the things for a while, I got really into the technical side but not so much into the playing. Campfire acoustic is my level...

[jim@55]

thanks guys ,andy-campfire accoustic is what im aiming for nothing too technical - on yer bikes guitar looks very nice if im buying an electric that looks nice ,but as i said campfire accoustic is what appeals to me ,and as has been said electric and accoustic are totally diff playing styles ,would i b btr off with an accoustic?i really want an electric electro/ accoustic but dont want to buy something thats totally unsuitable.on yer bike we may have a deal here ,do you play much/can u play?as im just starting its m advice im looking for (and the guitar obviously) :wink: picking it up is not a problem as ive got a car as well ,and is theyre any shops that sell teaching aids(books n that)can u just buy them? :?

[on yer bike]

I haven't really played it that much at all, I used to play it a bit, but haven't for a while (I was never amazing at it, lol). any guitar shop sells hundreds of tutorial books and cd roms, HMV sometimes sells a couple, but i'd personally get them from a guitar shop for the simple reasons that if they cost any extra, they'd be worth it as they are professionals and know exactly what you were looking for and you would be getting the best books for what you need.

As to the guitar, anything too expensive is unsuitable, you're not wanting to become a rock god, you're wanting to learn. Most acoustics are pretty safe to learn on, as for electrics I wouldn't go for anything fancy, anything strat styled like mine and the ones mentioned by northy are perfect for learning on. All songs can be played on either acoustic or electric, you just get a slightly different sound.

The benefits of electric and elctro acoustic you can play about with the tones and get pedals to play about with the sound and on electric you can also play with the pickups to get it sounding how you like.

If it is an electro acoustic you're wanting, you may be better off with just an acoustic, and moving up to an electro acoustic, from what I've heard they are quite similar, just electro acoustic is slightly thinner and has an amp. so you could get a cheap acoustic guitar to see what its like and then when u become more confident and want to spend more money, move up. I have had both electric and acoustic guitars, but have never tried an electro acoustic, so don't know much about them. so couldn't really tell you much more about them.

[jim@55]

good advice there on yer bike thanks,ill prob take urs as its not too extravagant ,i just wasnt sure that electric was the way to go ,by all accounts theres not much in it ,granted they sound diff from an accoustic ,but surely if u play one you can go between them? i dont really know anything about them ,but i was thinking of the noise thing in the house (but having said that an accoustic is loud enough to hear my talentless plucking down stairs,dont really want any body to hear my attempts )il do a bit of fishing on tinternet and see whats being said ,make my mind up what to go for(all i know at present is i want a guitar)i.e elec or accoustic and get back to you thanks :wink:

[northwind]

2 different things, electro-acoustic and semi-acoustic. Electro is an acoustic with a pickup, which just means it can be plugged into an amp or DI box for recording/live play. Semi is something like a Gibson 335, an electric guitar with a lot of empty space in it. Most electrics are solidbody, which is what it sounds like...

Yeah, I reckon, get an acoustic from what you've said. I've owned both, and a bass as well, and you learn diffferent things on each but with acoustic you're les likely to get distracted down the "making lots of noise" route like I did, which is fun but you don't learn much. At the start of this year, I could solo but I didn't know 3 chords :) Electro just means you're spending money on electronics that you most likely won't use, which would be better spent on the guitar itself.

I still reckon, try Crafters. Vintage are sometimes good, sometimes not, but they're well priced. Applause by Ovation are alright too. Don't get an Epiphone or cheap Fender acoustic, too expensive for what they are, which is a badly laminated box with rubber bands on :) Or alternatively, there's millions of cheap guitars out there which aren't particularily good, but are still OK to play. You just want to avoid anything too rubbish since you won't enjoy playing it, and it might hold you back.

[Tiger 55]

Sound Control in Jamaica Street have books/CD tutorials up the ying yang. Nice guys, very knowledgeable and tolerant of stupid guitar newbie questions.

I bought a pick there once...