Learning electric guitar - your thoughts please...

Epiphone guitars are very good. My Black Beauty is a great guitar and has done me for hundreds of gigs.

If you can stretch to it, i'd consider looking a little bit higher in the price range if you can (about £100ish more for an Epi. Les Paul Studio)- purely because you'll get a guitar that'll have longevity as you get better- ie the build quality, pickups and wood will be much better.

But asides from that, that Les Paul Special a superb guitar to get you started.

The thing I'd say for starting with an acoustic is that the really cheap acoustics can (not always though) have a really high action and being quite challenging, may be a lttle off putting to start with. There's no reason why starting with an electric can be detrimental to your technique- it's about what you put in more than anything.

Don't forget to look around music shops near you, a lot of them will have packages on and you can give the guitars a go before you buy them. if you do decide to get an acoustic rather than an electric I would put some nylon strings on till you get your finger tips toughened up a little bit

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by BanditPat

if you do decide to get an acoustic rather than an electric I would put some nylon strings on till you get your finger tips toughened up a little bit

why

My son plays with steel strings on his acoustic and hes eight years old. Hes only just starting to play and he doesn't complain. I have 10 gauge on mine. Not sure what he has on his though

I personally wouldnt recommend nylon strings to anyone.

*This is my opinion*

They are rubbish and sound rubbish.

If you want to lighten things up a little, use a lighter gauge steel string instead.

I can't add anything to this thread other than 'think of the neighbours'...

Andy no way are you 30 next year!! You really have surprised me, I'd have put you at 25 - 26.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

why

My son plays with steel strings on his acoustic and hes eight years old. Hes only just starting to play and he doesn't complain. I have 10 gauge on mine. Not sure what he has on his though

There a lot easier on the fingers than steel strings and in my experience they didn't snap as much when i was starting off learning i snapped a fair few strings tuning them they nylons were a bit more resilient as well as depending on how soft the skin on your fingers and how much your playing its not beyond the realms of possibility to cut your fingers (I know, I've done it my self years ago) and ist not like you cant change them later on. 50 pence per string it was last time i got a string so its not exactly a huuge expense.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

why

My son plays with steel strings on his acoustic and hes eight years old. Hes only just starting to play and he doesn't complain. I have 10 gauge on mine. Not sure what he has on his though

If your just learning start with 9s or 10s. You shouldn't have a problem. I use 11s/12s on mine, but using these it's a hot harder to bend notes, do vibrato, etc.

As for the Epiphone les paul, I had one as my first electric guitar. Its plastic coated wood, as some of the finish had cracked and fallen off mine. I don't really like playing it too much, (I think due to the scale length) but it's got a great sound. Turn the tone down, run it though a cranked marshall and welcome to 1966!

I much prefer fender American strats, but they are a lot more expensive!

Dan

Ok...being a little maestro ill stick my 2 pennies worth in.

The epihone was the first guitar I brought. The guitar is tight. Bends are slightly harder to achieve but what this made me do is learn and stay determined to get this instrument sounding right. The action was also set quite high so this caused my fingers to work harder holding barre chords and playing mid - top range solos or riffs. It worked. When I got my first California strat I nearly pushed the strings of the fret board. The playability factor was phenomenal and I just could not put it down. The amp you are looking at would be more than enough for what you need to start with. If you decide to join a band in the future you will need to re think but it’s down to what you want to do. I run a line 6 pod x3 live if my amp also made by line 6 and I can say their stuff is very good quality. The clarity is clear and has a good range.

Agree with what everyone is saying about buying acoustic first. there are up sides and down sides to this such as not getting the tone or sustain you may be looking for if you learnt on electric.

There are many techniques and styles to learn on the guitar. Start with some easy 3 chorded songs and keep the repetition going on them. I have successfully taught a friend to play and although he said I made him do the same song every week after 6 - 8 weeks he was playing it well. When I introduced another song with the same chords he played that well too. It was then a case of flowing this around the fret board and 6 months later he is doing well.

I am a self taught guitarist. IMHO this is the best way. Lessons can be expensive and you may feel your not achieving anything by undertaken them. try buying a few beginners guitar books first. Learn chord shapes and train your fingers to hold these shapes fluently with your eyes closed.

There is nothing you cannot learn with the aid of the internet now. If I’m learning a new song and get a bit pickled I look on you tube. It’s amazing how many breakdowns are on there and how well some people teach.

I found it always helps to play with friends. You can bounce ideas, techniques, styles of each other and it helped my ability two fold.

I would recommend 10 gauge strings to start. I started with 9's but found i was a little heavy handed in the strumming department and tended to break the little e string continuously. Not saying you will but playing with a medium gauge string will allow you to get used to these early on. I would also buy a wide range of pick gauges to use. There are many out there and each specific to a persons suit. I play with a .75 and nothing else. Buy one of each and find what feels comfortable for you.

Last but not least, if you want any further advice or any songs to learn PM me and ill help you out as much as I can. Just remember not to give up in the first couple of weeks if you don’t think you’re improving. I recorded myself on day one of learning and then again at monthly intervals. You will notice the difference!

Enjoy it!

[dizzyblonde]

well fellas, I can honestly say I have never in fifteen years cut a finger playing steel strings. may have broke a few nails, as I don't use plectrums. My dainty girly fingers must be well hard compared to man hands They are however pretty scabby on the ends, feel like brick layers fingers!

I recall my what I want to do by 30 list ! was ages ago and I achieved about 3 of 10 items..

now working on my what I want to by 50 !.. aagghhhh



I dont play guitar but i am a good strummer.. ohh yessss