Ok, when learning guitar...
1. Don't worry so much about tone, yet. Get the best value you can out of an extended dollar. You can always trade/sell in used gear later.
2. Play... EVERYTHING. You play the guitar, the guitar doesn't play you. You should want to play an instrument that feels great in your hands. If anything is too uncomfortable, don't buy it. I had a very bad experience with a Schecter guitar. It sounded incredible... but the neck was too thick, and I dumped near $900 on it.
3. Patience, patience, patience! I cannot stress that enough. Take everything slow, get the feel of fretting notes with each finger, become very familiar with chord shapes before moving on to chord transition. The best advice I can give, buy a metronome. Not only will it help you develop time and accuracy, but it allows you to progress at YOUR pace.
4. Under any circumstances, do not buy ANY effect pedals until you feel you are ready. My first effect was overdrive, then I moved onto distortion. I was a quick learner, however. You may not find the same success. So keep a steady pace.
5. It is fantastic, and I can't stress that enough, that you are buying a used guitar. It is a very wise move. You're getting a great 2nd hand guitar in great condition, and probably isn't half bad either. When you are ready to upgrade, I suggest these brand/model series on a budget:
Fender: Made in Mexico Stratocaster's/Tele's - My take on MIM... great guitars for the price tag. You get a lot for what you'd pay.
Schecter Guitars: C-1 Standard or C-1 Classic - My critique... Amazing guitars. Solid body, great neck joint, fantastic pickups, nothing bad to say about Schecter.
Ibanez Guitars: RG series, SA Series. RG series have some pretty solid guitars, but if you get really serious, I'd suggest getting a pickup swap. As for the SA series, I have nothing bad to say about them. Like Schecter, they are crafted in South Korea. You'd think they're crap, but they aren't. But don't take my word for it. Play around for yourself.
If you haven't already, get an amp. A cheap Fender 15G, or a Roland Cube should do. I highly recommend the Roland Cube. It gives you a very good idea of what different effects sound like without blowing hundreds of dollars on 10 different pedals. But most importantly, it's small, gets the job done, and doesn't sound half bad for the cost.
Here is some crucial advice... Depending on how far you get in a few months, or years... The amp plays the biggest role in electric guitar tone. You can have a $3200 PRS Custom 24, but a guitar is only going to sound as good as the amp it's played out of. So... when you are ready to upgrade, test every amp that is available to you. When you come across the winner, you'll know it. And take YOUR guitar to test amps with, because if you play a random guitar, you won't get the same tone when you bring it home. And you can either A: compensate, or B: be dissatisfied, and end up returning the amp; placing you back at square one. So always use YOUR guitar, and trust me. You'll know what amp to get, because it will just sound like home.
My closing thought... Always keep an open mind. Always discover things for yourself. Me and others can give our thoughts and analysis on many things, but it all comes down to you in the end.
Topic: Guitar- (Read 2044 times)