Think you’ve got what it takes to be a rockstar, the new Hendrix or a progressive god like Beck? Dreaming of doing stage jumps onto a crowd of adoring, beautiful Swedish girls? Don’t we all.
What you need first though, is a guitar! Yes, seemingly obvious though, isn’t it?
Well yes, but you need to get your hands on the right equipment. Buying some knock off piece of plywood that will warp in a month is not the way to go.
Three really easy steps that we all tend to skip on all make mistakes with, Patience! Control! Research!
- Patience – You really don’t have to buy the guitar on the spot, that day. Go home and sleep on it. Buyers remorse really sucks. Trust me.
- Keep your cool – Don’t let some snazzy salesman try and sell you a hunk of crap. If he or she is being pushy, tell them that. Commission does terrible things to a person.
- Research! – This is incredibly important. Read some blogs, guitar tech sites and general buyers guides. Make sure you know what it is you’re looking for and where to get it.
Here are five really great starter guitars.
1. Squier Fat Stratocaster
“Squier Strat”
This are one of several Squier models available that offer a pretty good product for a reasonably low price. The pick-ups and hardware are sometimes suspect, and the workmanship varies from instrument to instrument, but for the price, these are a very good beginner guitar choice. The look of the instrument is appealling - Squier Fat Strats are similar in appearance to the much more expensive Fender Stratocasters.
2. Epiphone G-310 SG
“Epiphone SG”
Modelled after the much more expensive Gibson SG guitars, the Epiphone SG G310 keeps it’s cost low by using cheaper hardware and lower quality humbucking pick-ups. The G-310 features an alder body, a mahogany neck, and a dot-inlayed rosewood fingerboard. The buzz on this guitar is it’s a very good value for the money.
3. Yamaha PAC012DLX Pacifica Series HSS Deluxe
Here’s another guitar many people feel is a great value. This Pacifica features an agathis body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard, with two single coil pick-ups, and one humbucker. The consensus is the guitar is reasonably well made, and the quality of the wood tends to be high. Those who go on to become serious guitarists might want to consider upgrading the electronics of the Pacifica HSS.
4. Squier Affinity Series Telecaster
Guitarists like Keith Richards, Steve Cropper, Albert Lee, and Danny Gatton favor the look and sound of the Telecaster. If you’re a fan of any of those guitarists, this beginner guitar may be for you. The Affinity Telecaster features an alder body, with a maple neck and fretboard.
5. Epiphone Les Paul Special II
The Les Paul is perhaps the most famous guitar in rock and roll. Epiphone has done a good job of visually re-creating the Les Paul in this lower-cost guitar marketed towards beginners. The Special II features a laminated alder/maple body, a magogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and two open-coil humbucking pick-ups.
These might be slightly pricier than basic entry-level guitars, but they’ll pay off in the long run. Just keep practicing those chords!
Stay tuned for a post on what amp to buy. Remember, you could have a great guitar but with a shoebox amplifier, you’re not going to get many bras thrown your way.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Good tips, and good list of starter guitars.
Along with all that, I think the thing to be on top of is knowledge of the guitars you’re interested in. Do some research. Look around on the net and find some info–don’t be afraid to ask around on guitar forums for advice. There’s a lot of people with a lot of experience on the net, just ask the question.
I would also say that it’s really worth it to consider a used guitar. $300-$500 might get a pretty good starter guitar, but that same amount has a lot of potential to get a great used guitar. It’s worth it to keep that option of the table!
-CD