guitars does the brand really matter?

[geordie_vaper]

since i hardly vape now i need somthing to keep me occupied on a night time, so though learn the guitar, always wanted to be a rock star, and it will annoy my girlfriend when shes trying to watch the soaps so its a no brainer, popd into a cash converter yeaterday to see if there was any bargains, saw a wall full off guitars accoustic and electric from £20 up to £150, so is there much diffrence from a £50 one to a £150 part from quality? thanks

[ruffdog]

Yes yes and yes!!!!!!!!!!!
If you don't know what to look for you can easily get a pos!.
You can get a 50 quid axe that'll play like a 500 quid one and also the other way round.
Pm me or Facebook. Ruffdog272 / Skype same.
25 years playing myself now.

Ruffie

[geordie_vaper]

dont have facebook thanks for advice want an electric one, what is pos? haha

[snow]

What ruffdog said!! x a million glad to see ruffie will help you out with some suggestions, otherwise would have volunteered my hubby he's been playing for 41 years semi-pro and pro.

[chrisjw]

I bought an Ariana (Aria) semi acoustic 18 years ago & still use it today............Using the right strings is important too.......electric are easier on the fingers, but to learn properly an acoustic is the way to go......be prepared for sore fingers..........



"Life...........is just a bowl of tricks!!!!!!"

[joelemite]

The action (distance between the strings and fretboard) and pickups play a huge part in quality, high action is a nightmare for beginners, it trashes your fingers (although they will harden over time) and its harder to play. Pickups convert the string vibrations and as such the quality of these is very important to the sound you get out of it, unfortunately guitars like this can be pricey. There are other things as well but for me these are the main two.
If you're just starting I wouldn't suggest going straight to expensive ones like Fender or Gibson though, both make good cheaper models under different names that can be very good but don't go for the lower priced of these as they're usually no more than a cheap and nasty Strat/SG copy.

[ruffdog]

Nearly just smashed HUDL to bit's. Just wrote a long reply and it refreshed and lost the lot.
here goes again.
I used to work in music shops but it was 15 years ago. so I am not up on the new brands on the block.
Best idea is to ultimately get down to a proper shop. (not cash converters) and try and find the musician in there. you know the one who looks like he / she probably plays casually, the long hariry hippie one, etc. They will always have stuff to "push" as per management but any guitarist worth their soul should be able to give you an unbiased opinion on any guitar.
Have a look at the ones you like the look of in your price bracket. I'd say stay away from sub £150 for anything. POS = Piece of Shite.
Then get the sales person to play for you. Don't let them SELL, make them play and be honest. Seriously it's a juggling game. Think when you go into PC world and all the sales peeps will charge at you and try and sell you either their OWN brand super , it's the best cheapest buy out there / or the new macbook pro for £2000 with 2 year warranty and upgrades and antivirus etc. That is what will happen. RESIST, and as i said get a friendly player on your side. THERE SHOULD BE ONE.
Look for build quality, String height (ACTION) (high action can sound "bright" but will put any beginner off as they won't yet have the finger strength to compensate and besides a good action is so much more enjoyable than a guitar with a half inch action lol. yuk.
BUT not to low either or you will be plagued with buzzing etc. Remember your guitar WILL change depending on the environment it is kept in as well. so if you were to get a really really low action that wasnt buzzing in the shop. give it 2 weeks in a not so dry place and it may well not be quite the same. (warping necks) always check to see if the neck is twisted or bowed etc.
Pickups on electrics can be cheap and nasty POS. Again, any reputable brand like Ibanez, Jackson, Fender, etc will have decent pickups. Stear clear of the copies (it isn't anything like mod clones) some of the Strat style copies will be utter POS. BUT if you can get a proper original USA/JAP Squire Strat it can be almost as good as a USA Strat. depends on where it was made / assembled etc.
Don't be fooled by zany colors etc. Just look at it as a tool to play. You will get to nice fancy pretty things later on.
Nice fret board, not rough, no dents in the fret wires.
no cracks, chips, splits anywhere.
Switches when new should not scratch and crackle.
Electrics should not BUZ. = bad earthing.
stay away from Floyd rose tremolo systems for starters. You will smack it off the wall trying to tune it.
I'm on the office PC now looking over at my Ibanez RG507, (Elvira) and trying to think what else.
that's it for now.
All others here will give similar and more advise.

Good Luck.

Ruffie.

[ionian]

Great advice from ruffdog - I'm a guitarist of 20 odd years myself, haven't bought an instrument in a while but I picked up a couple of gems 10-15 years ago that I love.

Ask yourself what you want. You're just starting out, so a neck that has a comfortable profile, a guitar that's comfortable to wear/play, and a lowish action with .9s or .10 strings (assuming you buy an electric) are the only things I'd worry about. If you take to it you can worry about pickups and the rest later.

Think of it as the equivalent of an ego starter kit. Set yourself a reasonable budget, remember you'll need an amp too, and that this is unlikely to be the guitar that you record your first album on

Stay away from cash converters, their prices are not that good and the guitar could be in any state when you buy it. I know from experience. It's taken me ages to get my cash convertors bought Washburn superstrat into the sleek legato machine it was designed to be.

I suggest a Squire Stratocaster. You'll see instruments that look exactly like a squire strat in shops, but as Ruffie said, if you can find a Japanese or us- made strat you'll likely have an awesome starting guitar.

[geordie_vaper]

wow thanks everyone will be doing some research tonight

[erik514]

I've played for about 30 years and agree with the advice above. Definitely stay away from cash convertors and go to a proper shop.
It isn't as easy as saying you get what you pay for either, although to some level that is the case. Different styes and makes of guitar are better for certain styles of music. Definitely don't go for cheap. It really is so much easier to make a good guitar sound good than it is to drag a tune from a piece pf plywood which is what most of the cheap ones will be made from.
Basically what you are looking for is something made from real solid wood and not plywood or compressed wood chip, something with a neck that feels right in your hand, is suited to the style of music you want to play and that feels right to you.
Must go and work for a while but PM me if you want to ask anything and I'll try and help out.

[Greg]

I started a similar thread geordie_vaper a couple a months ago as I've always fancy playing a guitar. I got my guitar for Xmas and it took about 5 months to actually start

I went to a local guitar shop and told them I wanted to learn but had never even held a guitar before, I came away with a fender acoustic for about £120 plus a tuner a stand, a bag and strap and numerous different plectrums. They had guitars for lots more and significantly less but the advice was go with something that is decent but relatively cheap and will be adequate for you to learn on and if you decide it's not for you haven't wasted too much.
It's right about the finger pain, 5 or ten minutes and I'd had enough but with a little per reverence your fingers harden quickly and the soreness goes away.
With the help of some players on here I was pointed in the direction of this website www.justinguitar.com and it's really easy to fools. I found it impossible at first, how the hell do you get three fat fingers on different strings in the same fret but with practice your fingers adapt and it becomes easier. I'm still learning cords and can only play the first three without looking but it's really enjoyable and with only a little practice most days you improve really quickly.
So I know very little about playing guitars but I'm enjoying learning slowly.
I hope some of the above helps, oh that website has the full course online free
I'm sure the guitar players on here will continue to give you much better advice than I ever can, just go for it and enjoy

[erik514]

Definite thumbs up for justinguitar.com really good site with tons of good quality free lessons.
I would say don't worry too much at the start what it sounds like when you play, getting used to the feel of your instrument and building up muscle memory in your fingers to be able to get the right chords takes time, just make a noise and enjoy it, learn a little bit every day and you'll be surprised how quickly you'll start to improve

[sammy13]

If I was buying one - one make only springs to mind - Stratocaster

[sleedale]

I have an old, old Hofner cutaway, that I was given several (cough) years ago. It's lovely and served me well during years of teaching, but now is 'resting' and in no way, at all, am I a guitar player! I can strum a few chords......or could. Good luck with your search, and enjoy learning, I must start to get to grips with a concertina bought for me two Christmases ago

[osdset]

I'm not going to be popular over this but hey............

Many 'name' guitars are frankly shite, I say this not out of any particular prejudice, but as someone that has repaired loads of 'famous' instruments over the years.
Out of the big two electric guitar manufacturers I'd put Fender in front of Gibson every day of the week, why?
Because Leo Fender looked at designing a guitar from an engineers point of view, he considered repairability as well as esthetics, you can tip a Strat or a Telecaster on it's arse and be fairly sure the headstock won't snap off, try doing the same to a Gibson Les Paul, I've lost count of the headstock repairs I've had to make to Les Pauls.

Personal prejudice aside, factory instruments are in the main, overpriced and badly made. Every now and then one might come out of the factory with the magic combination of tonewoods plus hardware but that's a rarity, I've handled custom shop guitars retailing in the thousands that have a finish that could have been applied by a six year old with a pot of coloured varnish. I kid you not.

Believe it or not, one of my 'go to' guitars is a Cort X6 that I took in for a re-fret years ago and the client never came back for it. It ticks all the boxes, it's comfortable to play and whilst I'm not a huge fan of Floyd Rose trems this one behaves itself. The Cort was probably around £250 off the shelf for whoever bought it and it out-performs most guitars.

Spending thousands on an instrument is no guarantee of quality, as many disgruntled Gibson owners will attest to.