Best Beginner Electric Guitar?

[AustinChief]

My nephew's bday is this week and I have a quick question...

What is the best electric guitar for a kid to begin with?

Yamaha? Epiphone?

Suggestions?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Huffman83

It's hopeless for me. And while I don't spend 3 grand on one item...I have a lot of crap that I don't use on a regular basis. I see certain types of guitars, pedals, amps..etc, in pawn shops, music stores, antique shops...and I have to have them.

And sadly as many times as I've bought decent name brand guitars, I have just as many copies made in Japan that are of better quality than stuff that's being made today. I'll pick up the $80 guitar before I pick up a more expensive one.

At this point if I go into a pawn shop and I want to see something, those guys know that they have it priced way too low and I know something they don't about it.

Then you're lucky. You can't find ANYTHING in a pawn shop in LA that's worth a shit because there are too many full time gear guys ravaging those places and putting them on ebay. As a matter of fact, since Ebay, you can't find anything anywhere.

And you're right about the MIJ gear: It's far superior to anything made in the USA. The Fender Reissues (guitars and basses) are amazing, so much so, that they aren't allowed to be sold in the US anymore. If you want a MIJ bass or guitar, you have to buy directly from Japan.

Same thing with the Epiphone Elitists, which were recently discontinued for the most part. The quality of the wood, finished, fret jobs and nuts were superior to anything coming out of Nashville and began cutting into their sales, so they scuttled the division.

I've played $5,000 dollar 355's and Les Pauls that feel and sound like shit, yet a $1,200 Epi Elitist is a dream right off the shelf.

It's bullshit.

[Huffman83]

Yeah, a friend of mine is of L.A. told me in L.A his Harmony Rocket guitar which is cosmetically a 6 out of 10. Worth 1 grand.

****er goes to estate sales of old people all over Missouri and finds blackface Fender amps for a couple hundred bucks. Even at $600 bucks locals in Missouri won't play ball in a bidding war w/ him for a Bandmaster head and 2x15 cabinet.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Huffman83

Yeah, a friend of mine is of L.A. told me in L.A his Harmony Rocket guitar which is cosmetically a 6 out of 10. Worth 1 grand.

****er goes to estate sales of old people all over Missouri and finds blackface Fender amps for a couple hundred bucks. Even at $600 bucks locals in Missouri won't play ball in a bidding war w/ him for a Bandmaster head and 2x15 cabinet.

I bought a Blackface Twin in the 90's at Black Market Music for $250.00. That place was the BOMB for vintage gear at reasonable prices. The bummer thing is that it was stolen a few years later.

Too bad all of the profits went up the owner's nose, thus forcing him into to bankruptcy and foreclosure.

[Dayze]

I started out at 13 playing acoustic, and learning bluegrass before transitioning to an electric 2 years later. Granted bluegrass wasn't 'cool' but there's stuff from that first 6 months I still use today with regard to cross picking, attack & other picking dynamics, and overall fret-hand/pick hand coordination. THe cross/alternate picking came in handy when playing Metallica (Battery & Master of Puppets spefically)

there are two schools of thought; electric first, or acoustic.
Electric for the kid who you think will quit playing in 2 months; or who will never move beyond power chords/drop d tunings and only learn 'just enough' of a song to be recognizable. I knew tons of kids who 'played' , but only knew riffs/hooks of certains songs, or only knew the first 20 seconds; or knew various parts throughout butnever put it all together. Electric affords you the ability to slop through a majority of songs and never realy learn anything; not to mention being woefully out of tune w/out knowing it

acoustic for the kid who wants to actually learn the instrument and the fundamentals.

Finger pain/callouses are a part of the instrument; it's either now or later. Once developed, they take a long time to go away. Guarantee you if you build up callouses on an acoustic, full-step bends on an electric are gravy; not to mention it allows you to play electric with heavier strings (AC/DC, SRV) to get better tone.

all depends on which kid your nephew is.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Dayze

I started out at 13 playing acoustic, and learning bluegrass before transitioning to an electric 2 years later. Granted bluegrass wasn't 'cool' but there's stuff from that first 6 months I still use today with regard to cross picking, attack, and overall fret-hand/pick hand coordination.

there are two schools of thoguh; electric first, or acoustic.
Electric for the kid who you think will quit playing in 2 months; or who will never move beyond power chords/drop d tunings. Electric affords you the ability to slop through a majority of songs and never realy learn anything; not to mention being woefully out of tune w/out knowing it

acoustic for the kid who wants to actually learn the instrument.

Finger pain/callouses are a part of the instrument; it's either now or later. Once developed, they take a long time to go away.

all depends on which kid your nephew is.

Sorry, I don't buy that theory.

I've had hundreds of students over the years (well, back in the 80's) that most certainly would have quit if they hadn't have started out with a cheap Fender, Ibanez or Epi because they WANTED TO PLAY ROCK.

Sticking a kid with an acoustic guitar that wants to play rock and metal is a complete and utter waste of time and money.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Sorry, I don't buy that theory.

I've had hundreds of students over the years (well, back in the 80's) that most certainly would have quit if they hadn't have started out with a cheap Fender, Ibanez or Epi because they WANTED TO PLAY ROCK.

Sticking a kid with an acoustic guitar that wants to play rock and metal is a complete and utter waste of time and money.

That's fair.
I think it's all dependant on the kid and their level of committment etc, there's no 'right' answer. I think it's critical the kid stay with it for a good period of time before they decide whetehr or not to give it up. I've seen a lot of kids get an electric (and acoustic too, for that matter), and then quit in 3 months because they can't play like *insert their favorite guitarist here *, mostly because they didn't have a foundation. Either way -acoustic/electric - they should learn the fundamentals instead of jumping into a tablature book/online.
...sorry...I got off topic on that one.



I was just different I suppose. I moved from acoustic into rock/metal for years before moving to back to rock/blues. I didn't meant to imply that i learned bluegrass styles, and stuck with that style the entire time. It was jut my dad played that way and that's how I learned; once I had the basics I moved on to Metallica tablature and knocked it out in no time flat.

[Huffman83]

I would have been more well off if I had started on an acoustic. But I didn't. I had a cheap POS Memphis guitar and a POS Kustom combo amp (I wish I still had that btw.) and by some situation previously mentioned in this thread (I didn't start lessons my first year, non musical family.) I shouldn't be playing the guitar to this day.

I was determined to play. I sat in my room for hours learning how to play. Watching friends play who just started guitar lessons and picking up everything I could. Started getting lessons, started learning Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Cream, SRV, Stray Cats, Rush rifs...

Then I discovered punk rock.

Worst and best thing that could ever happen to me.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Sorry, I don't buy that theory.

I've had hundreds of students over the years (well, back in the 80's) that most certainly would have quit if they hadn't have started out with a cheap Fender, Ibanez or Epi because they WANTED TO PLAY ROCK.

Sticking a kid with an acoustic guitar that wants to play rock and metal is a complete and utter waste of time and money.

I tend to agree with this.

I started out with an electric. Had many electrics before I ever bought my first acoustic.

[Jawshco]

I think Ibenez guitars are the best starter guitars. They usually have a pretty clean tonal pallette. Cheap Fenders tend to sound twangy, which is okay for country and punk, but not for everything. Epi's, I love, but they're not as playable for beginners and the cheap ones won't have the whammy option and they're tough to get all the harmonics on. I don't care for First act, schecter, or Danelectro Guitars, but those usually have attractive price tags.