immy Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 Hey guys, I'm a total novice when it comes to buying a guitar but I want one so that I can play with my friends. I don't think that I'm going to be particularly hardcore into it so I was looking at buying a guitar that costs around 100-150 pound, It has been suggested that I buy a fender squire or stratocaster. Are these good models to buy for me. Should the type of music I am going to play change my choice of gutair or will I be able to play muse, placebo, biffy clyro on these gutairs? Finally when I go to the store is it just a matter of finding the guitar that i have picked and buying it, or our guitars different and I will need to play them before hand to check their working? If I do need to do this then how giving that me and my dad know very little about guitars? Your help would be really appreciated guys!
AshMat Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 You can play anything on any guitar. For that sound you want an FX pedal or a few, or a lot of amps will have distortion, etc.
Strider Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 A Fender Squire strat is a good choice for a first guitar in your price range (Was my first). However don't go for the other strat copies (Encore for example) which the guitar shop man may fob you off with. These guitars, in my experience sound really tinny. The Strat is a good all rounder and buying an amp with distortion/overdrive would get the basic sound your after if your just starting out. A 15 watt Marshall practise amp was my first one. Going to play and try the guitar first is recommended, but it's not really that important for your first, as you have nothing to compare too. Ibanez are also a good make and are usually voted the best for metal.
Problematique Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 It all depends on your own commitment. If you know that you're going to be playing a lot then go ahead and spend a few extra bob on a nicer guitar. Because in the end nicer instruments make you want to play the thing more. I'm not too clued up on guitar models (being a bassist where the types of wood used play a much bigger part in the overall sound than guitars). But the Squiers are usually good value (as long as you get them set up...) and possibly the Yamaha RGX-A2. If it plays nicely and you want to change your sound then you can just change the pickups later on. For that sound try to get guitars with humbuckers I'd say. Actually I think some of the Squier models come with some Seymour Duncan P90s, that sounds like a pretty good call.
conzer16 Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 Okay, a Squire strat would be the perfect model to start off playing guitar, but if you haven't played a guitar before (ie don't know how to play it) an acoustic guitar would be the way to start off. As electrics go, always try before you buy. Guitars all have different necks, fretboards, weight, finishes, actions (strings height off fretboard), pickups, bridges etc etc, so in order to find something that suits you and you are comfortable with make sure you pick it up and strum a few chords and hits a few frets. If you are a total novice at guitars, don't spend too much on your first one. As long as it has 6 strings, about 20 odd frets and some pickups it will do the trick. As has been recommended to you, a Squire Stratocaster would be perfect for you. It's modeled on a classic guitar and definitely suits a novice. Epiphones would be worth a look at also.
or else you will DIE Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 really can't go wrong with stratocasters, as long as (what someone said above) it's not a crappy copy. stick with a squier one untill you get better.
Problematique Posted July 26, 2007 Posted July 26, 2007 Also bear in mind that a lot of the shops don't set their guitars up properly and you can do it yourself without too much difficulty (if you have a general guide anyway) Love your Dom avatar by the way!
Wesley Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 Squire Stratocaster is your best option. Order one of the internet... with mass produced guitars like these they're safe to order off the net. I order a Squire Jazz Bass off the internet for 50 pounds cheaper than what I could find in the shop and it plays exactly the same.
Shorty Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 A squire strat is not a fucking Stratocaster! It is a fender by-product, a cheap and awful guitar not worth the satisfaction you can get from smashing it. If you get it and improve you will regret owning it when you're good...
Wesley Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 Yeah okay sorry, I was wrong there. I'm not a guitar man. EDIT: Wait, why am I saying sorry. I said Squire Stratocaster.. that's right.
Strider Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 If you get it and improve you will regret owning it when you're good... Well i don't. That guitar actually allowed me to start playing and progress. Its better than some stuff out there. For what £100.
conzer16 Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 A squire strat is not a fucking Stratocaster! It is a fender by-product, a cheap and awful guitar not worth the satisfaction you can get from smashing it. If you get it and improve you will regret owning it when you're good... It's a great starter kit though
immy Posted July 27, 2007 Author Posted July 27, 2007 Does anyone see any problems with me getting a squire Stratocaster of the internet then? I think that’s all I need to sort out. By the way one quick question what is the difference between say the Squire Bullet Stratocaster http://www.musicstreet.co.uk/squierbulletstratocasterwtremelectricguitar-p-731.html?osCsid=f0a2031841eb02c501106dbb6162bec6 and the Squire Affinity Stratocaster http://www.musicstreet.co.uk/squieraffinitystratocasterwmapleneckelectricguitar-p-433.html?osCsid=f0a2031841eb02c501106dbb6162bec6 why is one more expensive then the other? Finally thanks for all the help guys, you've really been great
Wesley Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 They're different series of the model. The Bullet series is the cheaper series to the Affinity series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier_Bullet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier_Stratocaster Unless you're really trying to super save money go with the Affinity series.
Problematique Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 There had been many complaints of the Squier Bullet in 2006 and early 2007 over its production and quality. The model was discontinued in early 2007. That would explain why...
Wesley Posted July 27, 2007 Posted July 27, 2007 Damn... so yeah, only go for the Bullet guitar if you want a really cheap and broken guitar.
Shorty Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Well ok everyone else is recommending the strat over me but I still hated mine
Problematique Posted July 28, 2007 Posted July 28, 2007 Well. I've got my sister's Yamaha Pacifica. I don't like it very much but unless you want advice on buying basses I wouldn't listen to me considering that me playing guitars is like torturing them. It's the tiny strings and picks. I hate them both. Oh, by the way if you actually want to learn to play don't get a guitar with a Whammy bar. Seriously, you end up playing with it the whole time and never actually *play* the guitar as such.
immy Posted August 5, 2007 Author Posted August 5, 2007 Got my gutair today, thanks everyone for all the help!
Recommended Posts