Ill say get some tabs search on google and practice on the electric guitar it doesnt really mater on which one you start I said Acoustic is more complicated in my opinion lol im an advanced guitar player so I suggest you get tabs and learn.....
good luck
good luckAcoustic get's your finger's stronger since the string's are thicker and harder to hold down. I started guitar on an electric, they are good and you learn fast on them. I would learn on electric then buy an acoustic later on. And if you have enough money I would suggest getting a Gibson Les Paul, there the best.
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 43
- Best answers
- 0
Uh-oh, you don't want a kramer.
Even though gibson bought kramer out so people would go "ooh gibson"
The newer kramers (kramers from the 80's are fantastic shred machines) are disasters, composed of cheap, non-resonant wood, the necks are horrible to hold, and the pickups are made for high gain use, so say good bye to your note definition and hello bassy mush.
Plus the hardware is below low standard.
I'd recommend you look into the budget Jackson guitars, all the coolness of expensive jacksons, and with all the quality, at a decent price.
plus for tabs, i recommend you download the Power tab editor
Thats a program where you download your favourite songs from Here and it plays them back to you, so you can get a sense of timing and whatnot, alot easier to learn than ASCII tabs.
That site should also teach you how to read tabs, and what the symbols mean (very very easy i assure you)
any questions, fire away, i've been playing for about a decade now and i used to work in a guitar shop (i'll have to get some pictures up of my axes) so i'll be glad to help.
Even though gibson bought kramer out so people would go "ooh gibson"
The newer kramers (kramers from the 80's are fantastic shred machines) are disasters, composed of cheap, non-resonant wood, the necks are horrible to hold, and the pickups are made for high gain use, so say good bye to your note definition and hello bassy mush.
Plus the hardware is below low standard.
I'd recommend you look into the budget Jackson guitars, all the coolness of expensive jacksons, and with all the quality, at a decent price.
plus for tabs, i recommend you download the Power tab editor
Thats a program where you download your favourite songs from Here and it plays them back to you, so you can get a sense of timing and whatnot, alot easier to learn than ASCII tabs.
That site should also teach you how to read tabs, and what the symbols mean (very very easy i assure you
)any questions, fire away, i've been playing for about a decade now and i used to work in a guitar shop (i'll have to get some pictures up of my axes) so i'll be glad to help.
New Member
💻 Oldtimer
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2002
- Messages
- 2,490
- Best answers
- 0
It shows you used to work in a guitar shop, recommending a Jackson to the poor kid. He's just starting; he doesn't need to be Yngwie Malmsteen.
Listen, Rikku...in the next couple of days/week, I'm going to be putting up the first full mp3 of one of my ESF songs. Those songs are going to have an insane guitar solo or two, so sit tight. I'm sure once you hear it, you'll take heed of my advice.
My first bit, is not to listen to anybody else about things like cheapness of wood or what size strings to use. You have to experiment around and see what you like best to start with.
Now I'm going to give it to you straight from the point of view of things that would benefit a beginner at this whole thing--instead of talking to you like you're supposed to have the exact same preferences as me, cause I'm experienced and "know better."
First thing's first--don't give up!! You get better in sudden bursts, I've found; after sucking for my first six months, I woke up one day and tried to play and was magically somehow improved. It's always gone that way for me; sudden, random bursts after long spurts of seemingly nothing. Most of the guys I know around town have had the same sort of thing happen, so it's important to not give up just cause you don't have INSTANT gratification right away!!
Now, about the actual instrument. You're going to want something with a kind of pickup called a humbucker (the big rectangly things under the strings...the ones that look like two skinny ones right next to each other in one big block are called "humbuckers"). These pickups tend to help noise control a little bit, depending on the axe.
Now. Don't listen to anybody about what the hell to play and what company or brand to buy. Anything's good to learn on, cause you'll be adapting to what you have--my first guitar had lousy feedback, and as a result I'm a master of volume control now. I'll give you the lowdown on the major companies:
FENDER: these are what the guy is going to try and sell you at the guitar store. They get paid on commission, and will not hesitate to lie, so don't listen. A lot of times they'll ask who your favorite band is, then take you to the same model that the guy in the band uses, and play it and it'll sound awesome and you'll buy it...only to get it home and realize that it wasn't the guitar as much as it was the tech playing it that made it sound so great. ANY guitar can sound great with the right set of hands wrapped around it. Fenders don't have a lot of humbucker-based models, although the new Squier Fenders are great; they have a nice balance of chunk and whine in their sound, have fairly sleek looks (for fenders, anyhow), and some are made what's called "3/4 scale" so the frets on the neck aren't as far apart. It might be easier for you to learn on one of those with smaller hands.
JACKSON: Everyone will tell you to buy these flimsy feeling speed demon axes. They're not bad, but essentially at your level there isn't going to much difference worth noting versus anything else. These are tending to be a preference for advanced players; personally I don't like them. They don't sing as well, kind of flat I think, but that's just me.
GIBSON: Older people will probably be the primary folks who recommend this brand. These guitars are good but most of them tend to have really fat, juicy sounds aimed at more bluesy type stuff. If you plan on playing with distortion, that can be a problem, as it will mostly come out muffly.
IBANEZ: You'll most likely end up with one of these, as they are fairly inexpensive. They tend to have minor technological issues early one (volume knobs having shorts in them, etc), but nothing majorly worth worrying about. They primarily market younger starting guitar players, so expect to be taken to the Ibanez wall a few times.
Now...disregard everything I said above. Cause every guitar that gets made, sometimes accidentally has a little life breathed into it. Take my guitar, for example: 2003 edition Gibson Gothic Explorer with matte gray finish. Now, you go to the store and pick up any of the other ones, and they'd sound like ****. This one, for whatever frigging reason, is just a little bit different. I don't know why; she just sings.
I use thick gauge strings (I like having something to really grab), but as a beginner you'll probably want to use lighter ones to go easier on your hands.
The most important thing to remember is she's a lady. You don't mistreat the guitar or else it doesn't sing for you anymore. I'd avoid guitars with things called locking systems too, in you rcase--they tend to be tough to deal with especially for beginners; I know way too many people who broke a string and then never played again because they couldn't take apart their locking system properly and they'd only been playing for two months. And don't listen to the acoustic guitars are better to learn cause the strings are bigger etc. type stuff...you put the strings on the *****, and if you want light strings you buy em and put em on.
Get an electic tuner and WHORE off of it. You don't know how many kids I see waste their time trying to learn for months on an out of tune guitar; meaning they never make the connections in the music's structure because, if they're out of tune, there is no structure to catch onto. So slut the tuner action. Korg makes good ones for ten bucks or so.
At first it's gonna seem daunting. "They want me to put, like, two fingers on it in two different spots at the SAME TIME, and MOVE AROUND?! WTF!!" But in time like all things it will become easier. I'll also recommend Jim Dunlop Nylon .73mm picks to you; they're pretty flexible and don't wear down much, meaning you have less change to wreck your strings & picks while you learn.
Just remember. There are no bad guitars; you will adapt to the shortcomings of whatever one you get, and just because it doesn't say any of the huge name brands on the top of it's headstock doesn't mean it isn't a good guitar. TRUST ME ON THAT--my best guitar was a no namer called "Series 10." It ruled, and it was under 300 bucks in the eighties and is now nearly 20 years old. Just treat the guitar well (get a case or a stand asap), and make sure to NEVER GIVE UP and KEEP TRYING. Don't ever look at something and think it's hopeless; that'll get you nowhere fast. At least TRY things--and keep trying them. And eventually you'll be what we call in the band world "a beast." Keep with it and you'll be tearin it up in no time. Hehe.
(Also, I personally highly recommend Crate amps if your into rock music. They are pretty flexible but not too powerful so your parents won't have your ass boiled over the noise; and they come with built in effects for you to play with, mostly, so you can wow uneducated onlookers by letting the amp do half the work. hehe. They'r ealso pretty inexpensive for the package, but keep in mind amps are like guitars as well, and you need to find the right one, as not all amps even in the same model or company are made equal).
Listen, Rikku...in the next couple of days/week, I'm going to be putting up the first full mp3 of one of my ESF songs. Those songs are going to have an insane guitar solo or two, so sit tight. I'm sure once you hear it, you'll take heed of my advice.
My first bit, is not to listen to anybody else about things like cheapness of wood or what size strings to use. You have to experiment around and see what you like best to start with.
Now I'm going to give it to you straight from the point of view of things that would benefit a beginner at this whole thing--instead of talking to you like you're supposed to have the exact same preferences as me, cause I'm experienced and "know better."
First thing's first--don't give up!! You get better in sudden bursts, I've found; after sucking for my first six months, I woke up one day and tried to play and was magically somehow improved. It's always gone that way for me; sudden, random bursts after long spurts of seemingly nothing. Most of the guys I know around town have had the same sort of thing happen, so it's important to not give up just cause you don't have INSTANT gratification right away!!
Now, about the actual instrument. You're going to want something with a kind of pickup called a humbucker (the big rectangly things under the strings...the ones that look like two skinny ones right next to each other in one big block are called "humbuckers"). These pickups tend to help noise control a little bit, depending on the axe.
Now. Don't listen to anybody about what the hell to play and what company or brand to buy. Anything's good to learn on, cause you'll be adapting to what you have--my first guitar had lousy feedback, and as a result I'm a master of volume control now. I'll give you the lowdown on the major companies:
FENDER: these are what the guy is going to try and sell you at the guitar store. They get paid on commission, and will not hesitate to lie, so don't listen. A lot of times they'll ask who your favorite band is, then take you to the same model that the guy in the band uses, and play it and it'll sound awesome and you'll buy it...only to get it home and realize that it wasn't the guitar as much as it was the tech playing it that made it sound so great. ANY guitar can sound great with the right set of hands wrapped around it. Fenders don't have a lot of humbucker-based models, although the new Squier Fenders are great; they have a nice balance of chunk and whine in their sound, have fairly sleek looks (for fenders, anyhow), and some are made what's called "3/4 scale" so the frets on the neck aren't as far apart. It might be easier for you to learn on one of those with smaller hands.
JACKSON: Everyone will tell you to buy these flimsy feeling speed demon axes. They're not bad, but essentially at your level there isn't going to much difference worth noting versus anything else. These are tending to be a preference for advanced players; personally I don't like them. They don't sing as well, kind of flat I think, but that's just me.
GIBSON: Older people will probably be the primary folks who recommend this brand. These guitars are good but most of them tend to have really fat, juicy sounds aimed at more bluesy type stuff. If you plan on playing with distortion, that can be a problem, as it will mostly come out muffly.
IBANEZ: You'll most likely end up with one of these, as they are fairly inexpensive. They tend to have minor technological issues early one (volume knobs having shorts in them, etc), but nothing majorly worth worrying about. They primarily market younger starting guitar players, so expect to be taken to the Ibanez wall a few times.
Now...disregard everything I said above. Cause every guitar that gets made, sometimes accidentally has a little life breathed into it. Take my guitar, for example: 2003 edition Gibson Gothic Explorer with matte gray finish. Now, you go to the store and pick up any of the other ones, and they'd sound like ****. This one, for whatever frigging reason, is just a little bit different. I don't know why; she just sings.
I use thick gauge strings (I like having something to really grab), but as a beginner you'll probably want to use lighter ones to go easier on your hands.
The most important thing to remember is she's a lady. You don't mistreat the guitar or else it doesn't sing for you anymore. I'd avoid guitars with things called locking systems too, in you rcase--they tend to be tough to deal with especially for beginners; I know way too many people who broke a string and then never played again because they couldn't take apart their locking system properly and they'd only been playing for two months. And don't listen to the acoustic guitars are better to learn cause the strings are bigger etc. type stuff...you put the strings on the *****, and if you want light strings you buy em and put em on.
Get an electic tuner and WHORE off of it. You don't know how many kids I see waste their time trying to learn for months on an out of tune guitar; meaning they never make the connections in the music's structure because, if they're out of tune, there is no structure to catch onto. So slut the tuner action. Korg makes good ones for ten bucks or so.
At first it's gonna seem daunting. "They want me to put, like, two fingers on it in two different spots at the SAME TIME, and MOVE AROUND?! WTF!!" But in time like all things it will become easier. I'll also recommend Jim Dunlop Nylon .73mm picks to you; they're pretty flexible and don't wear down much, meaning you have less change to wreck your strings & picks while you learn.
Just remember. There are no bad guitars; you will adapt to the shortcomings of whatever one you get, and just because it doesn't say any of the huge name brands on the top of it's headstock doesn't mean it isn't a good guitar. TRUST ME ON THAT--my best guitar was a no namer called "Series 10." It ruled, and it was under 300 bucks in the eighties and is now nearly 20 years old. Just treat the guitar well (get a case or a stand asap), and make sure to NEVER GIVE UP and KEEP TRYING. Don't ever look at something and think it's hopeless; that'll get you nowhere fast. At least TRY things--and keep trying them. And eventually you'll be what we call in the band world "a beast." Keep with it and you'll be tearin it up in no time. Hehe.
(Also, I personally highly recommend Crate amps if your into rock music. They are pretty flexible but not too powerful so your parents won't have your ass boiled over the noise; and they come with built in effects for you to play with, mostly, so you can wow uneducated onlookers by letting the amp do half the work. hehe. They'r ealso pretty inexpensive for the package, but keep in mind amps are like guitars as well, and you need to find the right one, as not all amps even in the same model or company are made equal).
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 43
- Best answers
- 0
Shows i worked in a guitar shop becuase i recommended a jackson?
you've got me wrong, with beginners i usually work on the policy that any beginner with a **** guitar is going to be put off, unless of course it gets a fantastic set up.
Recommending the best guitar someone can get for the money is good advice, if they have a nice guitar to start on, they have confidence in their ability to learn the instrument.
if i really have to make a jump and recommended the best beginner guitar i can possibly recommend, i'd have to say get a Cort G250.
In the shop we sold hundreds of these, not just to beginners, but selling them to hardened players alike.
I myself owned one before it got damaged on a plane flight (due to my damaged hiscox case i grant you)
It's not that much of a common name, but Cort produce guitars for fender, and their own guitars are built to higher standards than fenders guitars, but at low low prices, making them fantastic buys, for anyone, of any playing ability.
I won't go into recommending an amp, as no one can really tell you what to you want to like in an amp i feel. but a guitar, you can always get a good push in the right direction.
Anyway, heres the official link or the cort G250 (It looks gorgeous in blue, slightly transparent, so you can see the fantastic wood underneath)
edit: Eek. just remembered your a lefty, well that's ok, cort make lefties too, but the g250 only comes in that sunburst colour, but they make other guitars in left handed configuration that are just as good
you've got me wrong, with beginners i usually work on the policy that any beginner with a **** guitar is going to be put off, unless of course it gets a fantastic set up.
Recommending the best guitar someone can get for the money is good advice, if they have a nice guitar to start on, they have confidence in their ability to learn the instrument.
if i really have to make a jump and recommended the best beginner guitar i can possibly recommend, i'd have to say get a Cort G250.
In the shop we sold hundreds of these, not just to beginners, but selling them to hardened players alike.
I myself owned one before it got damaged on a plane flight (due to my damaged hiscox case i grant you)
It's not that much of a common name, but Cort produce guitars for fender, and their own guitars are built to higher standards than fenders guitars, but at low low prices, making them fantastic buys, for anyone, of any playing ability.
I won't go into recommending an amp, as no one can really tell you what to you want to like in an amp i feel. but a guitar, you can always get a good push in the right direction.
Anyway, heres the official link or the cort G250 (It looks gorgeous in blue, slightly transparent, so you can see the fantastic wood underneath)
edit: Eek. just remembered your a lefty, well that's ok, cort make lefties too, but the g250 only comes in that sunburst colour, but they make other guitars in left handed configuration that are just as good
New Member
💻 Oldtimer
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2002
- Messages
- 2,490
- Best answers
- 0
Ooh...Corts...I played one of those up in Maine once. It was pretty nice, I have to say. I thought it was a bit above par for a "bobo" brand. hehe--thanks for the explanation.
All I meant about the guitar tech thing, is that if he can play on a ****ty guitar, he can play like a mother****er on a good one. Having a medium to high-end guitar is relative, is what I was getting at: I've played some terrible Jacksons, and I've played some sweet Fender low-end telecasters. Each instrument that comes off that assembly line is a little different.
I don't like Jacksons, personally. Feels like a toy to me; I like raw, thundering POWER. Really thick full tonal ranges. Jacksons are made more for the player then for someone wanting that blistering sound. They're not bad, I just personally don't like them. They feel like I'm going to break them in half in my hands. lol
The best advice we could give him would probably be to go to the store and pick one himself, but being a lefty and not being able to play already would make them shark him. Plus most of those guitars are in awful condition anyway.
Stay away from Danelectro, too, I forgot to add. Hehe.
All I meant about the guitar tech thing, is that if he can play on a ****ty guitar, he can play like a mother****er on a good one. Having a medium to high-end guitar is relative, is what I was getting at: I've played some terrible Jacksons, and I've played some sweet Fender low-end telecasters. Each instrument that comes off that assembly line is a little different.
I don't like Jacksons, personally. Feels like a toy to me; I like raw, thundering POWER. Really thick full tonal ranges. Jacksons are made more for the player then for someone wanting that blistering sound. They're not bad, I just personally don't like them. They feel like I'm going to break them in half in my hands. lol
The best advice we could give him would probably be to go to the store and pick one himself, but being a lefty and not being able to play already would make them shark him. Plus most of those guitars are in awful condition anyway.
Stay away from Danelectro, too, I forgot to add. Hehe.
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2002
- Messages
- 143
- Best answers
- 0
i started about a yeah ago with my aoustic and I am pretty good
my mate spinner brings round his eltric (and some time his fried one as well)
and we jam it up
www.mxtabs.net is a good site for tabs
my mate spinner brings round his eltric (and some time his fried one as well)
and we jam it up
www.mxtabs.net is a good site for tabs
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2001
- Messages
- 279
- Best answers
- 0
definetly get the electric guitar. I recommend the Ibanez Jumpstart kit(which includes accesories, guitar and a small amp) for like only 200 something dollars. Ibanez guitars are cheap, but very well built. I bought the Ibanez Iceman as my first guitar, and it worked perfectly for 3 long years. At the moment, i own a Ibanez K7, and i'm very happy with it