Advice: New Electric

[mgeorge]

So I've been playing my 'wonderful' Fender (go ahead and laugh :rolleyes: ) acoustic guitar for a while and am searching for a new electric guitar. I have about $500 (maybe 600) that I want to spend on it, including an amp. But my knowledge of electric guitars is next to nothing. If anyone could answer these few questions that would be awesome!

1) Anyone hear of Godin guitars? The music shop I get my guitar stuff from (no they didn't sell me the Fender acoustic) carries the whole line of Godins and I've been looking at the SD which is in my price range. Has anyone played this guitar and could tell me what a knowledgable musician has to say about it?

2) If the Godin is out, any suggestions? I've thought about the obvious (Fender Mexican Strat, etc) but in my search I have found NUMEROUS guitar manufacturers I haven't even heard of and so my 'field of vision' has greatly widened. My cousin suggested a Jackson guitar...anyone know anythine about these?

3) When it comes to amps I am completely lost. The 'helpful' employees at a local guitar superstore basically said to me "Yeah man this amp is kick ass man you'll be rocking man all the time man" :BANG and then proceeded to explain all these complicated knobs (yes complicated knobs...I really don't know what they were) that did all sorts of 'neat' things that I wouldn't ever use. So what sort of features do I want to look for in an amp? The only "performance" that I might ever use it for would be playing for my school's chapel (like church) and so I don't think I'll be needing a full stack of 100 watt Marshalls...or whatever.

4) This might be a strange question...but should I decide on Amp or Guitar first? Or do they go hand in hand? Many "Buyers Guides" I've read suggest that you test your guitar in multiple amps and find the right one...others suggest considering the type of amp your playing out of and looking for a guitar to fit that. So which comes first?

5) And subsequently to question 4...any amp/guitar "pairs" that someone could suggest?

Anyway sorry about all the typos its hard to type at 1230. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! And sorry for my extreme lack of knowledge and for asking questions that may have been asked/answered elsewhere. I just want to do this right and am seeking as much help as I can find. In review, I am basically seeking a suggestion for a guitar and an amp for under or around 500, for personal use and maybe for playing for school chapel worship. Thanks for any help and sorry for the how wordy this post turned out!

[Dancing Ants]

So I've been playing my 'wonderful' Fender (go ahead and laugh :rolleyes: ) acoustic guitar for a while and am searching for a new electric guitar. I have about $500 (maybe 600) that I want to spend on it, including an amp. But my knowledge of electric guitars is next to nothing. If anyone could answer these few questions that would be awesome!

1) Anyone hear of Godin guitars? The music shop I get my guitar stuff from (no they didn't sell me the Fender acoustic) carries the whole line of Godins and I've been looking at the SD which is in my price range. Has anyone played this guitar and could tell me what a knowledgable musician has to say about it?

2) If the Godin is out, any suggestions? I've thought about the obvious (Fender Mexican Strat, etc) but in my search I have found NUMEROUS guitar manufacturers I haven't even heard of and so my 'field of vision' has greatly widened. My cousin suggested a Jackson guitar...anyone know anythine about these?

3) When it comes to amps I am completely lost. The 'helpful' employees at a local guitar superstore basically said to me "Yeah man this amp is kick ass man you'll be rocking man all the time man" :BANG and then proceeded to explain all these complicated knobs (yes complicated knobs...I really don't know what they were) that did all sorts of 'neat' things that I wouldn't ever use. So what sort of features do I want to look for in an amp? The only "performance" that I might ever use it for would be playing for my school's chapel (like church) and so I don't think I'll be needing a full stack of 100 watt Marshalls...or whatever.

4) This might be a strange question...but should I decide on Amp or Guitar first? Or do they go hand in hand? Many "Buyers Guides" I've read suggest that you test your guitar in multiple amps and find the right one...others suggest considering the type of amp your playing out of and looking for a guitar to fit that. So which comes first?

5) And subsequently to question 4...any amp/guitar "pairs" that someone could suggest?

Anyway sorry about all the typos its hard to type at 1230. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! And sorry for my extreme lack of knowledge and for asking questions that may have been asked/answered elsewhere. I just want to do this right and am seeking as much help as I can find. In review, I am basically seeking a suggestion for a guitar and an amp for under or around 500, for personal use and maybe for playing for school chapel worship. Thanks for any help and sorry for the how wordy this post turned out!


1) Yeah, I've heard of Godin guitars....Shane over at dmbtabs.com loves his. Also, the Fender Acoustics aren't that bad. :)

2) I would suggest either a Fender Telecaster or Schecter S-1. I love both, but only have a Tele American.

3) I'd just get a mid-sized Marshall...if you don't need much, don't buy much.

4) I'd test out the Guitar with many different amps. There's a reason you're striving to be a guitarist and not an ampist. ;)

5) I play my Tele out of a Marshall a friend sold to me for $100...it's not too big, not too small.

If you're going to be playing church and stuff, i'd go with a telecaster...

[Dancing Ants]

here's the s-1...it looks much better in the trans-cherry than the plain red or black.

http://www.schecterguitars.com/Dhomepg.htm

[Dancing Ants]

hit me up on AIM if you have any more questions.

[jk333]

get a mexican strat... jackson's are kinda metal guitars, thats what they're known for; on the other hand, metal has sweet clean melodic sections to a lot of their songs maybe you want one, jackson does make fairly good guitars cheap, they're owned by fender now.

check guitars with humbucks and single coils, (hums> 2 coils together, normally 2 picksups; single coils normally 3 picks ups, one coil for each) i prefer single coils which usually come on strats; if you like humbuckers go for a telecaster, they have humbuckers more often...

you could also check ibanez if you like humbuckers... they're ga-70 sounds decent and its like 275... its got powercore? i think, pickups... for single coils definetly get a fender strat; (if you can find a japanese made one, they're as good as american and only slightly more than a mexican)

for an amp just get like something 30-50 watts... 15 is for practice and more than 50 you don't really need right now... 30-50 you'll be able to play with a drummer... fender champion is one, its like 215 bucks... marshall makes one too.. fender has good cleans, and crazy reverb(echoey sound)... marshall is famous for distortion... but thats more for tubes which your nowhere near budget for... (you want a solid state amp)

you might be able to get a bigger peavey amp kinda cheap... used fender too, they're 60 watts at about 200-275 bucks...

just pick a guitar and try amps with it that are in the price range of the money you have left; see which amp sounds best with it...


never heard of godin... and there has been no mention of crate amp in this whole statement. thats cause crate amps suck. guitar center WILL try to sell you one, do not fall into the trap. resist.

[scoot_14]

I would go with a Strat or telecaster, if Fender is the kind of electric you lean towards. As far as an amp goes don't go all out, get something decent (even a used is an economically good idea). Spend more time and money on choosing the guitar, you can always upgrade your amps without much hassle, whereas people can get attached to their guitars.

[Dancing Ants]

A Les Paul has more of a "hard" rock sound, while the Strat has a more "blues" rock sound...I like the strat more because it is such a fine-tuned instrument...while the Les Paul seems kinda reckless to me...although Tim can do some awesome shit on it.

[chris917]

i just got a fender strat and a small roland amp, and i like them both a lot

[DaveHead36]

I can tell you from personal experience, don't get the Fender Squire package. I blew the amp up within 2 years, and the guitar never ever stays in tune with itself. I finally wound up stripping the paint and spraying on a chalkboard finish that I write chords changes and lyrics on when I'm recording or writing. I'll use it for ocassional lead parts, but forget about playing chords on it. While D might be in tune, you play a G and it's all out of tune. It's a fixable problem, but I'm just lazy and don't want to spend the $$ on it. lol

Be careful with Fenders because they're not made the same way they were years ago. The thing I've learned about guitars is this, you get what you pay for. The electronics and the bodies are made more "cost effective" these days compared to the old days. The Tex-Mex guitars are pretty good. You might also look into getting an Epiphone. They have some cool guitars that are pretty cheap. They're made over in Korea or Japan and like Fender aren't the quality of the old ones, but they're not bad. Your best bet is to goto as many music stores as possible and play on the guitars you're interested in and play on them. If you like it and it fits your budget, get it. A guitar can say "Microsoft" on the headstock, but if it feels right and sounds right to you and you like it, go for it. Best of luck to you!

DH36

[mgeorge]

Hey thanks to everyone for the replies. Ill try to take this all into consideration as I am hoping to make the purchase soon.

Hopefully I will be able to find a deal somewhere!

[greenpick41]

I used to have a Mexican Fender Strat and I really liked the way it played, it looked pretty cool too. But, I was a little unsatisfied with its sound, it just didn't seem to be full enough. Now I have an Epiphone Les Paul, and although it doesn't play as well as the Strat(its not that much worse, maybe not at all), it sounds a lot better. I think it might be because of the hambuckers versus the single coils, and thats just my preference, but I guess my experience is the hambuckers offer a fuller sound.

[mgeorge]

The Godin SD is single single hum. I played it and liked it so I'm thinking thats what i might go with now...but I also liked the strat a lot.

[bonovox]

if you're serious about getting a fender, look into getting a guitar made my G&L, or even their lesser brand, "tribute G&L". its leo fenders last foray into making fender style guitars. they sound amazing, and have interesting pickup configs

[Carbon Copy]

Yay, or Neh

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/EpiphoneLesPaulCustomElectricGuitar?sku=518350

Yay, or Neh

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/EpiphoneLesPaulStandardPlainTop?sku=517413

yay or neh

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/FenderTC90ThinlineGuitar?sku=511338

yay or neh

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/EpiphoneDotElectricGuitar?sku=518250V


yay or neh (my favorite looking, but ill never buy an ibanez..yuck)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/IbanezAS83SemiHollowElectricGuitar?sku=519764

[SpecialAgent007]

mmm...electric guitars...it's a joy to me to discuss electrics as there's just so much to discuss...acoustic is great in it's own right, but it's more or less a one trick pony. A good acoustic is a good acoustic and it does it's job. Ya know what I'm saying? But electric...oh, it's a whole other beautiful and more expansive world of colors...

That said, let's get down to business...

I know many people are saying don't worry about the amp, but in all honesty, I'd say spend more money on your amp. Sure, you can get attatched to a guitar, but if you start taking it seriously, you're going to want to get a nicer guitar down the line. The thing about a great amp is that even a lesser guitar will sound really nice through it. I'll talk more on this momentarily, but that's a preface to my opinion on the matter.

As far as guitars, I'm a blatant Fender supporter through and through. I love Strat's. I've had many in my day. Notables are multiple Custom Shop strats, an SRV sig, a Clapton sig and a Jimmy Vaughan sig...all are great guitars in their own rights. I tend to stick with the SRV lately solely because of the neck. I swapped out the pickups (Texas Specials are too hot for me...) and took a chance on noiseless pups but I hate them too...what I'll do when I have more money lying around again is get a Custom Shop built with an SRV shaped neck. But again, all this is to say that I'm a Fender guy 'til the day I die sans a miracle.

You're talking about spending $600 or so on the guitar...not bad...you have a few more options than most. Something to avoid I'd say is this need to get an American Strat. Mexican Strat's are made with the same parts as the American counterparts. The only difference is quality control so you'll want to look at Mexican's and pay a lot of attention to little things. It'd help greatly to have someone you know who knows a lot about electrics to go with you, because if you find a really nice Mexi, it'll be just as good as an American built one at likely half the price.

Another option I'd seriously consider is looking at used Strat's. Oh yeah, for the record, I'm recommending a Strat with single coil pickups. I forgot to cover that. The reason being is that I feel that Strat's give you the most ability to develop your sound. They have an inherent sound to them that is very Strat oriented, but with different pedals and amp configurations you can get a ton of sounds out of a Strat where you're more limited with Tele's or humbucker based guitars like most Gibson's.

Anyways, used Strat's...you can oftentimes find a great bargain on a solid used Strat and end up getting a lot more guitar for your money. Look around a little and again, see if you can have someone you know check some guitars out. I know some people shy away from used guitars, but think of it as just adding another chapter to the story of that guitar. I personally think it's pretty cool to own used electric guitars. There's a lot of history in guitars, so why not be a part of one's? Plus, you can't beat the economic advantage one gains by entering the used market.

Here's a guitar I really like though and it's cheaper b/c it's a blem...it'd give you an extra hundred to spend on an amp...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/FenderRobertCrayStratocasterElectricGuitar?sku=511 263X

Robert Cray's got mad chops and you get Custom Shop pups too. Sure, they're not going to be Custom Shop Custom Shop pups, but b/c of the nature of this guitar, it's likely to be a more consistently built model. The hardtail bridge is nice because strings won't go out of tune as easily, but you do lose the wammy...personally, I don't use it anyways and load my Strat's with five springs so it doesn't matter anyways, but hey, something to think about.

Anyways, that's enough about Strats...if you have a question, reply and I'll answer as best I can.

A quick word on amps...get a tube amp. Nomatter what anyone says, get a tube amp.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/FenderBluesJuniorComboAmp?sku=480512

That's the amp I recommend to every beginner on electric...it's a great amp that even a lot of pro's will use in the studio as it's a great recording amp. It's got that killer Fender tube tone and you can get it to break up naturally without blowing out your fillings. You add a Robert Cray sig Strat to that and you've got some killer tone going on for under a grand. Way more than that much money deserves. Again, I can't stress how important getting a nice amp is. You can have a great guitar and have it sound like crap with a crap amp. The amp really tends to be more important than the guitar in this sense. Make sure you get a tube amp. It'll cost more, but trust me, you'll be far better off. They're louder if you want them to be and they sound about a hundred times better than a solid state. Also, don't buy into the gimmickry...it becomes a joke. The Blues Jr. is a basic amp that'll kill any amp with 10 more knobs in its price range.

Man...seriously, if anyone tells you that you don't need to spend a lot of money on an amp and you can settle for a solid state, they don't know what they're talking about...you're going to enjoy playing about 10,000 times more if you can get great tone coming out of the amp and you're going to thin, crap tone out of a cheap amp. Get the real thing at a descent price and walk away happy. Remember, you can always mic an amp (and absolutely should as opposed to plugging guitar directly into a board!!!!!!!) during a live performance.

One last time, just because I couldn't possibly stress this enough, make sure you get a good amp...plug an electric guitar into an acoustic amp or a PA system and listen to how bad it sounds...that's b/c most of the tone comes from the amp. You get good electric tone from a good electric amp so please, for your own good, don't skimp. I want you to enjoy electric guitar because once you get it, there's nothing else like it...there's nothing else more expressive...just wait 'til you get into pedals...the sky's the limit...there's a lot of gimmickry out there, but there's a lot of great stuff out there too.

Alright, one last time: Strat's and tube amps! Don't settle for less!

[JTR&PIG]

So I've been playing my 'wonderful' Fender (go ahead and laugh :rolleyes: ) acoustic guitar for a while and am searching for a new electric guitar. I have about $500 (maybe 600) that I want to spend on it, including an amp. But my knowledge of electric guitars is next to nothing. If anyone could answer these few questions that would be awesome!

1) Anyone hear of Godin guitars? The music shop I get my guitar stuff from (no they didn't sell me the Fender acoustic) carries the whole line of Godins and I've been looking at the SD which is in my price range. Has anyone played this guitar and could tell me what a knowledgable musician has to say about it?

2) If the Godin is out, any suggestions? I've thought about the obvious (Fender Mexican Strat, etc) but in my search I have found NUMEROUS guitar manufacturers I haven't even heard of and so my 'field of vision' has greatly widened. My cousin suggested a Jackson guitar...anyone know anythine about these?

3) When it comes to amps I am completely lost. The 'helpful' employees at a local guitar superstore basically said to me "Yeah man this amp is kick ass man you'll be rocking man all the time man" :BANG and then proceeded to explain all these complicated knobs (yes complicated knobs...I really don't know what they were) that did all sorts of 'neat' things that I wouldn't ever use. So what sort of features do I want to look for in an amp? The only "performance" that I might ever use it for would be playing for my school's chapel (like church) and so I don't think I'll be needing a full stack of 100 watt Marshalls...or whatever.

4) This might be a strange question...but should I decide on Amp or Guitar first? Or do they go hand in hand? Many "Buyers Guides" I've read suggest that you test your guitar in multiple amps and find the right one...others suggest considering the type of amp your playing out of and looking for a guitar to fit that. So which comes first?

5) And subsequently to question 4...any amp/guitar "pairs" that someone could suggest?

Anyway sorry about all the typos its hard to type at 1230. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! And sorry for my extreme lack of knowledge and for asking questions that may have been asked/answered elsewhere. I just want to do this right and am seeking as much help as I can find. In review, I am basically seeking a suggestion for a guitar and an amp for under or around 500, for personal use and maybe for playing for school chapel worship. Thanks for any help and sorry for the how wordy this post turned out!
i started on a Fender acoustic as well!

[Carbon Copy]

thing is, i appreciate your support and stuff, but i dont like the look of strats as epic as they are

[tdowe99]

Is this a good deal?
http://boston.craigslist.org/msg/163188948.html

The new ones are $1400+
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender62JazzmasterElectricGuitar?sku=510484

[PhishFleck41]

thing is, i appreciate your support and stuff, but i dont like the look of strats as epic as they are

true.

[SpecialAgent007]

thing is, i appreciate your support and stuff, but i dont like the look of strats as epic as they are

Since when does how a guitar looks matter? How does it feel? How does it play? How does it sound? What can you play with it? These are the questions you should be asking. If you're picking based on aesthetics, it's a lost cause from the get go.

[Carbon Copy]

Since when does how a guitar looks matter? How does it feel? How does it play? How does it sound? What can you play with it? These are the questions you should be asking. If you're picking based on aesthetics, it's a lost cause from the get go.

i dont think i said i was picking it based on aesthetics. im just saying i dont want a guitar if i dont like the look of it. why buy a lamborghini if you think they are ugly, even though they have a great engine.

[earl]

I got a Fender Fat Strat, 15w amp, and gig bag for under 550$. I don't think you can go wrong with the fat strat, it has such a wide variety of sounds with 5 different pickup settings, a humbucker, and two single coil pickups. That's what I'd recommend.

[ryangibson]

i dont think i said i was picking it based on aesthetics. im just saying i dont want a guitar if i dont like the look of it. why buy a lamborghini if you think they are ugly, even though they have a great engine.


This is true. You want something that feels and sounds good, but I know when I get ready to spend several hundred or even thousand on a guitar, I make damn sure I like everything about it, looks included!!

[JTR&PIG]

Since when does how a guitar looks matter? How does it feel? How does it play? How does it sound? What can you play with it? These are the questions you should be asking. If you're picking based on aesthetics, it's a lost cause from the get go.
aesthics, come on, what are we talking philosophically, how about just play what you think sounds good to you, and keep it in the price range you want, cause who cares what others think as long as you want to play it

[SpecialAgent007]

aesthics, come on, what are we talking philosophically, how about just play what you think sounds good to you, and keep it in the price range you want, cause who cares what others think as long as you want to play it

I don't give a crap but it's incredibly stupid to pick a guitar or not give a guitar a chance because of how it looks...that's just silly...it's primary function is how it sounds, not how it looks. That's like judging a book by it's cover which we all know is a cliche. But why do cliche's stick around? Because they're true. No real musician is going to overlook a guitar based on how it looks. That's completely missing the point.

[Carbon Copy]

elliot,

ive played strats before, alot of people have them. they have a great tone (not as good as the tele IMO), but i just don't want a strat.

[PhishFleck41]

elliot,

ive played strats before, alot of people have them. they have a great tone (not as good as the tele IMO), but i just don't want a strat.

Too quacky, not really flexible (unless you do some hardcore modifications).

[bullox005]

im a gibson electric man...

strats have never done it for me.

[PhishFleck41]

im a gibson electric man...

strats have never done it for me.

you would be, sandra, you would be. Your back will be loving you when you are forty and you can't stand up straight because of the 20 pound les paul you were jamming with for years.

On that note the nicest electric I have ever laid hands on (and quite possibly guitar in general) was my friends 1969 Gibson SG. All original. It is just amazing. It was his dads who bought it in '69. Worth a good amount nowadays, but he says he'll never sell it. God, I love that guitar.

[SpecialAgent007]

That's fine if you just don't like them, but if the sound of the guitar is better and you're just basing the opinion on how they look, then that's silly...that's my point...and too quacky? Maybe in the 2nd and 4th pickup positions but that's about it...and that's for effect...and I don't know how you can say they're not flexible...you can do anything with a Strat because it IS flexible...you can play just about any kind of music and just about nail the tone with a Strat. A lot depends on your pedals and understanding of electric dynamics, but it can be done far moreso than with other guitars...why do you think it's been the most popular electric guitar in history? Hell, Gibson was about extinct 'til Clapton started playing them way back when in the "god" days for a bit, but even he switched to a Strat full time in the 70's and never went back.