Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

[B2D]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Gotta call bullsh*t on this

Start talking to instructors then come back and make a statement.

You rang?

Most kids starting out on guitar will quit at some point. Period. In my experience electric or acoustic makes no difference. Out of all my students I've ever had, maybe 2 out of every 5 last longer than a year. That's how it is with most teachers - they have a core group that's in it for the long haul and then the ones on the edge come and go in predictable patterns.

If you really want to play guitar bad enough, you'll use any guitar available. I wanted an electric more than anything when I was a kid, but I knocked around on my Mom's Sears & Roebuck acoustic all the time because that's all that was available to me until I saved up enough money to buy an electric a few years later.

Most kids quit on account of not wanting to put the practice time in, or they find out operating a guitar is a LOT harder than it looks, or maybe they prefer another instrument - or sports, or video games, or whatever is more important to them.

[Χάρης]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

... ok, I guess I'll go with the squier.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

I hear good things about squiers hope you get a great guitar, just out of interest how long have you been playing and what kind of music do you enjoy?

[Χάρης]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

I hear good things about squiers hope you get a great guitar, just out of interest how long have you been playing and what kind of music do you enjoy?

I hope so too. I thought of getting it and the Ibanez and then send back the one that I like less. I started playing about 8 years ago but I haven't been actively playing all these years, so I'm not that good. I enjoy all kinds of music, I used to play a lot of metal but I'm kinda tired of it. The reason I posted only electric guitars is because I will get a usb audio interface sometime in the near future and I want to record stuff with my computer. Plus I have an amp and a pedal that I like to use from time to time.

Anyway, what I found interesting in Dominus' post is that these two can be upgraded, but I'm a noob with such stuff. Would I only have to upgrade stuff like tuners and pickups, or is there more work to do? Would it be worth it? I mean ' worth it ' based on the necks and bodies the guitars have.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

You can change the neck and body also, I have an old MIM telecaster where the bridge plate & neck are the only original parts left (does that still make it the original guitar? IDK!!), so if you were so inclined in a few years your squier could be an entirely different guitar.

Don't worry about the electric/acoustic thing, the thread got seriously off track, the important thing is you get a guitar your happy with and the forum acts as a resource for you

If tuners hold their tune well I don't think there's a huge gain to be had swapping them out.
Let the guitar arrive first and see how you get on, If I were to upgrade a squier strat I do the following parts in this order until I was happy:
pots and caps, bridge/trem, pickup(s) (if you live on just the one pickup just change that one) and finally the neck.
You'll also learn a lot about how guitars are put together to boot.
Be sure to let us know when you get it and if you like it

[Χάρης]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Thanks, I will take your feedback into account. One more quick question, does the paintjob/color affect the price of the guitar? I hovered the 2 alternatives at the right side of the page and found the same guitar with 70 euros less (link). The only difference I can see is that one is red and the other one has a sunburst paintjob. Also one guitar is named '2ts' and the other one 'car', do these represent the color or is there some other difference? Thanks in advance.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

2ts means two tone sunburst ie the black and tobacco colours are the 2 colours making the final finish
car is candy apple red the name given to the shade of red finish
the sunburst being semi transparent MAY be made of fewer glued together blocks of wood perhaps 2 or 3 where the solid opaque red MAY cover a body made up of many more blocks of wood
Also the sunburst MAY have wood with a prettier grain and the pieces look more similar to each other.

Will the difference affect playabilty? I seriously don't think so
Will the difference affect tonal quality? perhaps, but not by much and at this price point would be moot
If it were me I'd go red and put the 70 euros into a good humbucker and pots and caps, unless you're really taken by the sunburst finish.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Sorry I never answered the question the sunburst will cost more because its a more complicated finish to apply and the body may be of better (subjective) quality

[Χάρης]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

2ts means two tone sunburst ie the black and tobacco colours are the 2 colours making the final finish
car is candy apple red the name given to the shade of red finish
the sunburst being semi transparent MAY be made of fewer glued together blocks of wood perhaps 2 or 3 where the solid opaque red MAY cover a body made up of many more blocks of wood
Also the sunburst MAY have wood with a prettier grain and the pieces look more similar to each other.

Will the difference affect playabilty? I seriously don't think so
Will the difference affect tonal quality? perhaps, but not by much and at this price point would be moot
If it were me I'd go red and put the 70 euros into a good humbucker and pots and caps, unless you're really taken by the sunburst finish.

Alright, I ordered it.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Good man, have you got an electronic tuner?

[Χάρης]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

No, but I use this for my classical guitar and my Zoom GFX-1 has a tuner function.

[regan]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Cool, I'll keep an eye out for your NGD (new guitar day) thread

[blueman335]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

I Would I only have to upgrade stuff like tuners and pickups, or is there more work to do? Would it be worth it? I mean ' worth it ' based on the necks and bodies the guitars have.

Rule #1: Play the guitar a little while and determine what like and don't like about it's sound and feel. Then if you want to make changes, we can point you in the direction you want to go.

[Taz Rules]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Rule #1: Play the guitar a little while and determine what like and don't like about it's sound and feel. Then if you want to make changes, we can point you in the direction you want to go.

Rule #2: You MUST ask Blueman if he thinks you should get a JB for the bridge (sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

[blueman335]

Re: Need a cheap guitar just for practice. What's the best I can get?

Rule #2: You MUST ask Blueman if he thinks you should get a JB for the bridge (sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

All depends on what music you're playing, and what you're playing it with. If you've got a Strat/Super Strat and are playing metal, JB's a great choice. If you're playing blues on an LP, there's a whole lot of better options. There is no sliver bullet; no PU does everything well.