Newbie question

Re: Newbie question

Hi there, welcome to the forum of the eternally broken search :) (although you can use Google to search the forum, just restrict your Google search to the seymourduncan.com web site.)

It would help if you could give more information about what you need, or what you are planning to do. Do you need an electric? Do you need an acoustic? Are you just learning by yourself? Or are you playing with a group of people? What kind of music do you want to play?
 
Re: Newbie question

Hey there, welcome to the forum, Catherine. If you're looking for an electric I'd recommend checking out the Sterling SUB Silo3. I don't own one but I've played with my friend's a fair amount and for a $200 guitar I'd say its well worth the money. You can get nice cleans on it and ripping distorted tones, stays in tune pretty well so long as you don't abuse the trem system.

If you want an acoustic maybe try the Yamaha FG700S, again $200. Great guitar, from my experience with it, it'll play as well as you treat it. Meaning keep good/new strings on it and don't throw it around like I did, take care of it and it'll be great for a beginner.
 
Re: Newbie question

The PRS SE line is pretty nice. You may need a replacement nut, though. LTD also makes great budget/beginner guitars.
 
Re: Newbie question

For Electrics I like the Fender starter packs. Buying used is a good idea. You never know when you can get a GREAT deal. A good friend of mine bought a strat used some 20 years back, when he was a beginner. At that time he was a Huge SLASH fan he though of using it for a year or two and then getting something else. He still uses that guitar,and it his main guitar. After using it for a while he understood he had one of the best strats he had ever layed his hands on. It is an MIJ strat. I pity the idot who sold it to him for an upgrade.
Besides Fender, Squire Yamaha is good option, Ibanez ( i would stay away form the GIO series though) and ESP too make good Beginner guitars. A lot would depend on what kind of music you play though. A used Epiphone is good idea too.
 
Re: Newbie question

Could you recommend some guitars good for newbies?

P.S. tried to use the search but it return an error

Hi there!! Welcome to the forum. The search is broken at the moment but we're here to help. :D

It would help if we knew what kind of music you'd prefer to learn or if it would be for an acoustic or an electric. Is it for yourself or for someone else? What's your price range?

As far as electrics, the Fender Squier series is a good option for a beginner. They've gotten pretty good as of late. Depending on how nice you want them to be, they range from about $120-$350 new. Starter packs from Fender and a few other companies are a good option as well, since they contain all the gear you'll need to run an electric guitar rig and won't have to buy things separately, at least not right away.

As far as acoustics, the Yamaha FG and FS700's are hard to beat for bank-to-buck ratio. They sound good, and are reasonably easy to play. They're in the $200 range. In general you won't need as much extra stuff (no amp, no cables) to get started with an acoustic so the initial commitment can be less.

Those are my off-the-cuff recommendations, more info may lend itself to a more specific recommendations but the stuff I mentioned above will cover almost any need for a beginner.
 
Re: Newbie question

Buy used, you get much more for your money. My choice would be any of the set neck Epi's; their SG's (think Angus Young) are good quality and very affordable.
 
Re: Newbie question

Buy used, you get much more for your money. My choice would be any of the set neck Epi's; their SG's (think Angus Young) are good quality and very affordable.

Yes and yes. Go used if possible... save your money for something nicer down the road if you choose to really get into it.

I never was a fan of the cheap Epi Les Pauls but their SG counterparts can be great learners. I think the necks are easier to play as well.
 
Re: Newbie question

The higher end squiers are pretty nice guitars and can be found reasonable price. Unless set on a Gibson style I'd personally recommend a Fender type guitar as they are slightly more versatile, cheaper and I personally think are easier to learn on.
 
Re: Newbie question

Also, I don't know what age you are, but if you are young and/or have smaller hands, you may need to pay attention to the scale size of the guitar. For electrics, guitars like Fender Mustangs and Jaguars are smaller scale and easier to play. For acoustics, Taylor, Martin, Washburn and many companies now make 'mini' guitars or 'travel' guitars which are a shorter/smaller scale and easier to play/learn on.
 
Re: Newbie question

The Squier Vintage Modified series of Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars are offered with numerous possible pickup configurations to suit most tastes. Pre-owned examples can be found at advantageous prices.

For maximum versatility in a single instrument, I suggest either a Stratocaster with at least one humbucker pickup or a Telecaster with a single coil bridge position pickup and a humbucker neck position pickup.

In the beginner-to-intermediate price bracket, vibrato bridges can be troublesome. Fixed bridge guitars might prove less aggravating.

EDIT - Forgot to ask. Where are you? Not all makes and models of guitar are available in all territories.
 
Last edited:
Re: Newbie question

Also, I don't know what age you are, but if you are young and/or have smaller hands, you may need to pay attention to the scale size of the guitar. For electrics, guitars like Fender Mustangs and Jaguars are smaller scale and easier to play.

Angus is 5'2" and has no problem with SG's. Geez, I hate to see someone start off with a Fender; how can you do that to some poor, unsuspecting person?
 
Re: Newbie question

"Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was."
 
Re: Newbie question

The Opening Post to this thread seems to have disappeared. It used to read...

"Could you recommend some good guitars for newbies."

Plus a reference to the forum Search engine being kaput.
 
Re: Newbie question

Yeah - that was weird.

Catherine89, Welcome!

We can give you some amazing advice, but we need to know a little bit about who you are, why/what you like to play or want to play, what your price range is, etc...

But some good advice already:
- Used is way more guitar for the money if you don't care
- Squire makes great instruments for cheap
- Fender Strats are more difficult for smaller hands than Gibson style instruments

I will say that Dean, ESP/LTD, and Ibanez make some AMAZING instruments for the price. And the amp is probably more important than the guitar at this point. Crappy guitar + good amp = pretty decent. Amazing guitar + crappy amp = crappy.
 
Back
Top