Starting to play guitar

Hey guys! What would you say is the best guitar (electric) for a 14 yr old girl who's never played one before but is determined to get really good?? Preferably one thats not toooo pricey though.. I've just got no idea which make or anything to get! But I've been promised by my parentals that if i get all level 7s (top marks) in my SAT exams I can get one, so I'm just asking around and doing a bit of research in advance... Thanks!

 

play something else

 

I play a bit of piano and I'm learning to play the drums but whats wrong with wanting to play guitar too?

 

I just started too and I have a Fender Stratocaster

 

If your serious about it...go all out. If you can. Buy you like a 200 to 300 dollar guitar but spend most of your money on a good amp...like 500..if you can. I know that becuz playing on a crappy amp can hurt your playing self esteem cuz you think you sound like crap most of the time...so just get you a squire strat or something and put forth most of the money on a good marshall or vox amp.

good luck!


sorry i just noticed your from the UK...I don't the pounds/dollars exchange.

 

Heh thanks no worries I'll figure out roughly how much it is

Yeah thats what my friend said to do aswell, get a good amp.

Well, the new news (hehehe) is that I might get to have my auntie's old acoustic guitar to practice on til I get an electric one after the exams.. if she still has it *fingers crossed*!!

 

Go for a starter kit...

search for em on www.musiciansfriend.com

 

Many of the beginners I know go for acoustic electrics, I'm guessing because of the versatility. Personally I opted for a nice acoustic (500-600) right out of the gate becuase i knew i wasn't going to be doing anything stylistic for awhile and wanted something generally nice-sounding.

 

I agree with shinta, the Fender Strat packs are quite nice & Fenders are pretty easy to play. If you want a good beginner acoustic, the Taylor Big Baby has a sweet sound & is very affordable.

 

definetly start playing acoustic guitar before you get into electric. its how i learned and im doing pretty good both. you see playing electric has a much easier feel to it so when you start playing it after learning acoustic its MUCH easier. its best to learn all your basic acoustic chords, scales, majors, minors, and some other basic techniques, like hammer ons, pull offs, octaves and such.

when start to get the feel for it and your chords flow easier pick up an electric and youl havve a blast with thhe distortion. (this is pretty much the story of how i started playing guitar, i learned alot from lessons and self teaching)

 

this is true...playing accoustic will def make you a better electric player...but if you want to get both...shoot go for it...don't do the norm ever.

 

Yeah, I started playing acoustic before and it helps build hand strength... nowadays, I could probably outsolo eric clapton on 6 strings, as I play 12 strings mostly and they make Martins feel like a toy and I can play with ease. I really advise you not to get a strat pack... well, you can, but they're kind of a ripoff, unless you don't know about guitars... rondomusic is a good bet... Sx strats and Agiles, other than that, I actually started on a '57 strat that was my uncles... I gave it back to him when I bought my les paul, and he died... I have no idea where the guitar went. I gave him my Djembe too...

 

Little Red One, being an old fart, I've played guitar for over 25 years. I think the ideal guitar for you would be one of the Daisy Rock guitars. These were designed with the smaller female form in mind, have shorter scale lengths for the slim neck, and come in kinda cute paisley and pastel, er, girlie colours.


Yeah, an acoustic would be a good choice first, BUT it's your life, little one, and I get the feeling you want to swing with an electric guitar and why the hell not?! If you get an acoustic you may not be as enamoured as you would be with an electric guitar, and you may lose interest too easily. An acoustic is a completley different animal, you have plenty time in front of you to move onto that later.


Get rockin'!

 

wicked, thanks guys!

I'm still waiting to find out if there's an old acoustic for me to practice on (turns out 2 of my aunties used to have them so theres double the chance!) and i've seen daisy rocks in magazines so i'm saving up for one of those

 

For amps I don't suggest getting a £300 amp. True a crappy amp does sound horrible but you can get amps that are damn good for £90.

This is what I would suggest, from my experience working in a guitar shop.

Get a Marshall MG15CDR or if you want to step up the price a little a Marshall MG15DFX.

The MG15CDR is a pretty solid amp, you can get some pretty good sounds out of it. I still love it and I wouldn't consider getting a new one for ages.

You could get a smaller one (Marshall MG10CD), which is more useful if she's going to be taking it around for rehersal. Trust me you do not want to be lugging around a 15CDR).

The MG15CDR costs about £90 and the MG10CD costs around £60-70. The price gap is seriously worth it (if she's going to be practicing at home most of the time). The 15CDR is so much more versatile in terms of what sorts of tone you want, the 10CD just doesn't compare.

As for guitars I would recommend (and I'm being really biased here), a Yamaha Pasifica 112. Either that or an epiphone.

I wouldn't recommend Squire Strats. Though you do get some good ones, it is very hit and miss. If you get a Fender Strat you'd be looking at paying something in between £800-1200.

Yamaha pasificas are nice. They are so versatile, you can get them to sound like Fenders or Gibsons really nicely (if you know any sound engineering). If you do get a Yamaha get a 112, never get an 012. The difference is very simple, one's crap and ones not.

The 112 costs about £200 and the 012 costs £160. If you get the 012 you are really being ripped off (unless she gives up really quickly). The reason is a 112 will still be in regular use when she has 50 guitars and the 012 will never be used as soon as shes got one that's better. In other words it's a choice of £200 over an indefiniate time period (she will start to want a new one at some point, but then you are looking at a guitar that Hendrix would have looked at and said "OWWW, that's GOoood"), or a paying £160 plus £400 over about 2 to 4 years.

Yes, that was my ramble.

Sebbi

 

No matter what guitar you choose, don't leave it in the corner to collect dust. Pick it up at least once a day and practice. you learn a few chords and play them over and over while laying in bed waiting for the sadman to visit. with the lights off focus on where your fingers meet the fret board, feel where the string bends over a fret.

 

Yeah, I think you're really right about that. Pacificas are really good starter guitars too... better than most new squiers are, anyway... I'd reccoment the Marshall, myself. They're better than the Fender 15Rs, 15Gs, 25Rs... I've had me a few of those and blown them... but I really don't use practice amps anymore... my Cyber Twin does that.

 

Yep... never give up, no matter what. And if it feels like the guitar is too hard to play, bring it to a guitar technician (ask at a guitar shop... they usually have someone that works there that will help you or someone at the shop always knows someone who can help you out if nobody is there who can)... ask them to check out your action and give it a set up... but it's going to hurt you a bit until you get calloused fingers... just keep it up and if you ever need any help with anything or have any problems, I'm here... PM me.

 

starter kit! starters start on starters kits! if you buy a top-notch thing, you might regret playing guitar later on, or realise that's not the right guitar for you, but you've got no money on. also, its nice to have a crap one that you look back on a few years on and think "wow, i used to play that, and i'm on this mother!"

 

I had a classic guitar i got from argos (i know) but i managed to learn a few chords and play many songs...it only cost around £50 and save me the trouble of getting a expensive one...I only wanted to learn to play and exercise my fingers cos i always wanted to play the bass, and now I just got my new bass last week and i'm so happy!!!

anyway, if you're really serious about learning, i reccomend an ibanez jumpstart pack, which comes with a GSR guitar, a 10w amp (good enough to practice) and other stuff, only for £195 at www.gak.co.uk

later on you can upgrade your gear and get a more decent guitar and amp, but i think this one is good enough for you to learn.

I got my bass and amp from there, very efficient!

happy playing! it's good to know that younger people are becoming interested in making real music!