Guitar question

[Synyster Shadows]

So, I'm learning guitar and I'm learning on my dad's old classical guitar. It's like 30 years old and has seen plenty of use. Both my dad and i know that it's probably on its last leg and I'll probably need a new one in the somewhat near future. My question is, what are some good guitars you could recommend for my next one? I don't care if they're acoustic or electric, as long as they're well-made, sound good, and are reasonably-priced (like $500 or less). Thanks in advance.

[Wakesetter03]

Guitars are a personal choice.

Particularly, you need to try out as many as you can. No one can tell you what to buy. However, it's a good idea to have a short list before you go out and look at them.

What sort of stuff do you play? Will an electric or acoustic suit you better?
$500 would get you a decent guitar for the price in the US I'd say.

Stick to the known brands that you have access to in your area:
Gibson/Epiphone
Dean
Yamaha (I don't usually recommend these but some people love them)
Fender
Ibanez
Jackson
Steinberger
Washburn
Takamine
Schecter
PRS
Just to name a few...

Each make a nice selection of acoustic and/or electric guitars that are well made and should have some models in your price range. Note that you might not get a case included (necessary to budget that in) and if it's a display model, you should replace the strings. Also note that an electric guitar will need more accessories (an amp, cable, pedals in the future etc).

If you could explain a bit more about what you like to play and your experience I could recommend a few specific guitars that you could try.

[Synyster Shadows]

eventually, I want to play rock music, do covers of my favorite bands. Right now, I'm just getting to used to things.

[AbbaZabba]

I love Schecter and didn't google to see the price range, so you can check that out, but for a beginning electric guitar that is well made, sounds good and is affordable, I'd recommend the Fender Stratocasters or Fender Squire. Your best bet is the Stratocaster, they are the most popular guitar and absolutely nothing wrong with them. If you get a squire, buy it from a music store, there has been quality control problems with them, which Fender will fix. Just food for thought too, you can always find Strats at pawn shops and get them for 40-60 dollars if you want to try it out before buying a new one. Check Schecter though, they are great guitars.

Oh, acoustic, Yamahas are just fine and have a wide range. F series are the best. Washburn makes a good affordable guitar also. My Washburn is the Southwest Series. I'm not sure what Gibson sell for, mine were Christmas gifts, but they are great.

Double post merged ~ ImCoolBeans

[Synyster Shadows]

Thanks Abby. I've been thinking about the Stratocaster. And the Yamaha FS720S. My birthday's in May so I might be able to ask one of them. I'll see what happens. I'm willing to bet that my dad would get one of them. He really supported the idea of me teaching myself in the first place.

[AbbaZabba]

Thanks Abby. I've been thinking about the Stratocaster. And the Yamaha FS720S. My birthday's in May so I might be able to ask one of them. I'll see what happens. I'm willing to bet that my dad would get one of them. He really supported the idea of me teaching myself in the first place.

Both of those are just fine, my first was a Yamaha and my first electric was a stratocaster. I don't know your plans, but if you want to be very good/excellant compared to good, don't get both and some people might disagree with this, but this is my advice. You either need to go electric or acoustic for the next 4-6 years. The reason for this is to develop muscle memory and this can only be accomplished by practice and time. If you keep switching, your muscle memory won't develop right. Doesn't mean you won't get good, but if you want to reach a higher level, stick to one or the other to start with. Once you mastered one, you won't lose it and learn anything you want. If you just want to play, there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning both at the same time.

[xXJust Jump ItXx]

Electric section... Fenders I am really for. Acoustic, if you can afford it, Martins are some of the best. Kurt Cobain used both.

[Synyster Shadows]

Thanks again Abby. Yeah, I plan to be at least reasonably good. Maybe not as good as Santana, vai, Hendrix (like that's easy :P), and satriani, but I want to be pretty good. Thanks for that piece of advice.

[bigfoot]

Well... I can tell you the guitar setup I have (and love). I have squier mustang electric guitar and a Alvarez acoustic. Both guitars are well under $500 and sound great. The mustang is really good if you want a nirvana-like grungy sound.

[Sordid Saint]

I have a Fender la brea custom which is an acoustic right around the price range you said, probably less since mine was custom. For electric, dean is my favorite sound quality. For some heavy metal looking guitars, they have the most beautiful sound of electrics that I've heard. I guess don't judge a book by its cover lol. The one that I have is Dean Dime Blackbolt. Schecter is another decent option. And fender is always reliable. Just go to the store and start messing around with some and see what you like.

For some reason, Yamaha has always turned me off I feel like they wouldn't be too well made but what do I know? :p

[Wakesetter03]

For rock I'd recommend an electric (as the others have). I know others have said what you need to know, but here's my take:

You've got two main options that are solid for rock and both are very versatile:
Fender/Squier Strat - generally feature a mixture of single coil pick ups and humbuckers. This makes it very versatile, however it is arguable that they don't have as 'heavy' or 'full' rock, distorted or undistorted tone as an Les Paul (however this greatly relies on the pick ups).

Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul - Arguably the grand daddy of all guitars. Can be used for anything from Jazz to Rock, so also very versatile (it's arguable between many as to whether the LP or Strat is more versatile, it's a preference thing). Generally run by two or sometimes three humbuckers. I personally prefer the tone (and neck) of an LP however they are more weighty than a strat, and as such sometimes beginners don't find them as comfortable as a Fender.

Between these two, you really can't go wrong. Both Squier and Epiphone make a surprisingly well built guitar in your price range, and it's up to you what your personal preference is to play and sound. Also note that your amp, cable and pickups can all be changed to radically alter your tone.

You have other options of course for rock.
Angus Young used an SG.
A7X use Schecter guitars almost exclusively (Syn has a deal).
Randy Rhoads was pretty famous for using a flying V.
Hell, a lot of 80's rock bands used alternate brand strats (such as Charvel or Kramer).

Sorry to keep repeating myself, but it's your choice. Guitars are preference based.

Personally, I prefer Gibson but have loved playing friends Fender's before as they are such a nice guitar.

As to what to learn on, I agree somewhat with Abby that you need a preference to learn what to play on. A lot of music teachers press that information on new players with a solid reason, it is easier. However I don't agree that you should limit yourself to one guitar type.

My teacher taught me to mix it up. Play what my friends had, play electric, play acoustic, always leap at a chance to play anything different. I learnt with an acoustic and electric, as I was instructed. My teacher recommended I play different guitars to develop a technique which is suitable for a variety of guitars, however he said generally you will have a preference of what to play, and to do the majority of playing on that guitar. However he told me to play as many different types and brands of guitars that I could, so that my muscle memory would not grow reliant on a certain neck width/fret size or whatever. By mixing it up, you'll grow as a player and generally should be able to pick up any guitar and play it comfortably instead of spending a lot of time to get acquainted.

Acoustic/Electric both are (obviously) extremely different in the way they play, one thing I noticed particularly was the difference with strings. I find it much easier to play dynamically with an electric (the strings are made to bend easier, the frets are generally closer together for speed) however I find it easier to play chordal/rhythm on an acoustic (the strings don't bend as easy, aren't as thick, and mainly because of the wider frets, I found it easier to change chord shapes. That and the lack of setting up amps and gear haha).

It's different for everyone who learns, and it is all about how YOU learn as a player. I've listed the main things that I noted when learning so I hope that you get something out of that with a different perspective in case what has already been listed does not work for you.

Good luck!

[Hyper]

Only thing I dare recommend in terms of cost and value is Takamine. Though some of the electric models arent very all purpose but the acoustic ones can definitely do the job all around.

[AbbaZabba]

My teacher taught me to mix it up. Play what my friends had, play electric, play acoustic, always leap at a chance to play anything different. I learnt with an acoustic and electric, as I was instructed. My teacher recommended I play different guitars to develop a technique which is suitable for a variety of guitars, however he said generally you will have a preference of what to play, and to do the majority of playing on that guitar. However he told me to play as many different types and brands of guitars that I could, so that my muscle memory would not grow reliant on a certain neck width/fret size or whatever. By mixing it up, you'll grow as a player and generally should be able to pick up any guitar and play it comfortably instead of spending a lot of time to get acquainted.

Acoustic/Electric both are (obviously) extremely different in the way they play, one thing I noticed particularly was the difference with strings. I find it much easier to play dynamically with an electric (the strings are made to bend easier, the frets are generally closer together for speed) however I find it easier to play chordal/rhythm on an acoustic (the strings don't bend as easy, aren't as thick, and mainly because of the wider frets, I found it easier to change chord shapes. That and the lack of setting up amps and gear haha).

There are some good points here. One he is right about getting accustom to one thing. I learned acoustic from the age of 4-12. During that time I was on 6 different acoustics for the above mention reasons. I did have trouble also switching to electric but have worked through that and going through the same direction I did on acoustic. So different instructors do have different feelings about things. His post can be very useful in you decision makiing.

[rocketsheep]

fffff

[Synyster Shadows]

well usually you should try to tune it firsta nd then go at it

Do you mean when I go to the store to look? Otherwise, I'm not sure exactly what you're saying.

[Wakesetter03]

There are some good points here. One he is right about getting accustom to one thing. I learned acoustic from the age of 4-12. During that time I was on 6 different acoustics for the above mention reasons. I did have trouble also switching to electric but have worked through that and going through the same direction I did on acoustic. So different instructors do have different feelings about things. His post can be very useful in you decision makiing.

The method you listed I would say is more common, and it definitely works.
I only listed the way I learnt because I learn pretty much everything differently from most people (a bit weird I know) so it's a second perspective.

I don't personally know which way is more effective, it would depend on the person. I agree that as a learner, being able to stick to one type of guitar would make it a lot easier to learn the technique and get the muscle memory down. You're 100% correct in that muscle memory is a key factor in playing guitar, or any instrument for that matter.

[AbbaZabba]

The method you listed I would say is more common, and it definitely works.
I only listed the way I learnt because I learn pretty much everything differently from most people (a bit weird I know) so it's a second perspective.

I don't personally know which way is more effective, it would depend on the person. I agree that as a learner, being able to stick to one type of guitar would make it a lot easier to learn the technique and get the muscle memory down. You're 100% correct in that muscle memory is a key factor in playing guitar, or any instrument for that matter.

I'm just glad you enjoy music, it is a huge part of my life. Have a great day.

[Synyster Shadows]

The method you listed I would say is more common, and it definitely works.
I only listed the way I learnt because I learn pretty much everything differently from most people (a bit weird I know) so it's a second perspective.

I don't personally know which way is more effective, it would depend on the person. I agree that as a learner, being able to stick to one type of guitar would make it a lot easier to learn the technique and get the muscle memory down. You're 100% correct in that muscle memory is a key factor in playing guitar, or any instrument for that matter.

Yeah, I know. Been playing piano for 6 years and some things are just second nature, after doing 'em so long. 3rd year of violin, and my technique is entirely second nature. I know how important muscle memory is.