Electric Guitar

D

dmpolska

CAGiversary!
Hey all, i'm looking to get myself a guitar. I never played one before but it has recently gotten my intetest. I'm looking to get an electric guitar but I have no idea which ones are good. Amazon.com has a sale goin' on now but I dont think they are good (although I have no idea.) I dont have TOO much money to spend but i can spend over 150, and yes I do know good good guitars can cost tons more but that's not what I can afford.

Thanks a lot guys :)
 
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[quote name='dmpolska']and what about this washburn?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...d_bbs_4/002-2215962-4845669?v=glance&n=507846[/QUOTE]

I'd still stick with the Ibanez. Although that suppossed savings of 700 dollars off list may look intriguing to you, that's not a 900 dollar guiatar marked down to 200 dollars (I can tell from just looking at it and on top of that Amazon has a way of inflating list prices).

I also wouldn't be "serious guitar shopping" at Amazon.com. Go to musiciansfriend.com or samash.com to do your browsing/review reading, find something that you like and then comparison shop online as best you can.

I agree with the poster who said you shouldn't be focused on brand name, but I personally do think it matters a little bit. I'd take an Ibanez or Epiphone (another good consideration) over a Squire any day of the week.

Also, if you have a Guitar Center or even any sort of mom & pop shop, go in and ask questions. I know there can be condescending employees (think comic book store guy from The Simpsons), but nine times out of ten you can find some helpful assitance. Sometimes you'll even find a nice used guitar (many acoustics get better with age).

I personally learned to play on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard SE that I got through eBay from a guitar shop in Canada (not sure why, but I saved a bundle). Now I play on a Fender Showmaster and I'll probably buy a Fender American Standard Strat within the next three years. What I'm sayig is, I bought cheap and I'm steadily moving up as my skill level increases.

If you think you might want to start acoustic, here are cheap entries into the world of acoustic guitar that won't set you back much cash:
Epiphone:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=acoustic/search/detail/base_pid/518681/
Takamine:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=acoustic/search/detail/base_pid/516327/
(it will come back in stock)
 
If you're just looking to pick up an electric to play around with and learn on, maybe check your local pawn shops. It might be a regional thing, but most pawn shops in my area have 10-12 in stock at any given time, and piles of little amps.

There's one by my house that once every three months runs a "guitar and amp" for $80 promotion. Pick up a beater, see if it's something you want to pursue, and then invest in a nicer model.
 
Okay, I just went to Music Land (because it is close by) and here are the prices:

Ibanez GRX 20 = $140 NEW
Ibanez GRX 40 = $130 USED, had a dent/ scratch in it
Ibanez GAX 20 (gax not grx) all in one pack, tuner case etc. for $179
And they also had the same GRX 40 all in one pack for like $240

And I dont know which one would be better etc. I don't really need a case and all that snazzy stuff.
 
[quote name='dmpolska']Okay, I just went to Music Land (because it is close by) and here are the prices:

Ibanez GRX 20 = $140 NEW
Ibanez GRX 40 = $130 USED, had a dent/ scratch in it
Ibanez GAX 20 (gax not grx) all in one pack, tuner case etc. for $179
And they also had the same GRX 40 all in one pack for like $240

And I dont know which one would be better etc. I don't really need a case and all that snazzy stuff.[/QUOTE]

You'll need an amp, so I'd probably go with that $240 dollar package if you've got the money.
 
Okay hey again. So I got the Ibanez starter pack, and the guitar is absolutely beautiful. However there is a problem. When I turn it on, the amp makes a TON of noise. I put the volume up and everything to get the "metallic" sound so it doesn't sound like an acoustic and so much noise is heard. I have noticed that If I touch the metal part of the guitar where the cord is plugged in that the noise is somewhat reduced. What do I do?

Thanks
 
[quote name='dmpolska']I have noticed that If I touch the metal part of the guitar where the cord is plugged in that the noise is somewhat reduced.[/QUOTE]

This is going to sound stupid, but are you sure the cord is properly plugged in at both ends?

Also, always be sure to not have the master levels turned up as you're booting up the amp. Leave the equalizer controls alone after you set them to your liking, but always make sure the master level control is turned down as you turn on the amp, then slowly rack it up to the volume you want.
 
[quote name='Ledhed']This is going to sound stupid, but are you sure the cord is properly plugged in at both ends?

Also, always be sure to not have the master levels turned up as you're booting up the amp. Leave the equalizer controls alone after you set them to your liking, but always make sure the master level control is turned down as you turn on the amp, then slowly rack it up to the volume you want.[/QUOTE]

- Yes both are plugged in since I have plugged/unplugged them several times.
- I havent' even messed with the equalizer controls until today, so It can't be that if I only touched them recently.
- The level control is usually down, then I crank it up.
 
[quote name='dmpolska']I put the volume up and everything to get the "metallic" sound so it doesn't sound like an acoustic and so much noise is heard.[/QUOTE]

After re-reading that part, it sounds like you're referring to either the gain levels on the amp, or the gain knob on the guitar itself. You're right, the more you turn those, the less "soft" the guitar sounds. But, don't rely on those for volume alone. Use the master levels for volume. You can have all the gain controls completely cranked, and still completely control the volume using the master level.
 
[quote name='Ledhed']After re-reading that part, it sounds like you're referring to either the gain levels on the amp, or the gain knob on the guitar itself. You're right, the more you turn those, the less "soft" the guitar sounds. But, don't rely on those for volume alone. Use the master levels for volume. You can have all the gain controls completely cranked, and still completely control the volume using the master level.[/QUOTE]


Do you mean the master level being the nob on the guitar? Because with that turned down you don't hear anything other than the acoustic sound.
 
[quote name='dmpolska']Do you mean the master level being the nob on the guitar? Because with that turned down you don't hear anything other than the acoustic sound.[/QUOTE]

Yes and no.

You can have that cranked all the way (in fact, you should crank it all the way to reduce the "acoustic" sound and get a thicker crunch, since that seems to be what you're after).

But, you also need to mind the levels on the amp itself. You should see a knob on the amp labelled "Gain" or something similar. This is similar to the knob on your guitar that we just discussed: it controls how soft or hard the tone is.

The other important knob on the amp is the Master level. Think of it simply as the primary volume control (thus the name Master). You can have both the guitar Gain and the amp Gain cranked, but you won't hear a thing if the Master is turned all the way down.

From the way your amp is reacting, and provided there's nothing wrong with either the guitar or amp, one of these levels is off. This is the order that you should follow when cranking those knobs:

1. Determine which control is the Master, and have it turned all the way down before turning on anything.

2. Turn on the amp with the guitar plugged in and the Master level all the way down. Crank both Gain knobs (the one on the guitar and the one on the amp).

3. SLOWLY start to turn the Master knob. With both Gain knobs cranked, your tone will be as "hard" as you can get it (without messing with the EQ knobs), and just find a desirable volume with the Master level.

Any chance you could find pics of the guitar and amp you have? That'd make it easier for me to express what is what. ;)
 
Alright thanks for your help so far. As of right now the buzzing noise has decreased but it is still pretty loud. When I try to go for the electric noise/sound that is when the gain and volume is turned up, along with the on/off button, the amp gets really noisy and buzzy.

Here is a picture of my amp:

http://www.ibanez.com/accessories/spec.asp?m=78

and here is the picture of the guitar:

http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/zoom/IJS40MR.jpg

Mine doesn't have that metal rod piece sticking out (and why doesn't it?)

It's hard to see but I have volume and tone as the two knobs.
 
[quote name='dmpolska']Alright thanks for your help so far. As of right now the buzzing noise has decreased but it is still pretty loud. When I try to go for the electric noise/sound that is when the gain and volume is turned up, along with the on/off button, the amp gets really noisy and buzzy.

Here is a picture of my amp:

and here is the picture of the guitar:

Mine doesn't have that metal rod piece sticking out (and why doesn't it?)

It's hard to see but I have volume and tone as the two knobs.[/QUOTE]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the pick-ups (the horizontal panels beneath the right-hand area of the strings) are magnets. I seriously doubt this is the problem, but if you have any magnets near the pick-ups, it will cause some feedback.

It looks like you've figured out which knobs are which, and that's good. The switch next to the Gain knob switches you back and forth between clean and distortion.

Ok, now you know how to control the volume and the distortion levels. Now, you need to set your EQ's. The EQ knobs on the amp are labeled: Bass, Middle, and Treble. If you want nice, crunchy distortion, you should keep the Middle at around 3 or less, and up both the Bass and Treble to around 7 or higher. Mess around a bit until you find a setting you like.

The Tone knob, and the little switch next to the knobs on your guitar are important as well. Your guitar has two single-coil pick-ups and one double-coil. When playing with distortion, you want the focus to be on the double-coil, which means having the switch pointed towards that end of the guitar (that end of the strings better reflects treble, which is key to distortion). When playing clean, you want the focus to be either on the middle single-coil or the furthest single-coil, which means having that switch set to either the middle or opposite end. Furthermore, you can use the tone knob to fine-tune the bass/treble level, no matter what pick-up you're focused on.

Also, that metal bar is called a whammy bar. You can use it to raise or lower suspended notes, by either pulling up on the bar (increasing the string tension and bringing your note up), or by pressing the bar towards the body of the guitar (lowering string tension and lowering your note).

I hope some of that helps. Have fun.
 
[quote name='dmpolska']Actually I just found that rod piece and stuck it into the whole. what in the world does it do?[/QUOTE]

The tremolo arm aka the whammy bar? You depress it to reduce the tension in the strings, therefore you can achieve various effects such as the "divebomb" and add vibrato and pitch fluctuation.
 
[quote name='dental_regurgitation']It really doesn't matter what you play if you're good.[/QUOTE]

Wrong. A good guitarist can get away with most anything on a decent guitar, but some guitars out there are just plain garbage, and a detriment to whomever attempts to play them, regardless of skill.
 
After playing Guitar Hero tonight...I kinda want to learn to play a real guitar! Maybe I'll use the advice in this thread and check the pawn shop tomorrow...
 
I just got a new Tube Driver 100 Watt amp, but after plugging it in to my extension cable, my guitar because electrified(strings and all). I got the worst shock of my life. Turns out it was the extension cable, so if your buying a new amp, make sure your power supply is covered
 
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