My general advice has always been to go mid-level unless you're sure you're going to stick with it. You don't want to buy a super cheap guitar and end up with something that causes you too many problems. It's never a bad idea to hit a music store and actually get some guitars in your hand to see if you like it and also ask them some questions.

agz win said:

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Bumping for insight on the purchase of a beginner guitar. What would be your go to purchase to start?

I'm thinking a better quality sounding guitar may entice me to stick with it rather than a cheaper one.

Should one jump into a Gibson acoustic electric price point or is it too soon for that?

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If you want to jump into that level, just get one used, so if you give it up, you aren't out a huge sum.

I'm a big fan of my Ibanez acoustic electric. I think it was $400? Played it live for probably 150 shows. Easy to play, onboard tuner, and has an bonus xlr output.

Just picked up a PRS Floyd Rose Custom, after reading feedback from this thread. Thanks for the info, it's truly a great guitar. Seems to combine the best features I like from other brands: Stratocaster-like body, but thinner/lighter. Locking-nut tremolo & dual humbuckers like Ibanez/Jackson. Deeper cut-away & curved surface like Les Paul.

is this the official guitar thread?

just got back into playing my old washburn bass and decided to pick up a bullet telecaster to start dipping my toes into the 6 string world. cheap and not fancy but plays well for a beginner at $180. also just got a positive grid spark 40 which so far i absolutely love playing around with.

https://www.positivegrid.com/spark/

i have a long wish list for what's next when i improve and some of your setups definitely make me jealous!

I'm a big fan of the modern digital amps for home playing. They are cheap and sound good quiet.

One thing I've learned over the years playing guitar, good tone is all in your fingers. I see great players make cheap guitars sound great and bad players make great guitars sound meh.

Cromagnum said:

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cbr said:

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Wow, I always wanted to play, never have tried. Maybe if I go to jail or get too old to be as active as I want.

In because I do have a PRS I won as a trophy, don't know the model, it's signed by all the corvette racing team engineers... Anyway I don't have it on the wall as I guess I don't really know what it's worth.

Ballpark so I can know what I'm putting at some minor risk?

It's sort of priceless to me but still would like to know.

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Let's see a picture. If it's an American made PRS, you will see Paul Reed Smith's signature on the head. Most of them start around $2k, and they definitely get a lot more expensive than that. If it's a Korean made, it will likely say SE on the head and is in $600-1000 typically.

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You can get some really good tone from the SE model, in fact Joe Walsh played an SE on the last two Eagles tours. Of course, he could probably make any guitar sound amazing

Cynic said:

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I'm a big fan of the modern digital amps for home playing. They are cheap and sound good quiet.

One thing I've learned over the years playing guitar, good tone is all in your fingers. I see great players make cheap guitars sound great and bad players make great guitars sound meh.

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Agree with this. I love tube amps, used them for gigs (have a Fender blackface bassman and a deluxe), but more than 5 watts is too loud for home use. You have to turn them up too loud to get them to break up.

For home I use a ~20 year old Digitech GNX-1 (actually has some decent models) through a cheap tube amp (guessing it is around 1 watt) made for film projectors back in the 60's - I fitted a 1/4 inch jack on it, and it sounds great - very warm.

That sounds interesting. Care to share a picture?

Those PRS SEs catch my attention online. I'm not ever going to drop 2 grand on the real thing so I've wondered how good those are.

anyone eyeing new gear for christmas?

selfishly trying to keep this thread going.

Just bought myself a Martin D-15M. I like the old school look, and it sounds awesome.

I just can't enjoy the lack of dynamics and overtones when using a digital amp. I play through a Dr. Z Maz 18 MkII, on which I installed a Dr. Z brake lite, for attenuation.

I get a great tone with great dynamics below 90db.

I've never really had much experience with PRS guitars, let alone the budgetary SE line. However, i'm sure they would sound great if you have a good amp. There are just so many tube amp options out there with built-in attenuators and the ability to cut to 1w or .5w. IMO, great tone for electric guitars rely on the following, in order:

Fingers > Amp > Pickups > Other Electronics (Pots, caps, wiring, pedals) > tonewood

I am one of those who truly believes the tonewood is definitely heard through the pickups and makes a difference. However, the quality of the tonewood when comparing the increased prices definitely provides diminishing returns. Same could be said for everything that makes an expensive guitar, expensive.

I don't know what electronics come on the SE models, but I would probably replace the pickups and pots.

very nice!

ruddyduck said:

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anyone eyeing new gear for christmas?

selfishly trying to keep this thread going.

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I did recently buy a double bound Tele body that I'm going to pair up with a fat neck I had laying around.

Otherwise, I'm actually downsizing a bit. I just sold a 2015 Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop. Probably going to sell a couple of other lower end guitars when I can.

Frok said:

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That sounds interesting. Care to share a picture?

Those PRS SEs catch my attention online. I'm not ever going to drop 2 grand on the real thing so I've wondered how good those are.

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The Korean made SEs are fantastic guitars. I currently own 5, and while I haven't played out live in a very long time, I'd have no problem going into battle with them.

Last month I found a 2004 Alvarez Yairi DY-62-C (Monte's guitar but not the signature MMY1) for $1500. At Charley's in Dallas. Unplayed. Purchased new by a collector in 2004 or 2005 and kept in the case.

Thinning his herd.

Sometimes you have to say "Holy mother of F today was a good day".

From what I've gathered over the years, budget guitar quality seems to go:

China < Indonesia < Korea < Mexico

At least, that's what i've found.

DallasTeleAg said:

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From what I've gathered over the years, budget guitar quality seems to go:

China < Indonesia < Korea < Mexico

At least, that's what i've found.

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This looks right to me, except I would have said
Mexico>Korea>Indonesia >China

TequilaMockingbird said:

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I'd really like to have something like this



Les Paul Jr type thing with Telecaster electronics. I'd buy this particular model but the necks are kind of slim, and I like chunkier necks. I may just have to buy the parts to assemble one.

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I wound up getting one a few months ago. The original owner had upgraded the pickups and dulled the finish

Eww... I just... can't even.

ruddyduck said:

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is this the official guitar thread?

just got back into playing my old washburn bass and decided to pick up a bullet telecaster to start dipping my toes into the 6 string world. cheap and not fancy but plays well for a beginner at $180. also just got a positive grid spark 40 which so far i absolutely love playing around with.

https://www.positivegrid.com/spark/

i have a long wish list for what's next when i improve and some of your setups definitely make me jealous!

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Does the Spark have good low end? That is usually what's lacking in those small amps.

Bump

TequilaMockingbird said:

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ruddyduck said:

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is this the official guitar thread?

just got back into playing my old washburn bass and decided to pick up a bullet telecaster to start dipping my toes into the 6 string world. cheap and not fancy but plays well for a beginner at $180. also just got a positive grid spark 40 which so far i absolutely love playing around with.

https://www.positivegrid.com/spark/

i have a long wish list for what's next when i improve and some of your setups definitely make me jealous!

---

Does the Spark have good low end? That is usually what's lacking in those small amps.

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I never did get an answer for this question. I have, however, read complaints that the Spark has too much low end.

Buy one and report back?

Doing chores in the house. Slapped in the Rush in Rio DVD to have some background tunes.

Alex has a different guitar every time I walk by the tv. It's fun to see.

Opened with a PRS single-cut flame top
Switched to an old PRS S-type that has dot inlays instead of birds it's so old
Has busted out a Tele and a Gibson Les Paul
Now has out an SG for Roll the Bones

It's got to be something to play a soccer stadium in Rio with your 20+ guitars in the band you started with your best friend from middle school Pretty good life there.

My Erlewine book on electric guitar maintenance has a tip for setting up a floating tremolo that recommends using wood blocks or wedges behind the trem block while you are getting the tension set correctly and the bridge floated the correct height.

I didn't feel like whittling or sanding so I gave my son the dimensions from the book and he 3D printed a couple. One is Standard and the other is Vintage.

Pretty cool. I'm looking forward to trying them out this weekend.

Stopped by my local GC today for a bit while out running errands.

One of the guys working there said a lady came in recently and bought 12 hard cases to store bass guitars. It was all the hard cases of that type they had in the store.

He said it was Dusty Hill's wife and they were keeping 120 of his basses but she wanted cases because they aren't going to be out on display I guess. The rest of the basses were being sold?

Weird story. And that's a LOT of basses.

I have 11 guitars and only 2 have cases. The rest have bags.