Advice needed. Starting out with electric guitar!

[gateux]

Hey people. I wanna try starting out playing the electric guitar and i have no idea what anything means unlike in acoustic, just need to look mainly at wood and the likes. So i need all your expertise to guide me. Thanks in advance!

For starters, idk what amps are good so im actually looking at Nux Might 8 or 15. Idk the difference between the two other than 15W is louder?

And as for the guitar, I'm actually looking at Epiphone LP-100 or Rally GL300/400. The prices are around the same. Idk what i should be looking out for though. Since there are many parts to an electric guitar.

I got all the info from SV guitars website actually. I dont really trust those guitar starter packs so i prefer mix and match on my own. Anyone have any opinions they wanna share? My budget for both is actually around 5-6 hundred.

Please helppppp

 

[Shinji.Ikari]

Well any bands that you are into? Maybe u could state ur influences so we can help a little better. As for your guitar, i would suggest getting the Rally over the epiphone lp-100. Firstly, the epi 100 comes with bolt on neck unlike the rally which has the set neck. AS you know les pauls (or copies) are known to have set neck contruction. Rally would have better sustain and resemble more like the original gibson les paul.

 

[Nicholasim]

Im selling a Kustom Tube amp 12W for $150 if youre interested

9450 5462

 

[Godspeed64]

Ampwise get a VOX Pathfinder 15r as they are REALLY good clean platforms. If you with to try effects the VT series is not bad.

Guitarwise Rally is good for LP shape offerings given the price, but I also suggest trying out the Indonesian Swing models or if you want a T-type, the Craftsman Semi-Hollow Tele is pretty amazing.

If you have the budget though Tokais from Sound Alchemy are fantastic guitars that could beat guitars twice it's price.

 

[UnFoly]

Instead of getting a new guitar and amp, try getting 2nd hand equipments 1st as you stated that you are trying out. Its way cheaper that way and IF u decide that electric does not suit you then there would be lower loss for you. SOFTs Buy/Sell section usually has good stuff. Guitarconnection at peninsula also has 2nd hand guitars and the staff there are nice people.
If you're adamant on getting a new guitar, it's probably the best to his head down to peninsula to try out the guitars. SV and Davis have very reasonably priced quality guitars.

After trying out different guitars the guitar you may finally choose one that is different from what you originally wanted. Important thing is to try it yourself and see whether you like that guitars shape/tone/sound and not over-relying on the Internet reviews. This is your guitar not the internets.

Amps I strongly recommend you to get 2nd hand Vox, Marshall, Orange solid state amps. They usually cost below 150. New amps to me are iffy and overpriced. But that's just me.

 

[gateux]

hey guys! thanks for all your replies! helped me quite abit. now im just thinking after i get the guitar how will i go about practicing. because acoustic and electric looks very very different.

 

[UnFoly]

Chords are the same as acoustics, use tabs to learn songs you like.
Techniques are like hammer on, slides, bends

 

[valentinik_15]

You're just starting out so to be honest equipment does not matter. Get something well within your budget. A stratocaster shape is best to start with IMO.

As for songs, it's better to master the simplest of songs ie "Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit" than try to play something more difficult like "Sweet Child O Mine" The easy songs will make you feel good, harder songs will make you give up.

 

[gateux]

Hey valen, thanks for the tip. Actually i play the acoustic intermediately well and i just wanna venture into the electric because it looks really fun. I hardly listen to rock or those electric guitar music though, so im not sure how to progress.

 

[Osiris]

Hi gateux! Like cakes eh?! Haha! A friend of mine's got the Rally electric that looks like a Les Paul. Think it's an excellent guitar though a little on the heavy side if you're beginning. But since you already play the acoustic quite well, don't think the transition is gonna be a problem. In fact, you'd probably find it easier to play and it really is more fun!

Don't listen to electric guitar music? No worries, alot of songs/music have been transcribed over from electric to acoustic. 'Unplugged' music is just that! So just play as you would an acoustic at first, then perhaps try to master the solos. Which involve techniques such as alternate picking/bending/sweeping/pinch harmonics/string skipping and playing stuff lower down the fretboard.

And well, listen to some Rock for goodness sakes!! \m/><\m/ Haha!

 

[loldude333]

It seems you're in the exact same place as i was exactly 7 years back. Some comments based on my experience:

1. The budget's about right. Don't make the same mistakes that i did and buy overly expensive gear (my first guitar was an Ibanez RGTCR2 and my effects, a Line 6 PodXT Live and my amp a Laney HCM30R). The total cost added up to $1.4k. What happened was that as i became busier with schoolwork, i never touched the gear. Sure, the first 2 months were fun, but 7 years on and the guitar and effects are sitting unused, the amp has been loaned out for 3 years and i have no idea where it is. Start small, don't get hung up on gear, and instead concentrate on learning the basics and getting them right. As you learn to love playing guitar, and you're sure you'll be able to justify the expense, go ahead and grab the better things.

2. You might want to venture 2nd hand. I know this has already been mentioned, but i just wanted to lend emphasis. As a beginner, acquiring 2nd or even 3rd hand gear will help you to avoid expensive mistakes (such as mine) and allow you to obtain good gear at a good price. Since you're not into any particular genre, you won't have much of an idea what tone you'll like, hence you'll be able to sample a wider variety of gear with the same budget.

3. If possible, get someone you trust, who knows about gear, to go down and try stuff with you. Whether buying 1st/2nd/3rd hand, its always good to get an experienced friend to go with you. He/she will know the ins and outs of trying gear, know what condition to expect for the price, and know if the seller is trying to pull a fast one on you. I've heard of too many newbies who got duped by inconsiderate sellers, both from shops and 2nd hand sellers. I'm sure some of the SOFTies will be happy to assist you if you asked them.

The gear that's been recommended so far has been pretty decent, brand new or 2nd hand. To cut a long story short, i'd go for the Rally GL300 with a Vox Pathfinder 15R amp. If you got those 2nd hand, you'd have only have spent about $350-400. With the extra $200, i'd go for a good gigbag (the Fusion F3 series comes to mind at $80), good cables (Hosa Pro cables from Brendon@BGW Guitars, Muztek cables from Mike@SV Guitars, Canare GS6 with Amphenol/Neutrik heads from TYMC, take your pick), and perhaps if you can afford, a good versatile drive pedal (2nd hand Vox Ice 9 costs around $120).