imo, get a basic guitar first. it'll help you appreciate your EXPENSIVE guitar, IF you continue. you wont lose that much money buying a basic guitar, there's always the 2nd hand market to sell it to.
+10000 to above statement. I think he's right.
But seriously, this girl is damn cute la. :lol: The Jackson -> MJ just killed me.
Kinda remind me of my girlfriend when she first got schooled in Music by me, but sadly she still controls my expenditure. XD *DANG*
Firstly, a 4.5k budget is huge for a beginner!! I wish I had that much to start with. However, my advise is not to splurg it. It's your life savings, think about it. You may need it in the near future for studies, for a rainy day or even to help your mom.
Do heed the advice above, many beginners take that rite of passage to discover what they really want in future.
**based on a true story**
The main character = ME :twisted:
I picked up e-guitar because of X-JAPAN and hide. Loved everything about him and the rest of J-Rock for that matter. Luna Sea, Siam Shade, Larc En Ciel, ELLEGARDEN, GAZETTE, Alice 9, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Beat Crusaders, Plastic Tree etc. basically everything J-Rock. Drowned myself in it.
On impulse, I bought a B.C. Rich Mockingbird solely because it looked like hide's guitar, and the only brand of which i could afford. His original burny and fernandes ones were way expensive. Thus, 2k plus for guitars are already considered high end girl, not the average price. I was lucky i got the B.C. Rich one for only $300 at Davis(Excelsior Basement for your info).
Why so? Because 2 months into playing it, I realised i didn't like it. The horns were just annoying to play sitting down. And it neck-dived too (means that the head of the guitar drops down when slinged on). Thus, sold it.
Then i got introduced to something new. Everyone put your hands together for STEVE VAI. Power pack. Once again, I "thought" i heard my calling and got myself an Ibanez Jem Jr (which is his signature model cheap version), can't remember how much though, around $500 i reckon. Loved the Ibanez Jem neck at first, but after having lessons with Paul Daniel (guitarist of Ministry of Rock) and using his Fender Strat. I fell in love with the fat neck. I started to dislike the tone of the Jem as well. Thus, sold it.
So, i got myself an MIJ Fender Strat custom shop. Fine she was. Cost me 1.4k. Felt great sounded great. She stayed with me for 2.5 years, IN THE BAG~!!! haha. I treasured her so much I couldn't bear to play her or leave fingerprints. So my guitar playing stayed stagnant. I even lost interest and thought of quiting. Eventually, sold the Strat as she deserved a better owner who would 'DO' her well. XD
That's just for the e-guitar part. Don't get me started on the pedals and acoustic guitars. haha. Then a life changing moment happened... I attained enlightment when I played THE BASS GUITAR. Blew me away and re-ignited the flames in my heart to play music.
As a noob in Bass, I listened to many advice given by softies, just like you. As a result I convinced myself that I would get a cheap bass to learn. My dream Bass was an Ernie Ball MusicMan StingRay. Not for any rockstar this time, but for myself................... BULL*SHIT.............. haha, I didn't change one bit after all these years. However, though I liked Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers , who once used that Bass but not anymore, I liked the Bass myself as well.
So I bought an OLP MM2 which is the cheaper copy of the StingRay. $320. Thought it would serve me well for a fair amount of time. Sad to say, it didn't. LOL. Temptation took over and I ordered an actual StingRay Bass from the USA, 2 months after the OLP. This time costing me 2k++. Thus, sold the OLP MM2, like just now at 4.30pm today.
The StingRay is heavenly, nothing like I've ever played in my life. Everything is perfect. Sound, worksmanship, setup, playability, wood quality, beauty, you name it. But most importantly, when I look at it, I WANT TO PLAY IT. Though I treasure it alot, but a good instrument like that would do no good, if left unplayed. So I've been using it and thought I would never need another Bass.
WRONG. Thanks to fellow softie b33r who brought in a Lakland Bass. GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome) took over and I'm planning to buy one soon, which will cost me $1.8k+. :-D
So Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm a Bassist and a soon proud father of 2.
love_replicate, you see? Many things can happen along the way. Start cheap, then decide in the future when you know what you want.
Hope my grandfather story helped you, even if its a teeny-weeny bit, I'm happy.
Cheers everyone,
Bryandt
P.S. I don't even play J-Rock anymore too~ Now I play Alternative Rock, Classic Rock and the like. But that doesn't mean I don't love J-Rock still.