New to electric guitar

[lanko]

hello! first post on this forum!

hey guys just trying to get some info / opinions on this issue. i'm planning to go into electric guitar and i'm rather at lost of what to buy etc etc.

I've been playing acoustic and classical guitar for around 4 years now but going into e.guitar is totally foreign to me. I'm planning to head down to davis guitar at peninsula shopping plaza this saturday to check out the e.guitars there because i saw some people recommending it on this forum.

Should there be any important info which i shld know before i go there? Is the shopkeeper/staff there helpful? I heard that les paul SX is a pretty cheap/good model for beginners, should I go for that? What about amp? Haha sorry for the pretty long post and thanks in advance

 

[matthewchj]

Yeah, Davis is pretty good. There are loads of other guitar shops in Penin, so i guess you could also walk around and take a look.

As far as starter guitars go, SX isn't bad. You can pick up a Stratocaster kit from Davis for about $200. You get a guitar, an amp, a strap, some picks, and other random bits. The guitar quality is pretty good, it has a solid wood body unlike some other starter guitars, and build quality's not bad.

Another notable starter brand you can check out is J&D.

 

[teleplayer]

you can also check out brah basah. in peninsular, there's guitar77, Tymusic(which sells a lot of cheap-but-good guitars and good service!).
In Brah basah, there's sweelee and ranking music. Can try blackwood guitars too, but remember to leave your wallet outside!

By the way, do not get starter packs..

The GSS is coming, why not wait a while more? haha.

EDIT: standardvalue also offers good guitars for beginners.

 

[lanko]

thanks for the quick replies matthewchj and teleplayer, i'll be sure to check out the other guitar stores there before i make the decision.

haha cool i didn't realise that the guitar shops are part of the GSS. but what kind of tone/sound quality constitutes a well-made electric guitar?

 

[rex922]

the most important thing is comfort without comfort tone is nothing so always get a guitar play with it a little and decide if it is for you

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Here are some criteria of a good guitar:

1. Likable tone. This is subjective to different people. You must like the tone, personally. Don't take people's word for it too much. Make sure your opinion counts the most for this criteria.

2. Stays in tune. Not a subjective thing. A good guitar stays in tune. A crap guitar goes out of tune all the time. Quite a number of low-end guitars do hold their tuning very well, though.

3. Feels good. Neck is smooth and straight, feels nice to play, etc. Body shape can be subjective so try it out first.

4. Versatile. Especially for beginners, you'd want a guitar that is versatile so that you can develop your preferences for later if or when you upgrade. Best to go for something with both humbuckers and singlecoils. Google for pictures.

5. Plays good. It is in tune on the higher frets as well (this is called intonation). Strings must not be too high above the frets (action) and you must like how it plays. Again, not subjective, though some people like high action in their acoustics. Crazy... (No offense, I'm one of them!)

So yeah. Anyone else has points to add, go ahead. Hope this helps. Cheers!

 

[lanko]

great points. thanks again guys!

 

[subversion]

the best deal (in my books) for a LP-like guitar is still Rally's GL-300:

Rally GL-300
List: $370
Availability: Standard Value

 

[lanko]

After visiting Davis today i was quite impressed by the black&white les paul SX available for $250. It looks similar to the rally gl-300 above with the 4 volume+tone knobs and the rhythm/treble switch. I like the diverse tones it can offer!

 

[re_unknown]

The Rally's a notch better than the SX, though.

 

[stormage]

rally are set necks with more sustain and more solid compare to a lesser sustain bolt on neck of sx

 

[lanko]

ah i see, but is it totally worth the extra $120? :-| Since i'm a beginner i'm not really that picky on sounds haha and the 370 really cuts into my budget by a bit.

 

[theunknown]

if its rather for a longer term, i'd say get the rally. wouldnt guarantee that the sx last as long as the rally. whatever it is, just have fun and test out the various guitars out there.

there's J&D, TGM, Rally i'd say just try them all. hahah.

 

[subversion]

The Rally's a notch better than the SX, though.

in my books, they are way better...

 

[subversion]

ah i see, but is it totally worth the extra $120?

price differences appreciation would be up to the buyer's evaluation, if you think $120 more is too much for a good guitar, then it's really up to you. what i would say is, the Rally has something more to offer than many of the LP-immitator guitars out there, Epiphone included. the reason many people don't go with this guitar is that it's a 'Rally', it's obscure & it's not what everybody plays...