Anyone play guitar?

[smileyface33]

I can play VERY good air Guitar and Guitar Hero too!!

I am the best at air guitar though

LOL
air guitar is hard to master

 

[El Presidente]

I played (I probably still can), but I've not done it to any great extent since my son was born. I get annoyed when I pick up now though, I'm nowhere near as good as I used to be. I've an Ibanez Artist AR 105, a Gibson SG (very rare model with a Bigsby Tremelo arm) and a Seagull 12 String Accoustic sitting in cases in a cupboard doing nothing .

I've been in a couple of local bands, but nothing recently. I'd probably count my main influences as Pete Townsend, Jimmy Page and John Squire. Peter Green maybe, but that's mainly because he's my dads favourite.

There's a 2 1/2 minute accoustic ditty at the end of the song Overture on Tommy by The Who. That is (was) probably my favourite song I used to play. It's not complicated, but I liked it.

 

[blackdog709]

I've been playing about 40 years now (whoa! I'm friggin' OLD dude!)

I'm pretty much self-taught. Started with acoustic in early 70's, got a cheap electric, got a big amp, cops came knockin'...lots of Zep, Aerosmith, Rush...
Then I got folksy, then a bit jazzy and then my blues period. All fun.

My advice in general, not knowing you...
Get a steel-string acoustic. Seagull makes affordable surprisingly playable acoustics. Chinese manufacturers are making some pretty darn good guitars for $150-250. Lot better options out there for inexpensive guitars then there were in the 70's -80's. String with light or medium strings. Sometimes cheaper guitars cannot take the higher string tension of mediums and it might be wiser to go with lights or light-medium bronze wound strings. Your fingers will get sore...both the muscles and the actual finger pads. You gotta get thru it. Like any sport, your going to be frustrated and hurt at first.

If you're up for it, take a few lessons. The instructor should be able to get you reading music a bit, explain a few basics about music theory and help you out in the direction of music you like, whether it be metal, classic rock, jazz or folk. then go off on your own and play, check out YouTube videos (although there are a lot of yahoos on there), and play with other people. Play with people better than you, I should add.

Then move on to electric if you want. Don't try electric right off the bat. There's too much to get distracted with. You don't want to be screwing around with expensive pedals and amps that make you sound like crap when you should be focusing on just learning to play. You need to be able to make clean accurate notes and chords before you muck it all up with distortion and delay. Later, when you have some skills, add a pedal or two as the need arises.

If you eventually get an electric, the "Squire" line Fenders (their economy line) are still surprisingly playable [decent action (height of strings above fretboard), good intonation (stays in tune at the nut and at the top of the neck), halfway decent electrics (pickups, pots and switches)]. Decent Strat or Telecaster Squire for $100-200. Sometimes you can find guitars that guys have "upgraded" stuff on. if it has been done right, so much the better. Epiphone makes good, playable budget" guitars that hold their value reasonably well.

I really recommend having an experienced friend help you evaluate a purchase- especially a used instrument; in the beginning it's impossible to know if someone screwed up their pickups or switching or bridge because they thought they were doing a cool modification. Find a good music store with local guys and have them do an evaluation is another way to go. (not Daddy's or any big chain) Look for the local guys who carry lots of used gear too.

Any new or used guitar is going to need to be "set up" by a pro. They will adjust it, make sure all components are sound and functioning properly, treat the fretboard with appropriate solution/oil, polish it, restring it with appropriate strings, maybe dress the frets, etc. Plan on spending $40-50 anyway to get your guitar set up. It's worth it.

So to wrap up, get a new or used acoustic then graduate to electric if you dig that. Buying used gear (if you are careful) let's you buy after someone else has taken the "hit" for selling their new gear. then the value of the used gear stays pretty stable if you're talking about good brands. For example, some guys buys a new $1000 Stratocaster. then he sells it two years later, in very good shape, for $600. If you buy this, you "save" $400, AND, when YOU re-sell it (and you will), you can sell it for $600, or even more! You won't lose money on a good name brand guitar. You can even make money if you shop and sell right. Avoid ebay unless you REALLY know exactly what you want and how much that exact model/year should be selling for- and exactly what the particulars are. You'll pay a bit more going thru a local music shop but there will be someone there to help you when you have a problem.

If you ever buy an amp, keep in mind you will want an amp that is a WHOLE LOT less powerful than you or your friends think you need. A good 15 watt amp can have the cops knockin' on the door, sounds great when turned up for blues, rock or metal, costs less than a big amp and is way easier to carry around than a big amp. Hendrix was cool with a Marshall stack at Woodstock. You will not be. Your landlord will call the police and you won't be able to carry it to practice- and your bandmates will hate you for playing so loudly.

Practice and have fun. When you feel stuck, call up and get yourself 2-3 lessons from a pro as a "boost". It helps!

 

[blackdog709]

Taught myself to play when I was a senior in high school, and I'm 52 years old now.... so it's been so long ago I really can't remember how difficult it was to learn. I do know I practiced a lot in the early years, not so much these days.

Right there with you bro'
Smoke on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Dream On...
Boy, the 70's were some time to be a teenager, eh?

 

[Midiman]

tommy_ed is exactly right. You won't be able to get thru the "really sore fingertip period" unless you really want to play. I've been playing guitar for about 40 yr.

My sister & I put in $10 ea. and bought a guitar from a pawn shop. I still can't believe I learned to play on it - the strings must have been 1/2" off the fret board.

This was in '64 & I got books of Beatles songs and just learned to play. One sister was taking piano lessons then and her teacher wrote out lots of popular songs including the guitar chords so I learned to play lots of them too. I had a couple of friends learning at the same time so we could get together & learn from each other. Played rock & roll for a few years - learned a lot from our lead guy.

Bottom line is - just get a guitar & start playing - don't worry about the model at this point. You can get a better one if you find that you really like playing. Also when starting, electric or acoustic doesn't really matter - a guitar is a guitar from a new learner POV. In 6 mo. you might have learned enough to know which style you really like to play.

One caution - learn to play the whole song, not just a riff here & there. I've met many good pickers that just don't know any songs all the way thru. You can't get girls to sit down with you if all you know is the beginning of "Stairway To Heaven". Learn some funny songs to get them laughing and then start slipping in the love songs.

I also started playing in '64 and worked live almost continuously until 2006. I've pretty much retreated into a fairly nice studio in my home. Like you, I started with a $12.95 acoustic with action 1/2" off the fretboard. I played till I bled and then played some more. Most of the rest of this response is directed at the original poster. Acoustic/electric is a hard but important choice. It depends a lot on what you like the sound of, and what kind of music you want to play.

A halfway decent electric with light (.009) gauge strings is going to be easier on the fingers although nothing will stop them from hurting for months if you practice enough. I've always recommended the Fender Squier series to most beginners. They're available in both Stratocaster and Telecaster models. I have one myself but use it primarily for MIDI guitar. I didn't want to put screw holes in a $1500 American made Strat. The neck is comfortable enough for me to play well on. The guitar is also built to be upgradeable as your tastes and needs change.

How hard it is to teach yourself depends entirely on how badly you want to learn. There is a plethora of material available these days that simply wasn't in '64. I always asked students who want me to teach them a single question; "why do you want to learn to play guitar?" Technically there is no "correct" answer and the answers rarely influence my decision to teach. Only one student ever gave me the answer I want to hear which is; "because I love the sound of the guitar." Without that, you will never make it through the years of plinking strings, getting to the point that you are proficient. If you can't sit there and plink an open string and be happy with that sound, you probably won't make it far.

 

[Midiman]

That will help you with learning electric later on, also steel is more diverse when it comes to music.

I couldn't possibly disagree more. Learning one is about the same as learning the other. They play the same. It's not like moving from one to the other requires learning a new instrument, perhaps some different technique. As far as diversity goes, electrics with all the processing possibilities, win hands down. Put a piezo pickup on an electric and most people won't know it's not an acoustic. It's almost impossible to go the other way and make an acoustic wail like an electric.

 

[mikedt]

I play Virtual Guitar, free from the Google Market.

 

[Nomnom98]

Whats a good beginner song?

 

[El Presidente]

Whats a good beginner song?

I think the first song I was taught was King of the Road, it's only 3 chords: A, D & E.

House of the Rising Sun is a good one if you feel adventurous (The Dylan version though).

 

[mikedt]

Whats a good beginner song?

Smoke On The Water, the starting riff. Best played with electric guitar of course.

 

[Nomnom98]

I started With Led Zepplin-Heart Breaker

 

[UrsusVIIILXXXVII]

Wow, my first songs suck in comparison to all of yours. Mine were Jingle Bells and Yankee Doodle. Of course I was 6 and I was being taught to read music. I think my first song for learning chords was a Beatles tune since my teacher at that time was a huge fan. When I turned 13, he bought me The Beatles Complete Scores and I spent the following months learning every song in that book. Hell, I even played along to Revolution 9 as best I could. To this day it's one of the strangest scores I've ever seen.

 

[Tslide91]

DO NOT BUY ANY GUITAR MORE THAN $150.

If you wanna get the most out of a guitar, it better be really shitty.

I'll explain. A guitar that is shitty is going to be more challenging to play. So when you start getting good, and you get a decent guitar, you'll be even better!

 

[NightAngel79]

,

House of the Rising Sun is a good one if you feel adventurous (The Dylan version though).

That one would be cool as hell! Never learned that, wish I had tab for that.

My first was plush, from stp

 

[UrsusVIIILXXXVII]

That one would be cool as hell! Never learned that, wish I had tab for that.

Am-C-D-F
Am-C-D-E
That's pretty much the whole song.

Dylan's version is still in the Am key that The Animals later recorded their version in.

Funny story about this song. After The Animals made the song a big hit in 1964, Dylan was complimented on his cover of the song during his live shows. Of course his version was released in 1962 on his debut album. After a while he just quit performing it.

 

[El Presidente]

^That made me laugh

EVERYONE thinks The Animals did the original. In truth, I don't even think Dylan did the original either, I seem to recall my dad has a Pete Seeger version from the 40's.

 

[UrsusVIIILXXXVII]

Earliest recording I've ever heard of the song was 1934 though I'm certain the song is older than that.

 

[cashariff]

If you want to learn guitar, buy a classic acoustic guitar (nylon strings) the fret and neck is wider than folk and electric guitars. It helps you a lot in fingering.

 

[Satires]

I was no professional, but yes, I have had my fair share of guitars. I'll let you in on a little secret, it has to feel right in your hands.

I had a collectors guiter, the floyd rose edition by kramer. It sounded good and all but it just didn't feel right.

The best guitar I ever owned that sounded great and felt fantastic was a kramer focus. I found it in the trash all beat up re painted with latex house paint and half the hardware missing. I rebuilt it from the ground up!

New schaller tuning pegs, new floyd rose locking tremelo and some Seymour duncan screamin demon pick ups.

Don't assume a more expensive guitar is the best, first, make sure it feels right. There's nothing worse than playing a guitar that doesn't feel right in the hands. I Make sure you get good hardware, depending on your needs.

 

[rossrainey]

For learning a quality cheap will go a long way. My first electric was an Ibanez stagestar and my first acoustic was a no name junior size steel string. I'd say look for a starter acoustic because it is a more versatile instrument. Electric is fun but can get more pricey because you'll want pedals, bigger amp, etc. More expensive guitars do tend to be better quality but won't make you a better guitar player, so starting with an inexpensive good quality guitar is best.

 

[kaye de escape]

Hi

BTW, anyone out there keen to teach beginner over student's place? Locate at Clementi area...

Cheers...

 

[pbf98]

Oh I play haha been playing for about 14 years now, have a few guitars in my collection, my favorite is my Gibson SG .. then my next one is actually a cheap first act guitar from walmart, idk what about it haha.. Then would be my first guitar which was my dads first as well, which is a 1960s catalog guitar..

I just purchased a Marshall 1987xl 50 watt head, and it sounds amazing, but playing inside you have to limit the level to 1 haha, compared to my Kustom 100 watt half stack which you can crank to 6 inside

 

[Wilkas]

Hey guys, I'm about ready to move up a notch from my squire strat to something a little better, I really like the look and sound of the Les Pauls but unfortunately with two damn kids taking up the majority of my money I'm gonna have to get a lesser model.

I'm stuck between a vintage V100

or a Epiphone Les Paul Standard

Anybody have any experience with either of these, I really like the vintage but epiphone is the same make as Gibson.. does the V100 stack up?

 

[pbf98]

Personally I'd go with Epiphone, because it really is Gibson but with different name. I have played a few of the Standards from Epiphone and some by Gibson. I really couldn't tell the difference in the feel of the guitar.
Though I have never heard of vintage until now. If were to get the vintage, I would most likely invest in a set of Gibson pickups and get away from what looks like the single coil one it has. You'll get that great Gibson sound for much less. It would add to the look and sound of the guitar.

Thats my opinion

 

[Wilkas]

The pickups on the vintage are quite highly rated, been looking through the videos on youtube of the guitar and it does sound good but it doesn't have that gibson sound... the guitars are the same price so probably better to go for the special. Ordered myself a new amp first to go with it