@@miker636 Ik that reply is more than 11 months old but if you want to play guitar and you still haven't learned then of course your fingers will hurt at first but keep playing every day as much as you can and you will build calluses (thick skin) so you won't feel it, anymore. Within a week you would probably be fine.
Needs to be comfortable. Hold its Tuning Be easy to play.. You can’t go better than Court g300. Stainless frets.. Torified maple neck. Locking tuners. GraphTech nut. Dimarzio pickups.. Comfort neck joint. Loads more… Rings nicely unplugged.. Beauty..
Surprisingly, there aren't more episodes like this on RU-vid that actually go into the side-by-side comparisons of the various guitar options at various price points. This was worth watching for any aspiring player who needs the basics. My only criticism is that it wasn't long enough... and I understand the time limitations many people have. Ideally, you'd continue this series and even address more features and their benefits, like construction details, bridge types, neck integrity, etc., and of course additional price points. But good job, guys. Well done.
Excellent job in laying this all out for first time electric players. One other consideration might be single cut (Tele or traditional Les Paul) vs. double cut (Strat or SG) for soloing on higher frets.
Something I'd like to see in videos of this type is what else you need to consider when setting your budget if you are an absolute beginner. You're also going to need some peripherals right out of the gate whether you're starting on an electric or an acoustic. I think it can come as a shock to some folks who have about $200 to spend on a guitar that they may be spending half again as much on the peripherals. Might be less of an issue for folks with larger budgets.
I would say that country of origin matters in some respects, especially in the lower end. If you're looking under $300, especially under $200, either buy something used, or look for Indonesia-made guitars. There is a distinct difference between Chinese and Indonesian guitars at that really low price point. There are some good Chinese guitars in the mid-priced range - both the Classic Vibe Tele and the Epi Les Paul the guys are holding in the video are two of them - but usually the hierarchy of mass-produced guitars are USA/Japan, then South Korea, then Indonesia, then China, with some others thrown in (ESP LTDs made in Vietnam aren't bad).
@Robert Hubbard Sorry, forgot about Mexican made, probably because only Fender makes them there (to my knowledge anyway). I think the Mexican Fenders (and Charvels) fit somewhere around higher-end Indonesians and South Koreans, so pretty good quality for the money. I have a Mexican Strat, it's pro-quality material.
I have a ibanez blazer from the 80's that I can't live without,from the feel to the finish, they really rock for something cheaper than 500€, only changed the pickups due to a personal preference
I really like my ESP LTD EC256 (humbucker with coil split). Keep in my I am a beginner, but my friend with 10+ guitar collection helped me to pick it up.
As someone that plays mostly blues, classic rock, and metal, picking just ONE guitar is hard enough. I've always had a soft spot for strats, and I've owned two squiers that I love dearly. However for more versatility I would recommend -- wait for it -- an Ibanez RG! The RG350 I aquired nearly 8 years ago is still one of my favorite guitars; the wizard neck is a futuristic godsend of speed infused awesomeness and although the stock pickups are not super great or anything, the HSH setup is versatile and sounds great playing any genre. For $350 it's one of the best guitars I own and I still pick it up over my Jackson DKMG Dinky (around $900) and my Ibanez JS100. But---if I'm going to be playing only blues (and maybe some jazz) I pick up the strat. You just can't replicate that sound and feel!
best guitar for the money is the yamaha pacifica, one of my first guitars... the sound is just awsome (for around 200 bucks) also a perfect beginners guitar with 2 single coil and a humbucker. for me the way to go..... tho as I could afford I grabbed myself a gibson les paul standard, because it feels best for me...
Fender HSS Strat is a perfect mid-tier guitar that's around $500. It's also a good balance regarding pickups. I still play mine that I got 10 years ago!
I LAMENTED over my first electric-- I was back and forth between a duo sonic and a tele (to be perfectly honest with you, I just didn't love the shape of the tele, sue me, I know I know) and then low and behold the Sterling St. Vincent smacked me in the face and contradicted everything I thought I was looking for in an electric and honestly I love it, polarizing look and all.
For a first guitar purchase i recommend an Epiphone or a Squier, reliable guitars, or even better, they are one of the best, you can het the beneath the 500 dollars. Some even for 200 or 300$
My first guitar in '95 was a Yamaha Pacifica! Have had many guitar's over the years bought and sold upgrading as I went but I've still got and play my tatty/reliced Pacifica!! If you haven't tried them have a look!!
Best under $500 is probably the Epi les paul standard given that you get that classic humbucker sound and great sustain for the price, but it comes with coil splitting so you can get single coil tones as well. Not to mention Epiphone is making some really great quality guitars right now. That or something in the ltd eclipse or MH kine which is your strat style.
@@vincentrohmann1110 True, I have an older Schecter Damien elite with EMG's awesome guitar, I picked it up with 2 small practice amps for $250. As far as the Hellraiser goes it's an amazing guitar. I just got the new LTD Arrow Andromeda 1000 series with FR. Unbelievable!!
I advice in favour of the Les Paul Standard PRO - with or without PlusTop: basic pickups sounded muddy to me in store, and ProBuckers are definitely a step up. If you buy it used like I did you could probably get an even better value. Now I'm looking towards a mexican Strat or a Yamaha Pacifica.
@@gabbyrose2541 love this shop. They'll make you a coffee, let you play the instruments but never make you feel like an idiot. To them your a valuable customer snd they offer a great range across all price points.
Yes there are a lot of choices. I had a 500 dollar budget. Pick up a 1 owner 2018 G&L Tribute ASAT for great price. Had P 90 style G&L pickups. Guitar was practically brand new. Telle style had rosewood fret board, solid body ash wood mid night blue. I had it setup by professional luthier. It sets in my studio for days and you can walk over and pick it up and it is in tune. Amazing!
Question.. Need buying advice. I have a 12 year old daughter that just discovered Nirvana and similar... What would I buy best? The Yamaha pacifica 112v or the fender bullet mustang or the squire affinity? She has no instrument experience and hopefully enough perseverance. All advice is welcome.
Super helpful. Lots of information condensed into quick video. And good recommendations. I will pick up either a classic vibe tele, or something similar(solid body with single coil pickup). Thank you
I really dig the Yamaha pacifica series. Got the 311 with split humbucker and a p90 pick up. The neck is smooth and comfortable as it should be and its really versatile when it comes to sound. For just 300 bucks you get a lot of guitar!
So like im biased as all hell on this, but i buy everything from Schecter. It started when i really liked the feel and weight of one of them now....i have like 8 of them. They arent "budget" guitars but for the price they make really solid guitars for rock/metal.
One budget electric? A Fender Squier HSS Affinity Stratocaster. A shorter scale length----Epiphone LP with push/pull pots so you can have single coil sound as well. Both choices allow humbucker and single coil sounds. Try both. I have perhaps 25 guitars and if I was starting all over, I would choose??? Lol
I stumbled upon a used Epiphone Les Paul whose previous owner put some hot pickups and different tuning machines on it with a hard case for 400 bucks. Not too shabby for my first guitar. Plays well too. I'm quite happy.
I like all manner of music. and am a newbie. I went with a epi 335 pro. Happy thus far other than...this puppy is very heavy. I really liked your suggested guitars, thanks for the video.
I've only really played Les Pauls (or copies), so for an under $500 first guitar, I'd probably recommend an Epiphone Les Paul Studio. I played one for about 11 years, and it was great!
Ibanez RG series. They have been around for decades, are fair priced, enough models for everyone, very reliable and versatile. You can even mod/restore the hell out of them if you're into that kind of stuff.
The michael Kellys are great for first time buyers its an affordable price you usually switch the humbuckers to single coil or have combination of both.
I just bought a Squier classic vibe 50s tele in vintage blonde 2 weeks ago, very happy with it under $500 before tax. I don't think I'd be happier with another guitar at that price so I'd recommend that for beginners-intermediate players for suree!
In the 500$ range I can recommend the Ibanez CMM1 (signature model) - great guitar for the price. One thing I would add is weight. Really heavy guitar can be a bit of a pain, so think of that too. I was hoping for a tip in the 1000$ range. I'd like to to buy a new guitar but I'm undecided between a semi-hollow or another solid body. I'm mainly aiming for good playability and good quality. The D'Angelico lineup sure looks fine but then again the PRS SEs are also in that price range...too much choice.
I really like my Dean Thoroughbred single cut, with Seymour Duncan humbuckers and Grover tuning machines. It also has a lovely quilted maple top and has a good action. It was £649, so a bit above the £500 threshold, but well worth it, in my opinion.
I've been planning on making a big purchase, and I think I have my eyes set on a fender strat for a long term lol. I've been playing budget ibanezes, squiers, epiphones, deans, and schecters for almost a decade, but with the squiers and fenders I've played, it felt like there was a lot less mechanical complexity and "clunk" distancing me from actually *feeling* the instrument in my hands/body
GuitarLessons thanks Andrew! I’ll look into those. I’ve seen good reviews on the player series HSH model (shop.fender.com/en-US/electric-guitars/stratocaster/player-stratocaster-hsh/0144532519.html), but I can’t find any locally (GC, SamAsh, others).
personally, i think that the best guitar right around that $500 mark is the G&L Tribute strat. You get that great fender look and feel, but it is made to a higher quality for the price
I think if you’re thinking about a $300-$500 squire you should just spend less than $100-200 more for the new players series MIM fender guitars. Much better quality
Got two kramer pacer amrican.... one from 86 in black with emg sl20 and one from 87 in vintage white and duncan jb and two ssl 1 ..both hss both floyd rose equipped....got them used for 500 each incl. case.....and these ladies f***in' rock in sound and also handling.... if you know what to focus on when buying a "used" guitar you'll never go wrong with it....my opinion
I have a Deluxe Squier Strat and love it. I like the way it plays better that’s my friend’s American Strat because the maple fretboard and neck don’t have a finish on it like his. His probably has better pickups and sounds better but I’m ok with that in a Strat.
I read through a bunch of these comments and read people picking Epiphone, Yamaha and several others but I didnt see anyone pick a Schecter. I bought a Schecter Omen 6 new for $300. It is a quality guitar with a quality set up, feel and sound right out of the box. Play it for a year or two then opt for some quality Schecter hot pick-ups and you can play live venues with an Omen 6.......Good luck getting that with Epiphone, Squire or Yamaha but to each their own. Do yourself a favor and before you go with one of the others, pick up a Schecter. A low end $300 Schecter is better than a mid or low upper end guitar from other manufacturers. You will thank me later.
I started with a squier strat. Played it for ~2 years then sold it and bought a Mexican made telecaster. Have played that same tele for 15 years now (of course have made various upgrades to it throughout that time like pickups). But now I'm finally able to buy a new guitar after all these years...only thing is, I enjoy such a broad range of sounds and music and love so many different guitars that the choice is almost impossible! Edit: Strat, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, SG, Les Paul, an ES-335 or some other type of semi hollow or hollow body....what to choose?! If I was rich af, I'd go for one of those Languedoc G2 guitars played by Trey Anastasio or a Maton bb1200 played by Josh Homme...maybe in another 15-20 years 😂
Second thing to consider after pickups is... neck joint?... Not even neck contour, scale lenght, fret size, etc? My list - particularly for beginners 1 - pickup type (sound) 2 - body type (sound, comfort and looks) 4 - feel (neck basically) I would never tell a beginner to worry about the neck joint...
OK! £500 - £1000 The Beatles, The Strokes, David Bowie, Dylan, The Kinks, Chopin, Beck... that kind of stuff. I'm thinking something like an Epiphone Casino, but open to suggestions. I'm going to try some out, so please suggestions..
Great video, very helpful. Currently looking to upgrade to a more mid range guitar from my Jackson js 34 and I'm thinking about the epiphone les Paul standard plustop pro. I used to play mainly heavy metal and hard rock. But lately I'm starting to play more blues and clean riffs with some fingerpicking as well. I want a guitar that can do everything from death metal to blues and I've heard the epi les Paul is a great choice. Is the epi les Paul a good move or are there other options that would be much better for the price range of less than $700?
Didn't want to fall into guitar brand worship. We all do that. 🙄 This year PRS introduced SE Silver Sky at a 1/3 price of the original version. It's in the $1000 range but a fast seller. It's worth watching some videos about it. Then try it's ergonomics.
How much of this is true to the laymen and how much is similar to wine tasting conversations? As in... do these subtleties matter much or does it mainly come down to your amp? I don’t know wine nor guitars.
If your favourite band is Pink Floyd, buy a Stratocaster. If your favourite band is Guns N Roses, buy a Les Paul. If your favourite band is Led Zeppelin, buy a Telecaster. If your favourite band is AC/DC, buy a SG.
