I wish I had someone to tell me just to get a guitar that looks cool and feels good to me, when I was first starting out. Instead I had everyone giving me their 2 cents on what they thought was good. Just get an instrument that you can’t walk by without wanting to pick it up. Great advice, Rhett!
For real. I’m of the mindset now that there are no boring guitars, just boring players and naysayers! Lol. All different sonic colors from the same beautiful musical palette.
The idea of "bonding" with a guitar is real. I've spent over a decade to find a handful of guitars I love to pick up and play, and done mods on most of them in the process. But I've found that I can bond with all types of guitars, it's about to find the right specimen that can check off the right subjective boxes. Sometimes you don't even realize what those are until you've been through a number of guitars. It's not as simple as looking at specs, it's about inspiration for sure.
My number one is a 1987 cheap Kramer Strat copy. I have a 2021 Baretta Special that’s intonated better, has lower action, is obviously significantly newer, but I’ll pick up the 87 more just because it feels like ‘home’.
@@NintenDub You are right too of course, not all invest so much emotion into their guitars. I could find many guitars that I like of course, and if money were flowing faster, it might also be much easier. And you can get tired of searching for good/ right ones, especially in this day and age where it's online shopping or the used market. I guess I'm just glad I found some guitars I love. They are all lovable as you say 🙂
I was at my first job out of college (read: a short period of very disposable income) and I was playing every Gibson Les Paul under $3k (back in 99) and I saw this black and gold Studio, grabbed it and started playing and immediately it was perfect. It felt perfect at the neck, the sound was what I wanted, the clean tones were mellower, it was bright under gain. Brought it to the counter and said “I’ll take it.” The guys asked me “Thought you wanted a Gibby?” I looked at the headstock. It was an Epiphone. Still have it today.
Played for 35 years for me game changer was to find the right guitar (65’ Strat refin) and a world class luthier to get it just right. Intonation and playability is key.
Your last point is really important. If the guitar doesn’t make you feel excited to play it, you won’t play it. I always tell parents looking to buy their kid their first guitar to make sure their kid thinks it looks cool. My parents started me on a crappy department store nylon string acoustic when I was a kid. I didn’t get my first electric (an Epiphone LP Special II) until I had been playing for nearly 4 years. The fact that I stuck it out that long astonishes me, because I hated that damn acoustic 😂
I got a decent basic acoustic as a kid but without any lessons, and the fact that I really wanted an electric guitar (rock teenage phase), I put off learning it for like 1.5 decades. If you don't care for the guitar you won't care enough to learn it.
I agree 100%. The best instrument is the one that inspires you to play. My old teacher would say “10 mins when you want to play is better than an hour when you don’t”. If you have an instrument that inspires you you’re gonna pic it up and play it and, as a by-product, build your skills …..which in turn will inspire you to play even more.
You are 100% right about getting a guitar stand. Before that, I was taking my guitar out of the case like once a week. Now I'm playing a few times during the day 😀
I had a Les Paul copy and then a Studio LP, and then bought a Strat. Played those three for years, bought a "real" Les Paul and thought I was done. Pandemic hit and I wanted a new guitar since I'd be at home. Ordered a cheap Squier Telecaster and it's become my most-played guitar. Amazing what you find out in your 50s after about 40 years of playing.
Same! My ‘95 Tele is my fav of the guitar in my stable which includes a LP std, LP junior, Epi Casino, Reverend with 3 P90s. I appreciate them all but if I had to save one in a fire, it’s the Tele.
@@fju1107 There's a guy called Danish Pete on Andertons Music who says you play them all, but you end up at the Telecaster. I have to agree with him. Such a great design.
I'd also say you should include offsets as a separate style too. Jazzmaster offset shapes just work for me ergonomically, and I find them more comfortable among the traditional shapes. A Jazzmaster doesn't dig into you like a strat or tele does, and it's not heavy or oversized like a Gibson. It fits just right, and I'd extend that sentiment to other offsets like Teiscos and Eastwood guitars.
Especially with so many replacement pickups and electronics on the market, shape is potentially the deciding factor. I find even a little bit of an offset to a familiar symmetrical body type goes a long way for comfort. (also phellas in the Rhett comments, let's go)
Not a jazzmaster but i bought a mustang as my first "real" guitar and the fell of it is just amazing. I wanted something like a strat but i didnt like the long scale of the guitar and i found a mustang. I mostly play funk music and a lot of people when they see a mustang they think grunge and kurt kobain but pluged into a vox ac 15 it does the job rlly good.
@@vonders3847 Mustangs definitely do funk well; it was David Byrne's guitar of choice when he played guitar in Talking Heads, and that was almost all scratchy funk-style rhythm playing; I don't know the wiring of your mustang, but the out-of-phase option could definitely be useful there. This may be me but I've always found Mustangs sound more "relaxed" than Strats for example.
I rotate my tele, strat, les Paul, Ibanez, and tele squire about every 2 weeks or so. It’s cool how you end up playing a little different with each guitar.
I've bee playing guitar for about 20 years now (I'm 26 now), and a lot of my friends came to me during the pandemic asking about learning guitar, because I was the resident guitar player. You hit the nail right on the head and sunk it in one hit. I always gave them some advice as to tone/styles, abut always said, "if you can go out and at least hold it and make sure it's comfortable, do that." and it's great to see someone with the platform you have saying the same thing. Cheers, Rhett.
The best advice you can give is to actually go into a Music shop and try out the different types and styles of guitar. Buying a guitar online is one of the worst things you can do to yourself musically
@@federicorenkine4340 If that's what you think alot of music shops try to do you are miles off it mate. Sure there are some pricks out there but it doesn't take much common sense to smell that type of bullshit
@@shuirei the feel is so much more important than the sound. Sound can be changed, and every guitar can do any music style the player wants it to do. Making sure the body shape, weight, neck, material is right for you is crucial. It's like harry potter in a music shop, the guitar chooses the player...
15 years after playing the same telecaster, I must say I'm still deeply in love with it. It's mexican made, it has its faults and is not perfect. Still, it's the guitar I truly want to play, I don't need anything else when I'm playing it. The first time I saw it in the store I fell in love with it and have never stopped since
Thanks Rhett. That's a really useful overview. It's often said that we're in a golden age when it comes to guitars - and I think that's true, because high quality instruments are incomparably more affordable than when I began playing back in the '70s. I've taken full advantage of this over the last few years to "fill in some of the blanks", buying styles of guitars which had always interested me, but which I couldn't previously afford to take a gamble on. Some might criticise that as GAS - but buying a bunch of different guitars has opened up a mass of tone possibilities, and I kept them all. It's also resulted in me finding my "Number 1"; a Tone Fox Elcaster Mk.1 - essentially, a short-run affordable custom-shop quality T-style with P-90s. It's been my go-to for pretty much everything since the day it arrived - and I'm writing as someone who didn't own a T-style for probably 40+ years after starting playing!
Rhett, I started 6 months ago and your advice helped guide my starting choice. It was great advice 👍 I would add one more thing for new players: Don’t pay much attention to tone comparison videos. It will be a long time before you can play well enough for it to matter.
@@Schmidtty1974 With any of the modeling practice amps these days, be that a THR10, a Spark, Fender Mustang or whatever of that kind, you can get various great tones anyways. I do think that something like that is a good investment since a tone you like makes you wanna play.
@@LuLeBe Very very true, plus -- as I found out the hard way -- when your gear naturally sounds muddy or indistinct, you'll come to a point where you're struggling to tell what parts of your playing you need to improve on.
After 35 years, it boils down to this : the guitar’s neck. I’ll get to enjoy any guitar if the neck feels right. And I find I don’t sound really different from one guitar to another.
This is a very good, informative video for people who have listened to music for 20 years and finally decided they wanted to learn how to play guitar. It's a logical and analytical way to help you get to a guitar that will satisfy you. However, for younger people and the parents of younger people the way to help your child find a guitar that will inspire them to play is very different. Younger people fall in love with a particular musician and they want that musicians guitar. That's perfectly fine because it will inspire them to pick up the guitar and practice. However, there are some guidelines. The first is, and this pertains to almost all string instrument players, you really have to have the instrument in your hands to see if it feels right to you. Particularly the hand that Frets the neck. There are all different sizes and shapes of neck, fretboard width and shape of the back of the neck. Finding the neck that feels good to the Future player is quite important. Second, the younger player is going to want the signature model of the guitar of their musician hero. Even if you can afford to buy your child that expensive $5,000 guitar don't. Their friends will call them a poser and make fun of them. Try to find the make and model of the guitar of their rock and roll hero but a less expensive version. Not the cheapest, The $99 guitar will have flaws that makes their learning experience difficult. So if you can afford something a little better go for that. It will make your learning experience easier and more fun. There are lots of guality guitars in the $500 - $800 range. It may take a few visits to the guitar store before you find the exact guitar that you want. But that's okay because you will have a higher probability of finding a guitar that you will enjoy playing for a while. If you are buying an electric guitar then you'll need to buy a small practice amp. Make sure you get one that offers the headphone option so you can practice whenever you want without disturbing other people in the house. Get a good soft case, called a gig bag, to carry the guitar around in couple of extra sets of strings and some guitar picks. Finally, for almost all guitar players who have ever lived their first guitar will not be their last. Finding a guitar that you will play for 20 years is a process as your knowledge grows and as your musical tastes evolve. So don't be worried after playing a guitar for a couple of years if you start to get the urge for a new one. If you are an acoustic guitar player all of the above is still relevant to your purchase however the one additional guideline is there has to be an agreement between house members as to when practice can and can't happen so the player doesn't get discouraged or the house members get irritated. Good luck I wish great enjoyment to all future guitar, string instrument players.
Very good. It packs a lot into just 12 minutes, and I realize that time was probably why more things aren't in here. But in an ideal world, there are a few other things I'd like to see. I'd like to see some some reference to the modern guitar types, and how they have changed some of the "fender vs Gibson" dynamic. PRS and "modernizing" the basic Gibson humbucker concept with lighter weight, easier playability, adding a vibrato bar to it. Trying to find the sweet spot between Gibvson and Fender, in some ways, correcting the early flaws in both classic companies' designs that they can't themselves correct because the designs are now iconic. But a lot of people flock to these more modern versions of the classic electric guitar concepts. Or how 'bout Ibanez (and Jackson and ESP), and the advent of the shredder's "Superstrat". That combo of comfortable Strat inspired body, high output humbucker power with no hum, 25.5" scale length tension and chime, super fast playable neck, very low action, flatter fingerboard radius, and Floyd Rose style vibrato setups with strings anchored at both ends. These are options that many gravitate to, and not just shredders and virtuosos. Some beginners and beginner-intermediates love the very low action because it is so easy to fret notes. They make a lot of people feel more comfortable and, as Rhett says, excited to play. It would also help to refer to the Gretsch world of humbuckers, the filtertrons. They, like P90's, can sit somewhere in the middle between classic single coils and classic humbuckers. There's no hum, but you can get some real sing out of them, and some real clarity. They can play jazz, blues, rock, country, all kinds of things. Very versatile. Yes, I realize that this would mean the video would be 20 minutes, not 12. Or there can be a part 2. I think it might be worth it. Just a thought.
After watching a video on how the type of wood does not influence the tone and another that different woods especially for the neck work different under changing weather conditions I think that Rhett should have included these types of aspects in choosing an instrument as well.
Rhett has forgotten to mention that overtime ones taste can or will change , i have been playing guitar for over 40 years now and used to be an strat / lp player but that has changed the last 5- 10 years , i have become an tele / ES 335 player , so i sold my strat and lp and do not miss them at all . The only constant factor has always been my acoustic guitar .
Great video! I'd add one teensy qualifier on the "you can play anything on anything" idea. If you want to play metal and get something in the ballpark of the metal sound you probably have in your head... you should consider a humbucker in the bridge position. Metal can be played on a single coil in the bridge and it can sound great (Wintersun was on a Tokai Telecaster, Loathe uses a baritone Jazzmaster), but it will sound noticeably different. All that aside, I like that this video emphasizes that this stuff can take some time to figure out. I learned early on that I tended more toward S-type bodies, a 25.5" scale, and a bridge humbucker (see above heh), but then went through a midrange HSS Strat and multiple superstrats from multiple brands, sold all but a 7 string in the process... only to come back to a higher end HSS Strat. It feels more like home than anything else I've owned or tried out.
You know, I would think that a person would gravitate to things that look cool or exciting that their heroes play. You know? Like, my buddy loves playing hard rock and punk and blues stuff. He got an SG. He thinks it’s super cool and inspiring and he loves to play it and it happens to be associated with a lot of the music he likes. I, on the other hand, like Strat-style guitars, and a lot if that is because I would see my own heroes playing Strats or something similar on a lot of my favorite albums and in my favorite videos of them. My point being that the music you like will inform the look you think is cool which will lead you to get a guitar that, ultimately, works great for the music you want to make.
When I started I wanted to play like SRV so I wanted a strat but when I went to the store I picked up a les Paul to explore my other choices and fell in love with the feel and sound and never looked back
I bought my first guitar, a ‘79 strat back in 1983 at 14. Needless to say I had small hands. Looking back, learning on a longer scale length helped me develop more finger strength and stretch. Do you kids with small hands, don’t be afraid is a strat.
This! 100%. For me, it's my Peavey Exp Signature. Don't get me wrong, I Love my Fender, ESP, Alvarez and my SG, my LP, and especially my Frankenstein Tele that I got for $90 at a pawn shop, but when I pick up my Peavey and play through my B-52 AT112 (also a very affordable sleeper amp), it keeps me wanting to play. For me, versatility is the motivating factor.
When i bought my first electric guitar (besides the cheap Epiphone guitar i had in college) I looked up what the guitarists from my three favorite bands used. Doug Martch from built to spill plays a strat, Ira Kaplan from Yo La Tengo plays a strat, Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse plays some weird custom thing i couldn't afford. I went and got a Mexican strat off craigslist, and though I've got a couple more electrics now i still play that strat over 95% of the time.
This can be a big factor honestly. A lot of guitar buying is mind games. If your idols play a certain guitar, you’ll likely find yourself identifying or “relating” to that idol when playing their style of guitar. My Scofield signature makes me think of an idol when I play and that is cool
Also, where the pickups are screwed in and where the strings are wired through makes a difference. Exhibit A: The stratocaster's pickups are screwed to the plastic of the scratch guard, and the strings go from the metal of the tuners to the metal of the tremolo bridge. Exhibit B: The telecaster's pickups are screwed right into the wood, and the strings go from the tuners, then through the body where they're braced against the wood on the back. If you have access to both, just play the bridge pickup with identical controls dialed in. People's tastes differ, but to me, the strat's bridge pickup sounds ultra brittle, while the telecaster's bridge pickup sounds like a rhythm guitarist's dream. Unfortunately, this stuff isn't printed on the specs, so if you want to know how the pickups and strings are wired on a Sire H7, and I do, I have to get one in my hands.
Having played/ dabbled in guitar these past 40 years, yeah. Find the one(s) you're excited to play. When I was heavily into punk rock, it didn't matter, it just needed to make noise and be loud. A few years after that, they needed to have a certain look. Finally, I'm pursuing tone, and have a decent collection. Like tools in a toolbox. I still have an affinity for pawn shop guitars... Good vid, and good information. Thank you for doing what you do 🙏🏻🤍💛
Same here. When I started playing in my early years it was about looks, then feel, now it's more about the tones and being versatile for different genres. I will always love my LP's, but a Tele and several strats wandered into my life and I love them all. But my favorite is an hss that hits all the tones I need. Pawn shops are my number one source btw, but I carefully look them over to make sure I can fix/tweak them the way I need them
Pretty cool video very useful. I’m a bassist thinking of picking up guitar as well. And you’re right on, get something that excites you to pickup every time you pass by it.
I have owned alot of great guitars during my 34 years as a guitarist. No matter what i try or buy I always go back to Gibson. It is a nostalgia thing that takes me back to my earliest days of lessons and dreaming of owning a real Les Paul at the store i took lessons at
Rhett you are awesome. Your funk guitar course piqued my interest so sharply that I had to pause the video to go and buy it. I've been a subscriber for a while and always enjoyed your vids and channel. I'm also blazing my way through Dipped in Tone, its so fun to hang out with you and Zach. Keep up the amazing work, don't let any rude dudes keep you down! Love from Minneapolis, MN❤
I appreciate the detailed explanations of the variations and how they affect how the guitar sounds. I don't think there is anyone else giving this much information.
I have rarely regretted buying a guitar or amp, but have often regretted selling them. As far as preconceptions and prejudices go, in 1979 (not the best year for Gibsons) I left my house with a fistfull of strenuously accumulated cash, with the intention of buying the best Les in town. That was, to my mind, the ultimate electric guitar. I had settled on a black Custom, their flagship at the time, but while I was waiting on the sales guy that was ringing up some strings, I made the mistake of picking up a lovely red ... Yamaha. SG-2000 It snuggled into my side as if it were custom-made for me, it out-sustained the Les, was flawlessly made, and was a beautiful piece of furniture, too. NO, NO, NO! I want a Les Paul, not a Japanese guitare, not a Yamaha. I A-B'ed them and tried to find some fault in the Yamaha. There were none, while there was the hint of a gap in the Gibson's binding at the 10th fret, and the finish on the back of the headstock might have been better. The Gibson mystique died for that day. There was only a $6.00 price difference (both obscenely expensive for my working-man's budget). I have never been sorry, or felt that I settled for secondl-best. Unfortunately, my brand-skepticism has done me a bit of a disservice over the years - after 55 years of playing, I just last year bought my first Strat. Buddha's toenails! Why did I wait so long? Moral? Don't let fads or "popular wisdom" or preconceived notions keep you from buying an instrument that could turn out to be absolutely right for you.
Rhett - your videos are always informative and well thought out. Even though I'm an experienced player and have played for many years I enjoyed this thoroughly - nice job!
I bought my first electric. It's Donnor that has a single humbucker and 2 single coil pickups with 5 way switch. Liked the look and price of it is why I got it. I've never seen that but the guy at guitar store told it's great starter guitar due the humbucker and single coil as it can produce wide range of sounds.
As somebody who's been playing for close to 15 years now, another thing I would add is your style and preference can change. And that's OK! I've been anti-singlecoil and strat-tele my whole life and the past few years I genuinely think I'm falling in love with them. Saving up for one now.
Hey Rhett Shull, There are a couple of points you could have mentioned. They are the profile of the back of the neck (that is it's shape) and the radius or (curvature) of the fret board. It has an affect on how your hands feel around the neck. On the first 2 Led Zepplen albums Jimmy Page was actually using the Telecaster he was given by Jeff Beck. He later used a Les Paul model.
I have a Srat, a PRS, a Les Paul Studio, and a Les Paul Standard. My favourite is my Strat, and I've always had one since I started playing (45 years ago), because Hendrix had one. Over the past 10 years I got the Les Paul to try different sounds then the PRS. And they are all unique just as you say. But you can get away with one guitar now and have that amp that will sound like any guitar you want. But it's nice seeing 4 lovely guitars on my stand.
The "problem" mentioned at 2:20 is actually a strength in the era of lower volume stages! I play live with a Gretsch Black Phoenix for this exact reason - even if I need to attenuate my Princetons, I can still play with the feedback quite a bit, but it's never been too uncontrolled (unlike some of the other hollowbodied guitars I've played).
This is great and important fundamental info. I would like to also add this - The Neck style! - it's something I Never even considered. I played a Yamaha acoustic for years and being left handed I never had much opportunity to sample different guitars or ever thought about the neck style. As far as I knew they were all the same. Fast forward some decades...I bought some electric Guitars and I discovered that neck styles do vary and I know now that I definitely have a preference. Some 6 string necks are thick (in depth - not width) and some are thin. Just as a personal preference I know now - I don't care for the thicker necks - which ironically was the style of the Yamaha I played for years. So now I look for a thin style neck. Necks are critically important to playing because it's the part of the guitar you actually touch and hold on to.
I'm also a lefty and found that I really like the thinner necks. Comes from having a really bad cheap Strat and then getting my first nice guitar, an Ibanez RG. It was a revelation, I was suddenly a much better player because I didn't have to fight so much trying to play fast riffs and licks. I have a Les Paul type guitar too, a Yamaha AES, but it just doesn't work for me.
I started seriously taking guitar lesson and was on a search for the right guitar about 2 years ago. I went through 6 guitars in that time and finally settled on a Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee HH model guitar. The guitar's resonance unplugged was loud. The weight, balance, neck profile, neck radius and frets all felt perfect the fist time I played it. The pickups sounded great, the tuning machines worked fine the nut was cut right and the bridge didn't bother my picking hand neither did the location of the pickup switch or controls. I like it so much I bought another. Just a different color. In May, 2023 Sterling is releasing a new model with P90s in 3 new colors. I'm tempted to buy one because I like P90s and would love to have them in the guitar model I already own. I still have a 72 Thin Line Telecaster and the Epiphone ES 339 but there's always room for one with P90s.
Great overview! My first electric was a 1968 Les Paul Custom I bought in 1974 and that was 'it' for several years - still have it. Early 80's I got a Japanese made Roland Strat (it came with their new guitar synth pedal) and I loved it. Still happy to switch from one to the other depending on what I'm recording. I recently bought a Duesenberg Starplayer because I wanted to try a semi-acoustic electric & also a Casino because I wanted to be a Beatle! Enjoying the different vibe these 2 give me. Whatever feels right makes sense to me! 😀
I feel at home on my old Strat but have and old Mustang that just has something I can’t get from anything else. And then I pick up my Gretsch and that thing just forces me to play different which is always good. It really depends what sound I’m after. I’ll sit and get to know whatever guitar you give me. They all have their own character and having a few to choose from is always a great way to utilise different sounds in your music. My advice would be to just enjoy every guitar you play and see where the feel and tone of the instrument take you naturally 😁
Amo la TELECASTER por varios motivos... Más sencilla, sólo 3 posiciones y te centras más en tocar. Tocas todo... blues, rock, pop etc... Menos peso, si buscas una telecaster de pino a de "ash light". Te centras en tocar y no en obtener 15 sonidos diferentes. GRACIAS POR SU VIDEO, UN SALUDO DESDE ESPAÑA.
Don’t forget comfort is not just the weight and feel. It’s also if u are going to be upset when you get a gash in the neck or scratch the paint or hit the headstock on the ceiling taking it off. Life happens. If u are worried someone will walk out of the bar with your #1 guitar or can’t jump because u are uptight about the finish then it may not be for ur best purchase.
Happened to me too. Had a brand new guitar and hit the headstock on the ceiling when I first took it off. That changed the way I take off my guitars from then on. Lol. Cheap but nicely made guitars are easier to pick up and play all the time because of this reason.
Just a note on the scale length: you can use different string gauges to get different string tensions. So I wouldn't really choose a scale length to get some string tension as that can be modified. But the shorter neck, sure, that's a valid point. And if you are smaller or have some physical limitations, you can also find shorter scale lengths than the Gibson's one and have a guitar that is easier to play. That's even more true for basses where the default scale length is much longer than a typical guitar.
I’ve been on my path to find that one guitar i like and i found it at place i did not expect. I like to play alot of different genres, from blues to sludge. I allways tought single coils are out of question. But once i got fender strat i felt its that guitar for me. It can do everything for me, and with compression and effects it can do quite heavy stuff despite lacking humbuckers. Also strats are so easy to mod and its okay to slap some stickers on it not worrying about covering flamed maple top etc.
Very informative. Great video. I had been lacking this information in my search for my first electric guitar. What I have gleened is that, just like a pair of pants, you should get the most comfy ... this way you will actually get into it.
Another great video! I'm including your links on my site for my clients. You have a great way of getting the information across in a very positive manner. Keep up the great work Rhett!!
so ive been playing now for 3 months daily with the fender tele of my dad. It was cool and i like playing but it just didnt get me as excited. My dad recently bought a les paul 50s standard and said if i keep playing daily i can use it. I cant walk past this thing without playing even if just 10 minutes. The feel of the easy bends and the distinct sound with sustain without changing the amp is so beautiful to me. My dad is the man :) So i agree completely, buy that what makes you wanna play it.
Telecaster. The answer is always Telecaster. That's the right guitar. Always. lol Honestly, most people with a life long affection for guitar will most likely get all of them.
I'm a novice guitar player and I'm looking to purchase my first electric. This video was a great help in guiding me in the decision making process! Thanks Rhett!
GREAT advice. I always wanted to love the Gib/Epi 24.75" scale length and sound, but realized after a long time my body just 'likes' the longer scale length of a Fender-type product. I also fret them cleaner and despite different neck shapes across the 25.5" length they just fit my hands better. I've also realized (over time, because I'm kinda slow) that unless you have a really discriminating ear you can get verrrrry similar tones out of just about anything (or repurpose a guitar's inherent sound it to work for whatever genre of music) - and that makes getting the 'fit' so much more important than anything. You gotta feel good playing to want to play a lot. My go-to? Basic, simple, reliable knockaround T-styles (but all with belly cuts for my gut lol)...
Made me feel old! We used to buy what we could afford and if we hated it we’d trade with somebody who hated theirs until you ended up with one you liked. Pawn shop guitars FTW. Also, you should play hollowbody more often!
Ive bought, sold and traded so many guitars in my life. I lost count. My favorite to this day is my chibson that my grandfather bought at a garage sale about 20 years ago. Damn thing looks amazing, plays extremely well and is par for course on sound with the real thing. Sometimes less is more 🤷♂️
I came up a strat. When I lost my first guitar i spent a few years playing fingerstyle acoustic. (had it for a decade i was crushed.) I eventually got a Tele. I love it. It plays Reggae, Blues, Emo. Funk and Jazz. It does everything but Djent. Which suits me as i prefer to play with my fingers. They really are timeless guitars. End of the day you gotta just find what feels right. My 600 dollar Tele keeps up with my roomies 10 k signature model. And it has never given me issues. I set it up when I got it, checked intonation, and it hasn't failed me since. "If you can't divebomb, learn to Slide." -Wally Bones
You know, I usually get sick of content creators hawking stuff in the middle of their videos... like 99% of the time, but Rhett, you hit me with that Funk course at the exact right moment (pay week AND binging guitar videos by people far more talented than I will ever be). So, I've never said this before, but "Thanks for selling me that intangible thing!"
I think you hit one a really good point, one I’ve always maintained over 45 years of playing; for many players, the guitar is a tool. And picking the right tool for the right job doesn’t necessarily mean owning 500 guitars. For myself, I’m primarily a songwriter- so i have a small, but important mix of guitars that work for the given styles i emulate. Surprisingly, my go to writing guitar is a 2009 Schecter, that most people can find online for 3-500.00… for me, it’s perfect. Other Players, however, might just love having a ton of different guitars that inspire them, and are aesthetically pleasing to touch, view and enjoy. There is the beauty of the instrument; it’s in the eyes of the players. If i were to tell my young self anything, it would be this; “Don’t go in for fads. Don’t pick the next ‘hot’ guitar. And, because you play lefty, prepare to NEVER get to try out anything at the NAMM show!!” Hehe This is a great video- your content never disappoints
I've recently started buying a guitar a year since I've gotten financially on track and bought a house with a new career I started a couple years ago. I just bought a PRS Hollowbody SE in Faded blue burst. What a beauty. Why choose just one type? Work hard and buy one of each. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you love the look of the guitar and you feel it when you play it, buy it if you have the means. I remember how much it sucked not to be able to afford the gear you want. I was 36 before I got to this point. Don't give up folks.
I have been searching for what type electic guitar I want for over a few months now. Days searching for the awnser, but there is so much to choose from 😅. Thanks for this video! This really helped me narrowing it down to a few left. ❤
One thing I can definitely speak on is leaving your guitar somewhere where you see it often. When I first started playing bass, I played in the garage. I realized I was making excuses to not practice, so I moved my bass to my bedroom. Almost every time I walked by it, I picked it up and played something, even if it was just for a couple minutes. Best decision I ever made.
The biggest thing is to go play everything. This can be nerve racking in public places so my rule is always to play an electric unplugged for a while. If it doesn’t feel good it won’t sound good
I personally am all about tonal variation, but I ain’t exactly ol’ Moneybags Malone. So my first guitar was a Nash Deluxe Tele (with the Strat pup in the middle), and about 10 years later I got a 2010 cherry Epiphone Dot. It was the Dot that I wound up playing a lot more because, like you said, if it looks appealing you’re more prone to keep picking it up. While admittedly I like the Tele’s tone better for recording, that semi-hollow sound is extremely useful as a counterpoint to it. Both guitars together on one track create a very rich sound.
Excellent video Rhett! As you Saif, wished there had been a video like this when in the beginning! I enjoyed it, and Iam sure many will and benefit too! Thank You
I would like any and all electric guitar(s)if i felt i could get it to have some sort of purpose for me lol. Problem is they all imo are great. My budget not so much.
About scale length - please don't say that a 25,5" scale length guitar have higher tension. Please! Yes, a guitar with a longer scale length will usually have higher tension than a guitar with shorter scale length IF THEY BOTH HAVE THE SAME GAUGE STRINGS. But a Strat with 8's will definitely have lower tension than a Les Paul with 11's. So string gauge is a bigger factor governing string tension. Then comes factors like scale length, but also things like how you tune the guitar. There - I had to get it off my chest. Carry On. By the way - great video as usual, Mr Shull.
I'm glad you mention this.....i find even using the same strings on the longer scale, it feels slinkier and more responsive. I once thought that the last guitar i would want, was a strat.....how wrong i was! Although the last three guitars i got, are strats...😁🎸🤘🎸
9:56 The truth has been spoken, at the end of the day gear does not matter! Having fun playing music and sharing it with other people is what matters! 😃
This was an excellent video if you can come out with one or two more videos and you can go through more features I would really appreciate it… I’m using this video to make up my mind on what guitar to purchase and I’m leaning towards the Les Paul, but I want a less pull that’s like 8 pounds so they have to reduce the weight a lot… I love the way the Gibson SG feels what a comfortable guitar… let me know what you think of these two Gibson guitars… my favorite music is rock ‘n’ roll. I love the guitarist Ace Frehley Jimmy page. And Angus from AC/DC, I forgot his last name…
I remember when I only wanted Fender guitars and nothing else, I wanted a Tele, a Jazzmaster, and Jag. But now I want a Black Falcon, still a Tele, a Firebird, etc.
I have smaller hands so neck size is a big thing for me. I’ve found that a Fender vintage C shape is the best fit. For Gibson’s I can only really comfortably play the 60’s style slimmer necks. I can play the thicker ones but I lose out on capability and comfort. So, that’d be my advice. Check different neck sizes at your local guitar shop until you find one that suits you. Then find a guitar you like with a neck like that.
