Need a guitar nuts input.

[BryanP]

Okay.  My newly acquired stepdaughter has said she wants one thing for Christmas.  An electric guitar to learn on.

She's 14.  Plays cello, has been learning acoustic guitar, reads and writes music pretty well as well.  I don't want to get stupid with money but I don't want to get her a Wal Mart First Act kit either. 

I know diddly about guitars other than what I'm googling.  It seems to be a world every bit as contentious as guns when it comes to arguments over what sucks and what's good enough.

[Ryan in Maine]

I think Squier has been making some good guitars the past couple of years. Their Classic Vibe and Vintage Mod series of guitars sound great for the money.

http://www.squierguitars.com/products/

[richyoung]

You are going to need a guitar, amp guitar cord, strap, spare strings, picks, and if she doesn't have them already, and electronic tuner and an electronic metronome or drum machine.  At an absolute minumum, a "gig bag" case, altho a hard case is a better option.  Usually a stand, as well,

Don't buy used unless you know what you are doing, or have someone with you that does - the neck is the heart of the guitar, and it and the bridge have to be capable of adjusting out to playability,- or you just pissed your money away.

There are starter sets that have a small amp, a (usually) servicable guitar of Chinese or Indoneasian manufacture, frequently with a real guitar manufacturer's name on it, (think "captive knock-off" - the amp is one as well....), gig bag, strings, cheap strap, a few picks, and sometimes a tuner - usually, these are around $250 - $300.  If you go this route, please buy from an actual music store, verses Hastings or a big box store - as having someone to check it out and adjust if necessary is a really, really good thing.  Wood takes time to get stable and know it isn;t part of a tree anymore, and bouncing halfway around the world in a shipping container can promote warping and shifting - no biggee IF it can be adjusted out and IF someone knows how to do it.

Often you can find a used starter set , or you can get better quality buying individual used pieces.  Avoid pawn shops like the plauge.

Any more PM me & I'll give you a number to call me & we'll talk....

[AZRedhawk44]

Fender squires and entry level strats are lighter than most guitars, which might matter to a little 14 year old rocker girl.  Les Pauls, Ibanez Artist Series and other similar chunky electric guitars weigh a bit more and chaffe the shoulder for the uninitiated.

One of my first decent electric guitars was a Yamaha.  Bridge-side humbucker and a pair of single coils mounted closer to the neck.  It was surprisingly nice, which was why I bought it over a Fender.  The neck felt better.

One thing to keep an eye on, is to get a feel for her hand size.  You don't want a gigantic neck (either the depth from the fretboard to the rounded part of the neck, or the distance from string 1 to string 6) for someone with little hands.  

If she's into classic rock or metal, get something with a humbucker pickup.  If she's into grunge or pop, I think single coils will be more apt.  Blues can go either way.

Amp?  Line 6 makes stuff that gives you a reasonable facsimile of a "sound" that she might be looking for.  You can sound like a Marshall DSL stack, a vintage Fender, all sorts of fun effects like reverb and chorus and other goodies.

[Iain]

One of my first decent electric guitars was a Yamaha.  Bridge-side humbucker and a pair of single coils mounted closer to the neck.  It was surprisingly nice, which was why I bought it over a Fender.  The neck felt better.

Probably one the entry level Pacifica's? Good first guitar.

I'd get the kid's input in terms of styling and jump off from there. When I was 16 and buying an electric guitar all I wanted was a Telecaster (making me slightly unusual amongst that age group btw), so I wouldn't have wanted an Ibanez JEM as a gift. Well I would have, having been taught to be gracious and not having a lot of expensive stuff as a kid. You get my point though. She may well have an image of what she wants, even if it's "not one of those ones with the pointy bits".

After that, most of the lower end of the market manufacturers have their own takes on the industry icons.

[BryanP]

Thanks for the info.

Size:  She's pretty tall for 14.  5'10" and plays post on her 8th grade basketball team.  Good sized hands as far as that goes.

What do you guys think about the guitars listed here?  Again, I know little on the subject.  My youngest brother is a guitar nerd, and a cash-poor one at that.  I'm waiting to hear back from him for an opinion, but any input is welcome.

http://guitar.about.com/od/helpbuyingguitarsgear/tp/electricguitars.htm

[Iain]

Thanks for the info.

Size:  She's pretty tall for 14.  5'10" and plays post on her 8th grade basketball team.  Good sized hands as far as that goes.

What do you guys think about the guitars listed here?  Again, I know little on the subject.  My youngest brother is a guitar nerd, and a cash-poor one at that.  I'm waiting to hear back from him for an opinion, but any input is welcome.

http://guitar.about.com/od/helpbuyingguitarsgear/tp/electricguitars.htm

Full size was always on the cards really. The ones listed there would all be ok I reckon, they're pretty much the classics - Tele, Strat derivatives. Epi Les Paul Special would be right up my street these days, I'd love to thrash one of those playing Felice Brother's tunes in a band with bearded chaps.

Thing is, unfairly perhaps, certain guitars are associated with certain sounds/acts:

Les Paul - Jimmy Page, Slash, Gary Moore. Heavy, blues/rock
Strat - Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan (oh, and Clapton too)
Tele - country. Andy Summers. Some 90s brit-pop.
Ibanez JEM - Steve Vai.

For that reason, your average wannabe shredder probably wants something like an Ibanez JEM over a Les Paul.

[BryanP]

Don't buy used unless you know what you are doing, or have someone with you that does - the neck is the heart of the guitar, and it and the bridge have to be capable of adjusting out to playability,- or you just pissed your money away.
...

Any more PM me & I'll give you a number to call me & we'll talk....

Thanks for all the input there.  Considering that I live just outside Nashville and we had a sudden and ugly flood back in the spring I would be very wary of any used guitars being sold around here right now anyway.

[Harold Tuttle]

a buddy has had good luck with chinese electrics bought on ebay

My daughters covet a daisy rock
http://www.daisyrock.com/

[Brad Johnson]

Called a buddy of mine who all kinds of into that stuff.  He says to look pretty hard at the Traditions brand.

Brad

[BryanP]

a buddy has had good luck with chinese electrics bought on ebay

My daughters covet a daisy rock
http://www.daisyrock.com/

She's a bit of a tomboy.  I can already tell you her response to that one.   

[richyoung]

Thanks for the info.

Size:  She's pretty tall for 14.  5'10" and plays post on her 8th grade basketball team.  Good sized hands as far as that goes.

What do you guys think about the guitars listed here?  Again, I know little on the subject.  My youngest brother is a guitar nerd, and a cash-poor one at that.  I'm waiting to hear back from him for an opinion, but any input is welcome.

http://guitar.about.com/od/helpbuyingguitarsgear/tp/electricguitars.htm

These, in any starter pack, as well as whatever starter kits Ibanez, G&L, ESP, Kramer, or Hofner offer. Avoid brands labeled Memphis. Laser, Lazer.  Also steer clear of any "Fender Starcaster" kits or guitars.

ALL the low end stuff is made in China, Korea, or Indoneasia on CNC machines, with the same hardware.  Difference is having some QC and a name brand to stand behind them.

Be advised, if she sticks with it, you WILL be buying a better instrument and amp down the line, so if you are sure she's into it, you might go ahead and get a little better instrument and amp now, rather than buying twice.

[Iain]

rich - is it Aria that claim to be the actual manufacturers of the vast majority of guitars on the market?

Looking at the Guitar Center's website you've got a lot more choices in the $200-300 range than I have. Some pretty cool looking guitars in there.

No Washburn's though, and they might be another option.

[AZRedhawk44]

One thing with Fenders to watch out for:

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, they had a BAD problem on their low end strats.  The neck/body juncture was often shimmed with little strips of balsa.  I don't know why they had such a problem aligning necks to bodies, but there was a point in time that you couldn't pick up a sub-$400 (sub-$600 today) Fender and not have a mad glaring gap between the neck and body when viewed from the back of the neck down into the top of the body's upper bout.

Air gap at the neck kills resonance from the neck, and the string won't sustain the note as long.  So do wooden shims.  You want hardwood on hardwood to get best resonance, but no warping or over-torquing.

I don't know if Fender is producing guitars with the neck properly mated to the body for under $600 nowadays, but beware the low end Fenders in this regard.  It WAS a problem for several years.

[280plus]

I'd probably shop around for a store with people in it that I liked and then have them make suggestions for a starter "kit" for a kid. Stay away from Guitar Center. Try and find a small local shop that maybe does repairs too. If the people are polite and treat you with respect rather than look down their noses at you you're probably in the right place. 

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Get her a ukelele.

[Thor]

I'd probably shop around for a store with people in it that I liked and then have them make suggestions for a starter "kit" for a kid. Stay away from Guitar Center. Try and find a small local shop that maybe does repairs too. If the people are polite and treat you with respect rather than look down their noses at you you're probably in the right place. 

I got a really good deal on a Takamine 12 string from Guitar Center many years ago. Of course, I pretty much knew what I wanted.

What I would really recommend is that IF she is serious about guitar playing , to drop the electric guitar and start with a decent acoustic. After she's mastered that, the transition to electric will be very easy. Heck, she could even "electrify" her acoustic as I did with my Takamine. Also, I used my stereo as a amp. It took just a little adapting, but that was fairly easy.

[230RN]

I thought OP said she already had an acoustic guitar.

[Strings]

*sigh*

Unless you buy her some piece of plywood with a couple pickups stuck in it, you should be fine.

Amp, cord, stand, yada yada yada: welcome to the 21st century!

Do some searching on Evilbay for a Steinberger Spirit (or similar headless).
Some Steinbergers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/steinberger-spirit-elecric-guitar-/330490738864?pt=Guitar&hash=item4cf2c878b0
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hohner-G2T-Headless-Guitar-Steinberger-Licensed-Bridge-/300486815775?pt=Guitar&hash=item45f668f01f

Handy little adapter:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Steinberger-Hohner-Cort-Headless-String-Adapter-/320612286372?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4aa5fb3fa4

Pocket Amp:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Guitar-Headphone-Amp-Made-Pocket-Rock-it-/170560471796?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b63242f4
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-CTECH-Pocket-Rockit-S1-Headphone-Amp-Guitar-/380283967853?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588ab0d96d

A tuner is helpful, but not necessary. A strap would be a nice idea (but again, not necessary). These DO take a special kinda string, but those are available through Musicians Friend (or use the adapter I linked to).

Oh... case. For mine, I use the case from my Beretta Cx4, so that gives you an idea on size.

Other goodies (better amps, effects, etc) just give you more options for future presents (there are more accessories for electric guitars than there are for ARs). But going overboard right away ain't necessary...

[280plus]

I got a really good deal on a Takamine 12 string from Guitar Center many years ago. Of course, I pretty much knew what I wanted.

Yea, someone who knows what they're looking for can do alright there but to me it's just another big box store. I'd rather establish a rapport with a smaller local guy that might have a heart in there somewhere. What I hate seeing is a parent going whole hog on the gear for their kid and then 6 months later it's all piled in the back of their closet. Which reminds me some of the BEST deals you'll ever get will come from the back of somebody's closet. So it's not a bad idea to check the "instruments for sale" in the local classifieds too. I bought a 1972 Ovation hollow body electric out of the classifieds for $250 many years ago (not a electric acoustic, a jazz style guitar with F holes). It's worth ~$1200 right now. 

I also bought a 1960 Gibson acoustic for $200 out of a pawn shop in 1984. I saw a similar slightly newer Epiphone at GC for $1195 recently. 

[Fitz]

I'm going to have to disagree with the above comment about starting with an acoustic.

Typically, electrics are thinner, easier to manage, and have lighter strings and easier action.

I started on a squier California strat, it was a great guitar.

[Strings]

And several folks need to take a reading comprehension course, it seems. from the OP:

Plays cello, has been learning acoustic guitar

She's already GOT an acoustic, and is playing with it. Wants an electric now.

Everybody got that one? Pointing out where to find good acoustic guitars isn't helping the OP...

[richyoung]

rich - is it Aria that claim to be the actual manufacturers of the vast majority of guitars on the market?

I think that company is Samick that you are thinking of....

Sorting out the actual Japanese production from that era is somewhat problematic, as they, to a certain extent, acted like the Chinese factories do today - a factory would produce a model for one company (or more than one...), and when that contract was up, make a few cosmetic changes, change the name, - and keep on making it.  That having been said, Aria and Samick, as well as washburn, yamaha, tokai, ESP, and a handful of others made really, really good intruments.  I currently play an old Aria Pro II Thor Sound bass - ( I know, bass is where old guitar players go to die.... ), and it is a first-rate instrument - one identical to mine can be seen in some live videos that Duran Duran made.

For a while, Japan was the only place building Fender guitars, as the factory in the US was being moved - this was the mid-80's.  Various companies in Japan contract with various other companies to build these "captive counterfeits", and they are quite good.

[richyoung]

One thing with Fenders to watch out for:

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, they had a BAD problem on their low end strats.  The neck/body juncture was often shimmed with little strips of balsa.

This is a problem that all guitars with a neck fabricated seperate from the body have.  Shimming is a standard technique to correct manufacturer tolerance stack-up, and to adjust neck angle to enhance playability.  Higher-end Fenders even have a neck angle adjustment mechanism, called "micro-tilt" built into them - sort of an infinitly variable mechanical shim.  I have seen necks shimmed with almost anything, to include pieces of pick.  Micarta or some similar plastic-y material is best, but I have sucessfully used strips of business card.

Even set-neck guitars sometimes have to have their neck angle adjusted - either at assembly, or later - by shimming or shaving.

[richyoung]

 I don't know why they had such a problem aligning necks to bodies, but there was a point in time that you couldn't pick up a sub-$400 (sub-$600 today) Fender and not have a mad glaring gap between the neck and body when viewed from the back of the neck down into the top of the body's upper bout.

If the gap is too tight, and the body shrinks or the neck expands, it will cause the finish to crack around the neck pocket - sometimes the body as well.  SInce the absolute best pieces of the best woods do not go into the lower end instruments, (which coincidentally tend to lead tougher lives, in terms of mechanical shock), the slightly larger gap is a warranty/lifespan accomodation, and primarily a cosmetic issue.  Is it optimal?  No - but you give up some of the cosmetics and hand-fitting when you go down in price.  These instruments still sound and play great, and if it really bugs you - you can inspect before buying, and simply decline one with more gap thatn you are willing to live with.  A used instrument  can be shimmed at the sides of the neck pocket, or the neck can even be bedded like a rifle barrel in a stock channel, if you choose to do so.

Air gap at the neck kills resonance from the neck, and the string won't sustain the note as long.  So do wooden shims.  You want hardwood on hardwood to get best resonance, but no warping or over-torquing.

See above post about microtilt...