Hi All, I'm just starting out with electric guitar, I have played acoustic for about a year. I'm familiar with basic terminology of the electric, and how it's so different from the acoustic guitar. I won't be buying an amp straight away, will just use the guitar with GarageBand for a while, headphones are more than enough for me (any issues experienced with that?) Slightly tight budget (8,000 to 10,000 max) and I am looking for a guitar that has good action first (something that doesn't kill the motivation to learn - like I've read about the various Givsons, Plutos and also Squires on this forum), tone and looks are subjective issues anyway. From what I have read on various sites and on this forum: 1) Ibanez GRG170DX - above my budget anyway, but mixed reviews on this one - some say it's lovely while others are unhappy with its (lack of) stability 2) Washburn X10 - my favourite so far, well rated guitar wherever I've read about it, only problem is it goes out of tune too quickly if whammy-ing (and the sudden uncoloured headstock looks weird on an otherwise good looking piece ) 3) Washburn RX10/12 - my superfavourites, but wonder if they are available in India yet, any ideas? What exactly is the new Tune-o-Matic bridge they are touting? 4) Yamaha Pacifica 012 - this one is touted as a great beginners guitar on some forums but I've seen very low ratings on it, everyone seems to favour the higher pacificas 112/120/etc but that adds min. 4,500 to the tag Also some reviews frown about the agathis body - what's the deal, avoid agathis as a body material? 5) Cort X2 - ~ 13,000 on bajaoo.com so I may get an acceptable deal somewhere, how is this guitar? I have no reviews on it 6) Washburn Lyon - beginner's guitar at around 6,000, any reviews on this? If this is good I can buy a basic amp too Howcome I can't find anything about Washburn OX-series? What other things to keep in mind when moving to electric from acoustic? and finally To whammy or not to whammy? Which is a better kind of tremolo (I'll avoid floating) and can I add a tremolo later on a guitar that doesn't have it initially? Thanks for your time guys
Some things to note 1. Action is not a function of different guitar models, it is a (adjustable) factor of individual pieces. After you pick a guitar model, buy a piece with good action (or get it adjusted). 2. Tune-o-matic bridge is a bridge style pioneered by Gibson, commonly seen on Les Paul style guitars. The purpose of tune-o-matic bridges is to make adjusting intonation easier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tune-o-matic 3. Agathis guitars sound dull (to many, myself included), but you may feel otherwise. Try playing some.
1. None of the guitars under ~16k are said to be worth buying. 2. What gamebore said, tell us what genres do you plan on playing/learning. 3. We have a guide for choosing and buying guitars and related gear, comprising of what has been recommended and hasn't failed a player. Read it thoroughly to get a good idea of what to buy and what to avoid. Part 1 Part 2 Good luck.
Re: Thanks so much for the info guys. I'll be playing moderate rock, a few tracks I like for example: Foo fighters - Everlong Blondie - Hanging on the telephone Motorhead - Ace of Spades (+ mostly all of the songs in the Rock Band game series) Aerosmith - I don't wanna miss a thing Some of the more difficult ones I'm aiming for: Airbourne - Girls in Black From First To Last - I once was lost but now am profound (these are from NFS-Undercover OST)
I think you'll be fine with any of those guitars, except for maybe the Pacifica and Telecaster. Go get saving.
Got one Sorry to bump this unnecessarily, just wanted to say thanks. I finally got an Ibanez GS-A60 from Music Square (at Lajpat Nagar). Good deal for 12,000 bucks. I preferred this one over the GRG170 purely because I liked the sound better on the neck pickup (this one has single on the neck). Using it with GarageBand, without a *real* amp for now, unless the Vox AmPlug AC30 qualifies as one Thanks guys. (PS: Agathis body. Still love the way it sounds. )
somethin to make you feel good.. : Oli Herbert from All That Remains warming up on his GSA60 backstage at House of Blues Hollywood
