My First Guitar Dilemmas

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by hanifv, May 8, 2007.

  1. hanifv

    hanifv New Member

    Hey people, I am a long time reader, first time poster here at IGT.

    I have always had a little affinity towards guitars, but lately I have become obsessed by it, and I have decided to buy one.

    NOTE: I haven’t played guitar or any other musical instrument before.

    Music that I like:

    radiohead, led zeppelin, pink floyd, beatles, greenday, the doors, coldplay, sugarcult, metallica, etc.

    rascal flatts, keith urban, eric clapton, johnny cash, tim mcgraw, etc.

    A lot of Indian music too – atif aslam, kailash kher, all the good movie songs (both oldies and new), good albums, etc.

    I really like singing songs and also sometimes writing songs. If I was to be in a band I would like to be the lead singer/composer.

    So my first confusion was electric or acoustic? I know it all depends on the kind of music I like and would like to play. But the problem is I like them both. My music likings vary a lot. I would like to play metal stuff like master of puppets, but at the same time I love acoustic songs like time of you life.

    Second problem is budget. I don’t have a job, I am a student (20 yrs old) and I can’t shell out a lot of cash but at the same time I don’t want to buy a cheap badly made guitar. I want to stay away from the Indian brands (unless there is something which is good).

    I am from Mumbai btw, so I went to town to have a look at some guitars. First I went to bhargavas (the one opposite to furtados at metro). The salesperson there was not at all helpful and was reluctant to show me anything. He said all they have was Ibanez electric guitars and Pluto acoustics.

    Next I went to furtados. The guys there seemed nice. As soon as I entered the salesperson greeted me and showed me around. I played some Yamaha guitars. People keep saying that one should play the guitar to see if it feels right. I just foolishly plucked the strings because I don’t know what to look for when testing them (any help on this?). The guy kept insisting about Walden guitars but I had never heard the name before (I had done some brand name homework off the internet). They had plenty of greg bentley electric guitars but they were all way out of my budget. Before leaving, I saw a fender squire guitar in a corner which I liked.

    The Yamaha f210 he showed me was 5.2k(is it nice?) and the fender squire was 11.2k.

    If I buy the squire, I will need 4k more for an amp. So I am thinking of getting an acoustic now and then later buy an electric when I start earning. The budget from my savings comes to about 6k.

    Also what’s the deal about cut-away guitars? They look nice, but what are their pros & cons? Are they better for beginners? Are there any good cut-away guitars that fit my budget?

    I have read and heard about lot of guitars and brands but I didn’t find them at the two shops I went to, like washburn, epiphone, takamine, etc. Where will I get stuff like washburn D10S, epiphone les paul special II, fender acoustics, etc.

    Please guide me people. Which guitar do you think I should get? Am I making a mistake by going for an acoustic first? Any advice, suggestion, help, is most welcome. Also please tell me, which shop in Mumbai, should I buy the guitar from?

    PS: Sorry for the long post, but it’s only because I don’t want to go wrong with my first guitar.
     
  2. yazi

    yazi Banned

    WoW!:nw:WoW
     
  3. hemkir

    hemkir New Member

    hi

    hi
    Even i dont hv much knowledge....u better take with you someone who has knowledge of guitar. for me my teacher chose the guitar, it is chinese, around 3k...GBand A
     
  4. Nouman011

    Nouman011 New Member

    The yamaha acoustic is a very decent guitar. Its probably better that you start playing with an acoustic. And get some classes or something atleast until you learn the basics.
     
  5. sridhar11_2

    sridhar11_2 Instrumental guitarist

    Since you're on a budget there's no immediate need to go for an electric...i say go for an acoustic thats how majority of us including me started out on guitar. There's nothing wrong with that.

    Yamaha acoustics are indeed really good..also i've heard good things about plutos so check them out as well. Its best you buy the one with a cut-away cause that means you can reach the higher frets more easily and efficiently..best thing for begginers

    You can eventually save more and get a good electric later.
     
  6. sridhar11_2

    sridhar11_2 Instrumental guitarist

    ????? wats the problem ????
     
  7. raj.hendrix

    raj.hendrix New Member

    pwnage attempts haha!

    and to the thread-starter: please go for an acoustic since u dont know the g of guitars, play for a year or two on acoustic then go for an electric.
     
  8. sid_vicious

    sid_vicious New Member

    haha just buy a givson im a beginner myself thata wat i started on they just 2k...i mean its not like its gonna break or anything and u just need to get used the feel of the guitar first so i guess cheap IS best
     
  9. born2tab

    born2tab rhythm guitarist

    If you ask shreyas he will recommend electric.I too have seen many ppl struggling with the accoustic but grasping too soon on electric.

    And since your budget supports that you can go for a fender squier from bajao.
    Its just 9k and since u are in mumbai it wud require no shipping and you can get a second hand amp and off you go.
    But this is just my op.
    Wait till you get a decent amount of opinions till it confuses the $hit outta u.But still u will b in a better position to judge then.
    happy guitaring
     
  10. laneymaney

    laneymaney Banned

    I played acoustic for 5months btw.....
     
  11. born2tab

    born2tab rhythm guitarist

    And I still remember you mentioning that when you switched to electric it was a heavenly world of music then;)
     
  12. yazi

    yazi Banned

    Big question!
     
  13. hanifv

    hanifv New Member

    what was that for?

    Anyways...Thanks a lot everyone for your suggestions

    I have decided to go for an acoustic now and i can always get an electric when i start earning money.

    But some questions still remain:
    (my music likings are mentioned in the first post incase that helps you in your suggestions)

    1) Which guitar Should I get?

    The yamaha f210 sounded pretty decent. Are there any other yamaha models for around 6k ?

    I still dont know which shop stalks washburn, takamine, and fender acoustics and if there are any good models for around 6k. How are these compared to yamaha ? Also any views on walden ?

    Also are there any cutaway models that will fit in my budget? How does the sound of a cutaway differ from a regular? Should i go for cutaway or not?

    From what I have heard and read, I want to stay away from givson & hobner.

    2) What to look for when buying?

    I dont know anyone who can accompany me to the store. So any tips on what to look out for when buying?

    3) Where to buy from ?

    Bharagavas and Furtados at Metro are the only shops i have heard about and visited (i hear bhargavas has some branches in bandra...).

    It would be great if you people can tell me the model numbers of the guitars which you think I should have a look at, and also which shop stalks them (it would be great if you can give me the exact address)

    Once again, thanks a lot for helping out guys
     
  14. born2tab

    born2tab rhythm guitarist

    PM abhimanjrekar or other Mumbaikars.I had posted a thread with the title saying "Help Mumbaikars". PM them and they may be able to guide you with the best shops in Mumbai.
     
  15. yazi

    yazi Banned

    Well, check out:
    1. Yamaha F210 Jumbo
    2. Pluto Jumbo
    3. Takamine S35
    4. Yamaha F310, its beetter than the 210.
     
  16. yazi

    yazi Banned

    That wow was for one of the biggest questions I have ever seen.
     
  17. born2tab

    born2tab rhythm guitarist

    I dont know but somehow I have a grave disliking for Plutoz
     
  18. yazi

    yazi Banned

    Checklist:
    1. Fret Buzz
    2. Action(Can be adjusted)
    3. Neck straightness
    4. (Most important) Defects
    5. Sound quality. The fuller the better.
    6. Fragility
    7. Quality of parts

    Did I miss something?

    Oh ya Playability. Google all the terms you dunno. If you have any doubts, post.
     
  19. laneymaney

    laneymaney Banned

    it was...cus the acoustic i played wasnt worth the 700 rupees...the action was like 1 and a half cms...and the neck was as fat as...um......a bottle
     
  20. hanifv

    hanifv New Member

    oh ok :p

    thanks for that checklist, thats going to be really helpful.

    I was just checking out walden guitars: https://www.waldenguitars.com/steel/index.html

    Those look pretty nice. The guy at furtados kept insisting that i buy a walden guitar. No one here has had any experience with them ?

    Any idea how much is the Yamaha F310 for?

    Also need some info on fender acoustics and i am still confused about cutaway guitars.
     

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