Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Bradock PI on April 01, 2009, 02:03:20 PM
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Ok all the talk and shiny guitars - I am going to get a starter instrument. I will be working on the piano still but I have worked out there are times when I am at my PC and have 10 mins here 15 mins there which I can't use for kb but I could use for guitar.
I have biggish thick set hands so I can't start on my wifes daisy rock - so suggestions please for a first instrument budget prolly £200 - £400.
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Best advice I can give you is to walk into a guitar shop and pick up one of everything they have, don't look at the price tag, just get the feel of it. Once you know what feels right then let us know what you liked and hopefully someone will come up with something.
My first guitar was a Les Paul style, they can have quite think necks which may suit your needs, but you can probably get just about any neck profile on any body shape if you look hard enough.
Go have a play!
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I don't have one myself, but the PRS SE's are well worth checking out. I'm thinking of the hollow body at some point.
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my own opinion is that for a first guitar you should definately get something with a fixed bridge, tuning is hard enough to get to grips with at first without the headache of a vibrato bridge. there are a large range of guitars in that price range, and the majority of them are perfectly decent instruments. really, as someone who doesn't play, the best thing is probably to simply pick something you like the look of. my main suggestion is to avoid whammy bars!
if i were to suggest an ideal starter guitar, something like a squire telecaster would be hard to beat.
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As his budget stretches to more than twice that price, I'd say it's fairly easy to beat (MIM tele standard for starters).
What sort of music do you like?
Who do you want to sound like?
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squier CV i reckon
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Unless he wants to play Slipknot.
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Yamaha Pacifica 112!
Cheap, fantastically built, feel fantastic, and will give you a taste of both humbuckers and single coils.
I still play mine ALL the time - it's a brilliant guitar, and not just for the price.
Oh, and I knew it wouldn't be long, Bradock ;)
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If you have big hands aim for the 25.5 inch scale 43mm nut stuff - usually found on superstrats. Look for things that are strat like but sharpened up and more angular, jacksons, ibanezes, that sort of thing. They tend to have the biggest necks, string and fret spacing wise.
I dont think 112s have the same nut width but 1mm shouldnt make much difference - a 112 is a superb guitar for the money, you generally cant go wrong with them. Under the low end of your budget as well.
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I dont think 112s have the same nut width but 1mm shouldnt make much difference - a 112 is a superb guitar for the money, you generally cant go wrong with them. Under the low end of your budget as well.
which give you some money to spend on BKP's... they are great guitars for modding
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my own opinion is that for a first guitar you should definately get something with a fixed bridge, tuning is hard enough to get to grips with at first without the headache of a vibrato bridge. there are a large range of guitars in that price range, and the majority of them are perfectly decent instruments. really, as someone who doesn't play, the best thing is probably to simply pick something you like the look of. my main suggestion is to avoid whammy bars!
if i were to suggest an ideal starter guitar, something like a squire telecaster would be hard to beat.
Something like a telecaster would be hard to beat... HARD ENOUGH WITH A LARGE HAMMER.
At least start on a strat or something that doesn't look like total arse.
Roo
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my own opinion is that for a first guitar you should definately get something with a fixed bridge, tuning is hard enough to get to grips with at first without the headache of a vibrato bridge. there are a large range of guitars in that price range, and the majority of them are perfectly decent instruments. really, as someone who doesn't play, the best thing is probably to simply pick something you like the look of. my main suggestion is to avoid whammy bars!
if i were to suggest an ideal starter guitar, something like a squire telecaster would be hard to beat.
Something like a telecaster would be hard to beat... HARD ENOUGH WITH A LARGE HAMMER.
At least start on a strat or something that doesn't look like total arse.
Roo
ah, but the strat has the whammy bridge!
yeah, tele's look quite good after a bit of a battering, you've got the idea now Roo! :)
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If it's a starter guitar, don't spend more money than you have to. You might not like it. I'd buy one of these three:
* Yamaha Pacifica 112
* Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster
* Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster
Go with whichever you like the look of/is cheapest etc.
Unlike Roo, my vote goes to the Tele ;)
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i agree; it's the most straightforward, with the least fiddly bits to go wrong. when you're learning it's just a guitar, wood and strings, nothing else to get in the way. and as you can see from twinfan's own tele, can be upgraded later if you want.
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+1 on the pacifica 112v. those classic vibes are meant to be nice too, but i haven't tried them yet.
you can block those strat-style trems pretty easily, so they shouldn't really be a problem.
though if you're willing to go up to £400, you could possibly do better than either of those... if you're willing to pay the extra (and considering you already play an instrument, there's a good chance you'll stick with it)... you could get a higher-end pacifica, and tokai are starting to re-release Japanese-made versions of the strat (and maybe even tele) for around the £400 mark, which are bound to be worth considering if you're after that style of guitar...
btw, i think this is a record- the forum inducing GAS in a non-player... :lol: we must be doing something right...
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I tend to listen to a wide range of music and would prolly like to play from within that range on the rock side -- Deep purple, rainbow AC/DC, pink floyd, fleetwood mac, boston, UFO, Chile Peppers, Bowie (early), Shadows, Black Sabbeth, Kings of Leon, BJH etc etc
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Wouldnt worry too much about that for the time being. Ignore us pontificating on attaining the perfect rig for the sounds we want. Join us when youre ready
For now you need something thats going to give you a passable sound, be reliable, comfortable and playable.
My best advice for you:
Get a yamaha pacifica 112 and use your wifes amp or get a vox valvetronix, 15W will be fine.
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Alas, though, the 112 is not in the shape of a dragon, nor does it have dragons on it. I hope its still acceptable to you?
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i think HSS (e.g. the pacifica) would be good for that range of tones. :)
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Is the 112V different to the previous models or just an update?
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Update to the old 112. They're very similar, although I think the 112V version has a bigger tremolo block (better toneage :D ) and different "improved" pickups (I can't comment on these as I haven't tried them.)
Generally the Pacifica is considered "THE" beginner's guitar, and for good reason.
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I was kidding with my wife that you all had recommended one at around £800 for example the modded SG at felineguitars
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+ another vote for the Pacifica 112 (or 112V). I don't think there's a better starter guitar, they've spent their money very cleverly on making a really functional instrument, it's fine out of the box but also perfect for later upgrading. And it looks good too.
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The 112V has a low grade tremelo it seems and I am not sure the string spacing is wide enough I struggle on an SG to not make contact with adjacent stings. There were some comments about the PRS SE custom stoptail or SE singlecut being good for thicker fingers?
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The 112V has a low grade tremelo it seems and I am not sure the string spacing is wide enough I struggle on an SG to not make contact with adjacent stings. There were some comments about the PRS SE custom stoptail or SE singlecut being good for thicker fingers?
Yep,
Most of these guys just are not appreciating your comment about large fingers.
I have pretty chunky fingers and I simply cannot play anything with a nut width less than 43mm. Unfortunately that excludes the vast majority of guitars around. I don't have a problem at all with the slightly shorter (ie. Gibson 24.75" scale length) but nut width and therefore string spacing is a key factor.
The music you mention liking is largely music played on twin humbucker-loaded guitars, which is handy because the main instruments available a 43mm+ nut width are twin humbucker.
the Pacificas are too narrow, so are ALL squires, so are virtually all Fender strats (apart from the American std, which is a bit pricy). So are most teles.
Definately try the PRS SE's. Epiphone & Chinese/Korean Tokai Les Pauls and SG's also have a 43mm nut.
If you could find a good used Gordon Smith, near enough to try out, that would be great, as I find their necks to be some of the very best for thick fingers. But definately try one out before buying as you can get some really duff ones.
You're pretty limited with strats and teles. The Nashville tele has a 43mm nut and is a v. nice guitar, but has 3 single coils, which you may not like ..... you can always stick a single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position though, which is what I have done with mine.
As for superstrats, Ibanez and Jackson have a number of models with 43mm nuts in your price range
Washburn do a few guitars, like the Idol series with 43mm nut widths.
I think you're getting my point .... don't even consider a 42mm or 42.5 mm nut width guitar. It will only frustrate you in the long run, and there really are plenty of choices out there in 43mm.
Or if your fingers really are "bananas" then get a bass !
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[run away] How about a nice acoustic? [/run away]
I play my acoustic about 5 times as much as my electric, just pick it up, play it and put it down. No farting about with wires and bits when I've only got a couple of minutes.
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The 112V has a low grade tremelo it seems and I am not sure the string spacing is wide enough I struggle on an SG to not make contact with adjacent stings. There were some comments about the PRS SE custom stoptail or SE singlecut being good for thicker fingers?
Yep,
Most of these guys just are not appreciating your comment about large fingers.
I have pretty chunky fingers and I simply cannot play anything with a nut width less than 43mm. Unfortunately that excludes the vast majority of guitars around. I don't have a problem at all with the slightly shorter (ie. Gibson 24.75" scale length) but nut width and therefore string spacing is a key factor.
The music you mention liking is largely music played on twin humbucker-loaded guitars, which is handy because the main instruments available a 43mm+ nut width are twin humbucker.
the Pacificas are too narrow, so are ALL squires, so are virtually all Fender strats (apart from the American std, which is a bit pricy). So are most teles.
Definately try the PRS SE's. Epiphone & Chinese/Korean Tokai Les Pauls and SG's also have a 43mm nut.
If you could find a good used Gordon Smith, near enough to try out, that would be great, as I find their necks to be some of the very best for thick fingers. But definately try one out before buying as you can get some really duff ones.
You're pretty limited with strats and teles. The Nashville tele has a 43mm nut and is a v. nice guitar, but has 3 single coils, which you may not like ..... you can always stick a single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position though, which is what I have done with mine.
As for superstrats, Ibanez and Jackson have a number of models with 43mm nuts in your price range
Washburn do a few guitars, like the Idol series with 43mm nut widths.
I think you're getting my point .... don't even consider a 42mm or 42.5 mm nut width guitar. It will only frustrate you in the long run, and there really are plenty of choices out there in 43mm.
Or if your fingers really are "bananas" then get a bass !
I dont really see how you can say 'dont consider 42 or 42.5mm' when you have no idea how big his fingers are.
That extra 0.2mm between the strings makes all the difference, huh?
There are other ways as well - the vast majority of new and bad players fret way too hard, which forces the fingertip to flatten out, and play with their fingers at at too shallow an angle, which obviously doesnt help. Lighter touch, lighter strings and good technique rank well above that precious 0.2mm extra spacing.
Braddock - try the guitars out. Form some chords on them, really slowly, using the best technique you can (light touch, right behind the frets, fingers coming into the fretboard perpendicular to it) and see what you get on well with.
Plus it'll get better as your fingertips harden and deform less when fretting.
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i agree about trying them out. for years i couldn't play anything slimmer than 43mm either, but i think i've got over that now. that being said i still prefer 43mm, given the free choice... :lol: if you ask me, most of those bands are single coils, though, i think... again, i'd say probably go HSS... jackson pro series dinky perhaps? i'd say ibanez rg as well, but ibanez prices have almost doubled in the last few months, and if you're looking at an RG with a trem, in ibanez' current lineup, you really don't want to be going below a prestige model (i.e. rg1570, which used to be around £450, but is now more like £750 for the exact same guitar :( ).
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Well I took advice and went and held a few picked the neck shapes that suited my hands - they are stocky not huge I used to lift weights. The only one I didn't try that I had sorta looked at was a Jackson Dinky. I tried a few PRS SE custom stoptail an SE singlecut trem, a tremonti SE, A gretsch G6128T Duo Jet w/ Bigsby, and an epiphone les paul standard plus top. I chose a few and one of the techs played them we went through three epiphones and it came down to the best epiphone and a PRS singlecut trem. There was also an american standard strat 2008 model secondhand (but it had an issue with the intonantion aparently). So it came down to the PRS and Epiphone which by coincidence were both in tobacco. The Epiphone had the better acoustic sound and the PRS the better marginally through an amp but I and the luthier thought that mostly due to better pick-ups on the PRS and I could always change those later. In the end it came down to the fact that the flatter neck on the epiphone was more comfortable for me.
so here it is ............................................
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Happy NGD! (New guitar day....n00b!! j/k Enjoy!)
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sweet :)
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I dont really see how you can say 'dont consider 42 or 42.5mm' when you have no idea how big his fingers are.
He did actually state that he was finding an SG a bit narrow, and awkward, and that would have been 43mm, so I asusmed that it would have been silly to go any smaller
That extra 0.2mm between the strings makes all the difference, huh?
Yes. To me it does. Why make life difficult for oneself if you don't need to ?
Anyway, sweet guitar Bradock PI. As you've found, if you play a few, you can find some really nice Epi LP's.
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Cool :)
I just know you are going to love it. And if you need any suggestions for new pups.... :D
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Nice one!
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I am going to spend a few - probably 6 months with it stock and then if I am progressing well I will get it fettled with new BKPs as I did with my wifes daisy rock which is now amazing. I think it is not just the spacing from the nut but the neck thickness and profile which made some feel awkward. The SG neck is thinner and rounder.
Thanks for everyones advice it was really really useful and I smile evrytime I see it on the stand whcih is clearly a good sign.
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Roobubba approves.
Good work fella!
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I smile evrytime I see it on the stand whcih is clearly a good sign.
Very good sign, it makes you want to pick it up and play with it.
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Ok all the talk and shiny guitars - I am going to get a starter instrument. I will be working on the piano still but I have worked out there are times when I am at my PC and have 10 mins here 15 mins there which I can't use for kb but I could use for guitar.
I have biggish thick set hands so I can't start on my wifes daisy rock - so suggestions please for a first instrument budget prolly £200 - £400.
EDIT: I'd just typed in a big list of suggestions and noticed you'd bought something already. Nice one dude :D