Fatiha - absolute beginner, need advice on picking guitar

[Fatiha Zeghir]

Welcome to the family ! I see you’ve gotten a lot of great advice.
i think the biggest take away is to get the guitar that’s going to be able to make the music you want to hear, also, one that you like the looks of. Honestly, If you like the way it looks you’re more apt to pick it up and practice.

I play both electric and acoustic, and electric is in fact easier to play. The strings are lighter, the neck is typically smaller and easier to make chords on etc.

Also, as a beginner I highly recommend going into a shop and feeling the guitars ! Not every neck is the same. You should find what feels comfortable in your hands.

As Donovan mentioned, I would definitely don’t get a guitar with a Floyd Rose....they are a pain in the ass ! Hardtails are great. Tremolo bridges (like you’ll find on most Fenders) are okay, not very difficult to change strings on, but if you want to drop tune you might have some tuning issues.

oh ! And almost forgot ! Make sure you get yourself a good guitar tuner !

can’t wait to see what you decide on !

Hi Alicia! And congratulations on the win! This is awesome

I have given up on the idea of buying online, I will go into a shop and try them then, see how it feels and which wand will choose me ^^

I loved the informed responses here, though my head was spinning with all the technical words and elements and knowledge. So much to learn but this is so exciting.

I will post my find in here. Hopefully I get something this weekend.

 

[Fatiha Zeghir]

Hi all again, so I went to a guitar shop in the guitar shops area in London and most of them were closed. The big one that was open suggested this one when I said I wanted to learn etc, a Squier bullet strat: https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/squie...atocaster/bullet-stratocaster/0370001506.html

Also when I asked if they had a started pack, he said he prefers to prepare my pack instead of suggesting one premade as those would be for children/teenagers or something. I don't see what the problem is. The budget would be around £200 for the guitar, bag, picks and an amp which he couldnt recommend yet as he was expecting them. A bit over my budget but it can be worth it if it's a good one.

Do you know it? What do you think? Thank you

 

[Donovan Etue]

I've heard good things about the squire bullet strats. It'll work for you getting you through the first couple of months to year or so and by then if you're like many guitarists, you'll catch the gear bug. But starting out I'd say the Bullet Strat should work for you. Single coils in the bridge isn't going to be great for metal tones but it'll be ok until you decide if guitar is for you or not. Later on down the line you may want to pick up another guitar that's of better quality. I'm not sure how long others waited to get their second guitar but I got mine about 2 weeks before my 1 year mark. It isn't too unusual that the shop prefers to make a pack instead. It may include gear that he keeps in stock instead and may be able to offer a better discount due to making a bundle. I think you'll like it though!

 

[Fatiha Zeghir]

I've heard good things about the squire bullet strats. It'll work for you getting you through the first couple of months to year or so and by then if you're like many guitarists, you'll catch the gear bug. But starting out I'd say the Bullet Strat should work for you. Single coils in the bridge isn't going to be great for metal tones but it'll be ok until you decide if guitar is for you or not. Later on down the line you may want to pick up another guitar that's of better quality. I'm not sure how long others waited to get their second guitar but I got mine about 2 weeks before my 1 year mark. It isn't too unusual that the shop prefers to make a pack instead. It may include gear that he keeps in stock instead and may be able to offer a better discount due to making a bundle. I think you'll like it though!

Thank you Donovan for this. I will give it a go then.
Sorry, I don't know what you mean by single coils in the bridge though - these things, parts, elements, language are all new to me, as I'm tarting from scratch. So what are they good for if not metal tones? Im not desperate about metal tones as I have so much to learn.

 

[Fatiha Zeghir]

What I don't like about this guitar is that it really appears to be a classical (nylon string) guitar re-purposed with steel strings. That usually doesn't work, and at that price point, I would be very concerned about reliability and setup/ease of use, among other things.

Your best "bang for the buck" is going to be to find something used. If your fingers hurting was an obstacle several years ago, that will probably happen again, if you go acoustic. You may wish to see if you can find a starter pack electric guitar. These usually come with a small, basic amplifier and a cheap cable. It is likely to cost more than £ 50, and I don't know how much you're willing or able to spend to get started.

However, London is a big city, and you are certain to find gold in a second-hand shop or music store. Or, something like this could be an option, and the price is right.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-S...706914?hash=item4b7e9c1ae2:g:pwoAAOSwHNVfFenV

Hi Ed, so it seems the guy in the shop recommended the one you recommended. The one in the shop is new, so more expensive than this, but he said that for under £200 it would be a new guitar, strap, bag, pics and an amp. I suppose I should get a tuner too right?

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Hi Ed, so it seems the guy in the shop recommended the one you recommended. The one in the shop is new, so more expensive than this, but he said that for under £200 it would be a new guitar, strap, bag, pics and an amp. I suppose I should get a tuner too right?

You can, they are fairly cheap. There are free Phone Apps as well

 

[Ed Seith]

Hi Ed, so it seems the guy in the shop recommended the one you recommended. The one in the shop is new, so more expensive than this, but he said that for under £200 it would be a new guitar, strap, bag, pics and an amp. I suppose I should get a tuner too right?

YES! I'm very excited for you to begin this journey!!!

 

[Donovan Etue]

Thank you Donovan for this. I will give it a go then.
Sorry, I don't know what you mean by single coils in the bridge though - these things, parts, elements, language are all new to me, as I'm tarting from scratch. So what are they good for if not metal tones? Im not desperate about metal tones as I have so much to learn.

Ah sorry, I should've added what these things do. Pickups are generally speaking copper wire wound magnets that create a signal from the vibration of the strings on the guitar and sends it to your amp. There are various types of pickups but the two most common ones are single coil and humbuckers. Single coil pickups are a single coil wound with copper that tend to be not very high output. You can get high output single coils but I'd say it's safe to say most single coils are designed to be low or what some companies call vintage output to moderate output to retain clarity and that well known single coil sound. Single coil pickups due to how they are designed and built due tend to hum a bit but that can be cut back with a gate pedal (which sets a threshold on what signals can make it through). Characteristically single coils are bright sounding, they can retain a lot of clarity, but they can also allow interference to be picked up rather easily. Humbuckers are as the name describes. Hum bucking. Humbuckers design is basically two single coils put together. There's more into the design in that but humbuckers with their design block out the hum that single coils are known for. Humbuckers tend to be warmer, deeper, louder than single coils. Generally speaking if you're looking at playing metal, hard rock, or some classic rock you'd probably want humbuckers in your guitar. Famous musicians who use humbuckers are Synyster Gates, Angus Young from AC/DC, James Hetfield from Metallica, Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, and Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin all used humbuckers. Although Tony did use a P90 equipped guitar in the early days of Black Sabbath if I remember right. P90's are another type of pickup that I'm not familiar with at all. Single coil pickups have been used throughout rock and some have used it for metal too. Joe Duplantier from Gojira even toured with Metallica using a single coil equipped telecaster. Anyway some other famous musicians who have used single coil pickups are Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine used some for a while I think, and most of the guys from Iron Maiden have single coils in their guitars too. Although they're guitars have a common setup which is HSS. Humbucker Single Single. A humbucker at the bridge, a single in the middle, and a single in the neck. Most metal guitarists will probably go for a HH configuration which is Humbucker Humbucker. There are a lot more humbuckers that are designed for metal than single coils. Most of the time when they're "designed for metal" it means they have a higher output. They tend to throw your amp into overdrive a bit easier so it breaks up and gets that tasty distortion we all love. Metal pickups also may have what is called "scooped" mids. That's when you dial back the mids to get what I normally refer to as a chuggy tone. Dimebag Darrel from Pantera is the first guy I think of when it comes to scooping the hell out of his mids. He got a gnarly rhythm tone which when palm muted would chug. When I refer to a pickup in the bridge or neck I'm referring to the location of the pickup. When a pickup is in the bridge it means that that pickups is in the position on the guitar that's closest to the bridge of the guitar where your strings are connected. When it's in the neck position it means it is next to the neck of the guitar. The neck being the place you place your hands to play notes/chords. The middle position is just that. The middle between the neck and bridge position. There are also the categories of active vs passive which I can go into if you would like to know about that too but I think this current comment is long enough haha. Sorry if I ramble a bit.

 

[Kim]

Hi and welcome. I see you had a lot of advice. Heres mine: I think starting electric is easier (cause of what Alicia said), your fingers will hurt, practise not too much, but every day a bit, so your fingers get calluses.
What I did, i bought a second handed guitar with amp for 75 euro, my guitar was Ibanez Gio, i think thats a great one to start with, cheap and easy to play. I sold the set after about 9 months and went to guitar shop and bought a better one, at that time you know more how you like to play, what feels good for you.
Good luck!

 

[Fatiha Zeghir]

Hi all again. Been a few busy weeks, but I finally received the fender stratocaster pack today! I am beyond excited. I can't believe Im going to start this thing!
So I am starting from scratch so will go and look for ultra beginner tutorials. Cheers

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Hi all again. Been a few busy weeks, but I finally received the fender stratocaster pack today! I am beyond excited. I can't believe Im going to start this thing!
So I am starting from scratch so will go and look for ultra beginner tutorials. If you know one that is good, your recommendations are more than welcome. Cheers
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You know there is this Site, the Synyster Gates School. If you click on Lessons you might find some really good stuff!

Honestly though that's awesome that you are getting into playing. I highly recommend to start with the Lessons on Here and If you feel Like you can Look Up a "easiest beginner Riffs" on YouTube or something. Just have fun. But be Sure to get the basics from Papa Gates!

 

[Fatiha Zeghir]

You know there is this Site, the Synyster Gates School. If you click on Lessons you might find some really good stuff!

Honestly though that's awesome that you are getting into playing. I highly recommend to start with the Lessons on Here and If you feel Like you can Look Up a "easiest beginner Riffs" on YouTube or something. Just have fun. But be Sure to get the basics from Papa Gates!

Yes yes - that's why I erased the bit about looking for tutorials - silly me! My brain fried out of excitement. I am looking into the lessons here, I am soooo happy! Thank you, will do

 

[Kim]

Have fun with your guitar!!

 

[Imactuallyadrummer]

hey there! I got the same exact package a couple of months ago! It’s just perfect for learning guitar ! I started off mainly only from the lessons on this site, they will teach you most of the things you need to know even how to hold a guitar! I hadn’t held anything other than drumsticks prior to this Have fun!!!

Hi all again. Been a few busy weeks, but I finally received the fender stratocaster pack today! I am beyond excited. I can't believe Im going to start this thing!
So I am starting from scratch so will go and look for ultra beginner tutorials. Cheers
View attachment 938

 

[ari.mac]

Hey there, late to the party, but as an absolute beginner too wanted to share my experience with you. I signed up like 2 months ago and started from zero, I chose an Ibanez Gio as a first guitar (well second, like 10 years ago I owned a Squier, but when I picked it up again it wasn't working anymore). I'm enjoying greatly my time here and Papa Gates lessons are the best!!! I'm now practising chords on a couple of songs and I hope I'll be able to post something. Have a great journey and welcome!!!!!

 

[Christian Schulze]

WELCOME Faitha!

I know what you meant in your original post....It took me ages to start playing guitar, I was in my last year in university and had a Nylon string guitar. But now that you have a squier, you should be ready to ROCK!

Glad to have you here and can't wait to hear what you come up with. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ASK! We are here to help each other!