cheap electric acoustic guitar uk image
Miss Nyx G
I want to play the electric guitar because I like the sound of it. Its basically one of the things that I like most about rock.
I wanna learn basically as a hobbie. And to learn how to play something since my father believes in playing some instrument to 'not waste my time'.
I really think it would be fun and more interesting than acoustic.
If I do like it, what kind of guitar should I get? (I don't need a guitar for my first lessons since my uncle has two)
I want a cheap but good guitar since its my first one and I don't wanna waste money in a guitar that I won't even know how to play.
Any other stuff I should get? I know I need an amplifier, do you know of any good small ones for beginners? Any 'lear how to play electric guitar' books?
Answer
Firstly, you won't find any guitar that's "cheap but good" - the two terms are mutually exclusive. I would say stay away from "packs" or anything advertised as being good for a beginner or described as a beginner's instrument. In this context, the term just means "crap". You need a reasonable-quality inexpensive guitar. I am in The UK so can't advise you on prices. Get the guitar from a music store, NOT on-line or from a department store. Personally, I would avoid a guitar with a so-called tremolo bridge (vibrato really) as they can be hard to set up, can cause tuning problems and add to the cost of the guitar. Remember also that extra pick ups, knobs and switches hike up the price too. Bear in mind that a beginner has no special requirements so far as equipment goes: a top of the range guitar costing several thousands of dollars would be ideal for a beginner!
As you say, you will need an amp. You will need at least one lead, picks and strap (probably), a few spare sets of strings and an inexpensive chromatic electronic tuner. The are many learn to play books and these would be a good deal better that watching some of the rubbish on Youtube - you want to keep well away from that, and tablature, until you have at least learnt the basics. A good teacher is best, but there seem to be a lot of poor, mis-guided teachers about too! Good luck, have fun.
Firstly, you won't find any guitar that's "cheap but good" - the two terms are mutually exclusive. I would say stay away from "packs" or anything advertised as being good for a beginner or described as a beginner's instrument. In this context, the term just means "crap". You need a reasonable-quality inexpensive guitar. I am in The UK so can't advise you on prices. Get the guitar from a music store, NOT on-line or from a department store. Personally, I would avoid a guitar with a so-called tremolo bridge (vibrato really) as they can be hard to set up, can cause tuning problems and add to the cost of the guitar. Remember also that extra pick ups, knobs and switches hike up the price too. Bear in mind that a beginner has no special requirements so far as equipment goes: a top of the range guitar costing several thousands of dollars would be ideal for a beginner!
As you say, you will need an amp. You will need at least one lead, picks and strap (probably), a few spare sets of strings and an inexpensive chromatic electronic tuner. The are many learn to play books and these would be a good deal better that watching some of the rubbish on Youtube - you want to keep well away from that, and tablature, until you have at least learnt the basics. A good teacher is best, but there seem to be a lot of poor, mis-guided teachers about too! Good luck, have fun.
How often should I change my strings?
Cryptomnes
I have a classical guitar, Stagg, nylon strings. I play almost every day, usually for more than 2 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. I use Rotosound strings, and live in the UK, so it's cold (apparently that affects your strings. BQ - tell me why)
Thanks xx
Answer
How do you know if you need new guitar strings?
For Acoustic and Electric guitars
Couple of questions to answer:
1) Have you had the same strings on for over 2 months?
2) Are your strings rusty?
3) Are your strings rough?
4) Do your strings sound dull?
5) Had a string break recently?
If you answered yes to any of the above, its probably time to replace your strings.
Because of moisture on your fingers and in the atmosphere, strings corrode and rust over time and their ablility to vibrate diminishes. This not only causes the sound to dull but even worse, the feel of the strings becomes rough and will hurt or even damage your fingers.
Strings can also become brittle from too much vibration, just think of how a paper clip snaps if you twist it too much, the same happens to strings - especially if you use a lot of different tunings.
If you play a lot, say for 2 hours a day every day, then you should look at changing your guitar strings every month.
If you play less, but still strum most days, the max you should leave them on the guitar would be 2 months.
Strings are quite cheap, about £5 for a set of 6.
There is an alternative to changing your strings this often. You can buy coated strings. These last longer due to a coating on the strings that prevent dirt build up and corrosion. Coated guitar strings tend to last 3 to 5 times longer than normal strings, so you can leave them on for longer. These still need to be changed though. At least every 6 months these should be changed as they are also prone to breaking because of the vibrations of the string as explained earlier using the paper clip analogy.
Coated strings do cost more, about £12 for a set of 6, but last longer, so can work out more cost effective.
Ernie Ball Coated Strings have titanium reinforcement to make them stronger and less prone to break.
For Bass Guitars, the strings are much more substantial and tend to last longer and hold their tone. Change bass strings at least once a year.
For Classical Guitars with nylon based strings, again because of the way they are made, they don't rust, so last longer. They do age though, so do need replacing. When they age they tend to stretch and become hard to keep in tune. If you don't want to wait till this starts happening, you should look at changing them every 3 to 4 months.
So to summarise:
Change your Electric / Acoustic uncoated strings at least every 2 months.
Change your coated Electric / Acoustic strings at least every 6 months.
Change your Bass guitar strings at least once a year.
Change your Classical guitar strings at least every 4 months.
Details of guitar strings can be found at the Guitarbitz Guitar Strings page.
http://www.guitarbitz.com/guitar-strings-c42
How do you know if you need new guitar strings?
For Acoustic and Electric guitars
Couple of questions to answer:
1) Have you had the same strings on for over 2 months?
2) Are your strings rusty?
3) Are your strings rough?
4) Do your strings sound dull?
5) Had a string break recently?
If you answered yes to any of the above, its probably time to replace your strings.
Because of moisture on your fingers and in the atmosphere, strings corrode and rust over time and their ablility to vibrate diminishes. This not only causes the sound to dull but even worse, the feel of the strings becomes rough and will hurt or even damage your fingers.
Strings can also become brittle from too much vibration, just think of how a paper clip snaps if you twist it too much, the same happens to strings - especially if you use a lot of different tunings.
If you play a lot, say for 2 hours a day every day, then you should look at changing your guitar strings every month.
If you play less, but still strum most days, the max you should leave them on the guitar would be 2 months.
Strings are quite cheap, about £5 for a set of 6.
There is an alternative to changing your strings this often. You can buy coated strings. These last longer due to a coating on the strings that prevent dirt build up and corrosion. Coated guitar strings tend to last 3 to 5 times longer than normal strings, so you can leave them on for longer. These still need to be changed though. At least every 6 months these should be changed as they are also prone to breaking because of the vibrations of the string as explained earlier using the paper clip analogy.
Coated strings do cost more, about £12 for a set of 6, but last longer, so can work out more cost effective.
Ernie Ball Coated Strings have titanium reinforcement to make them stronger and less prone to break.
For Bass Guitars, the strings are much more substantial and tend to last longer and hold their tone. Change bass strings at least once a year.
For Classical Guitars with nylon based strings, again because of the way they are made, they don't rust, so last longer. They do age though, so do need replacing. When they age they tend to stretch and become hard to keep in tune. If you don't want to wait till this starts happening, you should look at changing them every 3 to 4 months.
So to summarise:
Change your Electric / Acoustic uncoated strings at least every 2 months.
Change your coated Electric / Acoustic strings at least every 6 months.
Change your Bass guitar strings at least once a year.
Change your Classical guitar strings at least every 4 months.
Details of guitar strings can be found at the Guitarbitz Guitar Strings page.
http://www.guitarbitz.com/guitar-strings-c42
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Title Post: What electric guitar is good for beginners? what other stuff should I get?
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Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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