Desert Orchid
Senior Member
- Location
- Ibiza of the North
Beginners Guitar
- Thread starter Noodley
- Start date
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Lardyboy
New Member
- Location
- Still Somewhere In Wales.
Noodley said:
I was informed that it was the saxophone! I'm not taking it back now!
These were the people I initially used http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/ I have no idea if they are any good.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
What age is she?
My son is ten and we bought him a full size guitar, he can play it no problem. That was at Christmas and he has four guitars now! Long story...
Anyway. There are a few significant differences in guitars that do make some easier to play than others. Most electric guitars have thinner bodies which are easier for little arms to reach over.
The other part that really makes a difference is the neck. Some acoustic guitars have quite wide necks, again, harder to reach around with short fingers. Cheapo guitars often have poorly made necks with sharp edges on the frets, which can catch your fingers. Some are so badly made they won't even tune properly.
If you're going to buy new I'd go to a local music shop and ask for advice. They'll sell starter packs, not the crappy ones like you get in Argos but ones they've put together, and may have clearance bargains etc.
Obviously you'll get more for your money buying used though. Just last Sunday I bought one of these in near mint condition, with a hard case, for £45.
http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0404614/details.html
It's a beautiful sounding guitar, much better than the Westfield acoustic he has.
If you do an advanced search on eBay you can narrow it down to guitars that are for sale near you. Then when you see something of interest you can Google it to see what it's worth and if it's any good.
Are you going to send her to lessons?
My son is ten and we bought him a full size guitar, he can play it no problem. That was at Christmas and he has four guitars now! Long story...
Anyway. There are a few significant differences in guitars that do make some easier to play than others. Most electric guitars have thinner bodies which are easier for little arms to reach over.
The other part that really makes a difference is the neck. Some acoustic guitars have quite wide necks, again, harder to reach around with short fingers. Cheapo guitars often have poorly made necks with sharp edges on the frets, which can catch your fingers. Some are so badly made they won't even tune properly.
If you're going to buy new I'd go to a local music shop and ask for advice. They'll sell starter packs, not the crappy ones like you get in Argos but ones they've put together, and may have clearance bargains etc.
Obviously you'll get more for your money buying used though. Just last Sunday I bought one of these in near mint condition, with a hard case, for £45.
http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0404614/details.html
It's a beautiful sounding guitar, much better than the Westfield acoustic he has.
If you do an advanced search on eBay you can narrow it down to guitars that are for sale near you. Then when you see something of interest you can Google it to see what it's worth and if it's any good.
Are you going to send her to lessons?
Rhythm Thief
Veteran
I'd recommend learning on an acoustic, then later (if she takes to it and wants to make a bit more noise) swapping to an electric. It's harder initially to play an acoustic, but you can accompany yourself singing and when you eventually play an electric guitar, they're much easier to play. (I'm not expressing this very well.) It might also be worth thinking about a nylon string (classical style) guitar, as they're much easier to play than steel strings. Moondog do a very good range of instruments which are excellent quality for the price (my acoustic is a Moondog, and the other guitarist in the band was so impressed that he ordered one too). They're only available online, but you can buy one and try it for two weeks, then they'll come and pick it up if you don't like it. Much better than having twenty minutes in a shop with four different guitars, or whatever.
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
The most important thing is that she gets an instrument she feels is cool...if she wants to rock out then ge ther an electric, if she's more into the classical thing then get a spanish style classical guitar...to many kids want to play guitar but loose the desire because they are forced to play a guitar they dont like/feel is cool...you have to keep her desire to play above all else.
Why does she want to play?...that question should lead you to which instrument she needs...so say she want s to join metallica...dont get her a rodrigez...get her an ESP...if she wants to do the Junior proms at the RAH then a Flying V isnt going to work.
I would give th eso called junior guitars a miss (unless its a les paul junior in which case send it to me)...get a proper adult scale lenght guitar...unless she is like 2 or 3 year old or something.
If she wants electric..dont panic..it isnt necessarily loud....get her a line 6 pod and a set of head phones and she'll get a top class tone in her head set and you can sleep better.
If you are going to spend any serious cash on an acoustic then avoid laminats...but otherwise most budget acoustics are laminates.
I still play my Dads old guitar...cheap as chips in a shop in Brighton circa 1973 ish...it's a laminate but sound ok to me.
Lesson number one....teach YOURSELF how to tune her guitar....the single thing that will piss off a kid is getting bogged down in tuning when all she wants to do is sound cool and impress you with a few songs. I fyou can do it for her that will really help her initially...then she can pla something cool and learn the tuning as she goes along.
Playing the guitar is like climbing a mountain...except there is no top...you jus tkeep going and the ones who dont stop climbing are the ones we call great...but they are still learners.
Why does she want to play?...that question should lead you to which instrument she needs...so say she want s to join metallica...dont get her a rodrigez...get her an ESP...if she wants to do the Junior proms at the RAH then a Flying V isnt going to work.
I would give th eso called junior guitars a miss (unless its a les paul junior in which case send it to me)...get a proper adult scale lenght guitar...unless she is like 2 or 3 year old or something.
If she wants electric..dont panic..it isnt necessarily loud....get her a line 6 pod and a set of head phones and she'll get a top class tone in her head set and you can sleep better.
If you are going to spend any serious cash on an acoustic then avoid laminats...but otherwise most budget acoustics are laminates.
I still play my Dads old guitar...cheap as chips in a shop in Brighton circa 1973 ish...it's a laminate but sound ok to me.
Lesson number one....teach YOURSELF how to tune her guitar....the single thing that will piss off a kid is getting bogged down in tuning when all she wants to do is sound cool and impress you with a few songs. I fyou can do it for her that will really help her initially...then she can pla something cool and learn the tuning as she goes along.
Playing the guitar is like climbing a mountain...except there is no top...you jus tkeep going and the ones who dont stop climbing are the ones we call great...but they are still learners.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
Bigtallfatbloke said:
What are Line6 amps like? My son has a little Stag practice amp, which to be honest sounds pretty nice, but he'll need a better one soon.
What are the real differences between the likes of Line6, Marshall, and Fender?
Rhythm Thief
Veteran
I don't know much about amps (I like basic, elderly valve amps), but as far as I know, many Line 6 amps are more like amp simulators than anything. In other words, you can turn a switch and it'll sound like an overdriven sixties Marshall, or a classic Fender Twin, or whatever. But I might be wrong, I've never really used one.
OP
OP
Noodley
Guest
Bigtallfatbloke said:
Amazingly, especially as she has such a cool dad
, coolness does not register on her scale...she's her own girl. 
Which I think will be my proudest achievement in my life, even if she is only 12, to get my kids to go their own way...I am an annoying dad, but you go girl, however annoying I say you are!
Lardyboy
New Member
- Location
- Still Somewhere In Wales.
I've got a Line 6 Echo Park pedal. It's bloody infuriating to get it sounding right, but when its does.............
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
Ok..BIG question.
Basically you have two types of amp. Valve driven and transistor . Valve driven amps are the more traditional and sound way better. Transistor amps have a place, they can give cleaner sounds...but IMHO I HATE them.
So...Valves are where it's at. BUT in order to get avalve amp sounding great it's mostly necessary to crank the thing up to ear splitting volume and drive the tubes(valves) so they get really HOT...thats what gives the didtinctive overdriven tone a lot of guitarist like. BUT it comes at a cost...your family will leave you and your neighbours will call the police every day you plug into a valve amp.
So...where is this going...well...what guitarists really wanted was to kill the neighbours and crank up the amps...but that being impossible they invented AMP modelling or simulation instead. Basically technology over th elast 10 -15 years has allowed the likes of Line 6 to produce a gizmo (called a POD) which does a good job of emulating a driven tube tone/valve amp ..at headphone level. I used one a lot on my recordings, just plugged the guitar in and recorded the POD without needing a mic or a loud amp or anything. It's a family saver.
HOWEVER....it is not really as good as a driven tube amp...NOTHING beats a MARSHALL amp with HOT tubes...NOTHING. So if you are serious about getting a tone and you have a lot of cash and a big soundproof room then a Valve or tube amp is what you want.
Thats a simplified view...there all kinds of other stuff out there as well...like the dreaded 'Valvestate' ranges etc...
I like the P|OD though it's a cool comprimise and perfect for 90% of bedroom guitarists.
Line six make amps as well...basically all theya re is a Line six pod (amp simulation) used as the pre amp.
A pod is pretty much hassle free...do huge speaker cabs to lug around etc...but it's still not quite got the true tube tone we all seek...or should be seeking
Those pOds and the like also allow you to emulate hundreds of different tube amps in a single box...which is cool. But like I said a 100% all tube amp rig is where its at...keep transistors where they belong...somewhere else.
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
..well this one isnt my band..it's all just me and a line 6 pod. No singing just a guitar blitzkreig along to my drum machine for some fun...I recorded it at home in one take about 5 years ago...
Dance of the Killer Goldfish
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=560819&t=9538
Now that's probably not the way she wants to be going
..so..as Christams is approaching her eis a Xmas tunage of mine:
Footsteps in the snow:
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=457764&t=5446
and another acoustic song I did for fun in a dull moment:
Gotta be a reason
http://www.vsplanet.com/mp3s/r/rgraudacitygottabeareasonmix2.mp3
Dance of the Killer Goldfish
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=560819&t=9538
Now that's probably not the way she wants to be going
..so..as Christams is approaching her eis a Xmas tunage of mine:
Footsteps in the snow:
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=457764&t=5446
and another acoustic song I did for fun in a dull moment:
Gotta be a reason
http://www.vsplanet.com/mp3s/r/rgraudacitygottabeareasonmix2.mp3
