Beginner's Guitar

I think there's a question about this somewhere on ILX but I couldn't find it so hey ho.

We're thinking about getting our boy a guitar/amp for Christmas and I thought I'd pool your brains and ask what you think is a decent but not crazy expensive beginner's set-up? Joel is 12 and not huge so we need something he can play fairly comfortably I guess - tho he seems alright with the full sized acoustic we've got in the house.

Thanx for you help people.

obviously depends on your budget! Don't rule out second-hand. look for a fairly low action as well - can be adjusted but if the strings are half an inch away from the frets then leave well alone.

i started at 15 on a fender squier strat, a budget version of the original stratocaster. i still have it and use it regularly and i'm 29 now.

Yep Squier or Tokai are pretty reputable second-tier guitars and you'll find loads on Ebay second hand. I have a friend that swears by his Yamaha Pacifica too, which is a strat-ish design iirc.

Or if you wanted to spena a little extra for a slightly better quality instrument you could look at something like this.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/G-L-Tribute-Invader-XL-Charcoal-Black-FREE-Ship_W0QQitemZ380044243078QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item587c66f086

Probably stating the obvious, but for the sake of your own sanity get an amp with a headphone socket!

Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming.

yeah i wouldnt worry too much about size if he is ok on an acoustic--strats are pretty comfy for beginners.

assuming he wants to rock make sure you get an amp with a distortion channel--i was about his age when i got an electric guitar and a no-name amp that had no distortion and it was pretty wack and my dad ended up buying me a distortion pedal anyway.

My little cousin got a Roland Amp (i think) that was little and cheapish and had distortion and a load of other effects (delay etc:)
Ah, here is is: http://www.roland.co.uk/products/productdetails.aspx?p=594

yeah, I would really recommend that Roland MicroCube: it's not expensive (around $100), has some built-in effects to play with, it models a few different amp types running from super-clean to heavy distortion (so he'll won't have to be bummed that he can't sound like some song he likes), and most importantly it's at a normal room volume, like a reasonable stereo-in-a-room volume, which will probably spare you a bunch of "turn that down" (and spare him a bunch of "it's already turned way down!").

guitar-wise I'd second something like the Squier Strats -- they're relatively easy-playing and nice and versatile

(Microcube's also really small, portable, can run on batteries when you want...)

i'll speak up for the squier tele

older ones are well dece guits

I think I've repped for 'em before but at $185 these are a good alternative to a Squier Strat if you're in the market for a budget guitar. I have one of their Tele knockoffs and for the price I'm really satisfied with it. Super cheap cuz they're not retail, just straight from the factory, and I THINK their advertising is just internet/word of mouth. Stock pickups are too overwound for my taste, but that'll probably be the case with anything from Fender, too.

FWIW I don't think I've played the older/better Squiers, so..

I'd recommend something along the lines of a (used) Fender Mustang.

Haven't the prices of those gone up a bit in the last few years?

yeah, Mustangs are kinda pricey -- plus also don't they require a lot of unreliable bridge/intonation fiddling, exactly the kind of upkeep you don't want to fuss with as a beginner?

mustang is a fashion guitar for indie rockers. nabisco otm abt hardware issues.

I just want to give you props for buying your kid an amplified guitar, consequences be damned! That said, does the kid have a say in what he gets?

as a beginner though you're not very likely to be bothered by poor intonation etc? i'd say the most important thing is getting a guitar he would feel inspired playing, not necessarily the "best" one...

uhhhh i can tell you right now a 12 year old is gonna be thrilled with ANY guitar unless nv's kid is a real jerkface. best it's one that works properly.

yeah maybe you're right. i got an Overland stratocaster for my 10th birthday and it didn't take that long even for me to realize it was a piece of crap.

i'd say squier tele or jagmaster

^

as a beginner though you're not very likely to be bothered by poor intonation etc?

I dunno, I certainly was. If you don't know how to deal with those things (or even what they are), they can just get worse and worse, until you have to spend all day tuning your guitar, and everything you play sounds off and crappy, and you feel like a failure with a piece of junk instrument, etc. -- you know, all over something that, once you know more about guitars, you can take care of so it's never a big problem. It's good to have something that's not finicky and usually sounds good, even if you hardly ever change your strings, or don't quite know how to string them right, or bang your guitar around and put it down in bad ways, etc. etc.

^^ This reminds me of one really good argument for the Squier Tele over the Squire Strat -- the floating bridge on a lot of the Squier Strats tends to pull up with the strings and become an annoyance

(or e.g. if you put on a different set of strings and they're a different gauge and you're a kid and don't realize that changes intonation -- that kind of stuff)

yeah i would definitely argue for a fixed bridge unless the kid is gonna have whammy bar envy

hey guys, i want to get an acoustic to learn guitar (i mean beyond the metallica and led zep songs i learned in high school). which of these cheap guitars should i get?

http://madison.craigslist.org/msg/1429174213.html

http://madison.craigslist.org/msg/1428791874.html

the alvarez has a hard case which is nice

an acoustic in a gig bag sucks imo

just wanna echo the notion of getting a learning player something decent to play. the prevailing attitude among parents seems to be "they have to prove their desire/ability before we'll buy a good instrument." but the enjoyment and pleasure of making music is severely hampered by poor equipment.

a nice guitar is hard to put down, and it doesn't have to be expensive either - I bought my favorite guitar for $60. you're better off with decent second hand gear than crappy + new imo. start visiting local guitar shops/pawnshops/craigslist. if you're not hung up on xmas morning surprise you can bring him with you to try 'em out.