Electric Guitar question for the Experts

T

TokyopunK

Professional
Hello Experts,

I have never touched an electric guitar before, and would like to learn how to play one. I saw some have 4 strings and some have 6, etc.

What kind should I get if I eventually want to learn how to play the guitar parts of this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR0-eHhfe2E in the beginning.

Thank you for your assistance.
 
4 string would be a Bass Guitar, it has bigger/fatter strings for a lower sound.

6 string would be the guitar... to play Beat it, the 6 string will be the one, to get the sound you like...

the Bass in that song is very easy to learn... there a few 6 string guitar parts to that song... but the main rif is not terribly hard to learn... like anything, you will have to practice!!! :)

This song was written by Steve Lukather of Toto fame... he played most of the guitar on the original Michael Jackson version, Eddie Van Halen spiced it up with a solo overdub... try to find the MJ version too!

J
 
BTW, you can find "Tab" for this song... tablature helps for those who can't read music, it uses numbers as a relationship between the number fret your finger will play on what string.
 
I'd start off with a fender squire, either a strat or tele. The price is cheap but they're much improved the last ten yrs or so. Then I'd get stuff free off the internet for lessons etc.. there was a thread awhile back - I think it had to do with Phil's telecaster.
 
Lots of great info on the web about learning to play guitar. I'm semi-ancient and had to learn to play by hammering it out on my own. <grumbles like an old man>

In all seriousness, if you've got a friend that plays guitar, you've got a leg up. If they know a thing or two about guitars, you're another leg up.

My advice:

1. Shop used - guitars are like cars. You take it out of the store, and it loses half of the value (not quite, but you get the idea). You'll get a lot more guitar for your buck doing so.

2. Make sure that you get a guitar you're comfortable with, as if it's too hard to play, it'll make learning tougher.

3. Be prepared to be frustrated at the start. I still fight with my guitars after having played for 14 years.
 
Try toneslinger.com

This is about the best I've found. Bluegrasser's suggestions are spot on.
 
And do yourself a favor...take a few lessons. As with Tennis (and any other sport/hobby), bad habits are hard to break. It will be much more satisfying in the end if you at least learn the notes, chords and basic scales.
This way, when someone says "Yeah, that song is drop-D tuning", you won't look at them w/ eyes galzed over...
 
If you are serious about learing to play here is the advice I got.

1. An American made guitar should be your first choice. Consider Fender or Gibson.

2. If you buy a foreign made guitar only consider Mexican or Japanese made guitars. There are some well made German guitars I am told also.

3. Don't buy a guitar online unless you really know what you want and you can return it if you decide you don't like it. The best way to buy a guitar is to pick one up, get the feel of it, and play it a little. When you find the right guitar you will know when you pick it up.

4. You can find some excellent used guitars if you look around. In my town we have a store that sells mostly used gear. I have a Fender Strat and Gibson Les Paul Standard that I got at half the cost of new ones.
 
McLovin said:
And do yourself a favor...take a few lessons. As with Tennis (and any other sport/hobby), bad habits are hard to break. It will be much more satisfying in the end if you at least learn the notes, chords and basic scales.
This way, when someone says "Yeah, that song is drop-D tuning", you won't look at them w/ eyes galzed over...
Click to expand...

Whenever someone mentions dropped anything tuning, my eyes glaze over. I like to use more than 1 finger to play songs. :p
 
Cruzer said:
If you are serious about learing to play here is the advice I got.

1. An American made guitar should be your first choice. Consider Fender or Gibson.

2. If you buy a foreign made guitar only consider Mexican or Japanese made guitars. There are some well made German guitars I am told also.

3. Don't buy a guitar online unless you really know what you want and you can return it if you decide you don't like it. The best way to buy a guitar is to pick one up, get the feel of it, and play it a little. When you find the right guitar you will know when you pick it up.

4. You can find some excellent used guitars if you look around. In my town we have a store that sells mostly used gear. I have a Fender Strat and Gibson Les Paul Standard that I got at half the cost of new ones.
Click to expand...

American made isn't the be-all end-all of guitars anymore. I've got my share of American made instruments (I've owned 6-7 American Fenders and 7 Gibsons), and I've played some exceptional guitars made outside of the US.

Mexi stuff runs the gamut from pretty mediocre to pretty good, Japanese stuff is almost always very well made. Let's not forget the neighbor to the north - Canada. Godin stuff is really, really good for the price.

For foreign stuff, the ESP LTD stuff is really good and very consistent, Schecter stuff is good (but not my style), higher end Ibanez is very nice, etc.
 
You want a 6 string. Neither of those are what I'd start on.

Head to anyplace not called "Guitar Center" and try and find an expert. Look at a place that carries used gear, and don't be in too much of a hurry to shop wisely.

For $300, I'd look for a used Mexican made Fender, Epiphone, Schecter, LTD or Hamer.
 
You're also going to need an amp, either with onboard effects, with a separate preamp, or effects pedals.

And don't forget the picks and cords, and spare strings 8)

Just thought I'd mention it, because it might not be obvious to a non-guitar player.
 
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You know, Tokyopunk, your thing says you're in a Chicago suburb. If I were you, I'd avoid the know-nothings at Guitar Centers (sure, it IS a generalization. . . ). Go out to South Elgin and check out Cremer Guitarworks, just north of the E-W tollway along the Fox River on Rt. 30 (31? can't recall the number; it's that main road along the river). Cremer knows his stuff.
 
Do not start with an American.......you'll have to spend 500+ for a new guitar thats American made and when you don't even know if you'll stay with it, no sense spending so much.

I currently have a Gibson Les Paul, but I would highly highly highly recommend you start with an Epiphone Les Paul or the likes........never been a fan of BC Rich, and ........<IMPORTANT READ BELOW"

if you start with a Fender, you're not going to have humbucker pickups, you'll want those to produce a more rock and roll sound. The single coils in fenders are more bluesy.
 
i think you should buy an acoustic guitar first off.. as others have said, you may not stick with it. Buying an electric will mean the added expense of getting an amplifier

buy a cheap steel string acoustic.. learn the basics, if you stick with it then upgrade to an electric
________
Maine Medical Marijuana Dispensary
 
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Caveman ?? Single coils only for blues ? ever hear of Jimmy Hendrix , Ritchie Blackmore ? Jimmy ( early Zep ) Page & numerous other rockers...
 
CaveMan said:
if you start with a Fender, you're not going to have humbucker pickups, you'll want those to produce a more rock and roll sound. The single coils in fenders are more bluesy.
Click to expand...

Nope - Fenders make multiple guitars that have humbuckers in the bridge, or in both positions.
 
aimr75 said:
i think you should buy an acoustic guitar first off.. as others have said, you may not stick with it. Buying an electric will mean the added expense of getting an amplifier

buy a cheap steel string acoustic.. learn the basics, if you stick with it then upgrade to an electric
Click to expand...

I don't agree with this one bit. If you want to learn how to play electric guitar, you'll have an easier time staying interested on an electric - not to mention the smaller gauge strings and easier necks.
 
Whatever you do, stay away from that crook Esteban on HSN. He leads you to believe his guitars are a $600+ value and sound as beautiful as a $3000 guitar....all for $79.00 But they are a complete piece of sh*t.
 
I used to be very serious about guitar and eventually lost interest once I started working full time and got married. But here's what I would say from my experiences.

Most people who want to learn how to play guitar will quit within a month or two because it takes alot of time and commitment to stick with it enough that you will be good at it (Similar to tennis). I know this because I have influenced four people to buy guitars and none of them play it.

If you think you'll prefer to play with distortion, buy an electric. If you will prefer to play songs with a clean tone, buy an acoustic. In either case DO NOT spend more than $250 on a guitar (and maybe $150 for amp) otherwise you are wasting your money since the odds are in favor of you quitting. If you have alot of cash to waste then by all means spend your heart out. Chances are you will not be good enough to benefit from higher quality guitars for a LONG TIME. Hmm doesn't this sound alot like tennis? :) Keep in mind that to get an amp that can generate distortion anywhere near what you hear by a live band is going to cost you several hundred (up to several thousand) dollars. Any beginner amp will sound like garbage and you will not like the sound of it but its a better investment for a beginner who will probably quit.

Also if you play with distortion, try to get a guitar that has humbuckers rather than single coil pickups because they will sound better when playing heavier stuff.
 
bluegrasser said:
Caveman ?? Single coils only for blues ? ever hear of Jimmy Hendrix , Ritchie Blackmore ? Jimmy ( early Zep ) Page & numerous other rockers...
Click to expand...

Ywengie, Robin Trower.....?? David Gilmour???

I love my Les Paul....but my strats can rock out too......

btw no strats in Pages past...teles and dan electros.....the studio solo on stairway to heaven is tele

..even tho I am a blues guy now too....can't remember dem changes

:(
 
You don't need something like the GT-6.

Honestly, start smaller - the GT-6 is a very deep unit, and you may or may not get use out of it when you're starting out.
 
SlapShot said:
You don't need something like the GT-6.

Honestly, start smaller - the GT-6 is a very deep unit, and you may or may not get use out of it when you're starting out.
Click to expand...

Could you tell me exactly what I need. Like a checklist.

__ Guitar
__ Amp
__ Lessons
__ ?
 
Electric guitar
Small practice amp (Roland Micro Cube, Vix AD30VT, etc.)
Cable

Budget for a couple of lessons.

$500 should get you everything you need.
 
hrstrat57 said:
Ywengie, Robin Trower.....?? David Gilmour???

I love my Les Paul....but my strats can rock out too......

btw no strats in Pages past...teles and dan electros.....the studio solo on stairway to heaven is tele

..even tho I am a blues guy now too....can't remember dem changes

:(
Click to expand...

Ditto - Haved played Strats and teles for most of my hack playing career, but must confess that i have a desire to get an Epi or Gibson BFG Les Paul somewhere down the road. I really like the smaller scale.
 
bluegrasser said:
Ditto - Haved played Strats and teles for most of my hack playing career, but must confess that i have a desire to get an Epi or Gibson BFG Les Paul somewhere down the road. I really like the smaller scale.
Click to expand...

The BFG is such a cool guitar - I wish they made it with a gloss finish.
 
bluegrasser said:
I'd start off with a fender squire, either a strat or tele. The price is cheap but they're much improved the last ten yrs or so. Then I'd get stuff free off the internet for lessons etc.. there was a thread awhile back - I think it had to do with Phil's telecaster.
Click to expand...

Are yo crazy?! He should go Gibson Les Paul. Fenders are for pu$$ies!
 
He's just saying that Squiers are standard cheap beginners' guitars.

If Tpunk sticks at it for a few years, then he should start looking into a Gibson.
 
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spikyblackhair said:
He's just saying that Squiers are standard cheap beginners' guitars.
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...and what i'm saying is the new squiers are much improved & fine for a beginner also the epi les paul juniors are also good. I've played some myself & with a $100 SS amp you're in business.

I guess we'd all like to have a new Les Paul ( $2,000 - $3800 ) or a new AS Tele or Strat ($700 - $900 ) + a great tube amp ( $500 min. ), but investing that kind of coin into something you're just feeling out is stupid in my opinion.:)
 
spikyblackhair said:
Yes, the "he" in my post was referring to you BG, hehe. Sorry, when I posted that, you hadn't posted your last message yet.
Click to expand...

No harm, no foul _ I myself would love to get a LP, I checked them out recently at Guitar Center" and they're so much lighter than what I remembered them to be due to the chambered body _ I really like the ' Classic model with the thinner 60's neck - pick #6 do me right...
 
Is an electric guitar like a tennis racquet?

Like if I start with a K90 right away I will be horrible with it so if I start with a Gibson SG Special will I be horrible with it? I mean more horrible than a beginner guitar.

I don't know if you get what I'm saying...........
 
Two suggestions:

Get a tuner. It will take you a while to learn to tune your guitar. If it's out of tune, it will sound like crap, and you won't know if you're hitting the right notes or not.

Bring a friend with you to the store who is a good guitar player. He will be able to tell which guitar is set up best--have him check the action and intonation before you buy. The electric will be easier on your fingers, but harder to keep in tune. It all depends on what kind of music you want to play.
 
Z-Man said:
Two suggestions:

Get a tuner. It will take you a while to learn to tune your guitar. If it's out of tune, it will sound like crap, and you won't know if you're hitting the right notes or not.

Bring a friend with you to the store who is a good guitar player. He will be able to tell which guitar is set up best--have him check the action and intonation before you buy. The electric will be easier on your fingers, but harder to keep in tune. It all depends on what kind of music you want to play.
Click to expand...

Wait you have to tune an electric guitar! What's up with that! I don't have to tune my computer or my TV!

And I don't have any friends who know anything about guitars...........so sad :cry:
 
TokyopunK said:
Is an electric guitar like a tennis racquet?

Like if I start with a K90 right away I will be horrible with it so if I start with a Gibson SG Special will I be horrible with it? I mean more horrible than a beginner guitar.

I don't know if you get what I'm saying...........
Click to expand...

Guitars are not like tennis racquets in that the advanced models are more challenging to play. A good guitar is easy to play. But a cheap guitar that is set up properly can play and sound great. The lead guitarist in my band plays cheapo Epiphone SGs. He went to Guitar Center and played 10 to find the perfect one. He says the neck, fret work, action, etc are just as good or better than the Gibson models that cost 5X as much.

One last thought: Les Pauls are easy to play because they have flat necks and jumbo frets, but they are extremely heavy. If you ever gig, you'll want something lighter.

And don't play the thing too loud. It's easy to damage your hearing. If you ever become a good player, you'll value your ears. It's just like taking care of your body for tennis.
 
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