Electric Guitar Kit

• 

  MS Paint on 18/10/2022 - 20:55

  +3

  Can't go wrong with..

  • Squier affinity range or above
  • Yamaha Pacifica range PAC112 or above
  • Artist guitars often here on special

  Donner have very mixed reviews but I believe the 400 series is meant to be very good but outside your budget.

  Is your accoustic a full size dreadnaught? What brand? Please don't say Huxley or Livingstone or Monterey.

  Also, get the kit second hand off the various marketplaces. Plenty of people before you have had the same idea and quit. There are some bargains to be had if you are patient.

  Generally kit amps are shit. 10W and a pissy speaker. Look for a decent separate amp is my suggestion.

  The best option, IMHO, just stick with the acoustic. Your fingers will become stronger with practice. 2 months of daily practice should do it.

• 

  whatwasherproblem on 18/10/2022 - 21:00

  +8

  honestly I am more interested in learning to play than learning to deal with these steel strings.

  Have you thought of a nylon-string "Classical" guitar? The strings are nylon rather than steel (so they're easier on the fingers), and the frets are spaced out a little further too so it's easier to train hand positions and chords.

  I know some will say I should 'toughen up buttercup'

  That's actually sound advice in this case, though. The only way to get used to fretting a steel-string is to literally develop the calluses on your fingers. ("Played it 'til my fingers bled", as Bryan Adams famously sang.)

  • 

    MS Paint on 18/10/2022 - 21:04

    +4

    But that was the summer of '69. It's now 2022. 😄

  • 

    brendanm on 18/10/2022 - 21:24

    +4

    sound advice

    Ba dum tish

  • 

    poboy on 18/10/2022 - 21:46

    +4

    Yup. Go classical. No need to get the amp out all the time, or be distracted with amp adjustments. Although the fingerboard are a wider than an electric and an acoustic, so your muscle memory will be slightly out when switching between them.

    • 

      whatwasherproblem on 18/10/2022 - 22:10

      +1

      No need to get the amp out all the time, or be distracted with amp adjustments.

      That's a really good point in another sense, too. If OP wants to be that cool guy/gal at the party that just pulls out their guitar to strum a ditty (and who always seems to get the chicks/fellas interested and never leaves the party alone), then it's a bit hard to do that when you have to fiddle around with an amp and everything first.

      Anyway, here's Wonderwall.

      • 

        1st-Amendment on 19/10/2022 - 13:19

        and who always seems to get the chicks/fellas interested

        FTFY

        Guitars are like cars. Guys think they are cool, and guys think that girls think they are cool, but in reality 99% of girls don't really care about them.

        • 

          whatwasherproblem on 19/10/2022 - 13:47

          @1st-Amendment: Really? I used to be "that guy" back in my university days that would be playing guitar out on the lawns instead of between lectures, and every now and then (like, not especially often but still way more often than I had any right to expect) a group of women would come along and ask me to play them a song and just hang out. It was surreal. And I'm not a looker by any stretch, so I can only imagine how much better the actually good-looking guitar chads do.

          (Pro-tip: if the chicks then ask if you want to grab some lunch, don't say "Nah I'm good, I need to practice these power chords". Nobody needs to practice power chords that badly.)

          • 

            1st-Amendment on 19/10/2022 - 14:53

            @whatwasherproblem:

            back in my university days…

            I was a lot more popular with girls in my uni days too. Nothing to do with the guitar, more and age/place/location thing. Maybe as a test you could go back there now with your guitar and see how you get on? 😁

• 

  p1 ama on 18/10/2022 - 21:51

  +4

  I want to learn guitar. I've bought myself an acoustic guitar and finding it hard to push the strings down.

  What gauge are your strings? Go to a guitar shop and ask for a set of acoustic strings in 10s, which will be much easier to "push down".

  FWIW, there's ultimately no way around building up the callouses and strength in order to play guitar.

  I've been reading that electric guitars are generally easier to push down

  This may be true, but it's largely because electric strings have a thinner gauge. You don't need as thick strings to sound full on an electric, and thinner gauge strings are more forgiving to play and allow you to do bends more easily.

  and also smaller in size so possibly better for an absolute beginner like myself.

  I play both acoustic and electric, I wouldn't say electric is smaller in size, thinner, yes, but smaller not really. You can get a small acoustic (e.g. a "palour" size).

  I know some will say I should 'toughen up buttercup' but honestly I am more interested in learning to play than learning to deal with these steel strings.

  It's not about "toughening up", but learning to "deal with these steel strings" is literally intertwined with playing guitar. I've been playing guitar for decades and there are still a lot of skills / chord formations…etc. that I can't do. I can't just say "I'm more interested in learning to play than dealing with this new chord formation". The technical ability is learning to play.

  Any recommendations on electric guitar kits with amp etc. would be appreciated. I can see absolutely loads of them online and have no clue which is decent, which is garbage etc. Looking to spend $300-450ish…

  You should figure out what "type" of electric guitar you want. I would say that a strat (Stratocaster) type body would be your best bet at getting a versatile guitar. At your price-point, you can probably get a Fender Squirer, but not sure you'll be able to fit it in for $300-450ish with an amp. Their "Bullet" range gets a bit of flak, but perfectly fine for a first guitar.

  https://www.mannys.com.au/squier-stratocaster-pack-laurel-fi…

• 

  CrispyChrispy on 18/10/2022 - 22:01

  +1

  If you're really just starting out and you're having trouble pushing down the strings on the fretboard, definitely try a classical guitar with nylon strings. As you get comfortable with that, you can move on to steel stringed acoustics or electrics. You don't need to spend extra $$$ on amps and what-not with a classical, all you need is the guitar itself.

• 

  Cave Fire on 18/10/2022 - 22:13

  +1

  Takes a while to learn/adapt. You have to put up with about three weeks of sore fingers at the start. make sure you are right behind the fret (metal). Recommend acoustic over electric unless you like that style. May want to check your "action" on the guitar. So measure the gap on the 12th fret with a steel edge or ruler. 3.5mm is considered high.

  String Height at the 12th Fret
  Low Action
  Low E: 1.6mm (.063”) High E: 1.5mm (.059”)

  Medium Action
  Low E: 2.5mm (.098”) High E: 2.4mm (.094”)

  High Action
  Low E: 3.5mm+ (.138”) High E: 3.4mm+ (.134”)

  New electric kits usually have avg amps, so could buy the guitar new, then amp from cashies etc. as long as you test the amp and check all settings, should be ok. Cort is meant to be good + Squire + Ibanez or pacifica imo. Check that it's full size/24 fret (unless you want something smaller) and also the weight. It varies alot. You can also go secondhand for the guitar as long is it is clean, no buzzing and works. People get rid of basically as new sets as they lost interest. Probably want to change the strings in both cases. Finally, music lessons > more gear (even though it is tempting!) so someone in person will be able to see what the issue is and fix it.

  • 

    MS Paint on 18/10/2022 - 22:22

    Great advice except adjusting action on an acoustic can be a real b!tch.

    • 

      Cave Fire on 18/10/2022 - 22:29

      Seen a few threads were something was wrong with the guitar, so just a starting point. At that point, you could slowly and carefully try to lower it or get a shop to setup or just replace.

• 

  iDroid on 18/10/2022 - 23:01

  Put nylon strings on your acoustic.

• 

  jaexh on 19/10/2022 - 00:47

  If you do go down the electric route, I'd highly recommend a decent amp with a bunch of built in pedals and effects for a beginner. They don't sound nearly as good as real pedals but for a beginner imo they're plenty of fun and a cheap way to have a taste of what's possible before shelling out thousands on pedals. I played around with a vox vt20x for years with its built in effects before investing in pedals.

  Alternatively if you know how to use DAWs like ableton you can get an infinite number of effects with an interface for a computer. But that's much more fiddly

• 

  Tink on 19/10/2022 - 01:46

  Why not try some 'silk & steel' acoustic guitar strings, they're lighter and easier on the fingers.

• 

  stickingly on 19/10/2022 - 08:03

  I would recommend staying with the acoustic, however it shouldn't be that hard.
  As other have said if you are using a cheap guitar it could well be the guitar or strings - some cheapies can be quite nasty to play. (My 10 year old learnt on my Maton steel string acoustic and didn't have too much trouble).

  Fist thing I would do is replace the strings (use custom light or extra light gauge) and check the action, even if you have to take it to a guitar shop

• 

  1st-Amendment on 19/10/2022 - 13:17

  +1

  As others have said, try some lighter strings first. But you're are ultimately going to have to face up to the fact that to play guitar you need strong fingers. Don't look past this, because it's like saying you want to be a good fighter without going to the gym. Strong and dexterous fingers are a critical part of playing and there is no way around it.

  Personally I would skip the cheap guitars and go for something in the $600-$800 range as this is where guitars start to get usable. The fear is that you don't want to spend too much in case you give up, but playing on a crap guitar is the most likely thing to make you not want to keep playing. Also a decent guitar will hold it's value so resale will be much better if you do quit.

  Lastly the part most people fail at is commitment to practice including all those boring drills. This is the only difference between good player and everyone else. Jimi Hendrix used to practice for 12 hours a day, he didn't get good by skipping practice.

• 

  Chris Topher on 19/10/2022 - 19:24

  +1

  Stick with acoustic. Feel the strings, learn the sounds. A guitar shop will check and set string height if needed. A guitar shop will help you.

  If you go electric while learning, it's damn hard to then go back to acoustic.

• 

  BadGiraffe on 25/10/2022 - 23:11

  Just came across this. My two cents as a failed musician:

  1. Get the instrument you want to play along with the kind of music you like. Classical guitars are great and all, but when you want to play folk or rock music, strumming a classical is veeeery far from what you're playing along with. Classical is great for learning finger picking. It sounds absolutely beautiful when played right. If you like rock with distortion, you absolutely should get an electric. Lots of $300-ish guitars around. You will need an amp though. Get a little practice amp. That's another $150 or so. And don't forget the delay and distortion pedals. The first time you crank that up and hit that chord… it's magic.

  2. Don't let the finger thing get you down. The more you play, the stronger your fingers get. When I first started playing, all my chords sounded muted with random buzzing. It can easily put anyone off. Doesn't matter. Play that terrible sounding chord along with the song you're listening to. Even if it's just one chord for every verse or whatever. You'll find your fingertips getting harder and your fingers getting stronger. You'll figure out why some notes are muted and you'll adjust your fingers accordingly.

  3. Get your guitar checked over at your local guitar shop. They can check the action, etc. Tell them about the issues you're having as a beginner and see what they say.

  4. Get a teacher. I never did. They were too expensive for me, and that has been detrimental to my playing, If you really, really want to learn, a teacher can show you the right techniques and correct what you're doing. They will also keep you accountable for how much you practice. Back in the day, lessons were about $60 an hour. Not sure how much they go for now.

  And once again, it's about playing what you like. If you want to go full music theory and what not, so be it. Get a classical and go for it. If you like rocking out to some pop rock, keep the acoustic or get an electric. I suggest keeping what you have and get a feel for it. You probably hate hearing it, but over time, you will improve. Yes, it will hurt, but if you play along with a song, even if it's just the one chord at certain bits over and over, you will eventually get those clear chords and notes.