I've been kicking around the idea of learning how to play guitar, cause, quite frankly, since I can't go play with my car, I've been bored out of my mind sitting around the apartment.
I played drums back in my high school days, and thought about a drum set to rekindle my love of drumming, but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate it. So the next step is the guitar, which not only can be quieter, but will also give me a new skill to learn, not just hone.

So, whats a good guitar to look at for a beginner like me? Prices?
I guess I'd prefer to go electric instead of acoustic, but others may have reasons for me to start on acoustic.

I now leave it the experts.

I've owned 2 Epiphones and they treated me pretty well.

My first was an e-series Les Paul. It was like $250 for the guitar, 15W amp, strap, stand, and guitar bag. See if your local music store offers a beginner package like this, but stay away from the boxed beginner sets...they always looked cheap to me.

After 2 years or so I upgraded to an Cherry Red Epiphone G-400 (Think Angus Young)

What attracted me to the guitars was the styling, to be honest. I've always been a fan of Gibson guitars and Epiphone is basically their "economy brand" (the Gibson version of my $400 G-400 is the $1,200 SG Standard, although without seeing the name on the headstock you'd be hard-presses to discern them).

Go ahead and explore while you're thinking. Chances are if you've got a good shop they'll have someone who can point you in the right direction.

The guitar listed in the other post is a good start. I think it will also depend on what type of music you like to play. I've owned several guitars in my lifetime and I've found the better the quality the more I enjoyed playing. I don't know how to play well but I ended up with acoustic and electric, both Gibson. The electric I ended up with is a Les Paul Custom which I'm not recomending for your first quitar. Go to a music store that has a large assortment and grab a few and see how it feels and play it for awhile. They won't mind you practicing as long as you repect there equipment. In other words, don't wear a belt with a buckle or zippers that can scratch the quitar.

Keep us posted,

Thanks for the replies guys.

Are there any makes i should avoid? I obviously don't want to break the bank on this, but I don't want a crappy piece either.

There are a few good Epiphone Les Paul and SG starter guitars. Most of these are great starting points. I would also recommend a Squier Stratocaster, as these are readily available and fairly cheap. They also have the classic Strat shape, which is the undeniable essence of electric guitar.

And 95LHS - I love my Epiphone G-400! I have a yellow/cream G-400 custom, which came from the factory with three humbuckers, and it saw me through many punk rock shows as a teenager. Another good brand that is usually affordable is JBP (also known as JB Player). These are always a steal on Ebay, and are severely underrated. I have a Telecaster-style JBP with two humbuckers and coil tapping, and it'* one of the most versatile guitars I have ever played. Puddy, I would definitely check into these if you can.

do you have any guitar centers near? i assume you do so i suggest you go in there and ask them to see some beginner guitars, play around a bit and see what you like. but to save money i suggest looking on the internet for music websites like music123.com zzounds.com or musiciansfriend.com for the guitar(*) you like. but make sure to play the guitars at a store before just blindly buying them off the internet (like i did, but i got lucky) i got a $350 guitar for $225 on the net, just to give you a comparison


for brands, like the others, i suggest either squier, epiphone, ibanez or fender to start with

just play around to see what you like

You can always get one of those Fender Strat packs. Everythin is included and its fairly priced.

http://www.americanmusical.com/sort-...FTcrFQod3mBwpA


To give you an idea.

definatetely Epiphone or Squier; perfect for a beginner.

i bought a Fender Highway One Series Jazz Bass. i was stuck on buying an American Made Fender and these were under $700. now i just need an amp, i'm drooliing over the Ampeg BA115HPT but that'* overkill for me at this point.

Please do yourself a favor and dont buy a squier, you will be very dissapointed by the performance. Instead of getting a guitar that sounds terrible no matter how you play purchase an ibanez or epiphone for a competetive price, for the price they sound pretty good.

I dont play an electric, so I cant comment on those, but I have heard good things about Epiphone and Ibanez as others have mentioned. The starter kits are a decent deal and save you some worry.

I currently play a lower end Ibanez acoustic.

The acoustic is harder to play, because the strings arent as easy to hold down, even if you have your action set low. But Im a firm believer that if you can learn to play an acoustic well, your electric skills will be that much better.

An acoustic is nice because you can take it pretty much anywhere without having to worry about finding a place to plug in your amp.

I could think of more to say but I have to go or Im gonna be late for class!!! haha