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Behind the Stacks, You Glimpse an Axe...Mar 07 '01 (Updated Apr 14 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Ask yourself several very important questions before you plunk down your credit card. And take your time shopping!
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(Updated April 14, 2001 with additional info about amps and effects) If you think that a "pickup" is what you do at a bar, you need to know more about electric guitars. :-) I'm not an expert on this subject. However, I recently bought two electric guitars after much research. I have been playing acoustic guitar for more than 25 years. So I feel somewhat qualified to offer advice. (Probably less qualified than others, but here goes...no flames please, and correct me in the comments section if I'm dead wrong, ok?!) Electric guitars are like fancy cars: they are so beautiful! But looks aren't everything, and looks can be deceiving. Before you plunk down your credit card, here are some important questions to ask yourself. 1. How much do I want to spend? Electric guitars vary widely in price. From only a few hundred dollars for a Fender Squier (with practice amp) to thousands of dollars for highest-quality custom-made axes. If you begin by knowing your price range, you can choose the best model in that category. 2. What type of music do I want to play? This is an important question. Different types of guitars sound better for different types of music. For a good all-purpose guitar, a Fender Stratocaster is a good bet. Not only is it a classic, but it has a whammy bar so you can bend notes and chords. For heavy metal, you might do better with an ESP or Ibanez, as their whammy bars are made for heavy abuse and hand gymnastics, and they often have locking nuts, so you stay in tune better. For jazz, you might want to look at something like a classic Gibson Les Paul, which usually has a richer, warmer tone than rock guitars. You might also want to try a semi-hollow body versus a solid body guitar. Hollow body guitars usually sound warmer and richer. These type of guitars are sometimes made in "arch top" models. In each of these categories, many guitar manufacturers offer many models. For example, ESP makes a series of guitars that are knock-offs of the Gibson Les Paul. And they sound great (my husband has one). 3. What is my level of expertise? Personally, as an acoustic guitar player for so many years, I didn't necessarily want to buy the lowest-end electric guitar. I chose something in the middle (a Fender American Strat). If you are a "poor" student who has never touched a guitar previously, (and you're not sure whether you'll like playing it), you can't go wrong with a Fender Squier, because it comes with a little practice amp. You can learn everything you need to on this guitar. Then in a few years, if you've gotten good, you can trade up for a better model (or one more suited for your needs). Check out second-hand music stores in your area. Many students sell their Squiers, and you might find one for a good discount price. If you want to go a step up from the Squier, Fender's Mexican Strats are much less expensive than their American counterparts. The difference is, (supposedly) the pickups and other machinery in the Mexican Strats are lower quality. But many people like the way they sound and prefer them. You must play them yourself to decide. Once You Have Narrowed the Field Once you have answered the above questions and have narrowed your field a bit, here are some details to check: What type of wood is the guitar made of? Most decent electric guitars are (I believe) made of Ash, Maple, or Alder. A rosewood fretboard usually offers a warmer sound than other types of wood. Of course, any decently made electric guitar would be made from solid wood. Before you buy, ask what type of wood the guitar is made from! What type of pickups does it employ? In case you don't know, the pickups are those oval-shaped gizmos under the strings on the guitar's body. The pickups "pick up" the string sounds and deliver them to your amp. The better the pickup, the better the sound. There are simple single-coil pickups and humbucking pickups (which "buck the hum" thus giving a cleaner sound). If you don't like your guitar's pickups, you can buy better ones and have your guitar store install them for you. Does it have a locking nut? "Ouch," say the guys, "that sounds painful!" (well, unless you're into S&M...) A locking nut is a gizmo at the top of the fretboard. It "locks" the strings into position so they don't go out of tune. I believe that unless you use a whammy bar heavily, you probably don't need one of these. But if you want to be like Steve Vai or play speed metal, a locking nut is probably a good thing to have. Do I want a whammy bar? Whammy bars are essential for playing surf music and many types of rock. If you plan to play jazz, a whammy bar will probably not be very important to you. Different manufacturers produce different types of bars. The whammy bar on the Stratocaster is not made to take heavy abuse; however, those on ESP and Ibanez guitars are incredible. Getting Ready to Buy Those are the basics. Now comes the hard part: playing the guitars in the stores and making a decision. Take your time. Don't let a salesperson rush you or pressure you. Play several types of guitars at several different local stores. Narrow it down. What feels good in your hands? What sounds best to you? What makes you feel giddy just holding it?! Price shop, and don't be afraid to ask the all-important question when you're ready to buy: "Can you do better on the price than this?" You'd be surprised how many music stores are willing to knock the price down for you. Beyond the Guitar Amps and Effects After you choose your guitar, you must choose an amp. But that's another review, and one I'm not really very qualified to write. Generally, the people who work in music stores will try to pair your guitar with a comparable amp. Obviously, if you plan to go on stage, you will need a different type of amp than for practicing in your house. There are many different types of amps. Some are basic and some have built-in special effects, like distortion and reverb. Some have headphone jacks, and some do not. So, just like choosing a guitar, when you choose an amp, you must ask yourself "Where and how do I want to play my guitar?" If noise is a big concern, make sure it has headphone jacks! If you like special effects, you can buy "stomp boxes" or pedals which go between your guitar and your amp. These are not very expensive; usually around $50 each. Manufacturers like Danelectro and Roland make a wide variety of these. Using a stomp box, you can add distortion, reverb, wah-wah, and other neat effects to your playing. If you have more money and want a wider variety of effects, you can buy a Korg, Digitech, or Roland Boss guitar effects processor. These range in price from $100 to $500 and offer everything from wah and reverb to many types of distortion and emulations of different types of amps! I have a Roland Boss GT-3 and I absolutely love it. But it is on the higher end of the price range. One Final Note One final piece of advice. If you're a complete beginner, consider taking lessons. I know, teaching yourself is so romantic. I did that. Now I regret it; there's so much I never learned. Now after all these years, I'm taking lessons and learning all that stuff I should have known for the past 20 years. It's very frustrating. When you're first starting out, there is no substitute for a real person to guide you in the right direction, and correct mistakes before they become bad habits.  |
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