Buying A New Guitar, What to look for? tips? |
|
|
|
|
Jun 11 2009, 04:10 PM
|
|
Do you like the sound of Stratocaster? Do you prefer single or humbucker pickups, or you need a combination of both?
-------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE
- Check out my GMC Profile and Lessons - (Please subscribe to my) YouTube Official Channel - Let's be connected through ! Facebook! :) |
 |
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 11 2009, 04:47 PM
|
|
Plug it. See if you like the sound. Make sure it's not the amp's sound that you like, but the guitar's!
Check the guitar unplugged to make sure it doesn't have fret buzz on any neck position. Check that the electronics work properly (plugged of course). Move the tone/volume pots, make sure it doesn't make undesired noise. Do the same with pup switch & the guitar cable input. Check the guitar finish. Pay special attention to the the part where the neck joins the body, make sure there are no cracks if it's a fixed neck, or space in-between if it's a bolt-on one. Check that the neck is not warped. A guitar should stay in tune. Be sure to check if the neck feels comfortable. Some are thick, others thin. That's a huge difference. A good shop should set-up your new instrument according to your needs (gauge, action, etc.) -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 11 2009, 08:46 PM
|
|
One of the most important things to me, personally, is the fretboard radius. F.ex a rounded Gibson fretboard feels so good while I can't get along with any of the Schecter models; they are way too flat.
So if I were you I'd try to feel and find a neck that suits you and try to stick to that radius. Then of course necks can have different thickness but still for me, a smaller radius will always work better. -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 11 2009, 09:09 PM
|
|
An important thing to look for in a budget guitar might be if it's got a floating bridge. Cheaper guitars usually have terrible licensed floyd roses. I strongly recomend a guitar with a fixed bridge or fender-type tremolo in that pricerange.
There's several brands thats got good budget guitars.. take a look at Ibanez, Schecter and Epiphone or LTD. (Most of the LTD guitars are made with metal in mind, but they do have some good and more versatile guitars too) -------------------- Guitars: Schecter Stiletto Classic, Jackson SLSMG, Ibanez RG-380 Japan, Gibson Les Paul Studio
Amp: Marshall JMP-1 -> Rocktron Velocity 100 -> Marshall JCM-900 Lead 4x12 FX and stomps: T.C Electronics G-Sharp, Korg SDD-1200, Emma Transmorgrifier, BYOC Tribooster, GGG Green Ringer, Dinosaur Overdrive, Voodoo Lab SuperFuzz, Sovtek Bassballs, Line6 Tap Tremolo, EHX Screaming Bird. ___________________________________________________ My Lessons! My Instructor Board! My Myspace! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 12 2009, 09:54 AM
|
|
whooohh... that are a lot of reactions! Thank you all.
When reading all the reactions it raises even more questions: QUOTE Do you like the sound of Stratocaster? Do you prefer single or humbucker pickups, or you need a combination of both? I like the sound of a strat when I hear Mark Knopfler for example, but my current guitar doen't sound warm. Is this caused by my settings? Is it the guitar? What are exactly the differences in sound when you compare a humbucker to a single pickup? Is it a world of difference or isn't it really that important? I would assume it sounds warmer. Sometimes I see a pickup with dots in it and sometimes a see a 'plate' (I don't know the right terms for this. Here's a picture where you see them both (Fender Squier) http://www.chrisguitars.com/pickups-squier-tele-set.jpg). Is there an important difference between them? QUOTE A guitar should stay in tune. How do you know this? Check if the machine heads aren't too lose? QUOTE An important thing to look for in a budget guitar might be if it's got a floating bridge. I know that I'm a newbe when comes to guitar gear, but a floating bridge means that you have a tremolo? Is it possible to have a fixed bridge and a tremolo? Is a tremolo the same as a whammybar? My current guitar has a Floyd rose and when I use it, it sometimes de-tunes the guitar. Are there ways to avoid this? Is this a typical Floyd rose thing and do other tremolo systems don't have this problem? Is it because it's a cheap guitar? As you see, I'm not really an expert when it comes to guitar gear (not yet  ), so I hope you guys can help me further. I'm a bit afraid that the salesmen will convince me to buy a guitar that is not as good as they make me believe it is.With kind regards, Niels -------------------- My gear:
-Ibanez RG320dxfm-TG -Richwood strat -Effects: Boss ME-70, Boss DS-1, Ibanez TS-7 -Amp: Cheap old Fender H.O.T. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 12 2009, 10:20 AM
|
|
Let us know your budget and watch the suggestions roll in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 12 2009, 03:14 PM
|
|
QUOTE (Niels @ Jun 12 2009, 10:54 AM)  How do you know this? Check if the machine heads aren't too lose? I guess it's hard to tell, but since you are going to play it for a while, do some bendings & stuff and check that it's still in tune when you finish. Truth is any decent guitar out there will stay in tune, as long as it has a fixed bridge. As others already mentioned I'd stay away from cheap floating bridges, specially in this price range. -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 12 2009, 11:46 PM
|
|
QUOTE (Niels @ Jun 12 2009, 10:54 AM) I know that I'm a newbe when comes to guitar gear, but a floating bridge means that you have a tremolo? Is it possible to have a fixed bridge and a tremolo? Is a tremolo the same as a whammybar? My current guitar has a Floyd rose and when I use it, it sometimes de-tunes the guitar. Are there ways to avoid this? Is this a typical Floyd rose thing and do other tremolo systems don't have this problem? Is it because it's a cheap guitar? As you see, I'm not really an expert when it comes to guitar gear (not yet ), so I hope you guys can help me further. I'm a bit afraid that the salesmen will convince me to buy a guitar that is not as good as they make me believe it is.With kind regards, Niels A Floyd Rose would be a floating bridge and a floating bridge is when you can can bend it up and down. Ordinary tremolos can just bend down. They are basically only bendable in one direction which can save you alot of tuning frustrations. And a fixed bridge is one that lacks all of these features. It's stuck in the same position nomatter what. With a fixed bridge, tuning problems would come down to cheap tuners or simply a badly constructed guitar with cheap wood. There is a few ways to fix a bad floyd rose. There's a tool called Tremol-no, which locks the bridge in a fixed position. But if it's a cheap guitar then i'm not sure how much i would invest in it. The budget way of doing it would be inserting a small block of wood for example under the Floyd rose to help block it from going in both directions. I hope this explanation is of help Here's a "one-way" tremolo: http://www.hagstromguitars.eu/fileadmin/_h...ics_Big/FCS.jpg Typical Floyd Rose floating: bridge http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nigel.roberts...yd_rose_500.jpg Fixed bridge: http://www.pssl.com/images/ProdImage05/500/VN-XM-54S.jpg This post has been edited by Trond Vold: Jun 12 2009, 11:48 PM -------------------- Guitars: Schecter Stiletto Classic, Jackson SLSMG, Ibanez RG-380 Japan, Gibson Les Paul Studio
Amp: Marshall JMP-1 -> Rocktron Velocity 100 -> Marshall JCM-900 Lead 4x12 FX and stomps: T.C Electronics G-Sharp, Korg SDD-1200, Emma Transmorgrifier, BYOC Tribooster, GGG Green Ringer, Dinosaur Overdrive, Voodoo Lab SuperFuzz, Sovtek Bassballs, Line6 Tap Tremolo, EHX Screaming Bird. ___________________________________________________ My Lessons! My Instructor Board! My Myspace! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 13 2009, 03:32 PM
|
|
QUOTE I like the sound of a strat when I hear Mark Knopfler for example, but my current guitar doen't sound warm. Is this caused by my settings? Is it the guitar? What are exactly the differences in sound when you compare a humbucker to a single pickup? Is it a world of difference or isn't it really that important? I would assume it sounds warmer. Sometimes I see a pickup with dots in it and sometimes a see a 'plate' (I don't know the right terms for this. Here's a picture where you see them both (Fender Squier) http://www.chrisguitars.com/pickups-squier-tele-set.jpg). Is there an important difference between them? You can find most info in our Wiki! https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Pickup for pickups, there are also articles for Single Coils and Humbuckers, just type in the search! In general, Humbuckers sound warmer, fatter and have a higher output (volume). BTW, this "plate" is just a cover, remove the plate, and you'll see the "dots" (magnets). I think the sound isn't enhanced by the plate. QUOTE How do you know this? Check if the machine heads aren't too lose? If it has a tremolo system, you can just take your tuning device, go crazy on the tremolo and see if it's still in tune! If doesn't have one, it's harder, you can try to play for half an hour, but that's not very normal inside the store QUOTE I know that I'm a newbe when comes to guitar gear, but a floating bridge means that you have a tremolo? Is it possible to have a fixed bridge and a tremolo? Is a tremolo the same as a whammybar? My current guitar has a Floyd rose and when I use it, it sometimes de-tunes the guitar. Are there ways to avoid this? Is this a typical Floyd rose thing and do other tremolo systems don't have this problem? Is it because it's a cheap guitar? https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Floyd_Rose for floating bridges, with locks. really short: this http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-RG350DX...415-i1395598.gc has a floating bridge, meaning the tremolo can be used to raise, and lower the pitch! Now a "normal" tremolo bridge like http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-SV5470-...367-i1396022.gc can only lower the pitch, or sometimes raise it a tiny bit! Dutch: als je iets wilt vragen kun je altijd ff een berichtje sturen! er staat echt al veel informatie in de wiki, dus mischien heb je daar ook iets aan! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 22 2009, 08:42 AM
|
|
That's flippin awesome:D
Where can you get those girls ? 
-------------------- Don't just play it. Feel it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 22 2009, 10:03 AM
|
|
Congrats on your guitar
-------------------- "Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong." Guitars & Amps Brian Moore DC-1 Custom Shop (Cherry Sunburst, mahogany/rosewood) Eric Johnson Signature Strat (2-tone Sunburst, alder/maple) Ibanez RG770 (Black, basswood/rosewood) Peerless Journeyman (solid spruce/maple) Sixt Bov-105C (Ovation-like acoustic) - Ibanez SGT-130 (Jumbo acoustic) London City VS-1 (Precision bass) - Baton Rouge U3S (Ukelele) Fender HotRod Deluxe 40W combo - Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue 5W combo - Marshall JCM 900 50W Hi-Gain combo Effects & Other stuff POD Studio UX2 audio interface - Edirol MA-15D monitors EH Double Muff - Fulltone GT-500 - Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet - Guitarsystems TrebleTool Junior - Guitarsystems FuzzTool Junior Korg Pitchblack Tuner - MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay - TC Electronics Nova Modulator - Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah Shure SM58 - Roland PCR-500 midi controller/keyboard & Yamaha Clavinova CL-910 piano My Website My MySpace Page My YouTube Channel My Twitter Account My Band 'Gonzo!' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 22 2009, 10:13 AM
|
|
Congrats on your girl:) And on the guitar
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:
