learning to play guitar

[ccarton88]

ok, I'm a freshman in college, and have decided that instead of studying, I'll learn to play guitar. My friend is teaching me, and we just started pretty much this past week. I know I'm not ready yet to get my own guitar, but I think it'd be helpful so my friend and I could play together, so we dind't have to keep taking turns holding the guitar.
I guess what I'm asking is if anybody knows a decent guitar to start with. I don't wanna spend a whole loe of money (under $100). I don't know anything about guitars, like which brands are better than others.
Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Powerslave]

is it an electric or acoustic guitar you want?
if it's electric, you could do a lot worse than getting a Fender Squire. they're very good beginner guitars, and cheap as well.
you can get a beginner pack with this guitar, which includes the guitar itself, a small practise amp, picks, lead, strap and tuition book. i'm not sure how much this would cost in American though, it may well be more than $100.

[Identity Fraud]

I recommend getting a good starter pack. Ask the guy at the local music store to give suggestions about what is right for you. If you don't get a starter pack then I suggest getting a cheap guitar and amp. Don't buy a very expensive amp (and sometimes the amps can get even more expensive than the actual guitar) because that money will go to waste if you end up quitting for some reason. At least if you bought an expensive guitar and you quit you can hand it down to somebody, but you can't really hand an amp down unless you know someone that plays guitar.

Sorry, I don't mean to scare you into thinking that you're gonna end up quitting but you never know.

[ccarton88]

my bad, i forgot to mention that I'm learning on a guitar, and that's what I'd prefer to buy.

[Clutch]

The cost of the amp, guitar, cords, picks, and probably a strap is going to be well over 100 dollars. If you're learning on acoustic, that price might be easier to work with since you don't have to pay for all the stuff mentioned before.

I won't recommend anything to you specifically, but the best advice I can give is to go to your local music store and try out all the guitars in your price range and choose the one that YOU like the best. There's no single best instrument since everybody has their own tastes and preferences. But for the amount that you specified, there probably won't be many options for starter instruments other than Squier, Ibanez, and perhaps Yamaha. Maybe Epiphone, but I think they are more pricy starter guitars than the others.

[Requiem]

Well over a hundred dollars? Hell, try over a thousand. Well....not if your buying cheap stuff. But really, a starter doesn't need a Marshall stack either. Disregard my above statement :P

Epiphone makes some ok guitars. They are a subsidary(sp?) of Gibson afterall. Really, think Les Paul but with sh!tty wiring.

Acoustics are good to learn on because its easier to make the transition, in my opinion, from acoustic to electric. I wouldnt recommend starting on electric simply because finger strength is key and acoustics are excellent muscle builders.

Remember, this is all my opinion. Also, don't buy a guitar just because someone tells you to or because you think its cool. Everyones always rantin' and ravin' about how the Gibson Les Paul is soooo awesome. Personally, I'd take a Fender over ANY Gibson. But thats me. Im a Fender guy. :P

[ZeLdA FaNaTiC]

If your gonna attempt to start wielding an axe then my suggestion to you is to go out and get a decent squire strat and a tiny 20W Fender amp. This might set you back a few hundred but its alot better idea than headin down for the Wal-mart special ($100 for the most useless starter kit i've seen) A man is only as good as his weapon so you might as well start off with something that will last and sound pretty decent.

[ccarton88]

my bad, i forgot to mention that I'm learning on a guitar, and that's what I'd prefer to buy.

k, well apparently I managed to leave out the most important word in that statement, acoustic.

Sorry, about that.
My friend is wiling to sell me one of his acoustics, a Fender DG-21S. He said he'd sell it to me for around $150, I htink he bought it at $400 new.

Currently I have no desire to play an electric, I just like the sound of an acoustic a lot better.

[Powerslave]

My friend is wiling to sell me one of his acoustics, a Fender DG-21S. He said he'd sell it to me for around $150, I htink he bought it at $400 new.

that is quite a good deal, if true. if you were to buy it off him, you would get a reasonable guitar to learn on. if you didn't take to it, you could probably sell the guitar for what you paid for it, so you won't really lose anything

[Typhon]

Remember, this is all my opinion. Also, don't buy a guitar just because someone tells you to or because you think its cool. Everyones always rantin' and ravin' about how the Gibson Les Paul is soooo awesome. Personally, I'd take a Fender over ANY Gibson. But thats me. Im a Fender guy. :P

I know what you're talking about...

I have a Yamaha ZX64 that I perfer over my uncles B.C. Rich... I mean... it just sounds better...


And along the way, I recomend starting with an accoustic anyways... it's nice to have a guitar that you can just whip out whenever you want and start to play... it's also nice becuase there's no techinical specs to learn, which is very good for beginners...