* Buying a Guitar *
Yoz,
Any1 out there need any help when it comes to buying of Guitars? Not too sure what are the BETTER or LOUSY brands which you should buy? Well, here's the following simple steps/questions which i think one should consider before looking for a guitar:
1. What kinda Guitar are you looking for?Classical?Acoustic Steel?Electric?
- Well of course different guitars are caterred for different needs, if you want to play normal pop or folk-like kinda songs or if you like the more muffled yet easy to press kinda guitar, get a Classical one. If you are more ambitious and want better sound quality that is closer to modern music, go for the Acoustic. However, it is definitely more difficult to learn the guitar with an Acoustic because you are pressing on steel strings which can be more painful. Lastly, if you want a variety of sounds which you can jam and play around with different genres, get an Electric, dude.
-----------------------------[Electric Guitar context]------------------------
2. Ask yourself what kind of a guitarist are you?Rock?Blues?Pop?Metal?
- The reason being that different Guitars are designed according to different needs and genres, thus it is important to know what kind of music you're into before setting onto a guitar.
3. What is your budget?
- Cheap Guitars can go as low as $199+ and the high end Brands can go up to THOUSANDS, depending on the uniqueness or features of the guitar. Trust me, if you're just a beginner who wants to start out and thinks it is okay to start with a cheap and novice kinda guitar,YOU are so WRONG. All it takes is just a few months of practice and you're gonna dump ya Guitar aside, feeling frustrated that the pickups and sounds suck badly, and the next thing, you're gonna spend AGAIN on a better guitar.
- On the contrary, I do not encourage buying too HIGH-END guitars for the start, because you're unable to fully ultilise the equipment and unique features for your current Guitar Level. In conclusion, do set aside a decent amount of money to buy a PROPER guitar for practice and for jamming.
4. What are the Brands i should look out for?
- In fact, there are so many different types of Brands out there in the market, offering different kinds of shapes,sounds,uniqueness etc. Well in this case, it all depends on individual. However, it would be wise to ask around fellow friends(who can play guitars) for advice, or better still, search through the internet for information on the individual Brands available. In my NEXT POST, i will list out ALMOST all the Guitar brand names as well as their links to their website. Do take note of that.
- [n my personal opinion, i would usually go for familiar Brands like Fender,Ibanez,Epiphone or Schecters. You wouldnt go too wrong with these. =) ]
5. Does the exterior (i.e Shape, Appearance, colour ) really matter?
- Most Guitarists would say this is a SECONDARY issue, because what REALLY matters is the pickup/sounds which the guitar can produce and whether you're comfortable playing with it. I mean, what's the point of having a nicely shaped guitar that looks cool on the front but cant produce the impact and effect you ideally desire? Then again, looks still matter after all, so do go for something which suits your personality at the end of it. In addition, it is also important to check out the quality of the guitar, i.e to make sure there isn't any scratches,dents or even uneven necks.
6. Pickups and Sounds of the Guitar.
- This WHAT i feel matters in the Guitar itself, the sound and pickups. Therefore, the only way to know what you want is to TEST IT OUT for yourself and find out what kinda tone or sound you like. Still don't get what i'm driving at? Alright here's and example: In my opinion, guitars like the Fender Stratos have a much cleaner yet versatile tone by itself, while the SG Epiphone which i own has a much Heavier and thicker clean sound( because it's meant for rock genres). See the difference? Plus, if you try a cheap guitar, you might notice that the clean sound isnt very clean after all,could be fuzzy n the pickup isnt as good as the better ones. Do check out whether the volume and tone knobs are working and that the guitar does not produce any cracklings or hums. Okay, do not be too worried about not getting the ideal sounds/tones because ultimately, you're gonna plug in the pedals or effects to change the tones around! Alternatively, if you are rich enough, you can always switch the pickups to your own custom ones, and yet retaining the guitar which you want the next time!
7. Manufacturing Country of the Guitar.
- Okay, this might not seem to be of much concern to some people but yes, different manufacturing countries give you different qualities of the same guitar. Certain brands names might be an American or UK brand for example, but do ask WHERE is it made from before finally deciding on that piece. I've heard of friends telling mi that certain Brands could be anufactured in 2 different countries, and thus the quality differs. In addition, if you're not careful enough, you might be paying a high price for a "poorer"(aka different grade) quality guitar just because you thought it was a brand-ed guitar.
That should conclude what i have to say about. Well of course, the above are just my PERSONAL opinions and suggestions, so it's not necessary 100% accurate. Have fun!
Thursday, June 7, 2007 at 1:22:00 PM
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