Recommendation about good entry level electric guitar set?

Discussion in 'Musicians and Instruments' started by rayfalkner, Oct 11, 2017.

  1. rayfalkner

    rayfalkner Not to be confused with Roy Fokker - Friend

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    My brother's fledgling band finally going to have their own very first commercial gig(s) next month. I decided that it's time for me to commemorate this occasion with a suitable gift. A low paying gig on small countryside mall is not that much of an achievement for many of us; but considering my brother and two of his other band members are autistic I think this is an important and valuable milestone for them!

    The lead guitarist of his band quit midway through this and my brother is relegated to take on the role. Anyway we both just realized that despite not a stranger to acoustic guitars, we knew very little (read: nothing) about electric ones. So I decide to search for a good beginner electric guitar that he can use to practice and also one that lasts for a bit while before the G.A.S kicks in.

    He definitely doesn't like the Les Paul models or those with similar build. He find it too heavy, uncomfortable to play with.

    Strat and Tele models are fine; probably drifting towards the strat slightly since he seems to prefer the tone of those 3 single coils setup.

    Currently browsing through the local marketplace for a good secondhand Fender strats/teles and Squier Classic Vibe's. Probably there are better suggestions aside from those?

    For the amp I think a secondhand Roland Cube should suffice; and those pedals can wait- I guess.

    Oh! The budget is about USD 500 maximum for the guitar. The band primarily plays pop and rock songs, while personally my brother also practice a good amount of jazz at home-- on piano and keyboard though, not on guitar.
     
  2. rayfalkner

    rayfalkner Not to be confused with Roy Fokker - Friend

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    Oh well. Bit the bullet.
    Found a local ad for a "lightly" used 2007 Fender MiM Strat, HSS configuration. And in a pretty sunburst too.

    Very minor scratches and stuffs, normal wear and tear signs no big deal, but the metal parts like the tuner, bridge, and the plug port are ridden with rust spots. I think the previous owner is the type who sweats a lot and not playing in an air conditioned room, and of course not the type who wipes and clean his instrument afterward.

    Polished it for a bit with Autosol, at least for the metal parts that is not out of reach due to the strings in place. Some of the luster returns but the majority of the rust spots remained. Next time on changing the strings I'll polish it more rigorously.

    For now this will do as a gift, don't you think?

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    A Made in Mexico Strat is exactly what I would have recommended. I've owned a bunch of guitars and my old MiM was one of the better instruments I've used. It's been gone for years, but a buddy still plays it more than 20 years later.
     
  4. rayfalkner

    rayfalkner Not to be confused with Roy Fokker - Friend

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    Bear in mind I absolutely have no prior expertise in electric guitars.

    So the story goes like this:
    The seller of that MiM Fender also had a handsome, black-white Fender American standard strat for sale for about USD 750, and some of the Squier top offerings too (Classic Vibe lineups for about USD 325, just a bit cheaper than the MiM Fender I bought at the end).

    At first I came to his warehouse full of secondhand guitars expecting a used Squier CV in a ridiculously pristine condition - referring to the ads he posted of course - and since I'm the obvious noob there, I asked him to demonstrate the guitar(s) first. He happily obliged and demo through all of his stocks of strat one by one.

    Honestly I can't differentiate the tone of a Squier strats vs that expensive American Fender strat. Sounds really, really similar to me. The build quality, the feel(?) when I tried to play the guitars seems better on the American Fender but then perhaps I'm trying hard to rationalize the huge difference in price.

    So I'm about to decide that I'll take one of his Squier instead, but then I saw another guitar on his wall, a stratocaster form that he didn't demo to me. I'm curious and I asked him about it, and he simply said that that one is a Mexican Fender, a "low quality" Fender, and not sounding like a "Fender" at all -whatever that means-. He asked if I wanted to hear it but warned me that it might not sound like a "Stratocaster" I'm looking for: clean, twangy, bright tones.

    The demo play of that MiM HSS Fender must be a rather awkward moment. The seller's face is like... someone who had a constipation while playing it while I (rather unconsciously) put a large smile with an excited gaze. The mere presence of that one Humbucker changes the tone so much! There's real substance, meat, weight, or whatever the terminology is in the tones now compared to those standard strats he demoed before.

    Sounds f'ing awesome!

    It's an instant buy decision, in a sense. He opened the price at USD 415, I haggle for USD 400 that includes a guitar cable and a pair of plectrum, then a deal at USD 410 that also includes a gigbag.

    He still kinda asked whether I'm really sure that I want a "non-Fender-sounding" Fender like that but hey, a plus for being a total newbie is I don't have a preconceived notion about the brands and stuffs.

    Woah 2 decades! I hope this one will last for a long while too.
     
  5. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    When looking for a Strat, all you really need to worry about is the feel of the guitar. It's so easy to replace components, even one that doesn't sound right is a good buy if holding and playing it feels right.
     

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