Quote:
Originally Posted by kyosak
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I do like the sound of electric more than acoustic so that's the direction I was planning on heading. I understand that my budget is way too low to get any respectable set but I've yet to even lay a hand on a guitar so I'm not willing to invest in such an expensive set just yet.
I was looking at the Squier Affinity series Strat. guitars because of the low price/mix of good reviews. How is that? I understand that there's the option for used guitars but I don't know the standards for rating a certain guitar good or bad (lol Yui). This would bring me to spending around $200 on the guitar and $100 on the amp. I wonder if I got my priorities correct, lol.
I do happen to have a couple of close people with guitar backgrounds. Would it mean lessons will be unnecessary? Thanks!
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I had a squier when I first started out. If you are going to go that route, there is a starter pack that comes with the squire affinity strat, a fender frontman 15w amp, and a bag/tuner/picks/instructionalDVD/etc. the fender frontman amp is very reasonable for K-On! music and can produce good distortion on its dirty channel. It's also able to play very loud.
afaik, its the ONLY starter pack that is remotely decent in quality, and its like 200-300 bucks brand new, so consider it.
I highly, highly recommend the used guitar route. Instruments are things that generally play BETTER as they get older, and musicians aren't exactly known for trashing their guitars. I bought my squire brand new but I've gone for used equipment ever since then. Just bring a knowledgable friend, and check that the guitar is in good shape. Also use your judgement, does the seller seem like a legit and reasonable person who would take care of a guitar?
The main reason I suggest you go used, is because if you are lucky, a MIM Stratocaster can be purchased for as little as 250 dollars used (look for good deals on craigslist/etc.). A used 50 dollar amp with at least 10-15 watts of power (and no more than 30-50) will more than suffice for your practice needs. However, used amps are not as reliable as used guitars, so IMO, you should go and buy a brand new roland microcube or fender frontman, which are not expensive anyway. You just need to extend you budget to 350-400 dollars (if you find good deals, 350 dollars is possible)
To repeat myself, the MIM strat is a very nice guitar (way better than the squires, which are only okay). The MIM strat is a guitar that can possibly satisfy you for the rest of your life, even if you do gigs and performances.