How do I buy an electric guitar?

I often get asked for advice on how to buy an electric guitar.  Which one is the best one? How much will it cost?  Any particular brands?

Well I was going to write an article on that and out of interest I googled 'How do I buy an electric guitar?' and about one million links appeared, all with good info (I'll put some of the links at the end of this blog).  So instead of rehashing a pretty well worn topic, I went to have a cup of tea.

As I let the tea cool, I thought about my first electric guitar, how I don't have it any more and a familiar feeling common to many guitar players hit me.  Guitar Sale Regret.  

At about a quarter the way through my cup of tea, I started thinking about how I'd decided which electric guitar I wanted when I started out.  The pre-buying experience was a bit like this great clip from Wayne's World, though at my local store they wouldn't let me actually play one - the shop owner and I knew that there were a lot of 4 hour Saturday shifts at the local department store between me and an electric guitar.

Like Wayne from Wayne's World, all guitarists craved an American made guitar.  It was a given that the quality of US made instruments was far superior to guitars made elsewhere and of course that made them super expensive and super desirable.  When you add in the mix the small chance that the single guitar shop in my small town in the UK would actually have a US-made Fender in stock, my quest seemed hopeless.

Mexican Fender Factory - Image:  ©  Brian E Harmon Jnr

Fortunately for guitar players the situation today is very different.  I think the cachet of the US-made guitar is diminishing as guitar players realise they can get as good, or nearly as good instruments for a fraction of the price.  The build quality of instruments from other countries has dramatically improved, so much so that international and domestic competition has driven the price of US-made guitars down and now they're cheaper than ever.   It is safe to say that the bang your buck makes today is loud, clean and clear, looks good in sunburst, has a straight neck, a clear finish and good components.

How did this happen? Well Fender, Gibson et al. all started to make guitars in different locations with accordingly different price tags -  the good thing is that the products coming out of, for example, China, is actually very good.  The factories where the guitars are made under licence from Fender, or whoever, have strict quality control and use good components.  When I think of the variety, quality, availability and affordability of entry-level guitars today, then add in the open-all-hours store that is the internet as a multiplier, then there's never been a better time to buy a guitar.  I certainly don't care that much about where guitars are made any more. My wall has guitars from America, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and China.  Amplifiers too.

Halfway through my tea, I started thinking why I had wanted a Stratocaster so badly.  Actually there were two reasons: Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.  They were my favourite guitarists.  I'd recommend the same approach to you.  

Also consider this, and I know it kind of sounds obvious, different electrics make different types of sounds.  Like the sparkle on Apache by the Shadows?  Get a Stratocaster.  Love the grit of Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker?  Get a Les Paul. Want to play that great G7sus4 chord at the beginning of Hard Day's Night? Get a Rickenbacker.  I think the main thing is, if you like a particular band or artist's sound, why not just copy them?  When they originally chose their first guitar, they were probably trying to emulate their heroes too.  

White 80s Fender Stratocaster....regrets, regrets...   © Ian Lange 

So, the first electric I owned was a white Fender Stratocaster.  Just like the one in the photo.

It was white (like Jimi Hendrix's) and it was a Fender Stratocaster.  A Fender.  Did I say it was a Fender? The best thing, apart from the sound, how it looked and how loud it could be, was that it said Fender on the headstock.  Instant cool.  I really never should have sold it.

And by the time I'd finished the tea? Well, I'd come up with the idea for this article and a few others....blogs coming up will cover guitar family trees, what guitar is on that song and my own and others' stories of Guitar Sale Regret.

Oh and here are some of those links on 'How do I buy an electric guitar?'.  

Cheers, 

Simon

eBay's electric guitar buying guide

Amazon's guitar buying guide

Dan Cross' Guitar Buying Guide

Sweetwater Buying Guide

Robert Diz's Guitar Buying Advice

It's all in the......timing....

Timing has an enormous affect on how good you sound as a guitarist. Just like other aspects of musicality, timing is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice!

In order to improve your timing, it is important to understand that every beat can be played in three different ways:

• before the beat, 
• right on the beat, 
• after the beat. 

This following simple exercise will help you recognize your timing pattern. It is very simple, yet very effective. If you want to get the most out of this exercise, you should record yourself and analyse the results.   There's a vioce record on most mobiles

1. Set your metronome to 60 BPM and start your recording device 
2. Pick up your musical instrument 
3. Play 60 short notes (or up and down a scale), try to hit each note exactly on the beat 
4. Play back the recording and mark how many beats you hit exactly on the beat, how many before the beat and how many after the beat. 

You will soon notice your tendencies. Some musicians tend to rush, when others tend to drag. The more you will focus on this simple exercise the better awareness to timing you will have and it will naturally be reflected in your playing. I recommend spending 5-10 minutes every day practicing this exercise.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The first post hey?  I thought we'd start with what'll be an irregular theme in the blog, practice tips.  It is the most fundamental thing about learning the guitar.  Regular, focussed, efficient, methodical, fun, rewarding practice.

I remember how much my fingers hurt after getting my first steel stringed guitar, but loving the sound of it.  I remember sitting downstairs at home when I was a kid, going over and over Stairway to Heaven until I could play along with the cassette.  And I certainly remember the eureka moment when instead of shutting the door to avoid the sound of my 'playing', Mum walked through the room and left it open!

It's unfortunately true that no matter how much money you spend on gear and lessons, time spent obsessing over tone or perfecting your guitar face (check out B.B. King nailing it), unless you spend time practicing, and practicing deliberately, you won't improve.

http://egotvonline.com/2011/08/10/30-awesome-guitar-faces/ 

So here's your new practice regime, try it see how you go.  Each practice session is made up of 3 sections, a technical exercise, your newest song and finally repertoire.

The best way to practice these things in is...

1. Technical exercise (10 mins)
2. Newest song (20 mins)
3. Repertoire (as long as you like)

There's a reason behind the order....  If you run a technical exercise first (let's say a major scale exercise), it's going to act as a warm up for your fingers, this then gives you a greater ability to tackle the new song you are learning.  As a reward for being a good student you get to practice your repertoire - that is all the stuff you can already play.  Practicing in this order means you leave the practice session feeling good and are more likely to want to practice again!

Now, let's imagine you start with repertoire, that goes well and then you try the new song.  It doesn't go so well because you haven't warmed up all your fingers.  You end up getting frustrated and put the guitar down and watch TV - and you didn't even practice your scales!

An even worse scenario is that you start with the newest piece, get frustrated, give up, watch TV and don't feel like picking the guitar up as regularly.

So, I hope that helps.  Love to hear what you think!

PS ever hear about 10,000 hours?  Well, check it out....