Thinking about picking up a guitar

for comfort, I think an electric will do better. I get carpal tunnel like effects in my wrists now and then. A "thicker" guitar, with a square edge (like most acoustics) digs into my wrist on my picking hand. My old yamaha electric is a strat-clone from the eighties, with that same square edge.

A common trend with Ibanez electrics is the sloped face where the picking arm would go. This is more comfortable for me. I notice Gibson SG's have a different shape, but also sport an agreeable edge.

So for me, comfort equals=
thin guitar (thicker causes more angle on my picking arm to reach around to the front, which presses on my wrist)
sloped edge so my wrist doesn't argue with the guitar body
low action so I don't have to press as hard to fret notes

Ibanez hits those points for me, so I have one of their basses, electrics and acoustics.



On review of your requirements, I'd say:
get an electric
get a $40 amp, and leave the distortion off (which makes it sound "acoustic like")
get a guitar stand ($20-40 so your axe looks and safe good while collecting dust)

Until you get an instructor, learn more, practice that "every note" scale to build up muscle memory for real scales/picking. Learn the CAGED chords (C,A,G,E,D are the "open" cowboy chords that many songs use).

Electrics come in 3 basic flavors: solidbody, semihollow, and hollowbody. Solidbody guitars- your Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Pauls, etc.- are the cheapest to make. Semihollows chamber out the body for reduced weight, increased resonance and a more acoustic tone. Hollowbodies are most like acoustics in terms of their unplugged sound projection.

However, make no mistake- no unplugged electric sounds like an acoustic. They're not voiced for it, they physically don't resonate the same way.

Right now, my favorite (non-luthier) guitar company in the world is Reverend. Their electrics are among the best of the best in terms of delivering a well-made product that sounds good, feels good, and doesn't cost a lot. Most models are under $1000 new, and I've seen (and bought) used ones in excellent condition running $650-800. Alas, they're a smallish company out of Detroit, so they are hard to find. I'm in the Dallas area, and I usually have to shop out-of-state or online to buy them. Still, a company worth considering if you go electric.

And part of what sets them apart is the neck: they essentially have one design, a medium oval contour that is not too big, not too small. (One design also helps keep costs down.)

Their semihollows are simply killer.

Other favorites: Godin, Fernandes, Electra.

Gretsch semihollows- in particular , the Electromatics- are an option to consider. Gretsch is one of the great names, and the Electomatics are their entry-level. Definitely worth a look.

A dark horse semihollow would be the Hagstrom Tremar Deuce. It's not a common brand, but, oddly Best Buy sells them...online, at least. Generally well made.

That said, Ibanez Artcore semihollows are among the best bang for your buck semihollows on the market. I think the Reverend, Gretsch and Hagstrom are better guitars, but the Ibanez Artcores are a LOT easier to find, and they're cheaper than the Gretsches.

If you DO go electric, I would not start off with an amp. I know, that sounds insane...but I did without an amp for the first 3 years I owned an electric. Here's how: a portable digital modeling device like one of these (some are discontinued, can still be easily found):

Boss Micro-BR 4 track
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=818

Boss Micro-BR 80
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=1167

Pocket POD
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Line-6-Pocket-POD-Guitar-Multi-Effects-Processor-104391875-i1173933.gc

Tascam GT-R1
http://tascam.com/product/gt-r1/

Korg Pandora Mini
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Korg-Pa...ar-Multi-Effects-Processor-H70754-i1746466.gc

Korg Px4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvaXhaTW-B8&sns=em

Korg Pandora Stomp
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PandoraSTOr/

Korg Px5
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Korg-Pandora-PX5D-Guitar-Multi-Effects-Processor-104821715-i1387080.gc

Here is a visual comparison of (left to right) Tascam, my PX-5 and one of my Px4s to my old Aiwa cassette player:



Only the Tascam has decent acoustic recording capacity. All DO have features like tuners, metronomes, drum synthesizers, and digital amp & pedal modeling. IOW, they're KILLER practice tools.

So with decent headphones, you can rock out like you were playing Texas Stadium. And yes, they are all about the size of an old Walkman.

The ones I own: the Tascam has the external mics, a phrase trainer (loop & slow down stuff for practicing), and takes SD cards. Both it and the PX5 can connect directly to your computer via a USB port. It is less powerful than the PX5, but, oddly, the PX5 does not have a belt/strap hook.

The ones I don't own: The Line6 PocketPOD is, I believe, the most popular device like this; the Boss might be the most powerful (and priciest); the Pandora Mini is the smallest (its about the size of a stack of business cards), cheapest, and least powerful.

Also, don't be like The Treeman. I can't post the videos here, but Google "angriest guitarist" and you'll find him.

HI-LAAAAAAARIOUS!

those pocket FX devices Danny showed are a good amp alternative. Kind of like the TonePort suggestion to hook to your PC, but self contained.

A side note on that: the Line 6 Pod products and TonePort products are all based on the same technology and they all have USB slot to plug into the computer. So you can fiddle with the settings on the PC screen (nice actually), then use all the settings in the Pod without the PC.

Personally, I prefer the Line6 products. I have a Pod XT Live (older unit, there's something newer out) that is a Pod, in a floor pedal form factor.

Something like the PocketPod or TonePort is likely right up your alley and hopefully budget. Technically, there's even Apps for FX, but you need a decent adapter to plug your guitar in (I haven't found one that I liked the price for).

Really, FX is going to translate into "something you can hear through headphones" but all the devices include distortion, etc which is fun to play with and gives you some sound tinkering to do.

While I love my Korg & some of the other devices, the Line6 POD is THE industry leader in the field of portable digital modelers. That means you should be able to find them with ease, new or used.

Dannyalcatraz said:

Also, don't be like The Treeman. I can't post the videos here, but Google "angriest guitarist" and you'll find him.

HI-LAAAAAAARIOUS!

Click to expand...

That is one *frustrated* individual.

I just started about 10 months ago. You will play an electric more, due to the action and other things that make it easier. If you do not want to pay for lessons right away, start with justinguitar.com. seriously great place for free lessons. Rocksmith is also a good tool. I started with a cheap loner, then bought a Ibanez Godin that was great, except it had a floating tremolo that I could not control. I changed to a Fender Strat. You must spend an hour or three in several guitar shops, just playing. If they do not tune them for you as you shop, go somewhere else. Let me know if you have beginner questions. It is a great hobby.

Zaukrie said:

You must spend an hour or three in several guitar shops, just playing.

Click to expand...

That seems like an excellent piece of advice for someone who already knows how to play, and is looking to choose a new guitar. But, when you don't yet know how to play, outside of doing what Janx has suggested with several guitars, I'm not sure what I'd do with an hour or three.

I have a tiny amp right now, but hope to get a line 6 amplifi this holiday season.

Umbran said:

That seems like an excellent piece of advice for someone who already knows how to play, and is looking to choose a new guitar. But, when you don't yet know how to play, outside of doing what Janx has suggested with several guitars, I'm not sure what I'd do with an hour or three.

Click to expand...

That's always the hard part, buying the first one when you don't know what you'd like, or like more than what you've already tried. Danny's got more experience than me with a variety of nicer guitars. His taste and budget run higher than I've spent (which might have been more than you were going to spend).

I wouldn't sweat it too bad. Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.

Ibanez, Fender, Gibson make some affordable guitars that don't suck. Try those first.

If you can, spend at least $300 on the guitar. Not because you're handing away extra cash, but because you are filtering out the cheap stock and presumably buying a guitar actually worth that. Take notes on the guitar models/brands you like and the price. Then go google some reviews. Your main concern is that there's not a flood of negative reviews about product quality. You can surely recognize an axe that most people like, but a couple people were picky or had a single unit failure.

If you absolutely must buy cheap, buy a Fender Squire Strat. They are about $100, and are based on the Fender Stratocaster line, but are made more cheaply. It's probably the best of the cheap models.

Since you're likely buying used (which means a $300 guitar was probably a $400 guitar), you'll need some tips on identifying at-risk guitars. warped necks, worn frets, loose tuning pegs.