[62ohm]

Grats, mate! I tried the 314CE several times and I still covet it to this day.
 
On the other hand, I've been drooling over this for quite some time now...
 

 
a Gibson Memphis ES-Les Paul in Cobra Burst finish. Looks great, plays great, weighs only 2.7 KG. Only 200 made world wide (the finish, that is) and I truly do hope I can get my hands on one of them.

 

[ChaseM]

   
I just got a Taylor 314CE this week. Bought it used at a great price in absolutely mint condition. Still in the honeymoon phase, but it looks good, plays easily, and sounds great. Couldn't ask for much more at its price.

Great guitar! Taylor has definitely got the crisp, clean sound figured out.

 

[62ohm]

Why is this thread dead? Gonna try to resurrect it with a pic of my toys this night - Strat Thursday!
 

 

[customcoco]

Grats, mate! I tried the 314CE several times and I still covet it to this day.

On the other hand, I've been drooling over this for quite some time now...




a Gibson Memphis ES-Les Paul in Cobra Burst finish. Looks great, plays great, weighs only 2.7 KG. Only 200 made world wide (the finish, that is) and I truly do hope I can get my hands on one of them.

Dear god, now that's what I call a grey burst ! Did you buy that beauty ?

 

[62ohm]

Dear god, now that's what I call a grey burst ! Did you buy that beauty ?

 
Unfortunately, I don't. It cost $5,700 NZD here, and even so it is sold anyway.

 

[customcoco]

   
Unfortunately, I don't. It cost $5,700 NZD here, and even so it is sold anyway.

That's in the realm of "definitely overpriced". Just like most high-end gibsons, that said.

 

[customcoco]

Some recent progress on my bass project :
 
Newly planed Maple/Purpleheart/Maple neck :


 
 
Current headstock design. A ply of black ebony will cover all up, obviously.


 
 
Sexy Macassar Ebony to match with the back :

 

[62ohm]

^
 
Nice, mate! Are you a luthier? I always find luthiery to be a very awesome occupation/skill. 

 

[customcoco]

  ^
 
Nice, mate! Are you a luthier? I always find luthiery to be a very awesome occupation/skill. 

No, I am not. I found a luthier close to home willing to share his considerable knowledge with several students, all of which build an instrument with him.
 
It is very creatively fulfilling, as it involves both an artistic/aesthetic sense and an eye for engineering and practical considerations.
 
I'm incresingly attracted to the idea of a home workshop, though, as I have a double-bass itch that I need to scratch.
 
Couldn't we simply find cheap and easy hobbies ?

 

[62ohm]

 
No, I am not. I found a luthier close to home willing to share his considerable knowledge with several students, all of which build an instrument with him.
 
It is very creatively fulfilling, as it involves both an artistic/aesthetic sense and an eye for engineering and practical considerations.
 
I'm incresingly attracted to the idea of a home workshop, though, as I have a double-bass itch that I need to scratch.
 
Couldn't we simply find cheap and easy hobbies ?

 
I recently brought my Strat to a luthier for a setup, and there I saw his workshop and just how cool it is living a life as a luthier. 
 
But, being on head-fi I'm sure you know our hobbies will end up being an expensive obsession 

 

[EnOYiN]

Cleaned the pots and repaired the reverb tank of my ac30. And I managed to not die in the process. (so far) Pretty happy about that result.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Gurus of guitar-fi, I am an old (50+) life-long admirer of anyone with the skill to play a musical instrument. I am also completely incapable of playing air guitar, let alone an actual instrument.

I wish to change this. I want to teach myself to play the electric guitar. I have absolutely zero expectations of being anything other than a noodler. If I can teach myself to execute a minor pentatonic scale without it sounding like I am torturing the neighbor's cat, I will consider this endeavor a HUGE success.

I already own a USB audio interface that I can use to feed a guitar into my laptop for Guitar Rig 5, and I have plenty of headphones I can use to protect my family from hearing me.

So, I don't need an amp right now.

That just leaves the actual guitar...

I really just want to learn a few blues & classic rock riffs. I'm not trying to become a musician. I've been obsessing over this for many years and have come close to buying something many times - but then I tell myself I'm just being foolish and I chicken-out. I sometimes think that as long as it remains just a dream, I won't have to face how difficult it would really be to achieve my goal. But I digress...

I'm thinking I have a budget of ~$200 (absolute max of $250) all-in. Here's what I have been considering:

• Squire Affinity Strat in either SSS or HSS, and possibly blocking the tremolo so that I don't have to deal with that complication.
• Squire Vintage Modified '51 Reissue, I like the idea of it already being a hardtail, and the flexibility of having a humbucker in the bridge that can be split by the coil tap.
• Epiphone LP Special II, I'm not a big fan of the LP body style. I really want to like it - I'm a huge fan of the LP tone, but they don't seem very comfortable sitting on my lap - especially not the cheap Epiphones.
• ESP LTD EC-10, It's also an LP style, but it does have some body contours on the back that seem to make it a bit better. However, ESP, Schector, Jackson & Ibanez all seem to be more appropriate for metal shredding, and that's definitely not my goal.

I'm not considering used. Since I don't play, I am scared of buying a completely hopeless pile of junk. I know enough to know that playability of the guitar is crucial to my success. Everyone seems to say that the new low-cost guitars from Asia are MUCH better now than they were 5 or 10 years ago, so that's another reason why I'm thinking I'm better off with a new guitar instead of a used one. Maybe in a few years when I know more I can look for a used Fender MIM, a G&L or a Music Man, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

Should I be looking at the knock-offs like Rondo & Guitar Fetish? Those scare me a little too because of the chance of getting one made on a bad day in Shandong, Qingdao, Nantong, etc. It's not where they are made that bothers me, it's whether there is any QA/QC oversight by the brands that hire them.

What advice do you have for this over-educated, unskilled, musical pretender?

 

[Decreate]

I would just go to a guitar shop and get a feel of how the different guitars feel in your hands. After all you're only going to want to keep playing and practicing on the guitar that feels the most comfortable to you. Some brands may have a somewhat larger roster of musicians playing a certain type of music but it doesn't mean it can't be used to play another genre of music. At the end of the day it is the guitar player who determines the type of music that is played and not the guitar. An example would be the flying V, people nowadays mainly associate this with metal bands like Judas Priest, Metallica etc. and players like Randy Rhoads but its also been played by the likes of  Albert King and Jimi Hendrix.
Sorry I can't be more specific on what brands to pick because guitars like headphones have always been a personal thing with me, what sounds good to me may not sound the same to you.  

 

[EnOYiN]

What advice do you have for this over-educated, unskilled, musical pretender?

You could try to get a loaner if you know someone who plays guitar and has many. I've loaned out my strat a lot of times and it's great for people who want to start playing. That way you don't really have to worry about whether or not the instrument is good enough and it takes away any sunk cost. That could also be a negative of course depending on how you want to look at it.

Now if you want to get a guitar yourself because you can't get or don't want to get a loan I would say that the guitars you mentioned are pretty good for a beginner in general. For a cheap guitar I would almost always recommend a hardtail since the tremolo systems on cheap guitars are pretty horrible. (meaning the guitar won't stay in tune) So just go to a local shop and see what they've got. I think it's important that you pick a guitar you really like. Both aesthetically and how it plays. That way you'll end up practicing more often I think. If they've got a second hand guitar somewhere why not check it out. If it's one of the guitars you mentioned (which go second hand quite regularly) you might be able to get it cheaper. Save yourself $50-$100. If it's a good shop they will help you well with your first purchase and won't try to sell you something that is horrible. After all you might come back some day to buy a Fender or a Gibson someday. Buying second hand from a shop also guarantees some amount of aftersales service. Also get your guitar set up correctly! It makes a significant difference. (you could also learn how to do it yourself of course if you're so inclined) If you're not really sure about any of this take someone with you who knows more about guitars/ playing them than you do.

So that's about buying guitars. Now about playing them. First of all go here: http://www.justinguitar.com/ This guy has a really nice website where you can start to learn about how to play guitar. For free. Start from the beginning and take it from there. There is not a single proper guitarist who can't play everything he has in the beginner and intermediate courses. This also gives you a bit of a system to follow. It might not be for you but I do recommend you check it out.

Playing guitar is not something you learn in two days. So don't give up straight away if you can't play a certain lick or song. Just try something else and get back to it later. It's all about muscle memory and that simply takes some time.

One last thing I would recommend is to try and learn songs. Even a simple song is so much better than being able to understand and play the locrian mode. (actually, pretty much anything is better) Being able to play songs is also fun. Guitar playing being fun keeps you motivated and that way you'll practice more.

 

[Muinarc]

I was going to add some more advice but the two posts above me covered everything too well. Good luck @billybob_jcv!!