apokolypz: Looking For A Guitar

apokolypz 09.28.14	list is digs. new interpol too
Butkuiss 09.28.14	If you're new to playing the most important thing is getting an instrument that sounds and feels enjoyable to play. You can go off other people's recommendations all you want but if you don't enjoy it you'll pack it in sooner or later. Just try something until you know what kind of sound or feel you're after.
Butkuiss 09.28.14	Example: A lot of people completely hate the sound of MIM Fenders, especially the ones with WRHBs, but my MIM '72 Thinline RI Tele is my favourite guitar, both feel- and sound-wise, and it really suits what I play; from post-rock to skramz to country.
JustinKing 09.28.14	Honestly, for the price of a beginner guitar, you can hardly beat the Dean Vendettas. They obviously aren't the highest quality around, but for the $75 or so you might shell out for one, you get a very sleek, easy-to-play guitar with a fairly good clean and distorted tone. With the right strings and intonation on those things, they play great and maintain a relatively high level of maneuverability around the neck, and this is coming from a PRS/Ibanez player. However, yes, guitars do sound entirely different, primarily due to the tone woods and pickups used in them, so if you don't like the sound of one guitar that you don't see being worth the effort of customizing around, put that one down and find one you do want to work with. Amps do play a big factor. I exclusively use Crate amps, as they just have to tone I best like that I don't have to mess with too much to find my preference. Anyway, good luck on finding one you like!
ZombicidalMan 09.28.14	oh shit a guitar thread, I better throw in my two cents. Physical look has nothing to do with the sound of the guitar. Body wood will have an effect on sustain, and if it's semi-hollow or solid body, that will make a difference for sure. However for electrics, it's largely pickups and amps. Pickups can be single coil (like you see on a Strat) which are a lot brighter, sound kind of "jangly", not as great for heavy stuff. Humbuckers are essentially two single coils put together and have a much beefier sound, generally people into hard rock and metal use humbuckers. That being said you can use any pickup for any sound... Brand new guitar rec: grab a Squier J mascis Jazzmaster. Great for all sorts of styles, awesome P90 pickups, very nice neck, and not bad components. Looks really cool as well, and only costs about $450. used: keep an eye out for high end Epiphones, MIM Fenders, Godin guitars, or maybe some older Ibanez models (like the 1990s RGs). Used can be tricky because you might not get something you really like, especially if you're a newbie and get pressured into a sale.
ZombicidalMan 09.28.14	For amps try and get a used Blackheart (harder to find; discontinued), or a Peavey Valve King. Those things can be tough to understand for a beginner but they are all-tube and can be upgraded and modded easily later on
XingKing 09.28.14	"A lot of people completely hate the sound of MIM Fenders" wat
Butkuiss 09.28.14	It's true. I can't tell you the amount of forum posts I've seen from old country tele players ranting about the drop in quality of all Fender instruments since 2000 and how MIMs have inferior neck quality and pot quality or something. I don't agree, but it's still a thing.
ZombicidalMan 09.28.14	To be fair they do have inferior pot quality, but that's like a $12 fix, so... MIM and MIJ are both great choices, you just have to be careful since their quality control isn't quite as reliable
XingKing 09.28.14	Those people are high. MIM Fenders are absolutely fantastic, especially for their price
Butkuiss 09.28.14	Nah, its true about the pots, but it's nowhere near a game killer. Been meaning to swap out the pots and Fralin mod my bridge pickup on that guitar but haven't been bothered.
CursedBell 09.28.14	ESP is a good name if price is a real issue.
beefshoes 09.28.14	I'd recommend Ibanez RGs if you're interested in metal due to their versatility. I can go from death and black metal, to prog rock and jazz effortlessly on my RG and it sounds great for about any style. Schecter guitars are nice too, but I don't like their stock pickups at all.
VheissuCrisis 09.28.14	MIM Fenders are absolutely fantastic, especially for their price [2] You have to try them out to see if you get on with your guitar. I had an epi les paul, hated it, so never played it. Then got a MIM fender strat and can't put it down.
bloc 09.28.14	If this is your first guitar the most important thing is that you actually touch and feel the guitar before you buy. Can't stress this enough. You want to play something that feels comfortable to you so that this doesn't deter you from continuing with this guitar playing hobby As for brands, there are really no limits but it's more of a tradition kind of thing (assuming that means anything to you). Like for anything non metal, Fender and Gibson-esque shapes are the way to go. But for metal, you can look into Ibanez, ESP, and Jackson for example.