Dear all,

I play usually piano and keyboard. Lately I've bought an e-bass and I've having fun playing with it, muting the bass track in BiaB/Realband - and that makes really fun :-)

Now I want add an e-guitar to my instrument arsenal, and as a e-guitar beginner, I need some wise suggestions on the model.

I do usually play pop and soul music, no heavy metal.

I need a warm sound, and often I'll use the Wah-Wah effect to obtain that particular rythmic sound usually in the 80's and 90's songs. I guess that all depends on the effect used (FYI I have already a Stomplab IIG ), and not on the guitar.

Since there are different models out there, like Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, and so on, which one, in your opinion, shoult I get to obtain that sound ?

The model I'm looking for should be easy to play and have a warm sound, and should last a long time. The budget is between 300-400 Euros. Personally I find the shape of a PRS nicer in respect of a Stratocaster.

One thing more, if you are aware of some good and free on-line/youtube e-guitar tutorial, please let me know. I need to play, I hate too mach theory :-)

Thanks in advance,
Sergio.

I have had great success buying Rondo guitars: http://www.rondomusic.com/

I have a couple of them and they are great sounding and should last a long time. One of my students has an LP copy and it sounds great.

If you are looking for a real warm sound look for a hollow or semi-hollow body guitar. If you like a warm jazz sound look for them then put flat would strings on it.

I should add that I have been playing guitar for 55 years and I have had a lot of experience with guitars so if you need any more help just give a yell.

Mario - I have never had any experience with Rondo guitars and no nothing about them. Do you know if the lower price guitars on their site are decent quality? I am used to playing the cheaper Fender Strats and Telecasters. I know there is a big drop in quality from the top dollar Fenders and the guitars I have owned and then another big drop when you go down to the Squire versions of the same guitars. I was looking at the site and am really impressed with the variety and prices I have seen. I would just like to have a little more knowledge on the quality side before dropping money when I get the chance.

Sergio - I would only say that my personal experience has been that you usually pay for quality up to a certain point. I have played $300 guitars that played and sounded every bit as good as $3,000 guitars. I personally have never owned a guitar that cost more than $600, but I have played many that cost much more. I would also recommend that you try out any guitar before buying it. Some guitars just fit different hand and finger sizes better and some just feel more comfortable strapped on. It doesn't matter much what brand or style you buy if you don't feel comfortable trying to play it. Just my personal opinion and I am far from a guitar hero.

I have purchased 2 different guitars from Rondo Music - I was one of the first to brag about them here on the forums 8 or 9 years ago. They are great value.

Details: 1. SX 62 Custom P-J bass - paid about $140 total with tax and shipping and in a medium quality padded gig bag. This had better finishing and shielding than my Made-in-Mexico Fender fat-strat. Over time, the P pickup died or perhaps it was the volume pot - the pickups and pot were pretty cheap, with quite a bit of microphonics. However, it is a solid bass guitar with decent tuners and actually quite pretty figured maple neck. I have recently paid a local shop to put a used Seymour Duncan Bassline pickup in it and that has made a huge difference.

2. I bought a solid cedar topped classical from their Valencia brand which has a Shadow P-7 pickup system installed. That was a little over $150 shipped to my house (no case for this one). It's quite enjoyable to play, and has a very usable tone through the pickup system.

The SX and Agile line of instruments from Rondo have a great reputation as inexpensive instruments with quality that is usually better than the Squier brand from Fender.

After I started buying products from Rondo, I had a tour of one of the top post-production facilities in the Detroit area, Gold Sound http://www.goldsound.com/ and I wasn't surprised to see a few Agile guitars in the different tracking rooms.

To slightly change brands, there's a great value in the Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue - I bought one about a year and a half ago. It has versatility of a hard-tail stratocaster, (same scale length) but with better sustain due to several factors, with the added benefit of two different flavors of humbuckers - a mini in the neck and a slanted HB in the tail. Pulling up on the tone knob taps the humbuckers and with the 5 position switch, you have everything that a strat provides, (without the whammy bar but also without the hassle of the whammy bar), and pushing it in allows access to the creamy HB tone in the neck position, and the tail works great for leads. They are very reasonably priced in the US.

I don't know what part of Europe you live in, but I found one at Dolphin: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/guitars/electric-guitars/98597-epiphone-nighthawk-custom-in-transparent-purple-quilt#sterling_uk for 299 pounds. Mine is the Honeyburst color.

Can't help you with online lessons.

Happy shopping.

Thanks Rockstar for the information. I will be sure to give Rondo a try for my next guitar purchase. I enjoy playing quality instruments, but at my skill level it really doesn't make that much difference what I play on as long as it isn't total garbage. If I were supremely talented, I might be able to justify spending large amounts of money on instruments. Alas, I am a fan of Pawn shop and yard sale buys for many of my instruments and equipment. I will add this warning: always try used electronic equipment before buying. I got hung with a Korg keyboard that had been through a flood and was toasted and on another shopping spree I got a Marshal Amp that the electronics had been completely removed.

Rockstar_not got me interested into Rondo guitars. I'm very glad that he did. I was, like you, very concerned about the low costs but now I have no reservations in buying them.

I have a Valencia classical http://www.rondomusic.com/classkit1na.html
A 6 string banjo http://www.rondomusic.com/bj16.html
And a Tele http://www.rondomusic.com/furrianmnashnat.html

All are top notch. In fact a friend of mine came over with his expensive Fender Tele and stated that he just blew $3,000 USD. He thought that mine sounded just as good as his and mine cost a whole lot less!

A student of mine bought a Les Paul http://www.rondomusic.com/furrianmnashnat.html
It sounds fantastic.

Thus far I have no reservations suggesting Rondo guitars.

I'm not sure if Rondo will ship to Europe. Send an e-mail to kurt@rondomusic.com and ask. Shipping costs might make it prohibitive. If I recall correctly, he buys the SX brand from a company called Team International in China. Yes - here's the SX brand website. You should be able to contact them to find out who sells their products in your country.

http://www.teamintlco.com/SX/

Again, I've found the SX and Valencia products to be quite good quality as it pertains to frets and so forth. The electronics on the SX bass weren't really that great - but that's not what I was expecting. Build quality is better than low-end Fender/Squier. I know some folks that have also purchased the Douglas brand from them.

Make sure to check to see if you can get an Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue - This is right in your price range and has much higher quality components than the SX line. It's a very versatile electric guitar.

Happy Shopping!

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I'm located in Germany, and I don't know if Rondo sells here too, I'll ask.

Anyway, here there is some good guitar center, one of them is www.thomann.de, where I've found this e-guitar:

http://www.thomann.de/de/epiphone_lp_std_eb_incl_gigbag.htm

Do you know the model ? What is Epiphone ? Is that a sub-trademark of Gibson ? Any experience with that brand ?

Sergio.

@MarioD,

may I abuse of your more than 55 years of e-guitar experience ?

Since I'm looking for a warm sound that a semi-hollow ( with flat would strings as you suggest ) seems to deliver, the question is if with that e-guitar a 'rocking' strumming with a wah-wah would still sound convincing, as well as a solo like C. Santana in "Samba pa ti" , and also if some rocking distorted sound (but not heavy metal) would possible with it.

BTW, I have found these models:
Fender Squier stratocaster:
http://www.thomann.de/de/fender_squier_classic_vibe_strat_60s.htm

and an Epiphone semi-hollow:
http://www.thomann.de/de/epiphone_the_dot_nt_ch.htm

Any comments ?

Regards,
Sergio.

Sergio,

With the Vox Modeling pedal you already have, you should be able to get any tone you want, regardless of the guitar. I have a lot of guitars, because none of them do everything well. In your situation, it seems like you're looking for a Swiss Army knife guitar. In that case, I would look at a Strat-style guitar rather than a jazz box or an LP. Much more versatile.

Contrary to popular opinion, I wouldn't discount the Classic Vibe Squires, they are very good guitars.


Regards,

Bob

You asked for a guitar that's good looking, has a warm sound, and good action so it's easy to play.

GIBSON or EPIPHONE. Gibson of course will cost more but the Epiphone knockoff's look almost the same and sound very similar. They are certainly warmer sounding than any of the Fender/Squire line.

The Gibson/Epi guitars have the humbucker pickups and they will naturally give you a nice fat, warm tone whether played clean or cranked into distortion. The popular ES-335 semi-hollow series are superb jazz guitars, nice and clean while the solid body guitars, the Les Paul and SG among others, sound good both clean and cranked.

I'm partial to the SG since I have owned one and played it for many decades. Just an all around excellent guitar and one that doesn't kill your shoulder in those 4 hour club gigs. Les Pauls, while sounding really nice, tend to get heavy towards the end of the night. A buddy had a LP Goldtop and used all sorts of wide, padded, straps to alleviate the pain, and he was a "big boy" but that LP worked on his shoulder as the night wore on.

Of course, there are now a number of other manufacturers who are making guitars that are also suitable and fit the needs you asked for.

My advice on buying a first guitar is this: If you are able to afford buying a nice professional level guitar, such as a genuine Gibson (or equivalent), by all means, do so. It will cost more initially, HOWEVER, it will hold it's value and if you decide in a year or so that guitar is not your thing, you can more easily get your investment back out of it. Cheaper guitars lose value very quickly. IN addition to the guitar keeping it's value, a professional guitar will be so much easier to play. Low, fast action, nice sound from the pickups, and will just feel better overall.

"The budget is between 300-400 Euros."



Yeah, go pick up a 335 for 400 Euros.



Here's a nice one.


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ESDT14VSNH

And a good looking one too!!!!


Don't let the semi-hollow body jazz aspect fool you..... Ted Nugent used semi-hollow body guitars for many of his earlier recordings. They will get gritty when cranked....and feedback is easier with the semi-hollow body.... (if you're into that feedback thing) I saw him in concert and he was playing a nice semi-hollow guitar for the entire show.

Sergio, you are asking a lot out of one guitar but I agree with Bob, a Strat is the most versatile guitar and probably the one I would pick if I were in your situation. I do have a Strat copy much like the Squier you mentioned that is strung with flat wounds. I does give a warm sound in the bridge pickup position; note it is not as warm as my jazz box but I would have no problems using it on a jazz gig. I can get a Santana sound out of it in the bridge and bridge/middle pickup positions when using the right combinations of effects. It can also be used in country, rock and rock-a-billy as I have used it to demonstrate different styles to my students.

I see that you have a Vox modeling pedal so you should be able to coax almost any sound you want out of a Strat.

One word of caution, if you put flat wounds on any guitar be aware of the fact that flat wounds are harder to bend than thin strings. If you are planning on doing a lot of string bending over a half step you better practice a lot and build up your finger strength. If the guitar comes with light/thin strings put extra light gauge (.010-.048) flat wounds on it. If you put heavier gauge flat wounds on you will probably have to adjust the neck and as a beginner I strongly suggest that you do not try to adjust the neck, have a guitar tech do it.

A Gibson Memphis guitar has been suggested but it is way out of your price range; don't get me wrong I would love one but I can't afford it. My advice to anyone just starting guitar is to get a decent guitar that is in your price range. Something like a Squier, Epiphone, Rondo or Jay Turser comes to mind. This price range and brands offer the best price to performance/playability IMO; note there are probably others that I am not familiar with. I have seen parents buy very expensive guitars and amps for their kids only to have them quit after a few lessons. I have also seen some kids and adults unintentionally abuse expensive guitars.

Just my thoughts - MarioD

Ps - let me add one thing. As you improve in your playing you will discover that it isn't the guitar that sounds good, it is the player. A good player can coax just about any sound out of any guitar.

[edit] I should add that Rockstar_not's Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue is an other option. Although I have no personal knowledge of this guitar he knows what he is talking about so if he says it's a good versatile guitar then it is a good versatile guitar.

It was a joke man. Miss the " " ?

Probably should've added more.

I sure missed it!

The versatility of the Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Re-issue is what I love about it.

I can get it to sound like a strat with it's 5 position switch, humbuckers 'singled', in positions 2 and 4 for those classic SRV tones, then go full humbucker in the neck for a round tone, has a hot middle SC sound, etc. I REALLY love this guitar. I sold my Made-in-Mexico Fat Strat because this guitar is a better 'Strat' than my Fat Strat was with significantly better build quality, benefit of a tilt-back headstock and set neck for great sustain and no wolf-tones of the strings between nut and tuner, etc. For that matter it has Grover tuners on it. I don't think it's very popular because it's not one of the classic Gibson shapes like a Les Paul, SG, Explorer, Flying V, etc. It also has a Fender hard-tail style bridge. I don't really like Tune-o-matic style bridges like on nearly every other Gibson and Epiphone solid-body electric.

The only reason I would advise against buying it is that it will be hard to re-sell, because it's not a popular Gibson/Epi body-style, but I have no plans to ever sell this guitar.

Scott,

I really wish you would stop talking about that bloody Nighthawk of yours!


I can't afford another guitar, and it's very unfair of you to keep fanning the flames of my Nighthawk jones. I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GOOD PERSON, BUT NOW I KNOW BETTER!!!!

I don't use those things much, for obvious reasons....... perhaps if my daughter had been interpreting for me.....

A lot of opinions on this one. Here's one more. Since you describe yourself as a beginner on the guitar definitely consider actually demoing the one or few you think might be worth buying. You can change the sound of an electric guitar through various methods (string type/gauge, tonal controls, pick up selection and amp controls) What you can't change is how the guitar feels to you. A guitar tech can adjust the action of the neck to a degree but if it doesn't feel comfortable no amount of set up will make it feel better.

It will be easier to develop skills and finger strength if the guitar naturally feels good. You will be apt to practice for longer periods of time without getting fatigued. I have seen so many people give up after only a few weeks or even months because the guitar they are playing on is just too hard to play for them. It sucks the fun and enjoyment right of learning and playing.

Every hand is different and certain necks and actions play better with different hand types. Once your finger strength and skill level increase it will be easier to pick up and play a guitar that may have a stiffer action. I have several guitars and play them all but only 2 get consistently played because they just feel good to me. My son who also plays hates them.

Bottom line is that while its nice just to pick up the one you think sounds the best for what you want as a beginner make sure you love the way it feels and plays for you.

Here's the really weird thing - the first place I played one was at a Best Buy store of all places. Specifically the one near the airport in New Orleans. Some of the Best Buy stores have a little music equipment store in a corner. This was one of them and this was the only electric guitar they had in the whole joint. But they did have one of those glass-door practice room with a huge Line6 amp with separate cabinet and I had about an hour to kill. I couldn't really tell at the time whether it was the guitar's versatility or the Line 6's modeling capability that kept cranking out the variety of tone, but I will tell you one thing, I loved the neck profile. I put it on my future purchase list.

The local Guitar Sinner stores didn't have one, nor did any other store in Colorado. I saved up birthday and Christmas money and some odd-job money and before I knew it, I had enough. I ordered mine from Sweetwater because you can actually pick out THE guitar you want from their stock based on a series of great photos they take of each guitar they have in stock. I already knew I liked the feel, and it was a matter of whether I could duplicate the tone I remembered from the Best Buy store. Had it for exactly one day before I took some nice pix of my Fat Strat and put it up for sale on Craigslist.

For awhile, these guitars were $399 but right now they are $329 at Sweetwater.

So, 90dB, sorry to feed your jones - but this is one under-appreciated axe. I may eventually add the ability to tap the neck and tail HBs with those pups both active, to see if I can get a Tele middle position kind of sound out of it. I think the pup positioning is probably close enough to get that vibe out of it. I'm just not sure how I would be able to do that tapping and keep the appearance of the guitar looking kind of nice.

"For awhile, these guitars were $399 but right now they are $329 at Sweetwater."


Thanks a LOT man!

You are an evil, evil person!!!!!!!

Thanks folks for the wise insides and suggestions - really appreciated.

Next week I'll meet a friend of mine, he is a guitarist and has lots of gears and e-guitars, included stratocaster and semi hollow.

I'll pay most of the attention to the feel and the playability of the instrument, as suggested in your posts, and of course to the sound.

Take care,
Sergio.

Sergio,

May I suggest you, and perhaps your guitar playing friend, visit several music stores and pawn shops. Sometimes used instruments can be purchased very cheaply since you do not care about the brand.

That's a good tip, thanks Jim.