Guitar Players ITP?

[Zen Monkey]

From a desire to pick up a new and productive hobby (I never can find anything I want to watch on tv anyway) I'm thinking I want to learn an instrument. I'm debating between the electric guitar (basic 6 string) and the electric bass (4 string? is that right?). Price-wise, a good starter kit is about the same for either. I like the bass more when listening to music, but can you really play a recognizable song on one or is it strictly a complementary instrument? I'm not looking to be a rock star or anything, just something to play with at home and learn to mimic songs I like or maybe as something fun when I have friends over.

So, musically-inclined playgrounders, any thoughts on the matter? Also, are there any good brands to seek or avoid at the low end of the prices? I see Fender and Ibanez have some nicely priced starter kits and good reputations.

Thanks :smallcool:

[Nameless]

Gear4Music make awesome cheap instruments and beginner sets for really good prices, and the quality is half decent too. As for which instrument, that's up to you, totally your own choice. I recommend you download TuxGuitar though. It's really good for learning new songs and it’s free.

[YesImSardonic]

It entirely depends on what sort of music you want to play. Most modern pop-rock bands barely give their bassists anything to do beyond holding the root of the chord. Boring job. If you're into jazz, though, or blues, or metal (barring nu-metal), you'd be fine learning the bass as a first instrument.

It bears mentioning, though, that learning the guitar will give you a stronger basis for when you want to pick up a bass. Point of fact: most bassists I know have no clue what to the with a standard 6-string, whereas the inverse is not true.

I can't speak as to the values of the starter kits, but I might suggest making sure your first is one you can stick with if you like it and don't have the capital to acquire a large number of instruments. I personally went with the Ibanez RG-321MH for my first electric, and so far I've only ever needed the one for my electric requirements.

[Aerodynamik]

If you want to play a song by yourself and have it be recognizable, you probably want to be playing the guitar part, and if you want to play the guitar part to a song, you should play the guitar, not the bass. It's pretty hard to play any guitar riff more complicated than 'Smoke on the Water' or 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' on the bass. On the other hand though, if that kind of stuff is what you want to play, you could probably play either instrument. If you're interested in singing and accompanying yourself, you should get a guitar.

On a different note, if you're going to get a starter kit, be warned that a lot of the time, the amps are craptacular. They're probably not going to sound very good.

Hope that helps.

[Incan Road]

Well I have played bass for a long time and currently perform and study it so I recommended bass automatically because once you learn harmonies and techniques you can play anything. But no matter what you choose I wouldn't recommend a starter kit. In starter kits the instruments and amps are not very good. I would recommend for guitar starting for cheap an Ibanez, with or without tremolo, with a 10 watt Line 6 it will run you probably under 400. For Bass, a non-metal design Dean, single soap bar pick up, with a mesa boogie or an Orange Crush bass amp will be around 350. It might seem costly compared to starter kits but it's much better even for just a hobby it it worth it to get a good start with instruments.

[fknm]

Quick tip- one package "starter kits" are to be avoided. The guitars in them are nearly always the ones that didn't pass quality inspection, and the amps and cables are total garbage.

If you do choose to go guitar, a few tips:

1. Choose whether you want a guitar with single-coil pickups or humbuckers. Single coil pickups give more of a British classic rock sound; humbuckers are what you'll want for hard rock or metal.

2. If you want single coil pickups, you want a Fender. Avoid Squirer like the plague.

3. If you prefer humbuckers, currently Schecter is probably your best bet. The Korean-made Ibanez guitars used to be a fantastic deal, but when they moved the production of all non-prestige guitars to Indonesia, the quality fell off drastically- nowadays, I really can't recommend Ibanez at all, no matter which line (the Prestige guitars are nice, but badly overpriced). However, if you can find a Korean-made one (you can tell by looking at the serial number stamp on the back of the headstock), it would be an excellent choice. If you're willing to spend a bit more, the Jackson X series are very nice guitars for the price, and probably aren't too far out of your price range (but avoid the JS series).

4. Either way, I strongly recommend a fixed bridge for a first guitar. A tremolo is more complexity than you will want to deal with (hell, I've been playing for years, and I still frequently procrastinate on restringing my Floyd Rose-equipped Jackson). Also, make sure that the hardware is attached well and that the neck isn't twisted.

5. You might want to check out some used equipment. You can get some amazing deals that way- my Jackson, a Professional series, I got for $300.

6. As for the amp, you'll want a small combo amp at first. You should be able to get a passable one for under $100. While many people scoff at Crate, their Flexwave series is decent for cheap entry-level stuff.

7. Get a case. Get a chromatic tuner (you won't be able to tune by ear at first). Buy extra strings (before you develop your touch with your right hand, you'll break them like crazy)- the size for a beginner should probably be .09. Don't skimp on the cable- buy a nice one, unless you want to be buying new ones very soon. Buy a wide variety of picks, and see what you like- personally, I like VERY heavy picks, but your taste may differ (and will probably change with time). Expect to spend close to $500 by the time you're done.

[SDF]

I've played guitar for the better part of a decade now. I would also recommend against a starter kit. You don't want to spend a few hundred dollars on something you intend to invest a lot of time in to find out it stinks and have it sit in the corner. If you get a guitar I highly suggest starting with an acoustic guitar. For the price of a starter kit you can get a decent sounding Seagull or similarly decent low end acoustic that will actually sound and play well. It also makes the transition to electric easier, and gives you the opportunity to try out different electrics with a bit more of a technical idea of what to look for.

There are lots of bands that put the bass to the forefront or don't have a guitarist at all. (Death From Above 1979 being an archetypal example of this) I've been in enough bands to know the value of a good bass player. A lot of guitarists think they can play the bass, but don't know the first thing about proper technique when playing one.

With either instrument I would HIGHLY recommend lessons if you can manage them. It is possible to self teach, but it is much more difficult to get proficient, play with a band, or keep up motivation if you do.

What style of music/budget are you looking at?



Either way, I strongly recommend a fixed bridge for a first guitar. A tremolo is more complexity than you will want to deal with (hell, I've been playing for years, and I still frequently procrastinate on restringing my Floyd Rose-equipped Jackson). Also, make sure that the hardware is attached well and that the neck isn't twisted.

That's really more of a problem with a Floyd Rose than the trem. If you have a Bigsby the thing will be a cinch to restring, but you'll be tuning the guitar all the time if you are dive bombing the thing like Neil Young. I'd never use a Floyd Rose guitar in the event I break a string on stage and end up derailing the entire set.

[Linkavitch]

I have two friends who both play guitar and bass, and they both recommend the same thing: learn guitar first, it makes learning the bass easier. It might be harder to learn the six-string, but the four-string (or five-string) will just be that much simpler to pick up after a year or two. And I also agree with Incan Road about starter kits. If you get a decent brand (epiphone, fender, or ibanez) the guitars are pretty okay, but the amp and gear will suck. So, get a epiphone special, or fender or ibanez equivalent, link to Epiphone SG special $169 (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-SGSpecial-Electric-Guitar?sku=517239) and Les Paul, also $169 (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-II-Electric-Guitar?sku=518334) and a decent amp such as this one. (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Vibro-Champ-XD-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=483069) I actually own that amp, it's a pretty nice little tube amp for $200.

[fknm]

Ugh, I'd recommend avoiding Epiphone like the plague. They're nearly as bad as Squirer in terms of quality (I've played one of those SG specials- it was an utter piece of garbage that probably wasn't worth the strings that were on it).

The fact that they don't intonate correctly above fret 12 should be damning enough for any sane person to avoid them.

[SDF]

Epiphone's quality is still across the board better than Squire. Their archtops are actually really nice for the price. You'd definitely want to make sure you try out the guitar yourself before you buy so you don't get a lemon, but Gibson has the same QC issues and their guitars are thousands of dollars.

[ForzaFiori]

@YesImSardonic: Your line about guitar players and basses? Not really true. Sure, a guitar player can tell you what the strings are, and therefor the notes. However, a bassist can do the exact same thing on a guitar. When you sit down to play one though, and the guitarist realizes that the strings are about...3x bigger than what he's used to, as well as 2x as far apart if not more, and that he doesn't get a pick, and he can't strum... well, its about the same as when a bassist sits down and realizes the exact opposite with a guitar.

@Aerodynamik: No offense man, but most of what you said is complete bull. As a bassist, I can say that there are MANY songs that have either the main melody played by bass (many RHCP songs are like this) or have the bass playing the same note as the guitar tune, which means the bass line sounds almost exactly like the guitar (obviously, it will be a single note rather than a chord usually, though not always, and it will be an octave deeper usually).

@the OP: Bass and Guitar are both amazing instruments. I would suggest playing whichever one you like to hear more in songs. If you find yourself rocking out to guitar solos more than a driving bass line, play guitar. If you can't get low notes out of your head, play bass. Odds are, when you play the one you like to hear more, You'll be playing songs that the instrument is important in, and therefore even if you play bass, you'll be able to tell the song.

[fknm]

and that he doesn't get a pick,
What? Have you never seen a bassist play with a pick?

[Lioness]

Classical guitar is sexier...

But barring that, I'd say go for electric. I'm not a guitar player myself, but I've spent five years in music classes with tons of them. It seems that it is easy to pick up, and they get to play cooler stuff. To echo what someone else said, bassists pretty much only get the bass line.

[Moff Chumley]

For guitar, if you just want to entertain yourself for cheap, start out with an acoustic. No need to invest in an amp, and if you do decide to get an electric, it's MUCH easier to go from acoustic to electric than vice versa. However, if you do want to start electric, for the love of god, DON'T get a starter kit.


2. If you want single coil pickups, you want a Fender. Avoid Squirer like the plague.

Squire is not amazing, but for someone just starting out, they're perfectly adequete as long as you're paying in the $200 range. Same story with Epiphone. Below that, I agree...


3. If you prefer humbuckers, currently Schecter is probably your best bet.

Definitely. Shecter makes terrific instruments for very good prices. If I had my way, every Epi solidbody on earth would be replaced with a C-1...


4. Either way, I strongly recommend a fixed bridge for a first guitar.

Agreed whole-heartedly.


5. You might want to check out some used equipment. You can get some amazing deals that way- my Jackson, a Professional series, I got for $300.

Possibly. It all depends on what you can find. To be honest, I prefer getting guitars new, and amps used, but it's a matter of perspective.


6. As for the amp, you'll want a small combo amp at first. You should be able to get a passable one for under $100. While many people scoff at Crate, their Flexwave series is decent for cheap entry-level stuff.

As long as you keep it at low volumes, there are plenty of very affordable combos out there. My advice: don't get anything above $150, because above that you're much better off saving up for a Fender or somesuch.

The most important thing: try all gear before you buy it. At the very least, look at reviews on Harmony Central, et cetera.

[Zen Monkey]

Wow, thanks for all the information guys. I just wanted to post something quick to acknowledge all of the insight.

It looks like avoiding a starter kit is a good plan, and for the $200-$300 I was looking to spend I can probably build my own beginner setup out of better parts. I'm still not sure which one I want to pick up, but there's no real rush. If I really like it and can stick with it, I may end up playing with both anyway. I love the bass work of guys like Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) and especially Peter Steele (Type O Negative, r.i.p.) but learning an instrument at all is an appealing concept so I'm looking forward to being able to improvise and play around making music at home.

Either way, thanks again everyone, very helpful. :smallcool:

[Vorpalbob]

I must reccomend the electric ukulele. Yes, they exist. Yes, you can ROCK THE F*** OUT ON THEM.

This one looks almost exactly like mine. I've seen flying V's, Les Pauls, the occaisional Rickenbacker...
http://easishop.com/stamfordmusicshop/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Telecaster_style_4a58516b0dffe.jpg

Ukes are easy to pick up, and transition to guitar quite easily (fingerings for chords use the same patterns, just different chords. eg. a Gmaj on a uke is the same as a Dmaj on a guitar)

The most amazing thing?

the main riff for Sweet Child of Mine is easier, yes, easier on the ukulele than the guitar. If only Slash knew.

[poisonoustea]

I wholeheartedly agree with Moff for what concerns electric guitar, but I'd recommend to start with an acoustic/classical one. You will learn the instrument a little better and develop a better sound. Switch to electric when you'll have learned some basics and feel like you're able to play with other people.
Plus, it's always handy to have an acoustic instrument around. You'll literally throw away that $200 electric after switching to a better instrument; an acoustic guitar, instead, would still have its uses.

[ForzaFiori]

What? Have you never seen a bassist play with a pick?

True, but it is fairly rare. The larger strings make it a little more difficult, unless you just strum the entire bass and play chords (the bassist in Stellar Kart does that in a couple songs) and at that point, just get a guitar and a pedal to drop it an octave. The point still stands though, that the slight changes from bass to guitar are enough to really mess with someone who is used to one or the other. I've tried playing guitar, and everything feels so strange that close together, while my guitarist friends have trouble playing my bass cause they're not used to stretching their fingers so far between the frets. It's not as simple as "Guitar looks harder, so it should be easy to go to bass"

[Linkavitch]

It's not as simple as "Guitar looks harder, so it should be easy to go to bass"

Quite true, but it is easier then going from bass to guitar. (or at least, according to my two friends[ one of which went from guitar to bass, the other from bas to guitar] I have no personal experience playing bass beyond picking it up and messing around with it, but I think it would still be pretty easy to pick it up and play some songs.)