Electric Guitars

[laurab]

I aim this mainly at Chris as he has a guitar unlike Paul, who has an air guitar :razz:

My daughter wants an electric guitar, she will be 10 next week.

Our local music shop is suggesting she buys a complete package for approx £189!! This includes the amp, strap, 3 free lessons and most importantly headphones!! Do you think this is a good deal?

Don't know if it helps the guitar is Yamaha.....I thought they made bikes....guess I have been stuck in a time warp....called motherhood!!!!!!

[chris]

Hi laura,

£200 is a good deal for a complete setup including guitar, amplifier, case, strap, plectrum (pick)

that's what i paid a while back anyway, erm, guitar lessons, i was paying £10 per lesson for a one hour session, which i would also say is about right

as for the guitar make, yamaha i would avoid as i don't see them as guitar makers either lol, Fenders are generally good but i hate em, aviod Fender Squire as these a cheap rubbish!!! Ibanez is a good guitar make for all round playing, B.C.Rich is more of a metal guitar style (depends what your daughter is into..), Gibson are good quality guitars also.

for a guitar to start out with there really aren't any bad ones if you stick to the names mentioned, and fenders are good started guitars it's just my personal opinion of hating them as everyone has them and they aren't that great for later playing

any more questions just ask, i can probably give a more detailed answer and a few examples of guitars for you tommorrow morning

Chris:wink:

[chris]

Hi laura,

here are a few starter pack for you, i would avoid any less than £100 as they're probably plywood:shock:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/p.php?n=92

this site delivers, and is nice and cheap!

Chris

[laurab]

Thanks Chris,

OK, I am probably stupid (shut up Paul) but are there any junior guitars there?

[chris]

Hi laura,

erm, juniour guitars:???: i think the first one i had had smaller frets on the finger board, but other than that it was a full sized guitar and i believe i was 10 when i first started playing also. the only thing i can think of other than smaller frets, would be a minature guitar... but this would most likely cost you more and your daughter would grow out of it eventually, so best bet would be a standard sized guitar, with medium or small frets.

in my opinion the best guitar on the link provided would be this one:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=13279

it comes with everything you need (except the head phones, but hey i've never used them!), guitar, tuner, cable, amp, guitar bag, guitar strap, spare strings, picks, and a DVD teaching you how to play so that will save you on lessons:grin: , initially a few lessons would be a good idea to teach your daughter to handle the guitar, and the different techniques etc etc, once she knows that and can read either music or guitar Tab then she should be fine to teach herself. i had lessons for about 6 months and then went off on my own, then i put the guitar down for a few years..... then in year 9 i picked it back up and haven't looked back since! even had a few more lessons since to improve my playing.

Peavey are also good quality guitars, the guitar in this pack has 21 frets (standard), a tremlo arm, 2 pick ups and a humbucker... so that means it can be used to play just about anything (except some metallica solos... but i wouldn't worry too much there lol!)


Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Hi Chris

thanks for your help.

We went to our local music shop this morning and she bought herself an Encore Kc3sb sunburst for £80 and a 10w amp for £40. The shopkeeper gave her a strap and a free lesson, so she got a fairly good deal in the end.

[chris]

Hi Laura,


i hope the guitar is ok, from what i've heard encore's arn't particulary brilliant:neutral: , but i've never had one so wouldn't know. it should be fine for a starter guitar, just wait untill a few years time when she wants another one:grin: , only thing is if she is anything like me the second will cost in the regions of £300 just for the guitar (although i got it cheap, should have cost £500 at the time!!), and £300 for the amp, erm, £200 for the effects pedal........ then there's all the books which cost around £15-25 each

are you regreting this yet?:lol:

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Well, she has bought her first one, so I think she should buy the second as well!

[kenny]

hi chris /laura

there is also a capo ,strings, tuner,hi laura my first guitar was an encore and it was ok not brilliant but ok that was quite a while ago but it did me no harm i went on to better stuff but you have to start somewhere and the way i look at it is if you are not sure you are going to like playing its better not to pay a lot then you haven`t wasted to much money

ken

[Waxbillman]

hey Laura, i hope your daughter enjoys it, and gets good quick, because music played badly used to drive me up the wall. lol

matthew

[laurab]

It already IS driving me up the wall! :-?

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

I'm pleased to hear Elsa is enjoying her first Guitar:grin:, even if it is more than you are enjoying it!!

Chris, do Lauras comments sound familiar, how much ear ache did your Parents suffer when you first started out, or are they still suffering today??:lol:

By the way Laura, do you think Elsa would trust me enough to let me have a go so soon after getting her very own Axe??

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

Hi Paul/Laura

My parent's weren't bothered about me practising actually!:-P at first i had just the small amplifier which wasn't that loud (didn't sound brilliant either...), as i got better over the years i upgraded my stuff to the small beast of an amplifier i have today, but i would still like a wall of amplifiers (Black Sabbath style:grin: )

Hi Laura, to make sure your daughter is getting good lessons, she should first learn how to tune the guitar, then how to hold it correctly (between the legs, not on one leg), also she should really only be playing a few scales at the moment and possibly the blues style riffs i first started out on. Or she could go down the root i did and play Iron Man entirely after only a month or so, excluding the solo's

may parents encouraged me to play, especially my dad!! he had and still has a way of showing up out of the blue when i'm playing some sabbath or similar.

by the way, what kind of music is your daughter into and hoping to play? if it's Pop music then most of the guitar parts are Chords, jazz, rock, metal are more interesting as the guitar parts are more complex.

Chris:wink:

[kenny]

hi chris/laura

she could always try status quo chords there are only 3 of em
ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

Well said mate, but aren't you being generous, I thought there were only two.:lol:

Chris, Give the Girl a chance mate:D, Elsa is only ten, although having said that, how old were you when you first started, please don't tell me you were one of those Child Geniuses that could play Stairway by the age of 10 or I will cry.:lol:

I was quite a late starter, but I did find I could play quite a few Air Guitar tracks by the age of 13 or 14, oh did I ever mention I am pretty good at Air Sax and Come on Eilleen Air Violin as well?:D

Paul.

[chris]

Hi Paul,


well i didn't want to say this but you asked :roll:

according to my first guitar teacher i was the best student he'd had, i picked up the blues i was being taught on the first day and could play the whole thing by the next lesson, then i started teaching myself out of books and started learning Black Sabbath stuff

fortunately i never tried stairway to heaven at that age, mainly because i didn't know what it was!! however iron man, paranoid, symptom of the universe, war pigs......... i learnt the main song for each in a few weeks, just never tried the solos untill later on (about now:twisted: )

i only wish i hadn't have pt the guitar down 2 years later otherwise i would be far better at it than i am now

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Bl**dy show off,:grin:

War Pigs, top track mate, please send on your version I would love to hear it!!

Paul.:grin:

[kenny]

hi paul / chris
aint any of you lot heard of any good guitarists like clapton or hendrix or page


ken

[chris]

Hi kenny,

i'm working on "black dog" by the one and only Led Zepplin, i know the intro to purple haze, but never looked into it that much... although i've altered it somewhat:twisted: , and i know most of Layla by Eric Clapton

bet you didn't expect that matey:lol:

Hi Paul, i forgot to mention, i was the same age as Elisa when i first picked up the guitar, provided she doesn't put it down in a few years time like i did she should turn out to be far better than i was/am. tell her stairway to Heaven is a nice and easy one to learn, it really is quite simple and slow which is more important for a first song. don't say anything yet though, scales are far more important at this stage

also, i'll go off and finish what i started now, IE learn all of war pigs and not just the main riffs:grin:

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Kenny,

Of course I've heard of Jimi 'God' Hendrix, Jimmy 'God' Page and Eric 'not that bad' Clapton, but have you heard of possibly the best Guitarist that ever lived Chet 'The Best' Atkins? Although I'm not a fan of Country Music, I realise that this guy was probably better than anyone else who ever picked up a Guitar.

I could go on and on putting great Guitarists names forward, but I don't believe anyone is or was better than Mr Atkins.

Paul.:)

[chris]

Eric 'not that bad' Clapton

:lol: :lol: :lol: that one made me chuckle!

what about Eddie Van Halen, Toni Iommi, Kirk Hammet and steve "flash git" vai?

Chris:grin:

[kenny]

hi paul

i like mr atkins also as you say there are a heck of a lot of good guitarists out there

ken

[kenny]

hi chris

i like playing the baseline to sunshine of your love myself

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris and Ken,

As I said I could go on and on putting great Guitarists names forward, Kenny I'm pleased you have heard of the Great Legend that is Chet Atkins:grin:. Chet was the man who made Mark Knopfler the great Guitarist he is today.
Also my Old Man was VERY lucky to see Jimi Hendrix play live in the U.K. before hitting the big time!!

Chris, Toni Lommi and Eddie Van Halen are both very good, Steve Vai is simply a very good Guitarist who rates himself as the best when this isn't true, his right hand is fused into a position where his index finger tip joins his thumb tip and the rest of his fingers join his index finger!!
Kirk Hammett is by far an under-rated Guitarist who could out play many living Guitar greats, but who taught him?
Joe Satriani, yet another under-rated Guitar great!!
Paul.:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi all,

Jimmy Page has to be by far the best living Guitar Great, to play the Guitar with a Double Bass Bow and produce the sound only this man can,:shock:, but lets not forget The Man, Les Paul!!

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

Hi paul,


your right there, Joe satriani has taught quite a few who went on to become great guitarists. i wonder if i can get any lessons:lol:

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Hi guys

Elsa has her first lesson on Wednesday. I have told her she will only be learning chords to start off and she seems ok with that.

Carl (brother) has sent her a good programme to use on the PC, which displays the chords and also has video clips of them being played.

Hopefully it will keep her amused for the remainder of the summer holidays.

Elsa likes most music, but particularly enjoys listening to Catatonia (International Velvet), Santana, Queen and various others.

[kenny]

hi all i saw mr hendrix at the isle of wight festival in that great summer of love,peace baby groovy man


ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Kenny,

You are one hell of a lucky man!! :grin:

When I invent my time machine I will go back in time to all of the great Gigs of all time and enjoy them as you have, one question though, did you enjoy yourself, by that I mean can you remember much about it?:lol:

Paul.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

I'm pleased Elsa has her first lesson tomorrow, I hope it all goes well and she enjoys it!:grin:

As for Carl sending her the programme of Video clips etc, nice one! Could I have a copy please?:wink:

So people when you hear of the new Rock Chick Guitar sensation from Dorset in years to come, you will have known her before she became famous, Elsa Bryant!!

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi paul

i can remember everything as if it was yesterday,i didnt smoke or drink anything that would have made me miss such a fantastic show and it wasnt muddy,a lot of people who sing live sound crap but it was like listening to all of their records with a great sound system.

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

I'm pleased for you matey!:grin:

Yesterdays, who sang that one?

You are a Lucky Man, who sang this?

And Don't Drink, Don't Smoke, What Do You Do? who sang that one also?

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi paul do you mean yesterday

last one adam and the ants

ken

[kenny]

hi paul

got this when van the man was at out local stadium,iwas 10ft away from this guy,his original band was them (as in baby please dont go)circa 1960s

ken
http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=124&stc=1

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

The first one is in fact Yesterdays, the Band name includes a flower and a weapon.

Sorry mate I got the second one wrong, it is simply, Lucky Man.

And yes the third is by Adan and the Ant's.:grin:

Van The Man is another God Like figure in the World of Music, but he did display his Feminine side when he let slip of his interest in needlecraft, in the same track you quoted.:lol:

Think about it.

Again I envy you for seeing such a major figure in the Music World, I was silly enough to turn down the chance of seeing him play in Bournemouth.:roll:

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi paul

now we are talking the great slash/guns and roses and is it the verve for the other one /which song of the verve was a cover rip off a stones record

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

Good one mate, you got there in the end, even if it was with clues.:grin:

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi paul
whats the answer to my question ?

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

Go on mate you have got me there.:roll:

Paul.:grin:

[kenny]

hi paul

urban symphony was a rip off of this will be the last time by the stones

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

This will be the last time, cheers matey.:grin:

You really know your Music don't you?

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi paul

if you say so i am full of trivia or i am definately full of something:grin: :grin:

ken

[laurab]

Hey Chris

I forgot to mention, I bought my oldest daughter a guitar for Xmas. It is a Fender but the lower priced one.

She is having lessons and is doing FAR better than Elsa.

She has learnt to play some of Californication, I think I have spelt that right, and she is also having a go at some of the songs on Robbie Williams, Swing when you are winning. :smile:

[chris]

Hi Laura,

great news, although i'm not too sure where the guitar comes in with robbie williams:lol:

how is Elsa doing with the guitar now?

Chris;)

[laurab]

Lets put it this way, Elsa's heart is still with learning to play the drums! :-?

Problem is, I have no room for a drum set.

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura, ohh no do i need to bring some extra large ear muffs on saturday?

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
so you are getting the jacks after all eh
ken

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

you will only need the earmuffs to block out her continuous chatter :lol: :lol:

[Waxbillman]

:lol:

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Laura,

just thought i'd ask how your 2 daughters are doing with the guitars while i'm on the subject. i've never to date ever heard of or seen a female guitarist who can shred and solo like a nutter... the search continues

Chris;)

[chris]

also, while on the subject of guitars,

Paul, did you get one? if so how's it going?

Chris;)

[vixen]

Hi Chris, Ashley my son loves his B C Rich he had for Christmas.
Trudy

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

I'm gutted to say my guitar search is now on the back burner while I need to fund further Continental trips to buy and exchange certain birds I hope we can establish between us.

Paul.:neutral:

[laurab]

Hi Chris

guitars are gathering dust, can't say I am surprised though :roll:

[chris]

Hi Laura,

don't worry about it too much, i think mine was gathering dust for 5 years before i picked it back up. then it's rarely been put down since. i think the problem was with the guitar lessons more than anything, not wanting to learn what they were teaching and not seeing the point/purpose of it. at 15 though i picked it back up and taught myself for a few years, before having some more lessons, this time learning what i knew i was weak at. then i stoped having the lessons again as i'd learnt enough and wanted to go my own way again. i feel the cycle coming back round again shortly, there's still a few things i could be better at, or learn.

only snag now is the whole uni/guitar problem. nearly solved though as we go flat/house hunting this weekend for next year's accomodation. no stupid rules, if there is i'll spend my money elsewhere.

Paul,

nutter!:lol: what you getting this time then?


i've got my eyes on a new guitar, just need to find a way of funding it. though it's a tad more expensive than the last one

Chris;)

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

You are cruel matey,:roll: :lol: I really do want to get my hands on a guitar, but right now I need to concentrate on exchanging one or two bird species.

I have the chance of exchanging Scaly Crowned Weavers, Red Crested Finches, Green Singing Finches etc.

The Guitar is now set back for a while, but by 2008 I still hope to be the new fat white Jimi Hendrix.:lol:

Paul.

[chris]

the Guitar is now set back for a while, but by 2008 I still hope to be the new fat white Jimi Hendrix.


:lol: you better do a lot of practicing then! i've just discovered that the particular type of guitar i want has just been discontinued:neutral: so while i was quite happy to wait till the end of the year, or even next year to get it now the race is on before none are left! that said, i have infact found 2 for sale! the best bit being that the makers are clearing them so the cost has plummited. what should be £700+ is now £50 less than what was paid for my current guitar:shock: (so £250). i'm already pulling all the strings i can get hold of, only snag is that it had to be an e-bay jobby so persuading my parents might be tricky even though the seller seems to be a guitar dealer with a good reputaiton...

obviously in your case the birds come first as if you dont get them now chances are you wont ever get them. strange how the tables have turned on me though.. just my luck

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

I'm sorry that the Guitar you are looking for is now in fact equal in availability to rocking horse excrement.:sad:
As much as I want to learn to play Stairway etc, bearing in mind it has been over a decade since I last visited the World Show, the Dutch National trip opened my eyes far more than I thought it would or could!!:D

Some of us have thought for a very long time that the Continental breeders have always been a step ahead of us in the UK regarding the breeding of certain species, but from what I have seen recently we may infact be several steps behind.:roll:

To me it seems that the term known as 'UK Aviculture' is long over due to be replaced with a new title, European Aviculture!

If we in the UK fail to see the importance of working alongside the Continental bird breeders right now, then we deserve to lose many species yet to become established in UK Aviculture.

I'm hoping that one or two contacts I found at the Dutch National work out in the hope that breeding programmes can be formed between the UK and Continental breeders of at least some species?

Once this is sorted then hopefully the new fat white Jimi Hendrix will emerge?

Paul.:D