First Guitar!

Which one should I get? Been looking at the Affinity Strat pack from Fender, and as a later acquisition, the Mustang Duo Sonic HS.

you might want to invest in something more rewarding to play... what's your max budget?

you might want to invest in something more rewarding to play... what's your max budget?

This is good advice! The packs are built essentially to attract the entry level player, who will love it and think it is all great, until they get to try other gear. Then they will go sour to your ears.

Buy to your budget surely but regardless of appearance, if you buy something you LOVE, you will play more, longer and with more enthusiasm.

And if you can afford $500, make sure you try something priced at $550 or even $600. Most items in stores have a bit of play in what they charge versus what they are willing to sell for.

Most importantly, buy what YOU love. Not what they are trying to sell to you. If they push a particular instrument and list a thousand reasons why, tell them you need to think about it and leave. Grab a snack or a drink and Google the one they offered and read all reviews you can find. Often they sell what they need to sell sadly not considering what YOU may want or need.

Mustangs are popular with girls and small handed folk. Shorter scale traditionally. Maybe something a bass player would notice as uncomfortable more readily.

I really like the body shape as it's more comfortable for me and I have really small hands. Being a bass player I'm not so good at chords and I really enjoyed the feel of the short scale in the shop. I ran it through a two-channel Orange combo and got some killer tones out of the single coil pickup. I'm also pretty young so I thought the Mustang was a good fit. I most certainly did not talk to the guitar center people, because they're salespeople to start and I don't trust them, and also because they were fixing my Jaguar bass at the time. ALSO ALSO, I tried the Strat from the pack and really liked it. The bridge pickup sounded almost like the Mustang single coil.

I agree with the prior sentiments of getting something that you love to play and filling out the budget. When I started playing, I got the super basic Epiphone Les Paul Special II player pack, and although excited at the time, I later wished I had taken up my dad's offering to get something better (like the Epi LP Standard or the SG-400, and a better amp). Get something that's still "beginner" but you can still envision yourself playing 4-5 years down the line and not selling for $50 later.

just go on ebay and get a used mexi strat... in fact, contact Atomic Music in Maryland via ebay and ask what they have in your price range, tell 'em you're looking for an affordable mexican made fender strat, preferably something better than a standard or maybe a standard that's been upgraded by the previous owner (the standards are still way better than an affinity, but why not go whole hog and get something fancy if you can afford it)

they haggle, though they haggle more in person because shipping's a hassle... great guys though, good prices and a lot of wiggle room.... they don't sell new guitars or amps or synths or anything... awesome store! even their truly vintage pieces go for the low end of blue book value

I have bought and sold so much stuff with them.... I know my SG standard and AC30HW2 came from there... not sure what else.... I have a lot of stuff

so yeah, see if they can scrape up a Mexican fender for peanuts, I've seen some pretty nice mexi strats there for cheap... I once got an aerodyne tele there for like $400 no joke, great guitar, but I traded it back towards the ac30

Mustangs are popular with girls and small handed folk. Shorter scale traditionally. Maybe something a bass player would notice as uncomfortable more readily.

i take this personally... jk I'm only 5'8 and have smaller hands

Strats are fun, so I'll look into that. My least favorite guitar I played was an Epiphone Les Paul. Don't remember exactly which model, but it was higher end, with the gray burst. My absolute favorite was the Mustang, then a high-end Strat, and then (what I'm 90% sure was a JA-90 Tele but mislabeled) a Thinline Telecaster. An interesting one I tried was a BC Rich Metal Master Warlock, but I wouldn't want it. I also had a blast tone-wise with a 335.

Taking affordability, quality, and availability all into consideration, I suggest you get an 80's Aria or Takamine solid body. Both have different looks to them, ranging from the boring figure 8 body of a strat to the extreme opposite end.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-Aria-Pro-II-RS-The-Cat-/172531719494?hash=item282bb11d46:g:QAsAAOSw241YYmcK

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1977-Vantage-700VP-Electric-Guitar-Matsumoku-Westone-Aria-Ibanez-/222430339400?hash=item33c9e1a148:g:TGgAAOSw4A5YvFpz

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Jackson/JS22-Dinky-DKA-Electric-Guitar-Satin-Black-1366901764897.gc

Ebay usually has a good selection of both. If you want an experimental guitar to play with and want to spend as little as possible, go get an SX or an Agile from Rondo.com.

http://www.rondomusic.com/al2500tribalblue.html

http://www.rondomusic.com/product6736.html

Ibanez has become THE affordable, entry level guitar of the USA. $300 will get you something decent, especially if you buy used.

I'd also add that for your first guitar, I think you should get a tremolo on the guitar. Most people disagree because the amount of time taken to restring and tune can make a new player less likely to play:however, learning on a finicky, delicate guitar will make playing on a standard bridged guitar all the easier. On a tremolo, you will have to gain more control over your pressure against the strings, so you don't bend the note off pitch. If you enjoy playing the guitar enough to buy another, higher end model, you may get a standard fixed bridge and you will have a new appreciation for its simplicity.

sounds great. helpful as always. i was actually looking at some ibanez models but didn't get to try any. will do so this week.

Ibanez RG350 is a good choice. Or get a Saber.

Strats are fun, so I'll look into that. My least favorite guitar I played was an Epiphone Les Paul. Don't remember exactly which model, but it was higher end, with the gray burst.

I can't stand Epis... I am a well known Epi-hater on this forum! Love legit Gibsons, own a pile of them, but you have to sift for the one that's right for you... they have more variation within a model than fender because Gibson USA does more handwork than fender even at the Nashville plant whereas fender USA is very automated and because they sue self leveling finishes on most models there's less sanding changing the neck shape from what the CNC machines carve... Gibson fine tunes the carve by hand and then does a whole lacquer finish process that's a lot of hand sanding so the variations build up. Boom will knock on this, but it means that within a given model like the SG standard that you are likely to find oen that's a perfect fit for your hands if you are willing to play 100 of them

335s, I just love the whole 335 style! if you can come up with 6 to 8 hundred bucks go on ebay and buy a 70s Yamaha SA model, my SA1000 is a real ass kicker and it cost me less than 700 a few years ago... the later ones (post 85) aren't as well made in my experience, though they have slimmer necks, more modern style frets, hotter pickups and a true ABR1 type bridge (if you care about that, I don't)... but if you like the 335 and don't have a lot of scratch stay away from the current crop of epis from china and korea and look at the old Japanese lawsuit 335 styles

For me it really wasn't just the Epi, it was the LP shape. It felt uncomfortable on my leg and weighed almost as much as my already-way-too-heavy Ibanez full scale bass.

I am 5'7 and span 1st - 6th fret on an acoustic.

those are large hands. i'm on the younger side and i'm only 5'4"

I too am tall (5'11") with long, spindly fingers that fit neatly in even the upper frets but can span 5 or 6 in 1st position and my right hand can easily adjust volume and tone on any guitar while playing (they're natural good at every stringed instrument really and play the piano really well for a guy who never took lessons but now I'm just bragging)... I have taught many a small, chubby fingered kid and I feel for you guys, tis an uphill battle for awhile, but determination is the most important attribute of a musician... if you wanna play badly enough you will figure out a way, look at Django Reinhardt and his mangled left hand! Or Tony Iommi's missing fingertips!

yeah, tony is really good. i didn't even know about his fingers until i'd been listening to sabbath for 10 years.

I dunno if that's the adjective I'd use, but he certainly turned his handicap into a virtue by using it to create a whole new style of playing that's been highly influential.

fair point.