Electric guitar for novice
Discussion
Wanting to learn to play the guitar in earnest I'm looking now for a decent, economical electric guitar in the Les Paul style, as shown below. I last made a go at playing aged 15 but didn't really apply myself. Unless I can be convinced otherwise I don't want to spend too much money but at the same time don't want to waste money on a piece of junk that is frustratingly unplayable.
The contenders so far are the following:
(1)WESLEY PHEONIX Model EL250cs - £79
(2)Vintage V99CS - £199
(3)Tanglewood TSE505 - £195
Has anyone had experience with Wesley, Vintage or Tanglewood guitars or knows of their relative merits or could recommend a suitable alternative at around the £200 mark?
Thanks!
The contenders so far are the following:
(1)WESLEY PHEONIX Model EL250cs - £79
(2)Vintage V99CS - £199
(3)Tanglewood TSE505 - £195
Has anyone had experience with Wesley, Vintage or Tanglewood guitars or knows of their relative merits or could recommend a suitable alternative at around the £200 mark?
Thanks!
You won't go far wrong with a Tanglewood as a first guitar!
My advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days (
) is something my guitar teacher told me.
"A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
My advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days (
) is something my guitar teacher told me. "A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
ih8thisname said:
You won't go far wrong with a Tanglewood as a first guitar!
My advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days () is something my guitar teacher told me.
"A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
Disagree. If your guitar is sMy advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days (
) is something my guitar teacher told me. "A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
t and doesn't play well it makes it a chore to learn because it'll make things more difficult and chords won't sound right ectAmps come and go, guitars are for life (or til your dealer comes looking for your kneecaps!)
ETA +1 another vote for Epi. Having said that it's always best to get down to a guitar shop and play everything you can to get a feel for different things...you wouldn't buy a car without driving it, would you?
Edited by collateral on Tuesday 30th December 02:10
My first 2 electrics were Epiphone Les Pauls.
The first was a Les Paul Special II. It was good enough to get me going but I grew out of it very quickly, but I bought it second hand so it wasn't really a problem. The second was a Les Paul Standard. It's actually very good and only cost £250 new. If the electronics were better it'd be as good as any guitar I've tried under £500.
One of my friends went on ebay and got one of those Wesley guitars and I was surpised to find it wasn't utter ste. They actually quite good for the money, and definitely better than my old Special II.
I personally don't like Tanglewoods at all so I would avoid those.
Vintage guitars are pretty good for the money. They're worth looking and listening to.
I would echo the comment above about amps too. Get a decent one to start with because otherwise you'll get a few chords nailed and try to play along with your favourite song only to find you can't get close with the tone. I'd avoid the cheaper end of Marshall's range and look at amps like the Fender Champion 600 or the Epiphone Valve Special. Both use real valves.
If you buy the guitar and amp from the same shop you should be able to get a cable and some plectums thrown into the deal and you'll be set! Guitar Village in Farnham is good if you're anywhere near there.
The first was a Les Paul Special II. It was good enough to get me going but I grew out of it very quickly, but I bought it second hand so it wasn't really a problem. The second was a Les Paul Standard. It's actually very good and only cost £250 new. If the electronics were better it'd be as good as any guitar I've tried under £500.
One of my friends went on ebay and got one of those Wesley guitars and I was surpised to find it wasn't utter s
te. They actually quite good for the money, and definitely better than my old Special II.I personally don't like Tanglewoods at all so I would avoid those.
Vintage guitars are pretty good for the money. They're worth looking and listening to.
I would echo the comment above about amps too. Get a decent one to start with because otherwise you'll get a few chords nailed and try to play along with your favourite song only to find you can't get close with the tone. I'd avoid the cheaper end of Marshall's range and look at amps like the Fender Champion 600 or the Epiphone Valve Special. Both use real valves.
If you buy the guitar and amp from the same shop you should be able to get a cable and some plectums thrown into the deal and you'll be set! Guitar Village in Farnham is good if you're anywhere near there.
There was a similar thread a few weeks ago and someone on here mentioned how impressed they were with a Wesley Thinline Tele rip off. I've always wanted a Telecaster and was recently considering having a clearout to raise the cash for a good one, but decided I couldn't justify it.
After reading the post about the Thinline I thought for £69 delivered, I couldn't really go wrong, so I took a punt on the Wesley regular Tele clone, for a laugh and to see how I got on with the body shape more than anything...maybe with a view to swapping the neck for a real Fender one from eBay, replace the pickups, bridge/saddle etc over time.
I have to say though, I'm actually very impressed with it. It's easily on par with my Epi Les Paul in terms of how enjoyable and comfortable it is to play and it's nicer to play than my Ibanez S series and old, old Jap Squire Strat.
I was originally in the camp that argues, never start on something cheap, because it'll be unpleasant to play and turn you off playing in general, but things seem to have really changed since I started (~15 years ago).
After reading the post about the Thinline I thought for £69 delivered, I couldn't really go wrong, so I took a punt on the Wesley regular Tele clone, for a laugh and to see how I got on with the body shape more than anything...maybe with a view to swapping the neck for a real Fender one from eBay, replace the pickups, bridge/saddle etc over time.
I have to say though, I'm actually very impressed with it. It's easily on par with my Epi Les Paul in terms of how enjoyable and comfortable it is to play and it's nicer to play than my Ibanez S series and old, old Jap Squire Strat.
I was originally in the camp that argues, never start on something cheap, because it'll be unpleasant to play and turn you off playing in general, but things seem to have really changed since I started (~15 years ago).
Ordinary Bloke said:
+1 for Epiphone.I've had a standard for years now and it still keeps on going, although I have got through a couple of toggle switches over the years, but not since replacing with an LP one
.....although reading the OP I appreciate this may be outside your budget?
I've had an Epi LP Studio for a while now. Lovely tone, best with a mild overdrive and some delay
http://www.upload-mp3.com/public/viewset/42316 for a sample of mine recorded in a messabout with a mate using his Strat.
http://www.upload-mp3.com/public/viewset/42316 for a sample of mine recorded in a messabout with a mate using his Strat.
I bought a wesley SG copy on ebay, as much for a laugh as I got it for qbout £60 all in. Now while I haven't gotn an Epi or Gibson to compare it to, but it's not bad - might do with a lookover, but for just lamping about in the bedroom, it's ok.
If I get any better, I might lok at an Epi LP
If I get any better, I might lok at an Epi LP
gingerpaul said:
If I was looking again I suspect I'd end up with a PRS SE Singlecut. They're excellent at that price range. I don't particularly like the yank PRS Singlecuts though for some reason, and it's not just the vast price tag.
I have one of those and it is fantastic but at ~ £350 it may be out of the OPs price range.The Yamaha Pacifica is probably the best quality beginners electric.
garycat said:
gingerpaul said:
If I was looking again I suspect I'd end up with a PRS SE Singlecut. They're excellent at that price range. I don't particularly like the yank PRS Singlecuts though for some reason, and it's not just the vast price tag.
I have one of those and it is fantastic but at ~ £350 it may be out of the OPs price range.The Yamaha Pacifica is probably the best quality beginners electric.
My first electric guitar was a Tanglewood lp replica brought from argos 1n 1991 and it is well. Crud. My Squier strat is a precision instrument in comparison and that dosent say much 
. Having said that I have read that the quality of 'cheap' guitars is much improved these days so maybe Tanglewoods are better now. I would also look at the epiphones if I were you, I was thinking of getting a epi standard lp when I got my Squier but decided to save up until I can aford (and justify ability wise) a Gibson lp standard which is what I really want, Guitarist magazine tested 3 lps last year and the epi lp ultra was rated better in there view than a gibson lp vintage reissue of some kind costing rather alot more than the gibson 
and almost equivilant to the gibo lp standard at the time in both sound and quality the video of this review maybe on youtube or musicradar.
. Having said that I have read that the quality of 'cheap' guitars is much improved these days so maybe Tanglewoods are better now. I would also look at the epiphones if I were you, I was thinking of getting a epi standard lp when I got my Squier but decided to save up until I can aford (and justify ability wise) a Gibson lp standard which is what I really want, Guitarist magazine tested 3 lps last year and the epi lp ultra was rated better in there view than a gibson lp vintage reissue of some kind costing rather alot more than the gibson and almost equivilant to the gibo lp standard at the time in both sound and quality the video of this review maybe on youtube or musicradar.Edited by RedYellowGreen on Saturday 3rd January 02:32
collateral said:
ih8thisname said:
You won't go far wrong with a Tanglewood as a first guitar!
My advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days () is something my guitar teacher told me.
"A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
Disagree. If your guitar is sMy advice would be to put some extra thought into a decent practice amp, because one thing I've always remembered from my learning days (
) is something my guitar teacher told me. "A good amp will make even the worst of guitars sound perfectly happy, whereas a bad one will make the best sound sick. And if you think that your guitar sounds happy, you must be doing smething right!"
Good luck!
t and doesn't play well it makes it a chore to learn because it'll make things more difficult and chords won't sound right ectAmps come and go, guitars are for life (or til your dealer comes looking for your kneecaps!)
Edited by collateral on Tuesday 30th December 02:10
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