electric guitar recommendations for child

[VQLT]

my son has been taking acoustic guitar lessons for about 1 year. He want's an electric guitar for his birthday. any suggestions? he is 10 years old and appears (according to his teacher) to be musically inclined

 

[Urizen]

Is the acoustic 3/4 scale?

 

[VQLT]

yes, I believe it is 3/4 scale. So I guess I need a similar size. Been checking craigslist but have no idea what to look for as far as make/ models are concerned. It would be nice to find a combo w/ amp, etc. I guess I'm just looking for suggestions on models. I see the stratocaster squier model pop up now and then.

 

[bebopdeluxe]

VQLT:

There are plenty of starter packs out there...Musicians Friend/Guitar Center has a Washburn set-up - complete with guitar, amp, gig bag, tuner, strap and other goodies - for $99...the guitar could be crap, but it's hard to go wrong at that price. Personally, I think that you would be better off getting something from a bricks-and-mortar store...where they can do a nice set-up on the guitar, and you have somebody who is standing behind it...I actually have an e-mail in to a guy who runs a big used guitar store to see what he has right now...you may pay a few bucks more (say, between $100 and $150), but you will get a decent guitar that is set-up and ready to go....and if it turns out that he doesn't really take to the guitar, you could turn around and sell it on Craig's List and get something for it (as opposed to buying a cheap, crappy guitar that you won't get SQUAT for if you have to sell it). While your son doesn't need an AMAZING guitar, it's worth spending an extra $25 to $50 to get a real instrument...

Once you have the guitar, then you can go to Craig's List and buy any cheap practice amp for $25-30. It's more important to get the guitar right then the amp...

 

[stuartk]

You should be able to get one of these for not much money:

http://www.ibanez.com/eg/model/GRGM21

You could also try asking his teacher for recommendation. Maybe he even knows someone who is ready to move on from a beginner guitar and is looking to sell?

The advice about going to a local music store is good too. Take your son there and find something used that fits him.

 

[kenhappen2u]

i started off with a stratocaster squier (red) ...they do a good job & for a 10 year old ....perfect ! in a couple of years maybe less he will be wanting something a bit more bigger / better made and better pick ups etc ... but untill then i think he will like the Squier , its got pretty good action IMO .

 

[6thumbs]

If the Accoustic he,s playing is a decent guitar I would add a pick-up to it and buy a small practice amp,, adding a pick-up gives you 2 guitars for the price of 1

 

[fotno]

I tend to go with bebopdeluxe's thinking when it comes to guitars. I like a brick and mortar store with a setup guy in the back. A decent guitar can become a pretty dang good guitar if the action and intonation is set up properly, and nothing is more frustrating than a poorly set up guitar.

Not to mention that it offers an opportunity for you and your son to have a nice little adventure in making the purchase and trying out several different models and sizes. He may well find he's ready to move up to a full scale model at this point. They can be had just as inexpensively, and it'll help him learn to stretch out a little musically.

 

[davidb]

My experience is that guitars are like tires. You get what you pay for.

 

[stuartk]

My experience is that guitars are like tires. You get what you pay for.

There is some truth to this.

However, Kumho makes some really good tires that cost much less than tires from the big name companies.

You also have to consider your uses. It makes no sense to buy very expensive high-speed rated tires if all you're doing is driving back and forth to the corner grocery store.

There are some very nice guitars that aren't made by Gibson, Fender, and the other big name makers.

You can also get a really lousy, but expensive Gibson or Fender. (Although I've been told that this is less of a problem than it used to be.)

There's also no point in buying something like this (http://www.moonstoneguitars.com/img/PLUGGE~2.jpg) until you're a really serious guitarist. You'd get a superb guitar, but you probably wouldn't really get your money's worth out of it. (Although these can be good investments since they tend not to go down in value - ever.)

What we can generally observe is that going for the most rock bottom low price doesn't always save you much money in the long run. Spending a bit extra to get above rock bottom quality is usually a better bet.


On the other hand, it's awfully hard to go wrong with something like this:

http://www.rondomusic.com/product1274.html

 

[gearhound]

You can get some fairly decent guitars, without paying an arm-and-a-leg, like the SX guitar in the above posts.
Other cheap-but-decent guitars are:
Jay Turser
Squire
Cort
Ibanez
Washburn
Samick
Aria
Good luck!

Steve

 

[fdrennen]

Hows this at http://www.liveandlearn.com/guitar.html It might do the trick. It's made by Hohner and goes for $159.95.

 

[VQLT]

i was talking with a sales guy at my local guitar center and they recommended my son use a full size guitar. there are some fender squier kits that look interesting. come with stand, amp, etc. I don't want to invest too much as my son is only 10 and may tire of playing in a few years. I'm looking for something designed for a beginner, not s seasoned guitarist

 

[jonman]

i was talking with a sales guy at my local guitar center and they recommended my son use a full size guitar. there are some fender squier kits that look interesting. come with stand, amp, etc. I don't want to invest too much as my son is only 10 and may tire of playing in a few years. I'm looking for something designed for a beginner, not s seasoned guitarist

I think the Squire would make a good choice. I played professionally in the old days, and often use both the strat and telly style model when I would want a certain type of sound on stage.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Definately avoid the Wal-Mart variety crap like First Act, etc. Instruments like those are hard to play and will only serve to frustrate the youngster and sour them on learning how to play.

 

[jonman]

Definately avoid the Wal-Mart variety crap like First Act, etc. Instruments like those are hard to play and will only serve to frustrate the youngster and sour them on learning how to play.

Celt is right on this, also avoid any that are on the home shopping or infomercials that feature that guy Estaban. I ordered one a while back and it was junk. I tried to play it and the paint from the fretboard came off on my hands in less than a minute. It was also impossible to play. I returned it immediately.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

When I was turning 10, I begged my parents for a guitar. What I was given was a Ukelele which my Mom got with Quality Stamps. NOT the same thing! Anyway, I learned how to play the nasty thing. That is, until the plastic fretboard gave away. Once again I broached the subject with them. They agreed to pay half on whatever I picked out. Well this was Christmas time and what little money I had was going towards buying presents. By the time Christmas week arrived, I had less than $20 left to spend. I ended up with a used Teisco (Japan) Strat copy, that was beautiful to look at and nothing else. No amount of set up or voodoo could have made that thing playable. (It's electronics were junk too.) It frustrated me beyond comprehension, for I could play songs on my friends guitars, but could not make a clean chord on the Teisco! So, under the bed it went. When I was in 9th grade I traded it for a used Conrad Bass. Two of my best friends and I decided we were going to be the next Grand Funk Railroad (yeah, right!) . But every weekend we'd get together and practice. We played a few times at high school and around, but that was about it. But the main thing was having fun and it took the right instruments and equipment to make that happen.

 

[jonman]

Two of my best friends and I decided we were going to be the next Grand Funk Railroad (yeah, right!) . But every weekend we'd get together and practice. We played a few times at high school and around, but that was about it. But the main thing was having fun and it took the right instruments and equipment to make that happen.

Thanks for your post Celt. You just took me on a stroll down memory lane. Those were good time, eh?

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Thanks for your post Celt. You just took me on a stroll down memory lane. Those were good time, eh?

That they were. Wouldn't trade those happy times for anything. :yes:

 

[gearhound]

I still have the first electric guitar I ever owned....a 1969 Teisco E-110.
I was 16 years old....got my first job working on a loading dock (part-time)....and when I saved up enough money at $1.75 an-hour....BAMM!

Steve