My 'just starting to learn' kit - verdict?

battermytreble · #1 October 31st, 2008

Guitar for beginners........at last! Complete newbie here so excuse any ignorance I show!

I know it won't make a jot of difference to me, but just interested to see what others make of my proposed start off kit! I'm not really keen on forking out loads of dough to start because I want to find out if it's something I'll stick with before going power shopping!

Have just bought a Peavey Rage 258 amp...just need the guitar to go with it! Have read good things about the following (and can buy 2nd hand for around the £50 mark which is about $80.

One is a Cruiser RG600 by Crafter, and the other is an Ibanez GRG170DX. Sorry no links, but have just registered and it won't let me!

Any thoughts guys, good or bad?

What do you guys think?

allthumbs · #2 October 31st, 2008

The Ibanez GRG170DX got consistent high marks in the reviews i read. Better bang for the buck than the crafter IMO. I could only find roughly close cruiser model reviews though. Not the 600

FrankJ · #3 November 1st, 2008

A vote here for the Ibanez.

Noodler · #4 November 1st, 2008

Ibanez and Peavey just seem to go together.

battermytreble · #5 November 1st, 2008

Thanks for the replies........having thought about it, they're both so cheap I might just be a guitar whore and buy 'em both!

So did I do ok with the amp purchase?

Noodler · #6 November 1st, 2008

The one with Trans-tube technology? Yep.. Great amp. If it's got a 12" speaker, even better. You can always buy pedals, etc, too.

Although I relate to the term, we refer to that as GAS (Guitar Acquistion Syndome) here, when we want lots of gear for the sake of it. This site is kind of G-rated, which is refreshing.

battermytreble · #7 November 1st, 2008

Nice to get some sensible responses for a change......tried on another forum to ask opinions and just got everyone trying to blind me with terminology and answer questions that I didn't ask!

battermytreble · #8 November 1st, 2008

May aswell enquire too.......the Ibanez sa120. Is this a well thought of weapon?

starsailor · #9 November 1st, 2008

Here are some reviews for the Cruiser Battermytreble and for the SA120,

Cruiser RG600 Review | Crafter | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com.

Ibanez SA120: Harmony Central User Reviews

Not an expert on Amps but Peavey have a good reputation and the Rage has good reviews so good call on that.

If you've got access to all the guitars you've mentioned it's worth having a go on them, don't worry if you're just starting out it's more about getting a feel for the guitar it's important to have one you're comfortable with also if you can get the person selling it to give it a play that would be good give you an idea of which one you like the sound of.

Ibanez SA120: Harmony Central User Reviews

Darkhorizon · #10 November 2nd, 2008

Another thing to consider is getting a guitar shop with a good reputation to check over your guitar and do a setup on it. This means it will be well set up and ready to play. This costs about £30 in the shop I go to now.

My first guitar was great to learn on but the action was very high (strings far from the guitar's main body). This made it harder to play but when I bought my second guitar for more money it was really easy to play due to being better and properly setup.

Have fun with learning to play the guitar and remember practice, practice, practice.

battermytreble · #11 November 2nd, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkhorizon

Another thing to consider is getting a guitar shop with a good reputation to check over your guitar and do a setup on it. This means it will be well set up and ready to play. This costs about £30 in the shop I go to now.

My first guitar was great to learn on but the action was very high (strings far from the guitar's main body). This made it harder to play but when I bought my second guitar for more money it was really easy to play due to being better and properly setup.

Have fun with learning to play the guitar and remember practice, practice, practice.

Thanks for the tips. Think I'm going to pay a visit to a shop local to me and get some practical advice. They stock LAG guitars which appear to get a thumbs up from most (or so I've read so far!), so I might just buy new in the end.

JessThrasher · #12 November 2nd, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler

Ibanez and Peavey just seem to go together.

Joe satriani style!

Bluesmonger · #13 November 3rd, 2008

First thing is go online and look over guitars in your price range. Narrow it down to what both looks good to you and is equipped for the style of music you want to play. If you have a Guitar Center or Sam Ash nearby it helps to go there and spend a few hours checking out every guitar in your price range and style you like. Play more than one without an amp to get the best sounding acoustically. Don't worry so much if the action is off. Factory setups often are bad. You will want any guitar you get setup by a pro to fit your individual skill and style. I did and it took my $55.00 New York Pro Strat copy from a guitar I hated playing to one of the nicest I have found. For less than $40.00. It is going to be upgraded soon because after a good setup and going over it plays as good as my MIM $400.00 Fender Strat but has a crappy tone so new pickups are needed. Ibanez,Epiphone,Fender,there are a ton of good beginner guitars but you have to remember that you will likely spend hours on hours playing it so take the time to find the guitar that is right for you. Not all guitars are for everybody. I personally like Stratocaster's because they are built like tanks and play like angels.