Going from Acoustic to Electric

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SRR

SRR

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Thanks to all your opinions a few months ago about which beginner acoustic to get for my wife (it was a Yamaha F335 for $99, at a GC grand opening). Anyways, she already has the bug for getting an electric. Purchase will be a couple months off, but what should she be looking at in the $375-$500 range? Use would be be dual, recording and playing live at church in another 6months to year, or when ever she is ready. Style would be Christian praise and worship for live use (think upbeat fast stuff, its a semi-rocking church), and more pop for the recorded stuff. Any thoughts or ideas would be great. If we must go higher in price I want to know that now instead of 2-3months from now when we go to buy something, that is kind'a why I am posting so early. So anyways, are there semi playable semi good sounding electrics in our ball park, or should we check out the next ball park over and up?

Thanks for any and all thoughts!
 
Hey man! Ummm i think you should check-out a Yamaha Pacifica, they're quite versatile in that they have a humbucker and two single-coils. They'd be well within your budget. Another step up would be a Mexican-made Stratocaster or Telecaster....theyre around the 500 mark as far as I know. Thatd be fine for what you want but if you really intend to use this guitar extensvely, for recording and at church, the next step up would be a highway one strat or tele; American made, which goes a long way in terms of reputation and re-sale value...but i think you're looking at around 750-800....I'm not sure of the prices because the currency here is Euro and you'd have to factor in import costs which can be considerable. I dunno if this helps, I'm just going with fenders mainly because I think theyre better guitars for your buck, you know?
 
TelePaul said:
Hey man! Ummm i think you should check-out a Yamaha Pacifica,

I second this. I like the Pacifica better than Fender Strat's - Strat's are fussy, my Pacifica is ready to play every time I pick it up (and is in tune!).

Fender strats are fantastic after you get into the $750 - $1,000 range. I've never felt a need to upgrade from the Pacifica to a Strat.
 
I'd suggest looking for DeArmond M75. Everyone always forgets about these babys, and to me, they are an incredible clean guitar, but also they take some time to find because they stopped making them a couple years back. If you can find one, they usually run between $300-600. My friend used to have one and it was absolutely incredible, then someone stole it at one of his bands shows between sets. Anyways, here's a look at one. Think about it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DEARMOND-M75-GU...oryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Consider a Line 6 Variax. Works well for worship settings, as it can sound like an electric, acoustic, 12 string, and a host of other sounds. Most church settings have little space for extra instruments. Couple the Variax with a POD XTL and they make a powerful combo that can go direct to the PA.

Ed
 
Hi SRR....What happened to the Strat you gave your wife...or were you joshing me? :D

I think if you take your wife to the music shops, and just let her try them out for feel, then the choices will narrow pretty quick. Used guitars are great for first ones too!! Great even for 2nd and so on!! Tell her to take her time too, and choose more for sound and feel, and playability than looks.

Better to get a good toned, easy playing axe, and perhaps not so pretty used axe....than a shiney, goodlooking, yet not so good sounding new one, that doesn't play to suite her.

She will want something that will stay in tune too.

That is just my opinion and how I still choose my axes. I always go by sound and feel in my hand. If those are not right, I will not be happy, even if it is an expensive guitar. I never let anyones opinion override my choice, cause if I don't like the axe, it will stay in it's case most of the time, even if EVH suggested it himself. I do however, ask why one is considered better than another, then try out that paticular brand....then go for the one that feels best and is affordable to me.

True :)
 
Ya true, I was just playing the other night, haven't gotten my wife a electric guitar yet.
 
http://www.guitarcenter.com/radio/index.cfm

Hope that links works, but its to two radio spots for GC's friday midnight madness sale. Two things that caught my ear were free guitar with amps priced $399 and up, and the other was free cable and stand with any sure vocal mic........but this thread is about guitars so lets stick to that. Is it even worth getting a amp and guitar at guitar center for $399, oh and they have a 20% off coupon on one item on their hompage that you can print off. Not sure if you can combine the offers, but if you can combine, $320 for amp and axe....proabably just crap right??? But its for a beginner anyways, she isn't selling out arenas just yet. We are going tomorrow night, some time before 8pm, we might be there awhile. Heck we might just walk out of there with a Shure mic, cable and stand and be done with it. But if this guitar deal has any merit to it, I guess we would jump on it. I mean she braved grand opening night with all the people and noise there, just to get the Yamaha f335 for 1/3rd off what they sell them for new now. We haven't even looked into amp options yet, any pointers there? Remember praise and worship/pop is the genre she will be playing. Any pointers? I know we are noobs to electrics and the whole ball of wax that comes with them. So anything to go on for tomorrow night would be nice?
 
SRR said:
Ya true, I was just playing the other night, haven't gotten my wife a electric guitar yet.
I thought so!! Good luck on your quest!! :) \

Were you planning on spending 399 on an amp to start with? More, less? If you were planning on spending that anyway, then go have a look. It sounds like a beginners package. It just sounds better if they use the word "free". They get more customer draw that way. It isn't free, just a beginners pack.

I bought both of my son's beginner packs, when they first started out.
A guitar and a bass one. They were just fine for the moment. Both have since went on to better made instruments, but the pack served it's purpose.

Hope this helps.

True :)
 
I know I said months away, but we were at GC last night, and a Yamaha Pacifica was calling here name, I didn't hear it calling but she did, so who I am I to argue with a woman, so we bought it. Anyways for now we are plugging into a mic preamps instrument in, then in the computer using Nigel (a UAD-1 guitar amp/cab plugin). She likes that setup for the moment. I would much rather have her in the tracking rooms downstairs with a real amp. And that brings me to my next question for you guitar gurus, is a VOX AD50VT or the 30, be a good first amp for her? Her church needs will probably be something totally different, so I am just considering her praticing and recording needs. She doesn't need overdriven huge distortion effects, just something clean to start, but have options as she grows as a guitar player. Thanks in advance for you thoughts...
 
The 30 is fine if it's for recording purposes mostly. The church SHOULD have a PA built and and you can just mic up the amp or even plug in direct to the PA if it's going to be all clean guitar (seeing as I don't expect any metal to be played during the services). ;) :cool:
 
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