Looking at a first electric guitar - questions!

[Jedman]

Well, I'm starting up the home studio bit; I'm a piano/keybordist, but I'd like to learn basic guitar, and I have a friend who could teach me. I was looking at some of the more inexpensive models for a beginner electric guitar, and had some questions:
1. What's a humbucker? And do I want more than one?
Also, do more coils = better sound?
Thanks for your time,
Jed

 

[LocusLarsen]

I have spent a lot of money deciding if I wanted a guitar with humbuckers or single coils, and, well, I haven't got very far..............

 

[Mike_W]

Here's a couple of links that might help.

http://www.guitar.com/columns/viewcolumn.asp?columnID=84

http://www.guitar.com/columns/viewcolumn.asp?columnID=85

Basically single coil pickups will give you that good clean and bright 'glassy' tone. Great for clean guitar parts or blues guitar playing. But you will also get that electrical "hum" sound with single coils.

Humbuckers on the other hand are basically 2 single coil pickups put together but electrically wired 'out of phase' with each other to cancell out the "hum" you get with single coils. Humbuckers will also give you a 'darker' (not as bright) tone than single coils, but will have a higher volume output than single coils.

I own guitars with both types of pickups and love them all for different reasons, depending on the style of music I'm playing.

Hope this helps some,

 

[Jedman]

Thanks for the links; I'll read them tonight when I'm home.

This might help for getting either coils or humbuckers -- I want to play stuff that sounds like "Brown Eyed Girl". What would I want for that type of music?
Thanks,
Jed

 

[LocusLarsen]

I don't what what kind of guitar and amp where used to record that song, in fact, I can barely hear the song in my head its been so long since I heard it, but if I would say a Strat through a cheap fender amp would be plenty to learn on. Everyone hates solidstate, but for beginning, a fender solidstate if awsome. The clean is acually good in it own right.

 

[LocusLarsen]

If you can cough up the money, a Mexican Standard Strat is worlds better than a Squire (cheaper fender product offshot). If a guitar plays better you will be more apt to play it.

 

[Emeric]

If you're interested in guitar, start on an acoustic. Find someone you trust to pick out a cheap(or super expensive if you got lots of $ to spend), playable one, and go from there. Consider taking guitar lessons to get the basic skills down.

Electric guitar is a fine tool, special effect/gimmic gizmo at times, and can be very useful, depending what style of music you are into.

Acoustic guitar (the root) is a better place to start off IMO, rock on from there.

Humbucker / single coil. All a matter of the sound you are after, and the guitar / amp combo's. Good questions, but until you get the basics of guitar down it won't really make sense, or help you.

Guitar is a great instrument though, have fun!

 

[gbondo9]

Not everyone hates solid states....
The Roland JC series has a beautiful clean tone to it that I much prefer to my tube amp. Same with some vox, marshall, fender amps. It just depends on what you want/need. Solid state amplifies through transistors, and tube amps use the tubes to amplify, thus, different tones.
Its like the digital vs. tape argument, there's no winners, just opinions. Alot of heavy bands use solid state for its "tight" sound.
etc, etc

Todd

 

[LocusLarsen]

Not everyone hates solid states....
The Roland JC series has a beautiful clean tone to it that I much prefer to my tube amp. Same with some vox, marshall, fender amps. It just depends on what you want/need. Solid state amplifies through transistors, and tube amps use the tubes to amplify, thus, different tones.
Its like the digital vs. tape argument, there's no winners, just opinions. Alot of heavy bands use solid state for its "tight" sound.
etc, etc

Todd

You must not be paying attention to the bulk of the posts on this site. It was a joke...........

 

[Richard Monroe]

I use Duncan Seymour pickups with coil taps, so they can switch back and forth between single and double coil at the flick of a switch. Very versatile.-Richie

 

[gbondo9]

oh...I get it...everyone hates solidstate....
haha

-T

 

[Jedman]

After reading all the helpful posts, I've decided I better go with my friend (who is a guitar player) and have him help me pick one out. I probably won't get a too expensive model, because I just want some basic sounds and stuff...but you never know, I might really enjoy it. Anyway, I'll look around with him and see what I can get.
Thanks again,
Jed

 

[quagmire77]

You might consider a used guitar as well. One of the best guitars I own I bought barely used (Rickenbacker 360, no not one of the knockoffs) for 1/3rd of what it cost new.

 

[VesuviusJay]

To me it would depend on the quality I was after. If you are recording, to me it would be in my best interest to spend more on the instruments than any thing else in the process. I would definately recomend EMG pickups whether single or humbucker. Of course most axes dont come with EMG pickups but you want to install them if you like an active pickup. Secondly try to get a US model neck through or Les Paul or higher end strat, because the tonal qualities of these guitars will definately please a piano trained ear. I recently purchased a gibson working man 45 and you wouldn't believe the difference