So the guitar shop have just called, the guitar Iāve been waiting to come in has finally arrived. So in the next few days Iāll be up there trying it and a few others and no doubt getting my first ever electric guitar. All very exciting!! Any advice on things I really need to try out in the shop?
7 Likes
Thatās good news 
Most likely, the strings will be a little slack due to transportation so you should tune them. Then check if the control knobs and the pickup selector make any scratchy noises when you turn them up/down. If they do, you should request them to be fixed unless thereās another guitar of the exact model you are interested in. Then of course try if all the pickups function properly.
It is also worth checking if there are any more-or-less loose pickguard screws or nuts around the output jack and the tuning pegs as these can make all kinds of annoying noises. They are easy to fix at home as well, but the shop assistant may have the necessary tools on hand anyway.
Then a lot depends on how the guitar, especially the neck, feels in your hand, but thatās less of a technical concern.
For future reference you may find this article pretty useful: Fix Your Guitar: Our 10-step Survival Guide | Guitar.com | All Things Guitar
By the way, which model would you like to buy?
1 Like
Depends a lot on your budget and what style of electric you like the look of.
ie Solid body or semi hollow body, Strat shape or Les Paul shape, Non Strat double cut; whammy bar or not. If you can give a bit more info it would help immensely!
@Jozsef
@DarrellW
The model is Ibanez SA360 black mirage
Iām after a strat type solid body thatās versatile as Iām new and donāt know what I want yet. It has SSH pickups and a whammy. I will also try a Pacifica and some other brands that do that for the same price but I really liked the look of this one and itās a bit different. I kind of like that the Ibanez guitars seem quite compact and light (being a girl and all thatās quite important)
1 Like
Thatās a really nice guitar, you canāt really go wrong with it!
One alternative is: https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/s-style-electric-guitars/chapman-ml1-hybrid-cali-sunset-red
And
https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/s-style-electric-guitars/chapman-v2-ml1-modern-standard-abyss
Maybe: https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/s-style-electric-guitars/sire-larry-carlton-s7-electric-guitar-in-sherwood-green
Or: https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/s-style-electric-guitars/yamaha-pacifica-212v-electric-guitar-quilted-maple-body-with-translucent-black
And: https://www.andertons.co.uk/guitar-dept/electric-guitars/s-style-electric-guitars/squier-classic-vibe-70s-stratocaster-hss-maple-fingerboard-black
If they have anything pre owned like what youāre looking for itās worth having a look see!
Yep sounds good Iāll check out what they have, thanks.
I would pick the ibanez every time versus the pacifica.
Itās also important that you like the visuals of the guitar. It will make you want to take it off the stand and play.
Iād check how the guitar sounds unplugged too. Check the tuning posts that they function properly, that the neck isnāt broken or anything, like hairline cracks etcā¦
1 Like
Think hard about the whammy bar. At this stage, I have no interest in one and all the floating bridges do is make tuning and set up a pain, especially if it is a Floyd Rose. Great if you need/want what they do, but not worth the hassle unless you really want that.
Thankfully it isnāt a floyd rose. So not too bad and I do have a teacher I see every couple of weeks who will help with that stuff.
Yep, thanks.
Been waiting for this model to come back in stock for a month. Just nice to have a few things to compare it to so Iām sure itās for me.
Maybe Iām letting myself be guided too much by aesthetics, but wow, that red Chapman guitar is just gorgeous.
Never heard of that brand, though
1 Like
Iām sorry I cut my previous message short as I was boarding a plane.
Another thing that came to my mind to check for is dead frets.
Good luck with trying them out and I hope you leave the store happy! 
Watch this, heās the guy who used to do a lot of reviews with Andertons āThe Captainā heās a very good rock/metal guitarist who decided to set up his own company making guitars that basically he couldnāt find āoff the shelfā. Answering A Difficult question About My Guitar Company - YouTube
1 Like
Thank you! Iāll see it ASAP 
1 Like
Generally check the condition of the guitar and make sure there arenāt any obvious cosmetic issues. Run your finger along the edge of the threat board. Your finger shouldnāt get snagged on any sharp fret ends. Make sure the frets are nicely polished and again polished smooth ( no scratches across their width ). On a none budget guitar you shouldnāt get issues but worth checking.
The chances are the guitar hasnāt been setup. Make sure itās tuned up and ask to try it with a decent practice amp ( ideally the one youāre intending to buy/use). Turn the amp up if possible ( a quiet amp will tell you nothing). Itās very different playing an electric compared to an acoustic. An electric is much more dependent on the amp for its tone. You wonāt be able to tell a lot playing it without an amp. Select a clean tone on the amp and try the guitar in each of the different pup select positions. The different positions will select different combinations of the pick ups . All the way to the right will likely select the Humbucker which should be noisier. Try the same using a dirtier amp setting ( or just turn the amp gain up).
How the neck feels in particular will be important as will the weight.
Work through a number of guitars until you start to get used to them using the same amp settings.
A strat is going to be good for nice mellow clean sounds, the humbucker will add some grit. Itās not going to sound like a twin humbucker guitar which will growl 
BUT ask to try one of those so you can see the difference.
1 Like
I have a Dean Zelinsky Tagliare (strat type.) It came with a vibrato bar, but Iāve never installed it. I have no use for it. The springs are strong enough that it stays in tune just fine, and changing strings is no problem.
1 Like
Sounds exciting, Liz, hours of fun ahead.
In addition to what Jason said about sound-checking the guitars through the same amp on the same settings, using the different pickup selections, also try the guitar volume and tone controls.
You want to be looking for gradual changes in loudness and tone, rather than lots of turning that seems to do nothing until a step change in either loudness or tone.
Enjoy
1 Like
Thatās a saucy looking guitar Liz. Iām looking forward to you posting you playing it. 
Well itās mine, may keep me quiet for a whileā¦
9 Likes
Happy new guitar day Liz.
Not quiet surely.
You mean the opposite of quiet right!
