Been playing acoustic for a bit now on justins beginner course and have progressed well. But after seeing him buy an electric left handed guitar and all the good things he said about it has itched me to want to buy an electric guitar. Any good recommendations for cheaper beginner electric guitars? not looking for anything fancy as idk about the nooks and crannys of electric guitars lol
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eh kinda depends where in the world you are tbh
An entry level strat/tele/LP/SG or something, does depend what you are after
A HSS strat is probably the most versatile generic electric you can get.
Throw us a couple of web stores you might buy from
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where i have been looking currently… a store in my hometown in canada
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Honestly looking through that they all look ok just depends what you are interested in
My first electric was this: Squier Bullet mustang HH . It was cheap and I didnt have complaints. It’s on sale now at guitar center in the US not sure if it is where you are.
Define cheap. For some people that’s $100, for others $900.
this caught my eye
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If you can, try it out first. A Les Paul is a great instrument, but somebody used to playing acoustic will likely be shocked at the weight.
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thanks for the heads up… i am 5ft6 and weigh 130 pounds so that would be an important factor lol
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My first ever guitar when I was a teenager was the first iteration of a les Paul special in a beginners pack. I didn’t stick with the guitar for too long back then but I sure did love the look of it. I attribute my love for Gibson les Paul guitars to that cheap one. I say if you love it and it will inspire you to pick it up and play then get it.
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this one grabbed my attention too. again, i will have to try it out to see but i like the higher wattage and not too much more expensive @alexisduprey @markr31
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You won’t see me arguing against getting a les paul lol. They are indeed heavy but I’d argue that the beginning is the time to get it! If you start off with a light electric and then later get a les paul you’ll def feel uncomfortable at first because of the weight. But Starting off with a les paul you’ll get used to it and will be surprised at how light other electrics are when you pick them up.
I currently have 2 les pauls: an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and a Gibson Les Paul Tribute. While the Gibson clearly has the better build quality, the epiphone is no slouch either. So I wouldn’t worry about Epiphone’s quality if that’s that’s in your head.
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i appreciate the time and feedback ! especially for a lost beginner like myself lol
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I have the green monster slash Les Paul (epiphone) its great, its also pretty chunky tho
A few points.
Its a dual humbucker - so will sound like one rather than a single cloil/tele etc
Necks pretty chunky but I find it comfy
Its also a shorter scale length than your acoustic probably is
Its worth going to a store and holding and playing a range of guitars just for a feel, $600 isnt that cheap a guitar!
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Say NO to the beginner guitar pack.
Whether it has the name Slash on it or otherwise.
NO!
They fill them out with cheap & nasty bits and often the main bits (guitar and amp( are nasty also. The ‘Special’ is not at all special. The production runs have poorer quality coming off the line and those get bundled into packs rather than sold separately.
AVOID.
You can do so much better.
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My first was a Yamaha Pacifica 112V in natural. I think it cost me £200 about eight years ago and I still like to play it despite having several more expensive guitars in my collection now. It just has a lovely neck and action, and was a perfect guitar to get my head around all of the different pickup settings.
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I’d also echo @Richard_close2u 's comment about not buying a beginner pack.
If you like the look of a Les Paul/Singlecut, there are plenty companies who produce them at various price points. Whatever you do decide on, try and get the shop to do at least a basic setup to make sure there are no obvious issues with it and it’s playable.
Amp wise. The likes of that bundled Slash amp are pretty basic, but good enough to start with.
However, I’d probably suggest seeing what cheap amps you can find locally second hand. Certainly around me, the likes of Facebook Marketplace usually has lots of amps for reasonable money. The benefit of second hand, is you shouldn’t lose much money on it should you want to replace it.
Just avoid anything too high a wattage, or using tubes (as much as I love a tube amp, they’re not really home use friendly!)
One other thing to note @aaronmason883
The extra weight has been mentioned.
Moving from only playing acoustic to playing electric, you will no doubt be used to playing in a seated position without a strap.
Some electric guitars are renowned for not quite feeling right in a seated position - Les Paul types among them. You should definitely try sitting with any guitar before buying.
You can always wear a strap even when seated of course if that is the aesthetic that floats your boat.
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can i get a solid first electric guitar and amp for around the same price is my follow up question? lol