I have been using JG for several months. I have written a bit about my journey and thoughts in the introduction section of the community if anyone is interested.
I started with an Epiphone SG. I thought as a beginner the guitar would not matter much. They must all be basically the same and only experts would notice subtle differences. I was wrong.
I was away for work and couldn’t take my guitar so I asked around if anyone had an old guitar I could borrow. A colleague extremely generously loaned me a brand new Squier Classic Vibe 60’s Telecaster Thinline - Natural - Maple Neck. It was only the 3rd guitar I had ever picked up. It was beautiful and light and was a completely different experience. The neck didn’t look different to me but felt completely different. My hand and fingers immediately felt like they were home. I can’t explain it but it was awesome. My practice improved in quality and the amount of time spent on the instrument. It just felt way more comfortable like it had been custom made for me.
I suspect that if I had stayed with the SG I may have quit eventually.
I know nothing about guitars. But I know about anatomy and how every one of us has unique hands arms and shoulders. It makes sense that subtle changes in guitar design can have a big impact on their feel and the playing experience. When I got home I went to the LGS and he had an identical second hand guitar (so they aren’t for everyone). I bought it and other than joining Justin Guitar it’s the best thing I have done
I’m not suggesting everyone get this guitar but try other guitars acoustic, electric and other brands and styles. Find the one that fits you. I think that maybe having a guitar that doesn’t fit you is one of the many reasons 90% of learners quit.
I am still petrified of going into a guitar shop and embracing myself but I encourage you to sneak in and strum some D chords and see if you can find your perfect match
Totally agree, and I still feel completely out of my league in guitar stores and tech shops and I’m over three years into my journey. But I have found three guitars that I fell in love with by holding them even though I could barely play anything. The more I went in and put myself in that environment, the more I felt like I belonged. Just do it if you can! It makes a difference!
I usually say that comfort holding the guitar is the best thing for a new player to go for when selecting a guitar. Try body styles! Even though all of them are likely to feel odd, go with the comfortable one. You have reinforced my thought on that!
For me, the biggest thing I notice is weight, next is neck width, then bridge position relative to my picking hand/shoulder.
I am tall and pretty strong compared to my co-workers, but I do like a light guitar. Oddly, I also favor a thin neck - thin front to back, not across the nut. My Ibanez SEW is the one I really like to pick up. One of the thinnest necks I know of and the reason I got it.
Get over being embarrassed! Folks are less observant than you give them credit for and on top of that, few have harsh enough judgements in thier heads that you should feel anything. Remember they are either new, or have been there.
I was in the local Git Center one time and was looking specifically for a particular neck profile. I went through each one without taking it off the wall, just grabbing the neck. One other customer watched this and finally asked “looking for a specific neck?” - we had a short conversation between folks with a common interest. Certainly nothing to be embarassed over.
The place I learned this was when I started to run outdoors as a 40-something. I’m not an elegant runner and I think I had it in my head that people would stare and laugh and it would be embarrassing. When I got a grip and actually did it I found that no one paid the slightest bit of attention and going to a guitar shop is no different.
If you know a few basic chords to change between or maybe a scale to run up and down, then you know enough to do a basic assessment of a guitar and no one will bat an eyelid if that’s all you do.
I don’t have any idea about neck shapes. I have a few guitars now and couldn’t tell you anything about the neck of any of them. I think weight and balance are the things I’d notice and also how the guitar sits. I have an SG and it stands out from the crowd because it feels like the first fret is further away than any other guitar that I own… the neck isn’t longer, it’s because of where it sits when I play seated. As such it’s the one guitar that I have to adjust to when I pick it up having played something else.
That’s the guitar talking to you… you should listen…
Yep, been there too. And you know what? There’s absolutely no reason for it. Most of the stores i walked into, the people working there were either players or luthiers and understood the struggles a beginner goes through.
I’ve always, well almost always (besides one store, but they went out of business long ago, i wonder why, had people helping me in making choices, listening to my rambles and handing me that guitar that speaks to me.
Just go in, look around and talk to people. Go for it!
Great story on why feeling and playing a guitar before you buy it is so important compared to looking at specs online. I’m glad you found a guitar that suits you better.
On the shyness in guitar shops thing - loads of people feel it, no need to be that way. They want to sell guitars and most people that buy guitars are not pro players.
At home I have “9-42s” on a strat and it’s a breeze to play. On my weekly in-person sessions with a mentor I use a similar strat but with slightly heavier strings (likely 10-46s), and the difference is very notable! (while the heavier strings offer a good workout, I’m 100% on “team light gage” here)
I started with a Esteban guitar my wife’s aunt bought for her granddaughter. My fingers were bleeding.After a year of lessons I went to the guitar store thinking all guitars were the same. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I walked out with an american made Martin.
My finger length is about right for my height (5 feet, 7 inches), but I am concerned my fingers are too short for some guitars. Does anyone here have a suggestion of what guitar might be best for me? I know Angus Young favors the Gibson SG, and he has short fingers, but I don’t own an SG. I will try one next time I’m in a Guitar Center. How about neck dimensions? I know a shorter scale might be good, so I will try it. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding neck width and shape? I have a feeling it makes a big difference when finger length is an issue. (For example, I find thumb-overs difficult.) Thanks.
You need to go in and see what feels best. Really - check out different scale lengths, neck profiles, etc and see what seems to be the most comfortable.
SG: these tend toward neck dive which is the neck being heavy compared to the mass center. This makes the guitar need a solid strap to keep it from slipping around your neck to a bad position. Also, the SG has a different carve for sitting on your leg, and you’ll find the bridge position further back than other styles if you position your hand on the bridge for muting.
I have what I think are really typical hands for a a 6’3" person. not big nor thin nor… I find I like a somewhat thin neck and typical width across the nut. My SG has a somewhat deep neck and is not as comfortable as my Ibanez SEW with the thin neck and smaller nut length. I have no trouble reaching string 6 on either guitar, but favor the thinner neck. I can feel the difference in finger stretch on a short scale vs a longer scale, but it is not a lot. I do not feel it in in my arm reach.
Compare the S series necks dimensions to the SG dimensions and then try each and see what you like. Note the SG doesn’t state the dimensions, so you just gotta feel it.
Completely agree. I am the last person to play guitar in my family, and my partner and kid are both gearheads, so I have access to several guitars. It wasn’t until my partner generously bought me my own guitar (it’s a 3/4 size Luna, and I love it for most things) until I started learning.
The acoustics I have access to, beyond my Luna, are a DeAngelico (no idea on the model) and a Guild Bob Marley signature. Both others are full-sized, with the Marley being a dreadnaught and the DeAngelico being a grand auditorium. I use the larger guitars for practice, especially when doing finger stretches. It was amazing to me to learn that, for my hands, the Marley was infinitely more comfortable to play than the DeAngelico. The DeAngelico has a slightly wider neck, which makes alllll the difference in the world. I love the tone of it, but it is a lot more difficult to play for me.
I haven’t really messed around with the electrics too much, but I have access to an SG and I find it to be pretty comfortable. The Jimmy Vaughn Strat with its deep V neck is super comfy, also, and we also have a Zemaitis that I may have jokingly claimed because it plays like butter.
One thing I have also learned is that the action needs to be at a comfortable height in order to play better. My partner restored a 1920s Stella that has super high action, but it’s not as uncomfortable as I expected.
I still have never picked up a guitar in a guitar shop, although that day will happen soon. Like, I looooove the sound of Ovations, but I want to make sure it is comfortable before I spend the money on one.
I felt that when I played on a Strat for years, which has 25.5" scale length.
Then I tried a Jaguar, which has 24".
It felt like home all of a sudden!
Now I “gracefully” transition between different scale lengths but for me it wasn’t string gauge, string action, nut width, guitar weight and neck size… My playing and comfort changed completely when trying new scale lengths
When checking guitars, inform yourself
It doesn’t only FEEL different, it also sound different and it will inspire you to play differently
Guitar Model
Scale Length (inches)
Scale Length (mm)
Fender Stratocaster
25.5"
648 mm
Fender Telecaster
25.5"
648 mm
Gibson Les Paul
24.75" (≈24.6")
628 mm
Gibson SG
24.75"
628 mm
Fender Jaguar
24"
610 mm
Fender Mustang
24"
610 mm
Gibson ES-335
24.75"
628 mm
PRS Custom 24
25"
635 mm
Ibanez RG
25.5"
648 mm
Gretsch Duo Jet
24.6"
625 mm
Rickenbacker 360
24.75"
629 mm
Fender Jazzmaster
25.5"
648 mm
*it appears so that many Les Pauls tend to be a bit shorter than the official 24.75"
Although there are a lot of great guitars out there, there are also plenty of cheap and difficult ones. Add in learning and finding what feels best to you, and I imagine there are many players who have given up because the guitar sucks or just doesn’t feel good to them. Sad, really.
Where there’s a will there’s a way.
In my experience most people who quit playing guitar like the idea of playing but either think it’s easy or aren’t willing to put in the time.
It rarely has anything to do with the guitar. Most great guitarist started on crappy instuments, but the will was there so the found a way.
I tend to agree. I think the first guitar is an opportunity to learn both what you like and don’t like about it. Your next guitar purchase will take both sides of that into consideration. Similarly, archers buying their first bow rarely get it 100% right first time.
This is extremely valuable advice to me because that’s what I’ve been doing, i.e., experimenting and getting a feel for each of the options out there. So far, the tone of my super-heavy Gibson LP is head-and-shoulders above the rest, and I don’t notice any “fit” problem. So I’m going with that unless something better crosses my path.
I have a super-heavy PRS that is my prettiest tone, so I know what you mean. I do get fatigued faster playing it simply due to the weight. It is otherwise comfortable to play.
