Quite often we have beginners around here asking for advice on what is the best beginners electric guitarā¦ and there are many opinions, and many members who are vocal about whatever their own opinions are
Quite often the general recommendation is to get something along the lines of a Fender stratocaster, and perhaps youāll have heard a recommendation for the Yamaha Pacifica 112 or something similar. But allow me to bring one more instrument on the table:
The Sterling by MusicMan āSUB CT30ā Cutlass.
You can check this video about it:
I pretty much agree with all the points being made there. At the moment I own 3 of the (much more expensive) US made MusicMan guitar, but Iāve also owned the Pacifica 112V - and that was, in my opinion, not a particular good instrument. This one isā¦
For around $500 I agree with Darrell that this is probably one of the best deals you are going to getā¦
Oh, and I should mention - I own the US made version of a MM Cutlass, and thatās the guitar I used on many, many recordings posted hereā¦ most recently my Deep Purple coverā¦
Kasper is this the same Music Man company that Leo Fender was a part of back in the day? Leo was a consultant silent partner with Music Man when he sold Fender to CBS and before he reunited with George Fullerton to found G&L.
I thought this was an interesting observation and wanted to offer my experience as a beginner guitar buyerā¦ 3 years ago I decided to learn guitar but not knowing anything I didnāt want to try anything in a music store as I wouldnāt know what to ask. My musical taste isnāt specific enough to go with a āfavourite guitaristā. Research online led me to the Pacifica 112 as it was reasonably cheap by guitar standards (I think $200 cheaper than the one above?) and had both single coil and humbucker so I didnāt feel I was committing to any particular style. I didnāt know much more and wouldnāt have understood much of the feature difference in the videoā¦ Not uncommon to āI want to learn guitarā dreams - I got nowhere initiallyā¦ Until 18 months ago when I was suddenly at home a lot and I found JustinGuitar and actually started to learn how to play.
I found the Pacifica good for at least the first 6 months working my way through the beginner stages and open chords and getting into a routine of playing and practicing regularly. It was setup sufficiently well from the store or manufacturer that I didnāt have any major issues getting going, forming chords, making a sound and strumming along. By that point Iād also spent time listening to guitarists and their sounds (and YouTube gear videosā¦ ) and had a bit more of an idea of the style and sound of guitar I actually liked and when one was available managed to get hold of one and that is what I play all the time now. I regularly go back to the Pacifica and try to enjoy playing it but I just donāt compared to my other guitar.
Iāve tried to frame my post more from my experience as a beginner following the internet and buying a guitar rather than stating an opinion on good / bad guitars. Iām not disappointed as I had an instrument when I wanted one that was affordable and playable and got me going while I worked out what I wanted. Thanks for sharing this and Iām be interested in what others also started on and settled on in beginner / early intermediate stages as its pretty overwhelming market at first.
Haha @Kasper Iām glad you didnāt post this yesterday before I clicked the ābuyā button on the Harley Benton @DarrellW suggested- I would have been torn (well, except for the price )
@grayal I think youāre dead on the money with that kind of thinking- something that is good value, but not expensive to start off and start drooling/spending when you can play better.
Iāve moved from the ābeginnerā stage to the early intermediate one and play guitars in that bracket.
I wonder whether I will ever decide to splash out on a big ticket item?
Sorry but I disagree, there have been a few bad reviews on the Sterling Cutlass but never on the USA version, no idea why but in a couple of cases bad enough to send them back! I wouldnāt expect to see this with a company like Musicman.
The HB fusion III has received consistently good reviews especially centred around the specifications and manufacturing quality, the sounds are also very good but a few reviewers mentioned that they may upgrade the pickups at a later date. That could happen with any guitar including guitars much more expensive.
I have to admit my 112V has been a great guitar so far. I actually appreciate now how well itās made. Stays in tune for ages too. I do think the pickups are weak but in all honesty that comes without really comparing it to another strat. Build quality though is very good. I am starting to have a hankering for a more quality Stratā¦GAS is on its way.
Interesting to read the comments on the Cutlass although the price in the UK at least is probably a Ā£200 more than the Pacifica so I guess Iād expect it to be slightly better.
@DarrellW That Fusion looks quite good as well! Seems like it also comes with locking tuners, a feature I believe many beginners could greatly benefit fromā¦ because it would take away any āfearā of changing strings (and improve tuning stability). In think in this price range it is unavoidable that a few lemons gets shipped out, there simple isnāt enough budget for QC, sadlyā¦
@SgtColon How many guitars? Not as many as some might thinkg, and certainly less than many around here I own 5 electric guitars, all bought for a specific purpose (and all high quality). They are:
EBMM Luke III HSS - very versatile all-round guitar. I use this for live playing
Suhr PT HH - even more versatile, my āmain axeā. I also use this with the band / live
EBMM Cutlass SSS - This is my āstratā guitar, only use this for recording
ESP Ltd Deluxe MH-1000 - This is equipped with the Evertune bridge. My āheavyā guitar, I use this very often for double/quad tracked rhythm playing as well as harmonized lead lines (where tuning is absolutely critical!)
EBMM Reflex - Hardtail. My āLes Paulā style guitar. Used everytime I quickly need to change tunings (drop D, Eb tuning etc). Also use(d) this live for some songs, now that I re-bought it I will start bringing it to the band again.
Thatās a good way of looking at it, and I also did not mean to talk bad about the Pacifica 112 (or whatever other instruments people have decided on). There are so many (good) options, the Cutlass was just something I would recommend myselfā¦ but, as an EBMM fan Iām biased
Itās a very nice guitar that at some stage I shall get myself, I have other priorities at the moment š„² The things I like about the Fusion III are the SS frets plus it has a Plek setup also the very attractive roasted maple neck. Pickups are reasonable and the Trem is quite decent also.
Yes youāre absolutely right, at this price bracket QC can be a bit sketchy! I think that with HB guitars as thereās no middle man you often get a lot for the cost.
Thanks Kasper. I Googled your guitars and you have some very tasty looking instruments (colours aside of course) but none as sexy as your new one, in my opinion.
Darrell Braun Guitar is probably one of the best places to learn about guitars. Heāll give you many ideas for affordable guitars and how to improve an inexpensive guitar. After watching his channel, my key take away is that comfort and playability are much more important with electric guitars than the actual components which are 100% changable. Also, a good amp can compensate for mediocre components; but no matter how good the components a bad amp will make them sound not so good.
I agree with grayal about the Pacifica 112. The instant I tried it, I knew I would not love playing it. I kept trying guitars up the price range and even some $800 guitars did not feel right. That included some PRSās. Unfortunately, the minute I felt my Godin in my lap, no other guitar would do it. I say unfortunately because it was more than I wanted to pay; but itās a lifetime commitment so I rationalized it.
I would rate how the guitar neck feels in your hand and playability as most important. Some guitars have wider string spacing which may feel better to some people. Balance and comfort in your lap is #2. Weight might be important as well for you. Pick up configuration is also important. The kind of pickups, tuners, switches and knobs are much less important but can make up a lot of the cost of a new guitar and itās also where afforable guitars tend to provide some value. All of the components are changable/upgradable with relative ease over time. The amp you buy is the next most important component.
Comfort is quite subjective so I would physically play something but thatās just me.
I wasted a year of my life because I bought a Les Paul style guitar without ever trying a Strat style guitar. Struggled with that guitar for a year before finally trying a friendās Strat.
The difference was night and day - it immediately felt better and easier to,play, and I switched soon after.
But this is highly individual - I worked with someone who had the opposite experience - he found Les Pauls much easier to play than Strats.
But my questionā¦is the average beginner - who may have never actually held a guitar before - going to be able to tell the difference?
Yeah, not sure how a pure beginner would know. I think i got super lucky and I didnāt realize it until I went shopping for an LP-style guitar.
I think equal focus should be paid to the amp. I like the one I have but itās a really basic beginner amp. For another $100 I could have bought one with substantially more features. Itās harder to sell used amps than used guitars and I donāt need or want two amps. So while the guitar is about comfort and feel, the amp is all about the features and specs.
So for an absolute beginner, whateve amount of time you spend on buying a guiter; spend at least that much time on researching an amp. Then, whatever you settle on if you can afford another $100; see what that will get you.
Discounting the First Act HH guitar that came with a VW Rabbit I bought back in 2006, that got promptly stashed in the attic, but emerged last year (broken) when guitars piqued my interest, a Yamaha Pacifica 112V (the slightly over $300 version) was my first ārealā guitar (whewā¦). I did quite a bit of research on the Pacifica, but never found one locally to try out, so I ordered it online, along with a cheap $99 Vox amp, figuring that if playing guitar didnāt stick, I wasnāt out a great deal of money.
The Pacifica is a fine, well-built instrument and I was not disappointed with it. As I got mine from Sweetwater and it cleared the $300 mark, it received their condition inspection and setup to ensure it wasnāt completely out of whack. I suspect getting this guitar from retailers that donāt do any sort of inspection could potentially result in problems for brand new guitarists who just donāt know any better about setup at that point. I certainly didnāt know jack about such things when I started out; I just had a clamp-on tuner and a willingness to jump in.
After 3 months of solid JG lessons and practice with the Pacifica, and deciding that I might just like this guitar stuff after all, I was afflicted with G.A.S. and decided it was time to step up to a higher quality guitar. I eventually fell in love with the PRS SE Custom 24 and made one mine. The Pacifica has since hung on the wall, though I did pull it down and play with it briefly last week; it just doesnāt compare with the SE, but will always hold a spot in my heart as being the key to this journey Iām on.
Iād still recommend the Pacifica to new players, but with the caveat that there are some really fine, inexpensive guitars out on the market these days, so research carefully!
Not uncommon to āI want to learn guitarā dreams - I got nowhere initiallyā¦ 
Until 18 months ago when I was suddenly at home a lot and I found JustinGuitar and actually started to learn how to play. 
) and had a bit more of an idea of the style and sound of guitar I actually liked and when one was available managed to get hold of one and that is what I play all the time now. I regularly go back to the Pacifica and try to enjoy playing it but I just donāt compared to my other guitar.
)
I own 5 electric guitars, all bought for a specific purpose (and all high quality). They are: