Who knows Guitars?

[PhotoByLeal]

Here is what I am looking to get our son, please tell me what you think and your thoughts.....

Here are some packages I am looking @.....

This one is $199.99
Fender SE Special Strat with Squier SP-10 Amp Value Pack and more Value Package Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

This one is $219.99.... This guitar is @ Best Buy and they Sale it for $249.99 by it self!
Epiphone SG-310 "Hi-Performance" Electric Guitar Pack with Valve Junior Amp and more Value Package Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

This one is $249.99 but it comes with a BETTER AMP then the top 2 packages!
Fender Affinity Special Strat and Frontman 15G Amp Value Pack and more Value Package Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

This one is also $249.99....but the guitar @ the Guitar Shop has it for $239.99 by it self!
Ibanez IJX40 Guitar Jumpstart and more Value Package Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

thanks....

[The Philos]

Go and play a guitar - you should buy what you find comfortable in your hands. I've owned my share and currently I'm trying to liquidate a couple so I can build a couple more that are custom suited to my playing. When I get back from California on the 15th if you want to come try a couple out before I leave for Florida let me know.

[PhotoByLeal]

Originally Posted by ThePhilosopher

Go and play a guitar - you should buy what you find comfortable in your hands. I've owned my share and currently I'm trying to liquidate a couple so I can build a couple more that are custom suited to my playing. When I get back from California on the 15th if you want to come try a couple out before I leave for Florida let me know.

Sounds GREAT!
I will be in touch....
Thanks....

[janikphoto]

Most of the strat squire packages will be fine to start out with. I still have my first squire and practice amp. My more expensive models don't play much better, but I've been told why: Any guitar bought from a store could use a "tune up", so to speak. For a hundred bucks or so, a guitarsmith can level all the frets, set up the action and do a bunch of other little tweaks to make it reach its potential. Until you do that, a $300 to $500 guitar will usually play the same as a $100 to $200 guitar.

And speaking of guitars for cheap, you can go to pawnshops and get some decent deals. I often see the little practice amps like the frontman 15 on sale for $50 to $60 and fender squires for $100 to $120. And you can usually talk a pawnshop down another 10-15% if you flash cash instead of credit and purchase on the spot instead of coming back later. Oh, and one off Midway and 635 had a mexican strat (the better $300 level of strats) priced at $150 or so. I would've picked it up, except it was purple... blah!

[KobraCarry]

I've played on and off for years and own a few guitars. In that price range I'd go with the Ibanez. Fender makes awesome guitars, but more so at the high end. Ibanez makes a great product too, but at the lower end I think they sound a bit better than the Fenders.

[3n-Out]

I'd look at schecter guitars, they are by far the best built guitars for the money. I would even suggest a used one. The solo series are great guitars and can get had used for $250.00-$350.00, Ebay is always a good place to buy a guitar. As mentioned already you always want to get it setup by a good luthier..

[studiocygnet]

First thing you have to realize, is these kits are just like the kits done by many of the camera retailers. You know how they'll sell you the body you want, but you get the kit lens, some worthless filters, a junky tripod, a budget case, and - you get the idea. Most of the accessories with these guitar kits like the tuner, cable, strap, and maybe even the amp will be marginal to worthless. Again, just like when buying a camera and you have to budget in an extra battery or two, more memory cards, a vertical grip and the like, with a new guitar you will need extra strings, a spare cable, and a decent case, among many options.
That said, the major number one problem with people just learning to play guitars is keeping it in tune. Many folks give up learning because they can't keep the instrument tuned. This is partially due to the beginner aspect, but also somewhat to due with cheap tuners, bad setup, tremelo bridges, and even the strings. So I would recommend looking for a guitar without a whammy bar, otherwise known in these adverts as a tremelo. It's fun for kids to pull on, but the guitar won't be in tune for more than a minute. Get a fixed bridge guitar like the Epiphone SG's, or at the least leave off the tremelo bar and lock the bridge down on the Fenders. Also, when I said tuners above, I meant the tuning pegs on the head of the guitar. Tuner can also mean the electronic tuner that helps you tune the guitar. Get one that is easy to see and use.
Of the specific packages you have above, I would guess the Ibanez probably sounds the best because of the pickup configuration, but they are all pretty close. All the amps are about the same, with the same wattage and size speaker.
If your son is a total beginner, and you don't know if he will continue the interest, there is one other option.
You could rent a kit for a couple months. That's what my parents did with me. Some places may even include the rental price into the purchase price if you decide to buy from them. That way you can see if your son continues to practice, or gives it up after a couple weeks.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

I would say if he is "new" to playing a guitar take him to some pawn shops and have him look at the acoustic guitars (won't be as loud for you as he learns) and if he is good he can then take the acoustic if he doesn't want to keep it and trade it in at a pawn shop and get a lot of his value back out of it and then go with an electric.

Most of these low end strats and even the other bodies are made in Korea in mass produced factories and they will loose over half their value in a matter of walking out the door.

If you were in Dallas I would tell you to go by the shop that is behind where the Arcadia Theatre was 8K3Z1925.jpg photo - pgkps photos at pbase.com The Shake Rag Music Store and talk to the guy who will treat you straight up and he would let the boy handle some of the guitars that he ha for sale. Shake Rag Music Store - The Best Music Store in Texas for Vintage Amps Guitars Instruments Drum Kits Guitar Petals Collectible Records Toys Memorabilia Elvis The Beatles James Brown Stevie Ray Vaughan Beach Boys 13 Floor Elevators Punk Rock Garage Ba I bet if you look around Houston you will find something similar.

[ShaneKislack]

I've played guitar for 18 years and worked for guitar center for over a year.

The squier strat packs are terrible guitars really. If you consider that the price range for guitars is $150 to $3000+ you'll realize that you are at the bottom of the barrel. Not only are they bad guitars, the quality will be random. Some will be playable, others will not hold tune to save their lives. Worse case scenario is that the student is playing the right notes and chords but it doesn't sound like what he hears on the radio. That will make the student quit in a hurry. It'll be like trying to learn photography with a camera phone...that's 4 years old.

Now having said all that, you don't have to break the bank either. I second the Schector suggestion. They are extremely high quality guitars for the price range. $299 will get you a nice guitar...and actually hold it's value. You could sell it for close to what you paid. You'll never get anyone to pay anything for the squier if the student quits. Infact, schector started out making replacement parts for higher end Fenders and Gibsons. The parts were so good that people just started making kit guitars that were very good. Ibanez makes decent guitars too but aren't as versitle.

If you want acoustic, you can get a very nice Yamaha with a solid spruce top for around $299.

Guitar Center is such a sales whore that you really won't beat their price unless you buy from a little old lady selling her deceased husbands 1959 les paul.

Here are my guitars...even though I rarely play anymore.

[3n-Out]

Yeah, I've been looking for that old lady selling her deceased husbands 1959 Les Paul. If anyone run into that please contact me ASAP! :)

[Anthony Martinez]

If you'd like to come try out a few different styles I've also got quite a few guitars here (Katy). Been playing guitar for ~22yrs now, and having one around is as important to me as having air to breathe. When I went to Iraq, I bought another guitar to take with me. Basic training was the hardest time of my life. The training? Absolute joke. Being without a guitar for weeks at a time? Absolute torture.

For acoustic bang (sound quality) for the buck, I 'd almost be willing to stop a bullet for an Alvarez. Schecter gets my nod in the electric realm. The fact I don't own one troubles me, and is the #1 reason I've not entered a music store for about 4 years. Every time I play one at a friend's place/gig they have to pry it out of my hands. Excellent feel, great tone, well built, and the price is right.

If your son takes to guitar the way I did, or the way my friends/family have, he'll develop what I've often called GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome). It's often financially debilitating, and can spread to a more severe condition by the same acronym, Gear Acquisition Syndrome - covering the gamut from computers, mixers, effects, amplifiers, cameras, motorcycles, guns, tools. There's no known medication, but even if there were I'm pretty sure I wouldn't take it :)

Seriously though, between my old man and I, there's somewhere around 50yrs of guitar experience in this house. I'm sure either of us would be more than happy to talk about the instrument with you and your son.

[Anthony Martinez]

Originally Posted by DEMDeepEllumMusic

I would say if he is "new" to playing a guitar take him to some pawn shops and have him look at the acoustic guitars (won't be as loud for you as he learns) and if he is good he can then take the acoustic if he doesn't want to keep it and trade it in at a pawn shop and get a lot of his value back out of it and then go with an electric.

Most of these low end strats and even the other bodies are made in Korea in mass produced factories and they will loose over half their value in a matter of walking out the door.

If you were in Dallas I would tell you to go by the shop that is behind where the Arcadia Theatre was 8K3Z1925.jpg photo - pgkps photos at pbase.com The Shake Rag Music Store and talk to the guy who will treat you straight up and he would let the boy handle some of the guitars that he ha for sale. Shake Rag Music Store - The Best Music Store in Texas for Vintage Amps Guitars Instruments Drum Kits Guitar Petals Collectible Records Toys Memorabilia Elvis The Beatles James Brown Stevie Ray Vaughan Beach Boys 13 Floor Elevators Punk Rock Garage Ba I bet if you look around Houston you will find something similar.

Rockin' Robin in Houston - sometimes you can find a good deal on a used axe in there. You basically have to be there WHILE it's being sold to Rockin' Robin though, or you're going to get shafted. In this town, Guitar Center usually does have the best deal around. Not that I go there. Because if I did, I'd buy all of their great deals at once, and collection agencies would come after me. It's a sickness.

[PhotoByLeal]

Thanks everyone....

Anthony, sounds great I will let you know.... we just live in Sugar Land.
Guitar Center does has the best DEALS over anyone in town!

Might go this weekend to check them out...

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by PhotoByLeal

Guitar Center does has the best DEALS over anyone in town!

Might go this weekend to check them out...

And remember, even with their deals, their markup is INSANE!!!!!! You can usually get them to throw in some extra strings and other stuff, because they have so much room to spare on profit. Seriously, the manager told us what cost was on a squire because we used to get them donated to our charity event every year by GC... They could practically pay YOU to take the guitar and still make a profit!

[RussFrost]

Make sure that you play whichever one that you plan to buy. Low end guitars are notorious for hit or miss quality and you need to feel/hear what you are actually getting. If there is more than one, then play more than one so that you can make comparisons.

Also, don't forget Craigslist. You could probably find one of those same kits that someone else is getting rid of. A lot of kids start out with the kit and then either love guitar and upgrade or lose interest and get rid of it.