Where should i go for my sons electric guitar package?

[downfader]

TBH, you're looking in the right area, both Yamaha & Ibenez are professional, reputable brands and make good solid guitars.

The street in Soho is Denmark St which is off Charing Cross Rd. @ the Tottenham Court Rd end.
There is also a shop called 'Turnkey' which is on Charing Cross Rd, they often have nicely priced guitar packages.

I thought the soho soundhouse/turnkey/sound control went bust? I noticed Digital Village have stepped right into turnkey's shoes. Never liked turnkey myself, sods law I was the guy who got really bad service off them.

Oh and The Quo LOVE the pacifica Gotta love the Quo!

 

[DJ]

Ye it was Digital Village I was originally going to in Clapham, I will give them a visit and Machinehead and possibly head in to check out the shops, around the charingx rd.

Thjanks for all the help, I think I have a bit more confidence now to go and talk to them about whatI would like.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Actually I am a scalloped strat type of guy...but I do have this in my collection:

Its a 1980's Ibanez RG 570 with Di marzio pick ups and a custome purple mirror scratch plate for a laugh!
If it were me I would be looking at either Ibanez or Fender Squier...the Yamaha pacificas are ok...I just dont like the look of them much which is a biased biggoted personal view..but hey...
The thing is with any guitar you need it set up correctly, and that is as important with low end started guitars as it is with those costing many thousands of squid.
Insist that the dealer sets it up well...so what is well?
Ok:
1) New strings fitted and stretched in, guita rin tune and properly INTONATED (in tune with itself). You should check this by playing an open string, then the same string fretted at the 12th fret, then the same string playing a 12th fret harmonic...they should all be the same pitch an dsound in tune with themselves...do this on all strings.
2) Correct neck relief and no warped necks. Pick up th eguitar a sight along th efret board from the body...all the frets should look parralel like a railway...(the edge of the neck should have a small dip /curve in the centre but only small) fret every note on the guitar and make sure there are no dead sounding notes.
3) Medium to low action (height of strings above the frets)
4) No poorly fitted frets and no fret higher or lower than the rest. Fatter frets for metal/rock thinner frets for wimpy stuff!
5) make sure the nut is not loose and that the grooves are cut to the correct diameter for your chosen string guage
6) Make sure the trem block springs are the corrct tension for how your son wants the trem set...floating is how I have mine set
7) th epick up height is correctly set and not to close (or to far) from the strings
8) Plug it in and check the wiring...if there is a horrid buzz something is wrong...
9) make sure that the earth wire is correctly soldered on and not loose...this is a killer if faulty
10) make sure all the switches work and there are no horrid crackle noises when you turn the knobs/selector switch etc.
The main things here are to ensure th eguiatr is safe and comfortable to play.
If he is a total beginner I suggest starting out with a set of regular .09 to .44 or .46 strings...I use Di Addario but they are all pretty much of a muchness. Buying strings on line is cheaper...
www.stringsdirect.co.uk is one place.
What else will he need...well probably..
1) an amp...many starter sets come with a small amp...they are usually bad...noisey and irritating as they are transistor amps for the most part. If it were me I would forgo the amp and get a simple Line 6 POD and some headphones. This will offer a huge range of cool sonds including effects. It will sound smoother and better...ok it isnt a true valave set up but thats for another day and a new chequebook...but it will do all he needs..PLUS it will save your ears and keep the neighbours happy...it's also smaller and he can carry it easier...in the ...
2) Gig bag. This is just a soft guitar case which helps avoid damaging the guitar in transit. The more pouches the better
3) Cables. he'll need a simple guiatr jack to jack cable...avoid those horrid curly wurly ones they tangle up with everything. 6' should do it. He;ll also need extra cables for the POD if you go that route to connect it to your HI Fi if he needs to play loud and pose. I dont skimp on quality cables...but they are expensive...a cheap one will do to start with ...just make sure the connections are not dry soldered.
4) Plectrums...not a strict must have but get a few...I use very heavy ones 2mm Jim Dunlops...BUT I suggest as a beginer you get three...one thin, on emedium and one heavy. Then see how he gets on...each one affects the tone a lot, I use different picks for different jobs guitars and set ups.
5) Strap...get a wide one as they hurt less on the shoulder...avoid ridiculous ones...simple is the new cool
6) Ear plugs for those in the near vicinity.
7) Get him an electronic tuner (the PODS have an onbaord one already)cheap is ok...just get one...it will keep him in tune, avoid him losing interest because he cant tune the dam thing

At this end of the market I would look more towards the Fender squier range. I bought on in 1980 in Shepherds bush...I still use it regularly and have upgraded it a lot. Upgrading is good...why...well it makes the guitar better but...what does it tell you about the neck and body?...They are good enough to upgrade.

Which shop?...well I am unfamilier with your local muso shop...the GAk suggested is a good shop in Brighton. With all shops the more you know the less they try to pull th ewool over your eyes...just like a LBS really!


Here:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=how+to+set+up+an+electric+guitar&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

 

[Aperitif]

What a brilliant post!
Masses of interesting and succinct information.
10/10 Bigona!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I forgot to add...

Guiatr shops are just like LBS's...they will sell you a package which is exactly the same as what you can get on line and charge you more...now the MORE bit is supposed to cover things such as:

Good honest advice
A proper set up
Someone to run to if something goes wrong etc...

Those beginner kits are like buying a bottom end bike from a LBS...it'll be the same as getting it on line unless you ensure the dealer sets it up (fit's it for you)...yu have to ask.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

..and one more thing...and forgive me if this sounds patronizing...but his safty is paramount. An electric guitar can kill. I hav eseen my bass player hurled across a room with the force of the jolt he got once. 99.9% of th etime they are safe...just be sure the earth wire is securely and correctly soldered, and check it regularly (I permanently remove the rear backplate covers not only so I can access the springs easily but i can check my earth is still there and I am not going to fry).

Neve rplay with wet hands and NEVER hold your guitar and grab a mic or another players instrument (oh er) while plugged in...basic safty, only need to learn it once then go have fun.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't know why so many people are going on about the likes of Yamaha. These companies aren't what they used to be.

None of these big outfits actually make budget guitars, they all buy them from China. Often they don't even spec them, they'll just find products they like and get their badge put on them. Quality can be fine but the brand name is no longer any guarantee. These Yamaha starter packs are sold in Lidl etc for well under £100, that should give you an idea of the kind of quality you're looking at.

The main problem is that some of these cheapo guitars will be duffers and if you buy a guitar from Argos what are you going to do if there is a problem with it? Last year we bought my son a starter guitar from a little guitar shop. They stocked a few one-box starter packs but he didn't recommend them. He said that they were for people who walked in already wanting one so he'd rather hand them a box of crap than loose a sale. What they did was offer an amp, tuner, cable, gig bag and a handful of plectrums for £50 on top of the price of any guitar. They recommended one of these:

It's a Westfield SG, which you can pick up for just over £100 now. They said that every single one that they had sold sounded right, tuned up correctly and was finished nicely with smooth frets and a low action. I'm not saying that you should buy one, the point is that you'll get advice from a guitar shop, they won't want to sell you crap, and you're far more likley to get a guitar that might actually get played. It worked for us. My son plays his guitar almost every day and now has four of them! Buy a bad guitar and he might be put off for life.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Buy a bad guitar and he might be put off for life.

true.

There are also a lot of expensive guitars out there that dont play as well as my Fender Squier....much of it is in the set up...

kind of like a bike...it might be a low quality frame with less than ideal components and it probably was born in Korea...but if it fits well you can ride it for several years and have a blast....

 

[Mr Pig]

a lot of expensive guitars dont play as well as my Fender Squier....much of it is in the set up...

They way I see it, unless you know about guitars yourself, you really 'need' to buy from a guitar shop

 

[BigonaBianchi]

..yes you do...but it helps to know what to expect/ask for when you go in. Most music shops are pretty good, but there are those that will see you coming same as there are LBS's like that.

Most of those starter kits have a standard set up down in the factory which puts them into a playable condition right out of the box mostly. But like a bike, it's often the small tweaks, details that make a big difference.

If i were a totql beginner i would buy from a reputable dealer because the worst that can happen is that i get the same kit as an online sale and the likeliest is that I get a good set up and some advice when I ask nicely for the right things and show them that I have done some homework.

 

[Sittingduck]

djtheglove - there's a guitar shop just round the corner from me on Lavendar Hill in Clapham Junction - think it's called Drum Shack. This might be the place you was thinking of anyway. There's actually 2 shops a few doors down from one another, both called Drum Shack confusingly but one's for drums and the other is for guitars! It's quite a long way East down Lav Hill, almost as far as Queenstown Road (if you know the area).

Good luck with your hunt

 

[surfgurl]

To continue the similarity between guitars and bikes I shall add the following. We bought my eldest an electric guitar two years ago.
He has now got 7 guitars, including a bass and several amps from practice amps to those that would be more at home in a Wembley Stadium rock show. Not to mention other instruments he has bought since the original guitar, like the ukelele, the accordion etc.
The equation of the optimum number of bikes has been clarified on this forum as n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. I think we can also say the same for guitars. Beware if your kid gets into it.

 

[Mr Pig]

Beware if your kid gets into it.

I'd have to go along with that. My son has amassed four guitars in less than a year and wants another one! A genuine Fender Strat no less. Keep saving son.

He's also gone from a 10 watt practice amp to a 150 watt 212 Line6 Spider III! Although to be fair he never plays it loud.

Talking of Strats. Anyone know what the skinny is on Korean made ones? It looks like some expensive Strats were made in Korea, or are they crap?

 

[Lardyboy]

true.

There are also a lot of expensive guitars out there that dont play as well as my Fender Squier....much of it is in the set up...

I was after a Telecaster and spent a good few hours trawling round the local guitar emporium trying every one out. And the best to play and sound came from a £200 Squire clone! Even the lads in the shop were amazed by it, because all the other Squire copies were s***e and most of the Fenders that sounded as good were £500+ more expensive! Was I a happy bunny? Oh Yes!

 

[sam1995]

i play guitar and i would recomend an epiphone les paul.

yamaha are ok but epiphone have better sound and i find are just better guitars overall.

i would not recomend an ibanez for a beginner or an advanced player as they are only for one type of style "metal" .

my first guitar was a musicas but now i use a stagg sg.

i also reccomend a marshall amp as they are the cleanest sound.

hope this helps