Choosing a First Electric Guitar

[Jan King]

Best beginner electric guitar
Is there really a "best beginner electric guitar"?. There are a lot of
guitars on the market being promoted as beginner guitars, many of
which are just an excuse for poor quality. Seeing as I like to focus
on the positive, I'm not going to start giving names of bad guitars,
but rather, let's look at some well known makes with a good
reputation. For starters, how about some of the guitars I currently
own, and am very fond of. I have an Ibanez SA series guitar that
sounds great and plays very well, a Phil guitar (a less known brand
name), a Fender Stratocaster, and a Marathone copy of a Paul Reed
Smith. Previous electric guitars I have owned that were also decent
quality instruments where a Washburn Chicago series, a Yamaha, an
Epiphone Les Paul, and some others that don't suit the purpose of this
discussion.My criteria for choosing an electric guitar
The first thing I look for in a guitar, be it an electric guitar or an
acoustic guitar, is a decent quality wood.
Mahogany, maple and alder are my three main choices for good quality
tone in an electric guitar, but Ash can also give a good sound. I have
also heard that Korina is an excellent choice, but hard to come by.
Most guitar necks are made out of Rock or Canadian maple. Now I know,
when one looks at an electric guitar, the body is usually painted, so
it's not so easy to tell which wood they've used. This is why I would
either go for a popular trusted brand, or buy a guitar with a natural
finish. A long time ago I had a Morris Stratocaster, the body was made
of plywood. I only found this out when I went mad and stripped the
beautiful sunburst paint off. The reason I pay attention to which kind
of wood is used on the guitar, is because the sound of the guitar is
very much a result of the kind of wood used.
The second thing I look at, is which pickups are used (Pickups are
what convert the sound of the guitar into an electrical signal, so
that an amplifier can be used). On most guitars in the cheaper range
(notice I said cheaper, and not cheap), the pickups will be standard
company manufacture. Some companies, like Ibanez, have realised the
importance of name brands, so they will say something like "Duncan
designed" or "DiMarzio designed" etc. This is generally a good thing,
but not that important.
The reason I say "Not that important" is because the most easily
customizable feature of an electric guitar is the pickups. Let me just
add as well that buying new pickups doesn't have to be an expensive
operation either, and is mostly unnecessary if you choose the right
guitar. The tone comes from the wood, then the pickups interpret it.
What you need then is good quality wood and good quality construction.
That's why I have mostly cheaper guitars. I have a hard time buying
the hype and a good time playing the guitar.

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