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Best electric guitar for a 16 year old...
Posted on 12/3/22 at 12:03 am
Posted on 12/3/22 at 12:03 am
He needs one that is good quality, but not crazy expensive. Any suggestions would be great.
Posted on 12/3/22 at 5:46 am to OU812
what kind of music does he like to play?
a used mexican fender tele is a great first all around guitar
a used mexican fender tele is a great first all around guitar
Posted on 12/3/22 at 6:08 am to monsterballads
quote:
what kind of music does he like to play?
I agree with this. The style of music he plays may help with decision. Fender MIMs and Epi LPs are good quality for less and leave room to make upgrades later if desired. One of my favorite guitars to play and has a special mojo was a used beater that came from a pawn shop for $150. If you have music stores in your area take your son in to let him try out several to find the one he likes.
Upvote for you for wanting to get your kid a guitar.
Posted on 12/3/22 at 10:11 am to OU812
Squier by Fender. Let him pick his favorite body style.
Posted on 12/3/22 at 10:53 am to OU812
Check the used guitars on reverb or ebay. lots of cool stuff out there. Found this LSU Epiphone for ya
Posted on 12/3/22 at 11:05 am to DoctorWorm
He didn’t say he wanted to punish his son
Posted on 12/3/22 at 12:41 pm to OU812
Ibanez AX120 - a little over $200
If you want to spend a little more...
The Squier Classic Vibe series - I'd get a Tele either the 50's or 70's Thinline both about the $350 range (at ~$100 discount) on Sweetwater for the next week.
If you want to spend a little more...
The Squier Classic Vibe series - I'd get a Tele either the 50's or 70's Thinline both about the $350 range (at ~$100 discount) on Sweetwater for the next week.
This post was edited on 12/4/22 at 7:11 am
Posted on 12/3/22 at 9:38 pm to OU812
It’s amazing what you can get now a days for the price. It used to be that anything under $500 was basically junk but not anymore.
You do still get what you pay for to a point. I would say that point is roughly $1500, with a few exceptions.
For a “teenage first guitar” price point you cannot go wrong with a Yamaha in the Pacifica line. Even a middle of the road one is not that expensive and is a fine well made instrument.
The MIM strats are generally very good with few exceptions. Fender’s Squire line can sometimes be a better value for the same money or less.
For PRS’s import guitars are top of the heap as far as the far-east made guitars and rival some that are made in the USA for under $2500. Above that price point you’re getting into a whole other realm of instruments that most teen agers won’t see the value of.
TLDR: sub $500 I would choose Yamaha or Squire
$500-700 I would choose Yamaha again or Fender
And $700+ I’d be looking at a PRS import or a MIA Fender like the Performer line or a nice Player strat.
You do still get what you pay for to a point. I would say that point is roughly $1500, with a few exceptions.
For a “teenage first guitar” price point you cannot go wrong with a Yamaha in the Pacifica line. Even a middle of the road one is not that expensive and is a fine well made instrument.
The MIM strats are generally very good with few exceptions. Fender’s Squire line can sometimes be a better value for the same money or less.
For PRS’s import guitars are top of the heap as far as the far-east made guitars and rival some that are made in the USA for under $2500. Above that price point you’re getting into a whole other realm of instruments that most teen agers won’t see the value of.
TLDR: sub $500 I would choose Yamaha or Squire
$500-700 I would choose Yamaha again or Fender
And $700+ I’d be looking at a PRS import or a MIA Fender like the Performer line or a nice Player strat.
Posted on 12/3/22 at 10:36 pm to OU812
quote:
a used mexican fender tele is a great first all around guitar
This is usually my response as well.
You can cover a lot of ground with a Tele and a Boss Katana.
Posted on 12/3/22 at 11:15 pm to OU812
Mexican Fender
PRS Standard 24
Gretsch
Epiphone can be hit or miss I think but needs to be mentioned.
PRS Standard 24
Gretsch
Epiphone can be hit or miss I think but needs to be mentioned.
Posted on 12/4/22 at 8:01 am to monsterballads
quote:
He didn’t say he wanted to punish his son
With a little bit of work, those can really be decent guitars.
You can get the wraparound bridge with adjustable saddles from Guitar parts factory for about 30 bucks, splitable humbucker with push/pull switch at the tone pot, about a hundred bucks and a Tusq nut for another 15 bucks, a little fret work and setup.
I've got one that I really like, that's not quite finished yet cosmetically, but I'm really happy with how it plays and sounds. I really like the short scale for some things.
Posted on 12/4/22 at 8:37 pm to Mizz-SEC
Another vote for any Squire Classic Vibe. I'd like to pick up a strat myself. Love my 70s Deluxe Tele
Posted on 12/4/22 at 9:06 pm to OU812
Tons tons tons of options now compared to 10-20 years ago
Squier - used to be known as starter guitar but some are borderline quite nice now
Ibanez - AZE series or others, versatlie
Yamaha Pacifica
Harley Benton - made in China but good value for money with reviews to back up
Anything decent used on Reverb
If you're in BR and in the $800 range I have a Charvel DK24 that is amazing for everything...
Squier - used to be known as starter guitar but some are borderline quite nice now
Ibanez - AZE series or others, versatlie
Yamaha Pacifica
Harley Benton - made in China but good value for money with reviews to back up
Anything decent used on Reverb
If you're in BR and in the $800 range I have a Charvel DK24 that is amazing for everything...
Posted on 12/5/22 at 8:53 am to Clint Torres
OP never replied with what kind of music the 16-year old leans toward, or if a specific guitar by name or notable artist is on the wish list.
When I taught guitar in college, I saw far, far too many kids who wanted an electric guitar but were handed an acoustic first, or who wanted a pointy 7-string doom generator but were handed a hillbilly plank butterscotch blackguard. Kid didn't want to play it, limited progress, to case queen under the bed, to pissed off kid AND parents whose instrument buy produced zero ROI.
I was exactly the same way. My first actual guitar, a loaner Alvarez acoustic, sat under a bed for a year because I was an early to mid 1980s MTV metalhead and the guitar I got wasn't a Floyded superstrat. When I finally got what I wanted, I played no less than four hours daily. Even though it was the affordable import version. I knew I'd get better when I got better. And exactly that happened.
If we know what the 16-year old likes, I can make incredible suggestions in a sea of budget/value categories. I do it multiple times daily this time of year.
When I taught guitar in college, I saw far, far too many kids who wanted an electric guitar but were handed an acoustic first, or who wanted a pointy 7-string doom generator but were handed a hillbilly plank butterscotch blackguard. Kid didn't want to play it, limited progress, to case queen under the bed, to pissed off kid AND parents whose instrument buy produced zero ROI.
I was exactly the same way. My first actual guitar, a loaner Alvarez acoustic, sat under a bed for a year because I was an early to mid 1980s MTV metalhead and the guitar I got wasn't a Floyded superstrat. When I finally got what I wanted, I played no less than four hours daily. Even though it was the affordable import version. I knew I'd get better when I got better. And exactly that happened.
If we know what the 16-year old likes, I can make incredible suggestions in a sea of budget/value categories. I do it multiple times daily this time of year.
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