I’ve been thinking about buying an electric guitar for a while now. I have a beautiful Fender acoustic electric I’ve owned for nearly 20 years, but there are some tunes which just sound better on the electric. (Like the blues, for example).
But I wanted to start cheaper and see if I would use it and love it as much as a decent electric guitar would cost—a beginner guitar, if you will. So I decided on a Squier starter kit. These are the types that come with a guitar and amp. When I was looking at a used Gibson online (the Maestro), I came across the review of a musician who said the Maestro was crap and a better starter guitar was the Squier. After looking at several different reviews, most people agreed this was a pretty decent guitar for the price (some even said they thought it was really great for the price) so I went for it.
I got it last night and had a chance to play with it a bit. The amp was pretty decent for a 10-watt and the guitar sounded fairly decent. However…there was an issue with the fretboard. On the 7th and 8th frets sometimes the 8th fret sounded exactly the same as the 7th and it was a bit tinny. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. 😦 I packaged it all back up to ship back to Amazon. Hopefully my replacement will be just fine. The thing is, no one mentioned a problem on the reviews, and many claimed to be lifelong musicians. The next guitar I suppose will tell. I know it’s not going to be the best thing I’ve ever played in my life, but certainly having the frets work like they should isn’t too much to ask—especially coming from a company like Fender.
I have been playing the acoustic a lot lately to essentially clear out my mind while editing. Even if I have all the time in the world to edit, there’s only so long I can go before I need a break. Music certainly helps with that, which is what inspired me to make the purchase in the first place. I think I needed to test out the waters with a starter guitar to see if I really want to invest in something major. I don’t get the replacement until Friday, so no conclusive evidence yet. I did plug in the acoustic for a few minutes, and it was nice to have something to bring up the volume a bit. Hopefully Friday will be less disappointing.
Something I always found difficult to play on my acoustic was the Marty McFly opening for Johnny B. Goode, mostly because of a tough string bend toward the end. My fingers are little and girly (I’m a girl after all) so it’s hard to push them up. The electric makes it a little easier, and it just sounds cooler. When I get reasonably well-practiced, I’ll see if I can’t post a little video here on the blog. I’ve also teased my roommate about one day waking her up with Van Halen’s Top Gun theme. That is going to happen, people. Some day…
Do you dare me to find that outfit? I might have something close.
PITCH WARS
As you all know, Pitch Wars is happening today. I’ll update the My Novel section of my blog as soon as I have any news. I doubt there will be offers of representation today (not that I’m ruling it out) but I think there will be requests for more material, and I’m hoping I’m among those in the request pack. I linked yesterday to all the blogs hosting the pitches, but you can find mine here.
Wish me luck!
Lit and Scribbles with Jae 
Record the wakening! That would need to be immortalized if you do it!
I had 5 guitars, 3 acoustics and 2 electric at one time. I owned a Squire Strat but got rid of it. To me it felt like I was always having to tune it every time I wanted to play it and tune it a few mins after I played it. It just sounded cheaply made. I presently own 2 acoustic and 1 electric.
Any advice on how to pick up a decent electric for not tons? I was thinking of pawn shops if this replacement doesn’t work out.
Pawn shops if you dont want to pay an outrageous price. But still, pawn shops can mark a guitar for a store bought price…need to do you homework there.
Thanks! Yeah, I figured I might be making a couple of trips to see if what they’re charging is a deal or not. I suppose I could just research the maker’s lines to know whether it’s the cheap or the good. Guess we’ll see.
Good luck to you! 🙂
It’s been a long time since I’ve played my guitar. Your post is inspiring me to go home and pick it up!
Good luck with pitch wars!
Do it! It’ll make the creativity flow even stronger. And thanks! 🙂
That’s too bad about your guitar – hopefully the replacement is everything a good electric guitar should be. 😉 I took a guitar class back in high school, which was super fun, but I haven’t played since then…I don’t think I remember how. Man, I’m getting old! : /
It feels old when it’s time for your 10-year high school reunion. Even older when you hit 10 years since graduating college…. Let’s not talk about that.
Yeah, I think with the replacement, I’ll pull out the guitar first and find out if it’s got the same issue right away. I really hope it doesn’t. I know it’s not the best guitar they ever made, but shouldn’t Fender be at least a couple steps above Wal-Mart?
I used to get my guitars from Musician’s Friend. Check them out. Squier is the cheap version of Fender (made by the same company). Epiphone makes a decent, cheap guitar. Check out this link: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-les-paul-electric-guitar-player-pack/h89163000002000
Keep in mind you get what you pay for. It may not be the best, but it’ll handle what you need.
Thanks. If this coming replacement is a bust maybe I’ll try that one. I’m willing to pay more, but I wanted to start with something cheap-ish to see if I use it enough to justify mas dinero. I know Squier isn’t top of the line by any means, but since so many people recommended it as a starter guitar… I may end up pawn shop surfing after all. We’ll see.
Yes! I play music to clear my head, too. Have been doing so a lot recently.
Alex 🙂
First off mad respect for your musical skillz I have none and secondly good luck with your pitch!
Thanks! I got a full request, so it’s been a fantabulous day!
I also have a Fender acoustic that my husband have me when I pretended to want to learn how to play to impress him. I had band aids on every finger trying to impress him!! He had a gorgeous black Jackson that sounded amazing…he sold it to pay our rent. He still has his Gio Ibanez, though…I refused to let him sell all his guitars!! I’ve heard the Squiers can be tinny as well. What did you trade up to? I hope you have better luck with it!
I’m impressed. What a wonderful thing to be able to do during the writing and editing process.
Fender doesn’t intonate or adjust their import guitars, I would suggest taking it ti a reputable luthier for a truss rod adjustment and set up. You won’t believe it’s the same guitar when you receive it back 😀
Even if it’s a cheaper sort of squier? Thanks for the tip either way. 🙂
You bet! I have a Squire 51 I payed $110 dollars for that I play all the time. Granted I did put a Seymour Duncan JB pickup in the bridge and a Fender Texas special in the neck position and set it up properly but I’ve been playing for 20 years and work on my own. It plays better the most of my expensive guitars which is why I play it so often. Also when you have guitars shipped in the winter the cold takes it’s toll on the neck in the back of a UPS truck, that’s why it’s a good idea to have it set up. BUT! I want to stipulate a guitar that has the same note coming off of two frets is defective, I would have sent it back as well.
Awesome! Thanks so much for all your advice. I may hit you up for more advice in the future. Yeah, I got the replacement yesterday. No strange frets this time. 🙂