I Finally Did It! Suggestions Needed.

[Stephen J.]

I would definitely let your friend pick the body style and then you find something in the ballpark to recommend that doesn’t suck. I bought a SE245 to lend someone so he had a guitar to learn on and he didn’t look very enthusiastic about it when he saw it. He saw a Strat I have and drooled. I should have bought him a Mexican Strat instead.

 

[Bogner]

Yeah, the only reason I threw the ESP in there was because of the connection to Metallica! Of course, the ones in his price range aren't going to have EMG pups (AFIK) but he could upgrade the pups down the road!! He is in good hands with you as his friend!!! Totally right though about getting him to a store the check them out, make sure it feels good in his hands ;~))

He Is So Inexperienced On Everything That He Hasn't Tied Any Connection To Gear And Bands, Etc. He Likes How PRS Looks And He Heard That They Are Great Guitars. He Went Online And Heard Good Things About Them. Aside From That He Has Seen All My Stuff And Knows What I Think About Things But He Has No Real Knowledge Of Anything. Out Of All My Guitars He Likes My All Korina McCarty With A Brazilian Board The Most Because It "Looks So Classy And Cool" As He States It And" Is Nothing Like Anything Else He Has Ever Seen". I Am Just Trying To Be Careful And Not Blow Him Out Of The Water Financially Or Steer Him Too Far In A Particular Direction And Scare Him Away From Playing The Guitar Which Is The Most Important Thing.

 

[Bogner]

I'm very happy with my Spark Mini. Love the app and all the available options. Great learning tool.

As far as a guitar, I'd say it all depends on what feels best in his hands. I'd tell your friend to try as many as he can and don't rush into anything.
Play and compare a few times. You want to avoid thinking "this is it" only to find one a few weeks later that you wished you bought instead.

Very True On The Guitar! The Challenge I Am Having (And One That He Is Not Really Even Aware Of Existing At This Point) Is Knowing How Different Things Can Play And Feel. That Is Why I Want Him To Go PRS SE As I Feel Long Term That Risk Would Likely Be Mitigated.

Regarding The Spark Amp, I Am Really Thinking That Would Be The Best Way To Go For Him As It Has Great Learning Options. The Other Thing I Am Thinking In The Back Of My Mind Is Difficulty Of Use. I Don't Want Him Not Playing Guitar Because The Tech is Too Difficult Or Getting In The Way So As To Discourage Him.

 

[Bogner]

Used MIKse and Spark is my vote. I had a spark at a GFs for awhile. Definitely a cool lil amp. I preferred my THR, but for other reasons than strictly talking tone.

I'm not one to say avoid a trem for beginners but I'm a trem guy and always have been. Either way a se is a good start.

Agree On All Fronts.

 

[Bogner]

I also think the Spark would be a fun first amp. You get a lot of features to play with. Is it a tube amp? No. But for a first timer it offers a lot of friendly features.

I Agree With You...I Think It Is A Nice Way To Get A Good Start And Learn On.

 

[Bogner]

First of all, I think it's great to have passed on this passion to your friend!

For all that is suggestions I think you know your friend better and best placed to guide him in this is choice! The range Se is excellent, if he likes Metallica he must also look towards ibanez without tremolo..
easy guitars to play... of course not PRS but just an idea! For the amp he would surely like the positive grid Spark 40, very easy to use, sounds good, the application offers a lot of effect, amp, and a ton of tips for learning, with a phone it's very interesting!
A smooth entry on the world of MULTI-EFFET and on the different ways to use the effects in short, I wish your friend to continue!!!

Thank You And Very Good Advice My Friend!

 

[Bogner]

I picked up an SE CE 24 and I bought my son a Boss Katana MkII 50 EX last Christmas. I'm extremely impressed with the guitar. Although I replaced them, the stock pickups were better than I expected. As for the amp, my son loves it since he can switch between Beatles, Blur, Arctic Monkeys, Metallica, to even something I think is supposed to be SlipKnot. So range of tone is pretty impressive.

If he has a chance to play around with either or both, I'd definitely recommend it.

I Like What You Are Saying. Thank You For Your Feedback.

 

[Bogner]

I think SinSir nailed it. A Singlecut SE would be a fantastic first guitar (maybe you can even set it up for him to ensure it rocks) and the Spark is a great practice amp. Even includes pedals and the ability to play along with songs. I have a Spark and pay it as much as my HXDA and Archon because I have to be aware of how loud I am. If you could get one, or both used, all the better.

Thank You For The Input. I Will Definitely Set It Up For Him And Get Him As Dialed In As Much As I Possibly Can With Amp Settings And Such. I Want Whatever Guitar He Gets To Play As Good As It Possibly Can Play. Many New Players Stop Playing The Guitar For This Reason (Difficult To Actually Play) And I Want To Give Him Every Chance To Succeed At Playing And Growing In Whatever Manner Is Meaningful To Him.

 

[Bogner]

This is why you rock, sir!

First thought on a guitar was the SE Satin CR-24 for $500. Ton of guitar for the money. And leaves you a lot of flexibility for the amp. I like your idea of the Spark or something similar. It’s a great way to play a variety of amps and find the style that speaks to him.

You Are Making Me Blush My Friend.

Great Suggestions...Thank You!

 

[Bogner]

PRS SE CE Standard Satin $500(Easily, one my favorite SEs. To me, a tremolo is no big deal; I was setting up Floyds when I was 12, without the benefit of the internet, a mentor or intonation tool)

BOSS Katana MKII 100 $380(effects loop)

AIRSTEP KAT footswitch $70(allows editing via Bluetooth with the Librarian App)

Katana Librarian deep edit App $10(more intuitive than BOSS Tone Studio)

Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression pedal $140(can assign it any parameter via Librarian app)

Peterson Strobostomp HD tuner $150(buffer)

Misc cables and strap $100

I think a beginner can be content with this setup for a very long time. I marvel at what's available these days compared to when I started 38 years ago.

Thank You For Your Input...Very Solid Suggestions There.

That Rig Could Work For A Very Long Time For Him!

 

[Bogner]

I would definitely let your friend pick the body style and then you find something in the ballpark to recommend that doesn’t suck. I bought a SE245 to lend someone so he had a guitar to learn on and he didn’t look very enthusiastic about it when he saw it. He saw a Strat I have and drooled. I should have bought him a Mexican Strat instead.

That Is My Plan And I Am Curious As To What He Will Select. Whatever It Is, I Feel He Will Gravitate To Warm Colors With Natural Wood Look Over Something Painted Based Off His Comments On My Stuff. The Singlecut Vs. A Double Cut Is Anybody's Guess At This Point. I Am About 55/45 On Double Cut.

Thanks For Chiming In!

 

[deathworlder]

Thank You For Your Input...Very Solid Suggestions There.

That Rig Could Work For A Very Long Time For Him!

I just wanted to add...
If not for the ability to deep edit, I'd have gotten rid of my Katana MKII 50. I found using a para-eq post amp, for boost and tweaking freqs, really makes it shine.
Having access to all the sneaky amps is nice too.

 

[Maxime Bousquet]

Thank You And Very Good Advice My Friend!

It's a pleasure my friend!

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

I always guide beginners to non-trem guitars. The ease of string changes and better tuning stability cuts down on the aggravation and gives the player less things to stress over and helps “keep them in the game”.

I always do this as well.

 

[László]

If your friend wants to play Metallica, he should forget all about this crazy electric guitar stuff, and take up a real instrument, like...hmmm...maybe the accordion.

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

I have not ever played a SE so I cannot provide any help there.
But for under 1K and with Metallica as a goal but with the aim of not outgrowing the guitar too fast I would go for a Schecter Hellraiser guitar. Very well manufactured, they sound killer for that type of music and can run circles around ESP LTD at that price range. And they have some gorgeous finishes as well.

 

[11top]

If he can find an original ‘59 standard LP and a Dumble he should be set.

 

[Mike J.]

Very True On The Guitar! The Challenge I Am Having (And One That He Is Not Really Even Aware Of Existing At This Point) Is Knowing How Different Things Can Play And Feel. That Is Why I Want Him To Go PRS SE As I Feel Long Term That Risk Would Likely Be Mitigated.

Regarding The Spark Amp, I Am Really Thinking That Would Be The Best Way To Go For Him As It Has Great Learning Options. The Other Thing I Am Thinking In The Back Of My Mind Is Difficulty Of Use. I Don't Want Him Not Playing Guitar Because The Tech is Too Difficult Or Getting In The Way So As To Discourage Him.

Regarding the Spark Mini's difficulty of use: I am the least technical person around with computers and different apps. I admit at times I'm a real dunce with this stuff. But if I can figure it out than anybody can figure it out! I use mine with headphones and I am blown away with how good it sounds. Very full and rich sound. With all the availbale jamming features within the app it's a fantastic learning tool.

 

[DISTORT6]

Regarding the Spark Mini's difficulty of use: I am the least technical person around with computers and different apps. I admit at times I'm a real dunce with this stuff. But if I can figure it out than anybody can figure it out! I use mine with headphones and I am blown away with how good it sounds. Very full and rich sound. With all the availbale jamming features within the app it's a fantastic learning tool.

I’ve got the Go and was completely surprised of the ease of use.

 

[FatFingerBlues]

I like the thoughts of the Singlecut MIK and the spark

I love mine and if it was the only guitar I had I would be happy
it Has SD Pearly Gates in it though, the originals were gone when I got it

I have been very impressed with the little spark We played at my buddies
it sounded much bigger than it was
He liked it so much He bought a spark Cab for it and its set up in his music room along side all of the others

I will say its a good thing to help him
I have been very fortunate to have a good friend that encouraged me and continues to keep me motivated
I do the same thing for him. He is driven to improve and learn new things to show me
I am just happy when the dogs don't howl as I play