Ok, so I've finally decided to take the plunge and start playing the guitar, the only problem is I don't have one, and don't really know the best way to go about buying one. My real problem is deciding between acoustic and electric... everywhere I look says "Get one that matches your style, what you like to listen to/would like to play" which I realize makes perfect sense, but my musical tastes involve both. I like some acoustic stuff, some electric stuff, and then there are the groups that will use both... I was initially leaning towards electric, but then of course something came up on my playlist that sounded so great with acoustic I realized I wasn't so sure...

Down the road I'll probably end up getting both, but financially that doesn't work right now. So what are your suggestions for getting over this decision and then actually getting out and buying one?

Thanks, and once this gets settled I probably still be around to figure out how to play it

Ofcourse, you realise you can get an acoustic electric....But I wouldnt, its just not the same. Also, if you get an electric you needa get a whole lotta other stuff, like an amp for one, youll prob wanna get a cheap 100$ amp at first. The first amp I got is a fender 100W with 2 12" speakers, ofcourse it has 2 volumes, off or increidbly loud, which would be cool if I could actually play wortha damn, but it aint designed for quietly practising in your room at night.
As for what type of guitar you get, Id recommend electric, cause you can still play acoustic stuff on electric, it doesnt sound exactly the same, but it still sounds cool.
Alot of people say great stuff about the ibanez RG series, but Ive never had the chance to play one. I can vouch for the fender stratocaster, its a wicked sounding guitar, but I have to tune it every day, which is ok since I have an electric tuner, takes about a minute. It also looks awesome.

Also, id have to say acoustic is a lot rougher to play, since the strings are alot harder to push in, and slides can be quite hard, Ive got an alright acoustic-electric, an SX custom, and I really enjoyed learning on it, but at first your fingers will get sore, prepare yourself for blisters!

Ofcourse it all depends why you want to play, if you just wanna have it at a party and play some songs round a campfire, get an acoustic, if you wanna play in a band or one day make your own music, play an electric.








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Im an optimist, so naturally I like to think my head is half FULL.

I would actually have to disagree and say start with acoustic. I mean, I play electric way more than acoustic, but if you are just staring out, acoustic is much cheaper. Also, yes acoustic is harder to play in some aspects, but when you eventually move to electric as you said you plan to, it will feel much easier to play. This is all just generalities and I have no clue what you musical tastes are but overall, I would say acoustic is easier to get started with and will benefit your electric playing down the road.








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Many music stores offer entry level guitar/amp combos. I started out with a Memphis strat knockoff and a little Hondo amp 15 years ago for about $300. I still have the guitar and use it primarily for experimental crap and obtuse tunings. You don't have to have awesome gear to enjoy hacking away on an axe. My theory is, crap in crap out. If you practice and become a solid musician, it doesn't matter what you gear you play through. If you have a Triple Rectifier full stack and a trio of custom Les Pauls, but you don't commit to practicing, you will just be mediocre. Loudly, though. No need to start big, but starting with an electric will offer more versatility for you out of the gate... Just a thought. *J

Yeah, looking over my collection its nearly all rock and it just happens that some of the artists I listen to most make some use of the acoustic.

Versatility was one thing that drew me to the electric, but portability(I'm a college student and go back and forth from school to home) is a nice thing about the acoustic, as is the fact that I can play it anywhere. It's starting to look like this might just come down to feel and I'm actually going to have to get out there and look before I can really decide what I want.

there isnt one guitar to do it all .
with an electric, you can still play pretty,and clean acoustic sounding things....but on an acoustic you really cant get nasty distortion type sounds.

in the end you need both an acoustic and an electric guitars to play both acoustic and electric music .








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After going out and looking I think Ive settled on electric. What do you guys know about Epiphone strats? It felt good, and sounded fine(as far as I can tell with my limited experience), the guy helping me said that it obviously wasn't as good as more expensive guitars, but for an entry level job it was a pretty good deal.

as a newb everything will sound great to you. its all gonna be godlike cause youve never experienced it before. depending ont he price range considering with an electric, you will notice ourself progress quicker it will also be much more typical. you will need an amp, picks, strings, and much more eventually. if your willing to play go to www.musiciansfriend.com or use the link (click on banner at bottom of page) go to guitar guitar found on upper left, click electric, (small blue font in middle top area shouldnt need to scroll) now scroll down on the left until you find a price range that suuits you, click on whatever it is and scroll down on teh right to read reviews. I personally recommend the Epiphone G-310 SG And Amp Kit. it comes with everythign youll need with a pretty nice guitar for a mere 299$ price, while if you shopped in a store you would pay nearly 500$ for all this. It also comes with a strap and case (dont let the description fool you lol) it did to me. Simply make an account and you can track your order through ups fed ex ect. i use it all the time ive spent a few thousand there lol... its a very trusted site and ive bought and used this kit myself. you can call the customer support number if you have questions or concerns. you dont want to waste to much cause ou dont knwo if youre gonna stick wit it.

edit: if you travel alot you can get a wireless amp play anywhere... trust me electric will be easier for you to start off, an acoustic takes typically much longr to see improvment. and you will be often to caught up in studies to have time to see why your strings are rattling and syuch... also before getting formal lessons.. if you will. many including myself are homegrown self taughts i suggest going to guitar.about.com as he has great info for you on gutiars and such and trust me ive seen him play, he knows what hes talkign about.

this has all been great advice.

you just have to look at what you as a guitarist, are going to want to play. then go from there and see what guitar fits that style