I feel like I'm spinning here. I used to noodle on an old guitar as a kid, never really practiced but now as an adult want to seriously start from scratch. Is a Squire Classic Vibe (60's) going to be a good long term investment? I also can't decide if I should embrace the classic 3 single coils or go for the HSS setup instead. I would love to just use a hollow body but too loud for my living situation. Music would be jazz/folk/bluesy stuff.
Should I be considering the Stratocaster affinity, are they as shitty as people say? I can't afford a modern made in mexico let alone anything nicer than a classic vibe (thinking of going with the 60's model). Used market is scary as I have zero knowledge on what to look for.
The market is kinda oversaturated with mim strats/teles. You can probably pick one up around 400-450 on reverb just look for sellers that accept offers. I got an 800 guitar for 550 few weeks back.
If I were in your position id go hss. Having a humbucker is nice and you can even split it.
Jace Bell
don't be worrying about pickup arrangement for a 1st guitar; just get something under $200. when you get better and you learn more about them, then you can be more discerning
Blake Morgan
If you are leaning hollow, semi-hollow bodies aren't really that loud un-amplified and more suited to those genres when plugged in I find, not as versatile as some other guitars though. I wouldn't sweat models so much as what feels comfortable for you and meets your price point. Just go down to the local guitar shop and try shit out. Worry about pickups and fancy stuff down the road if you want to upgrade. For used ones just see if its not falling apart, feels good to play and if it sounds alright plugged in that's good enough in my book.
Ian Wood
Spending $1000+ on a piece of gear that you don't even understand doesn't make sense to me, especially if you're just starting. Get whatever you can afford instead and practice on that.
You need a guitar that you can learn chords and scales on, which is something you can do just as well on a piece of wood made in china.
>jazz/folk/bluesy stuff Get a telecaster. Some might argue that a guitar with humbuckers might be a better choice, but I still believe it's the most versatile instrument as you can easily play anything from jazz to metal.
get a squier cv MAPLE NECK ONLY spend your few extra dollars on an overdrive distortion pedal (Fulltone OCD is great for this) AND a BOSS DD-7 the ONLY TWO pedals you need
Joshua Harris
HSS, it's a lot more versatile
Jordan Morales
>MAPLE NECK ONLY what other necks do they come in?
Noah Nguyen
Mahogany and rosewood. Forgot to specify maple fretboard too. Cheap squiers don't get the rosewood fretboard anymore. I have a 2019 Jazzmaster with the driest fucking laurel fretboard despite dousing it with lemon oil multiple times.
Lincoln Long
I will check it out, I'm in Canada and don't want to spend a ton on shipping if I can avoid it, would rather pick up locally and at least get the person to play it in front of me/see it before I buy. I do want to buy new but it's quite a loss $$ wise.
I hate buying shit twice, I know the music I like and am not poor, but also don't want to put $1k into a guitar or buying something I can't re-sell for close to the original purchase cost (for reference, I sold my old Ibanez Artcore for exactly what I paid it).
I had an Ibanez Artcore hollow, it was a bit too loud for my current living situation, it is pretty quiet though.
Will keep in mind
Angel Hall
This HSS Strat for sale near me for $450 cad, seems a bit steep
If you're looking to not spend twice just save up and get a mim. The squier won't hold it's value.
Ryan Wright
Tbh with you Op, top left strat is probably your best bet. Take it to a luthier, have them set it up right and swap out the electronics for full-sized pots, tex. spec. pups, shield the pickguard etc then you have a professional-level guitar. And THEN you buy an overdrive distortion pedal and a DD-7. Trust me, you will feel a lot better with a cheapo strat with a minimalist pedalboard than you would with an american made guitar with 12 BOOTIQUE pedals at your feet.
Camden Edwards
If you're looking to trade the guitar in the future, buy a mexican fender like what said. But if you just want something dependable and giggable, do this . In my experience, most guitarists tend to keep their first-ever electric despite it being a shitplank (see Billy Joe, Rivers Cuomo's partscaster). So, if you do end up buying the squier, you're in good company.
Parker Rivera
I hear both of you and appreciate the advice. Should I splurge a bit and at least guarentee a full thinkness body? I understand new bullet and affinitys are thinner than your standard strat.
William Rodriguez
Learn to do your own setup it saves you headaches and money in the long run. The electronic bit doesn't come into play for op it seems he won't be plugging it in unless it's a headphone amp. But getting a loaded pickguard might be a good option it'll have everything you need if you shop around. Pedals might be overkill for a headphone amp but that's a call for op maybe something to look at further down the road
I actually would most likely be using my headphone amp but have considered using an irig HD (have to look into this) with my Ipad. I think pedals are for later, once I'm actually comfortable, just need an interface to hear it quietly.
>Squire Standard >$280.00 CAD (local pickup) >SSS but I can convert it myself later once I'm comfortable just playing.
Op, if you don't see yourself doing live shows any time soon, go for the nicer squiers and buy yourself an audio interface with the extra money. The cheapest one out there, I think, is the Behringer UM2 and it's a perfectly fine recording guitar for amateur musicians. Plugins and amp sims can stand in place of pedals and amps and will allow him to experiment and figure out what kind of sound he wants out of his guitar. Don't be afraid of the used market. Broken electronics are easily replaceable and you can do it yourself as said. The only deal real breakers are broken necks and stripped truss rods and maybe worn down frets but those are much harder to come by with newer used guitars.
Jose Roberts
>$280 CAD Is it just me or have prices drastically increased since last year? I bought my cv jazzmaster for $200 USD last October and it wasn't this bad.
