I'd say telling someone they have to play acoustic first is like telling someone if you want to have a motor on a boat, you have to sail first.....lol motorboat

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

😂 brilliant

@pacovl46

11 ай бұрын

Well, you can start with whatever you want. If you know you wanna play only electric then start with that, but from my own experience, I started out on an acoustic because that was what was available to me and when I got my first electric guitar playing that felt like a breeze because the action is lower and the fingerboard is narrower, but I appreciate the acoustic for making me spread my fingers more and for giving me better finger strength as well. So there is definitely an advantage on starting out on an acoustic, despite the fact that it’s tougher initially. Having said that, you shouldn’t be looking at it like playing either/or, you should play both because they both have different qualities to be appreciated. The trick to get around getting blisters is to simply stop as soon as your finger tips hurt and play again the next day and stop again when they start to hurt. That way you will get nice calluses without the hassle.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

@@pacovl46 exactly! But I’m going off of experience where people say you HAVE to start with an acoustic as that’s what beginners do :)

@pacovl46

11 ай бұрын

@@JamieSlaysit’s definitely not carved in stone! 🤪

@pacovl46

11 ай бұрын

Come to think of it, the only thing you really have to do is shit, piss and breathe, the rest is optional! 🤪

Acoustic builds strength and dexterity quickly

@MrChopsticktech

10 ай бұрын

So does bass guitar. Warm up on bass for 1/2 hour, then electric guitar strings feel like rubber bands.

@declanfitzpatrick8268

6 ай бұрын

​@@MrChopsticktechSo, buy a bass, along with your first guitar then? 😂

@stilldeaky

Ай бұрын

no pain no gain

@maximilianl4453

15 күн бұрын

Only if you play it. I am a huge acoustic fan… But it did take some time for me to appreciate it. As a kid I just wanted to rock around.

@stephen9564

9 күн бұрын

If your heroes play electric you will be demotivated

Great advice. One note: the EVH d tuna doesn't work on floating trems. EVH used a nonfloating floyd rose, so slacking the tuning on one string didn't off-balance the trem. If it's floating, you'd still have to adjust sping tension...

@bagaspratama440

11 ай бұрын

Yes true, EVH d tuna are scam

@chrisbrown6472

10 ай бұрын

You are correct. But, placing a block underneath the tremolo system will keep the d tuna in tune, but yeah it does prevent you from pulling up. It is easily taken back out if you miss the up action. Also, you can set the tuning screws on the E to be able to tune down before you lock down the nut, although my old Kahler was easier to set up for that and string changes. :)

@chrisbrown6472

10 ай бұрын

The dtuna actually works great, you just have to be told about the block thing. I was unaware until I was talking to the repair guy about a few things.

@connormorse9191

10 ай бұрын

​@@bagaspratama440not a scam... works great you just have to block the trem off

@jhutt8002

14 күн бұрын

​@@bagaspratama440That's not a scam, it's feature.

Great advice for beginners. I think a video about amps/pedals/accessories would also be helpful for people that are just starting out. Maybe you could even touch on inputs and plugins.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Yeh! Great idea!

@Skaarxiong1

10 ай бұрын

i think Positive Grid solved that problem. if a beginner can, they should get a Positive Grid because on the apps, there's pedals and different amps and a beginner who don't have the budget to get all that stuff, can use it digitally. plus, they can learn what those pedals do and why you use them. i should know, because i'm still learning and i got a Positive Grid Spark and Go, now i'm saving up some money so i can buy the real amps and pedals.

A lot of the acoustic guitar thing is dictated by parents who won't buy nasty, noisy electric guitars for their kids. They need to be educated about headphone-based amplifiers and let their children play the instrument that they want.

I completely agree about the acoustic guitars. I remember having the same mindset and someone from the shop that I was trying acoustic guitars out said "if you play amazing on acoustic, you'll be an amazing electric player". They are different instruments.

@marcvolgers8352

10 ай бұрын

If someone wants to play acoustic, I advice to start with a classic/spanish guitar. Steel string is just not a good starter.

@Quusikko

10 ай бұрын

I thought about that acoustic thing when Jamie mentioned it and the only reason I can think of to start with an acoustic is that if you can learn to play it clean (minimizing all excess noises), you'll maybe have a good touch to play electric. Don't know if it even works like that but it's just something that came to mind.

Best message for beginners guitarist if you were to ask me is to DON’T STOP BELIEVING! But seriously when I was starting out like a year or two back I was feeling defeated all the time and felt I was wasting my time, but that never stopped me, I still enjoyed the sounds I was making whether they were basic or not. Now basically two years ahead I’m playing some of my favourite solos with great sound and even improvising decently with a couple of different scales as well as making some nice sounding chord progressions. Despite all, if you want to play guitar, then play guitar and you will become better!

@zerixor8134

10 ай бұрын

Definetily. Although i would also add that you should also try and find what type of guitar playing you enjoy playing since it might be different from what you want to play when you first started out. For example when i first started playing guitar i wanted to learn how to shred and play difficult and fast leads and solos. After a while i realized that it wasnt for me and that i enjoyed simpler grungier rythm guitar riffs instead. The most important thing is that you have fun and enjoy it because then you will keep at it and improve over time.

@BCastless

10 ай бұрын

I'm hoping you're right! I just got mine today, and I can't wait to start strumming along to my favourite songs. Even though I'm having trouble with my hand placement and keeping the speed fast enough for it to sound like a song when I try to play very basic beginning tunes, I'm going to keep practising every day in the hopes that I'll be able to play my favourite songs someday.

@DJSockmonkeyMusic

10 ай бұрын

Oops wrong comment thread. However, YAY! welcome to guitars dude. Just keep practising, everything gets easier with time. Pretty soon you won't even have to think about chord shapes, they'll just happen when you think it, so keep up your practise, learn some songs, and you'll get there. I've been playing since 1987, and I'm always improving.

@beefnacos6258

10 ай бұрын

Year or two 😂. It took me forever to finally start playing competently

@erikjonsson1519

2 ай бұрын

I started on acoustic and is getting a seven string that is fairly cheap but it is just grind and grind and grind til I become good at it

You make some great points and I agree with you on every one. I'm 71 years old and I started playing guitar in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I also taught guitar over thirty years. I started on an electric and I always recommended to parents to start their kids on an electric. There are some great kits out there with everything you need to get started by Squire, Ibanez and others. Also, avoid on line kits, go to a music store and talk with real guitar players. I still play, not as much as I used to, but I'm as active as I can be.

In my own experience, my first guitar is a RR Jackson with a Floyd Rose tremolo and I agree that changing strings and tunes is a challenging work. I personally don’t recommend it for beginners. But hey, everyone has a shredding hero and wanted to play guitar like them, or at least play guitar hero in their youth. 😅 (My reason for picking a guitar with a tremolo bridge and I still want another one)

@mauriciosalinas8849

11 ай бұрын

Hi, same to me 😅 im a begginer and i get a Jackson Japan with a Floyd Rose and a Ltd GH 600 Gary Holt signature. Van Halen,Randy Rhoads and Gary Holt are my guitarheroes

@leohmaggot

11 ай бұрын

same here... my first guitar is also a V with a Floyd Rose... daaaamn the time i was spending on tuning that XD

@iceblade019

10 ай бұрын

Same story, my first is a Jackson Kelly with Floyd 😂

@mauriciosalinas8849

10 ай бұрын

We all agree that we doesn't respect begginer rules😂

@leohmaggot

10 ай бұрын

@@mauriciosalinas8849 begginer rules didn't gave us stylish points 😅

Good advice. I think my best tip is to not get a weird shaped guitar for your first one. No flying V, BC rich, most dean guitars, explorers aren't too bad. You're going to learn to play sitting down, and those are meant to be played standing up. You're going to have a tough time focusing on playing when the guitar is sliding all over in your lap. Just my experience anyway

@Muzerino434

18 күн бұрын

Explorers are one of the most comfortable guitars I have played sitting down. Them, Les Paul’s and any hard tail superstrat would be my beginner recommendations.

@Justmemyguy

5 күн бұрын

That's really only an issue if you sit the way a lot of people do with the guitar on your leg resting near completely horizontally. A flying V just won't work like that. If you sit with a "classical" seat position it's not really an issue.

i don't recommend 6 string guitars, i suggest 4 string guitars. 6 is too confusing to learn.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Exactly. I agree

@jdcsteelers498

Ай бұрын

0 strings is the easiest, 1 strings are insane.

@MonosMrTon

Ай бұрын

That was my idea. Now I'm a bassist.

@eitanshahak

Ай бұрын

Bruh

@siamsasean

27 күн бұрын

Dude, that's the way they started in Spain 500 something years ago.

My first ever guitar was a second hand Charvel Charvette in a red crackle finish that I bought because I thought it was cool. It had a Floyd Rose and required witchcraft and a blood sacrifice to tune properly.

I agree that acoustics aren't great for learning on due to more physical difficulty to play, but they're great for practice as they build strength and stamina which improves speed, and they don't hide sloppy technique which improves precision. Anyways, gonna go jammon my 7 string acoustic!

My first guitar was an epiphone Les Paul standard. Really heavy, terrible upper fret access, super high action, but I loved it. I regret selling it to this day.

@stevehuffman1495

16 күн бұрын

Epi Les Paul or SG probably great starters. No trem, which is ok unless you're dying to have one. Squire Tele or Strat is good if you don't need to chug.

@User5670.

9 күн бұрын

My second was an Epiphone les Paul and i loved it, until i got my jaguar and mainly played that. I went from crazy high upper fret action to low action and switching back was hard! I thought about selling my Epiphone until i looked up how to lower the action and i did that lol. I ajusted my trusrod and lowered the action and now its nice and comfy to play

I got an acoustic for my first guitar. I just liked the sound of the acoustic, but I also wanted to learn electric later in and thought learning on an acoustic would help. It did, but yeah electric and acoustic are two very different instruments and I can tell learning on acoustic has influenced how I play the electric.

When I was a beginner in the late 90s, I made some of these mistakes. 1st guitar- an acoustic. First electric guitar has a Floyd Rose. And it had a humbucker because I prefer the look of it rather than 3 single coils. lol. Discovering bands like Carcass and Unleashed helped to make the learning curve steeper. It was a learning journey. No regrets.

I started out with an acoustic. Your so right on it being a difficult guitar for beginners with all the extra tension needed. But I’m not gonna lie, once I got my first electric after that, playing metal style music suddenly is so much easier on the fingers and relaxing. What I’m saying is, it’s sometimes okay to knock out building finger strength early.

talking about Polyphia and beginner acoustic players in the same sentence is wild to me.

Started on a 6 string hardtail. And after about 5 weeks i wanted a Trem. People are always like “oh it’s annoying and you’ll have to mess with it all the time!”. Personally though, I love messing with my guitar, and wouldn’t mind having to set it up once a week or so.

I totally agree with starting off on a hardtail electric. Many older bands, like Metallica’s first three albums, were oddly tuned, because of being recorded to tape. If a song was dragging, they’d speed them up a bit, and the tuning ended up sharp. Being able to tune to the song is of paramount importance. As to cheap guitars, often kids don’t get the choice. I got my first electric- a lefty Hondo Lp copy- by mom and dad, from the Sears and Roebuck catalogue! Made from laminated plywood with a maple veneer, it was garbage! But i wish i had that thing! And it was great to mod. I added super D in the bridge and a splittable Duncan jazz in the neck. It had a pretty good neck, and the frets were decent. But it made me work for it. And i think that helped my resolve. Acoustic- if you do get one, i suggest Orangewood. They are cheap, really easy to play, and if you hate it, it’ll look good on the wall!

@flouisbailey

10 күн бұрын

OrangeWoods are nice for all price points, necks are to me a little thinner than most, I have an chronic thumb injury neck shape is important.

@allendean9807

10 күн бұрын

@@flouisbailey i agree- the nicks are thin. It made it easier to play for me, as I’ve mainly played electrics my whole life in music. Strats, slim neck schecters and ESP/LTD models. Hell, my first electric was a 1980’s Hondo Les Paul lawsuit, and i recently found one really really close to my old one on reverb for 300.00. I was suprised at how much i LOVE the neck! Whether it’s muscle memory, or it’s just a really lice neck carve, i was stoked to play this fake single chile pretending to be humbucker, plywood beast! One other thing i do is use Nashville tunings on my orange wood now- so much fun in dadgad

@flouisbailey

10 күн бұрын

@@allendean9807 I ordered a set of Nashville tuning strings by accident, next string change they go to the OrangeWood, thanks.

I want to share this since this video is still new! As someone that started on acoustic because my mom at time time didn’t have the funds for an electric set up I played acoustic now that i own an electric and acoustic im realizing there’s a lot of bad habits I picked up on acoustic that mess up my playing on electric and it’s something I’m learning to fix. So yeah just wanted to share my experience having played both and having started on acoustic.

@DJSockmonkeyMusic

10 ай бұрын

I found that my early acoustic practise made me a pretty diverse and flexible guitarist, but I barely touch acoustics these days. I agree about everything else in the video. No lockers! Yes humbuckers! Super cheap and super expensive guitars are both a waste of money! There's good quality out there for very low prices, but it will need finishing and setting up! And start on a standard instrument, 6 string guitar! But the acoustic thing, I think it's mostly economics that determines that, or at least it was for everyone I know. All the rich kids had fender and Gibson, the middle class kids had Ibanez and Marshall combos, the poor kids had acoustics and the welfare kids had nylon stringed "classical" guitars. I was a poor kid, my first guitar was my Mum's church guitar (she plays chords) a Gibson Hummingbird clone. It sounded terrible unless it had brand new strings on it, although I've seen (and owned) worse, and at the time is was still a $500 guitar in Australia. I'd been playing for 6 years (with borrowed gear at gigs) before I had my own guitar and amp. But I learned every song from the first 4 Pantera albums on that acoustic.

A couple of extra advises i would give to a begginer on elrctric guitar is to buy a set of thiner gauge strings (8s or 9s) and pay a bit of extra money on a reputable luthier to get a proper set up, a good guitar setup is, in my opinion, very overlooked and can be a game changer specially for a begginer. Having 11s or 12s on standard tunning with ultra high action can be discouraging for a begginer that does not know better and has to fight every chord to make it sound...

The biggest guitar myth when I started playing in 1997, was that you needed a humbucker to have "fat" tone. I eventually put a JB player humbeucker in the strat knock off I was playing, then replaced it a few years later with a seymour duncan 59. The single coils were ceramic, and they sounded great. Changing the pickups did not make the guitar anymore suitable for metal than it allready was. It did have a 5 way selector switch, which made it great for cranking up distorted tones. Single coils have an undeserved bad reputation for playing heavy metal. I did like the sound of the JB player pickup, so I kept it in the bridge, and left the other two single coils.

@Trentstone121

10 ай бұрын

How does a pickup selection switch boost your volume? Am I misunderstanding your comment?

@davidshafer6388

10 ай бұрын

@@Trentstone121 There are two positions in a five way selector switch that allow a blend between either the neck and middle pickup, or the middle and bridge pickup. The blend allows for a hum/feedback canceling effect becuase the middle pickup is would in the opposite direction of the neck and bridge pickup. Without using that feature, single coils hum, and even worse feedback loud when the amp has overdrive/distortion and is turned up loud enough to play with a drummer. Selecting just one single coil, or using a 3 way selector will result in excessive noise/feedback. I just play a Class A tube amplifier nowadays with reverb, and no distortion. It still soulds heavy without the distortion because of the reverb, and my playing style. Let me know if you need any pickups made, or a custom guitar built.

@Trentstone121

10 ай бұрын

Okay, I get what you mean. Thanks a lot for the explanation!

@davidshafer6388

10 ай бұрын

@@Trentstone121 You are welcome.

@sgd5k292

10 ай бұрын

@@davidshafer6388 Yeah, you can make a single coil sound like a humbucker, but you cannot make a humbucker sound like a single coil.

With regard to floating tremolos. I have been playing since 1987. I've owned many floating tremolo guitars, all slightly different. And I have an Ibanez RG Moonburst with Zero Edge floating trem shown in the video. I love it, its so beautiful, although I want to replace the single coil pickup in the middle position, probably with something super hot (high output). I haven't replaced the pickup (I have dozens in my drawer of pickups, SDs, EMG, a set of lace sensors, all sorts) is that I don't want to restring the floating trem. Lol. It holds tune beautifully, but it takes like 3 days to restring it and get it tuned again. String stretch, ugh! I end up spending a week on top with an allen key permanently in one hand.... You kinda need to learn an entire trade if you want to be a floating trem guy and not have to pay a hundred bucks for every new set of strings. They're wonderful to play when they're set up right, a nightmare to play when wrong, and technical skills are required to make them play right, despite the manufacturers best efforts. I think most people would honestly be best off with fixed bridges, whether saddle and tail piece type, blocked strat type or just topmount fixed bridge. I've even seen them with precision cut intonation in wrap around and through hole types. And then a tremolo pedal, and for whammy stuff, the Digitech pedals. Seriously, try blocking your strat trem. A little block of maple big enough to hold your trem at a height you're happy with (I like mine basically flat against the body), then loosen the spring claw until the strings pull the bridge body firmly against the wood block. Any hardwood will work, but maple is the cheapest where I am. The stability and feel of the strings completely changes, and theres some evidence to auggest that you may improve sustain too. I have 2 of my 3 strat style guitars blocked with maple, a block made of offcuts glued into a bigger piece, then cut to size. If you have a luthier near you, ask them if they have any scrap body wood. It'll only be small pieces and you'll have to get crafty, but for me, nearly 80% of the joy of guitar is in the maintaining and personalising my instruments. (But i was a guitar tech in highschool, my second highschool job and again later in life, plus audio production school and short pro guitar career while also working as a tech part time) so my perspective might be skewed. The only thing that makes me happier than playing guitar is working on my guitar.

@amandahuginkiss6868

10 ай бұрын

I started a little later, and being able to change the strings on the FR yourself goes a long way. Learning how to change them is frustrating, and might even cost you a little in broken strings, but it is worth knowing how to do if you own a floating trem guitar. I think Sweetwater has a how to on their website about changing out strings on a Floyd that is all stuff you had to figure out by trial and error 30 years ago when the Internet wasn't around,

What about body shape? I would not recommend an Explorer, Flying V, Dime-Dean's.. all very hard to practice with, especially setting down.

I agree with the acoustic thing... all my friends started with acoustics. They lasted maybe a month and quit. I started with an electric and I am still playing 30+ years later.

Get a Yamaha Pacifica with a humbucker in the bridge. Versatility, great quality and not too expensive.

I think this should be ttitled, "5 guitars not to get for modern heavy metal". I started with acoustic and I feel that getting good on an acoustic made me a better rock guitarist, specifically with my electric guitars. Plus for "Rock" or "Hard Rock", single coils have there place and are versatile for the genre.

@JamieSlays

4 күн бұрын

@@PraiseCaster yeah you could be right

Also......if your guitar comes with a tremolo bar, just leave it in the bag until you can actually play some guitar! Until then, it's a distraction!

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Haha yeh too true. Bowoonggggggggg

This was super insightful. I only started learning how to play the guitar 6 weeks ago & I'm documenting my entire learning journey on here so this was really helpful & motivational!

Great points - If you mainly listen to something heavier, then yeah learning on an acoustic guitar is probably not the best move as your main inspiration and influences are not acoustic sounds. That said in terms of ease of playing etc... yeah an electric is more beginner friendly in terms of pain tolerance, but I can think of some merits in learning on an acoustic guitar e.g your fretting, chord technique, wrist strength and strumming will be more on point as the acoustic forces it more so imo.

@russellzauner

11 ай бұрын

I would actually recommend electric. Partially for ease of use, partially for developing clean playing. I avoided playing electric for literally decades because I couldn't make it sound clean enough - the acoustic guitar hides a lot of extraneous noise, even when played plugged in. Even now I still have to accept that when I'm playing cleanly I will hear artifacts because of sensitivity or injection. Now it's a process of mapping the things I hear in my mind over the imperfections of reality, which is a constant effort until my mental muscle memory integrates and understands it well enough to put it on autopilot.

Ehhh i dont really agree for the acoustic part personally, i started out on acoustic and it really helped me get finger placement down and really get the muscle memory to help me memorize what to play, but thats my opinion, with guitar not everyone is the same so i would recommend go to the store and play some and see how they feel for you before getting one. Remember your learning guitar, not someone else so do whats comfortable for you

One of my first guitars was a universe total nightmare and never used it due to the Floyd style bridge and a 7 string. Glad I didn't sell it though

My 2nd guitar was an 8 string, 3 years ago. Cause i wanted to play Meshuggah songs, they are my top 1 inspiration as to picking up guitar. And i genuinely believe that it spend up my right and left hand muting when playing. Though it also has the added the 1 drawback of just being drawn to the low strings, cause it is just fun. But on top of that, i would personally say it adds the benefit of not having to retune your guitar up when you want to play leads, practice scales, learning on. It adds so much versatility if you just use it. Not sure i would reccommend it, but i also wouldnt say to directly avoid them either. Though i had also been playing violin for 10 years earlier (never Got that good as i didnt like classical music) so i wasnt completely jumping to the deep end of the pool when beginning, so cant truly say.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Too true. If you wanna play meshuggah you of course have to get a 7 8 or 9 haha but I am so lost on an 8 string 😆

@russellzauner

11 ай бұрын

@@JamieSlays 8 string has been some sort of standard long before 6; there is a lot of music written specifically for it. Check out "Brahms Guitar" (honestly just yesterday I learned "Mezzo Violin" which typically has *seven* strings)

@rhymenocologist

11 ай бұрын

I'm a firm believer in buying the guitar that makes you want to play. You'll pick it up more if it's the one you actually want.

@RaineyDaysStudio

11 ай бұрын

This. So long as it makes you want to play and it doesn’t FEEL like shit, it’s good.

I started on a Floyd but I did my homework meaning I had an idea what I’m getting to and accepted the challenges. The challenge I didn’t expect was finding out that there’s so many bad guitar techs. 😂 After two failed setups (both with a trem leaning backwards, not flush (it’s a LoPro but come on, it’s been on the market for like 30 years!) I fixed it myself. But I do understand most beginners won’t wanna have to deal with this. And for me, the right solution for using more tunings is to have a guitar for every tuning, no matter if it’s a hard tail or a Floyd. 😂 I’ve worked (so far) on stuff from E standard to drop B and I wouldn’t wanna retune 9-46 to drop B. 😅

my first guitar was Buz McGraths signature 7 string model from ltd. I had one of those cheap Costco strats before that which I don't really count as a guitar. The jump in quality was crazy but the floyd rose, active pickups, locking nut, wider neck, etc. was hell to try and make good sound out of. It took me over a year of solid practice to make a simple solo sound clean. I would say a guitar like this is a good idea for beginners if they are determined but they wouldn't have any guitar experience yet so it'd be hard to say if they'd stick with it.

Would you also not recommend the Gibson J-200 "super jumbo" acoustic in your list?

I look at it like you should play exactly what you are aiming to play. If you want to play Djent, get a 7 or 8 string, transitioning from 6 is horrible and very unfun (in my experience). If you want to play acoustic, do it. But when it comes to stuff like trem bridges and gadgets, wait on that. And if you play electric, pair it up with a decent multi FX or distortion pedal, especially if you play metal.

Thank you for mentioning the Floyd Rose. I made that mistake. Super difficult to change strings, tune, and set up when you're a beginner.

Playing acoustic first makes you a better player and is easier to pick up and play which equates to more practice. This is why so many heavy songs were originally written on an acoustic

@JamieSlays

6 күн бұрын

@@S1ipperyJim too true. Agree in many ways. But I think it’s the age old ‘you must start on acoustic’ I disagree with. Also insults people who only play acoustic as it implies their instrument of choice is a beginner one

The thing about starting with an acoustic is that by not being able to hide behind noise, your picking and fretting accuracy will be more apparent. Also, a beginner acoustic player doesn’t have to worry about determining what sort of electric guitar to buy yet, much less an amp, pedals, cables, straps, or having to deal with volume control or portability issues. I agree you don’t have to start with one, but it’s probably the cheapest and most sensible option.

@AwkwardHypernerd413

11 ай бұрын

Yeah the acoustic will always be cheaper because you don’t need to buy the extra shit to make it work.

@ehMMMKay

10 ай бұрын

in my old-school view, if you cannot get over learning basic chords and rhythms on an acoustic, you're not worthy the extra costs of switching to an electric, any average bedroom player (can play chords, solid rhythms, riffs and some basic solos) should be able to play both acoustic and an electric, and are kind of expected to own both :D

@maximilianl4453

15 күн бұрын

Yes and no. There are lots of 100$ electric guitars out there with good playability and good cheap amps. We aren’t in the 80s anymore. A sub 200$ acoustic is a gamble tho. People really underestimate how much harder it is to build a well playing acoustic. In the end you need to have fun. If you wanna play electric, buy yourself an electric guitar. You won’t enjoy the acoustic. Usually you start to appreciate acoustics with time and age. Teenagers need a fun and easy entry tho. Not time and age.

Great video!, I personally would recommend the jackson js22 as a first metal guitar.

Thanks. Where do I get the PDF of the guitars and other gear?

as for the 7 string stuff, i think yeah if you're just playing in drop a then 6 string will do. a 25.5" scale length 6 string can handle that tuning pretty well. anything lower than that, then maybe that's where you need to consider getting a 7 string, or a baritone 6 string. also i've seen a lot of people playing a most generic looking stratocaster in their thall songs and it sounds amazing. their secret? definitely pitch shifter

The way I set up my floyds you can get to drop D with just the fine tuners on the floyd. No add on stuff or new setup needed.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

That’s awesome well done!

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

@@petra2885 how?! Teach me oh wise ones

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

oh sweet! ill try it @@petra2885

@calebm2242

11 ай бұрын

Yepp he nailed it exactly. I've thought about making a video on how I set one up. And yes I also agree for beginners to stay away from floating trems.

Learning on an acoustic does teach the player to be more precise with their finger placement so not to accidentally mute strings with their fretting hand. Which is all around beneficial 😁

I have an Epiphone Les Paul special that I got for $75 including amp and case and I love it.

Buy whichever guitar(s) you want for your own reasons. Learn to play them at home your own pace. Have FUN!!!!

God….I’m 69 and can’t even remember what I learned on first! I introduced my daughter to an electric guitar and although she is right handed, she fancied playing it left handed. I went round and round with her explaining that I couldn’t teach her anything. She needed a left hand strung guitar which she finally purchased from the local music store. Made it a whole lot easier. 😊

One thing I'd point out for beginners to avoid is high action on the strings. It's something more common on cheap guitars but it's a discouragement to continue practicing when there's an inch gap between the strings and fretboard

I like single coils for metal but it’s very specific so I agree with you….. but a super Strat with a hard tail 👀 I’d say that’s the perfect guitar

i had started on an acoustic (more specifically a yamaha fx335c) and it hurt a little at first but it surprisingly didn't hurt that much. ive been playing for 6 months and i consider myself as just maybe an intermediate player but i recently got an electric (a squier strat) and i instantly felt the difference. electric is way easier to play and way more versatile with tones than acoustic so i see what you mean by suggesting that beginners start off with electric rather than acoustic

What about a cheap, 7 string, whammy bar, single coil guitar?

I play a classical guitar tbh. I do want an electric. What’s a good electric guitar for me?

I wanted to learn ‘nothing else matters’ so I got an acoustic but after that I just bought electric after hours learning it and practicing blues etc, the finger strength did help from acoustic.

I'm a beginner... Well... 1 year into it now... My first guitar is a second hand never used Yamaha Pacifica 112J... Just curious what's your opinion of her? The instrument sounds pretty good with or without electricity. But what do you think about that model, even though it's a Strat?

Love my Laguna acoustic! Has light strings and isn't too demanding. Just wish it had a cut-away shape so I could play the high notes easily Low weight and not needing an amp are freedom to me

I am working at a guitar store and I totally agree with you!

i started on acoustic and i’m glad i did. they sound beautiful. if your music taste doesn’t stretch out to softer stuff, then maybe it’s not for you. but i’ll never regret the way i started.

The part about the Floyd Rose hit home. Back in 2003 I asked for a Jackson Dinky for Christmas. My folks obliged, but I wasn't able to look at it, take it out of the box, etc. until Christmas day. My mother at least checked it out in private, and she insisted it was the one I had asked for. Fast forward several months, and I open my guitar only to discover she had ordered the FR instead of the string through. Oof... I knew it was already past the 90-day return policy and she was so excited for me that I didn't have the heart to tell her. Needless to say, I learned the pain of changing strings and tunings over the next several years.

@flouisbailey

10 күн бұрын

Good boy didn't want to hurt Mothers feelings.

my first guitar was a pink libanez with pink glitter :)

I got a fender Strat as a gift as a teen. I’m now learning to play and thankfully it has a dual coil on it. I’d most likely invest in a double though at some point

i got a ukulele first, learned to read tabs and play easily, then 2 months later bought an ibanez gio grx70qa, honestly beautiful guitar, multiple colors, similar strat shape without the same sound, couldnt have chose a better first guitar

Very decent and useful video ! Thanks!

I started on the acoustic (as a metalhead) and the first song i learned was fade to black. And i just learn clean parts of metal songs, or great acoustic songs (mtv unplugged saved me). I plan to buy an electric when i'm skilled enough.

My first guitar was a cheap nylon string acoustic. I would love to have bypassed that phase. I also agree that a 7=string for a beginner would be hard, but by playing a 7 string I gained a lot technically. Also agree on the Floyd Rose. I love how it stays in tune, but man, I hate dealing with that thing and I’ve been playing for almost 50 years. I can’t in good faith tell someone not to buy a Strat or Les Paul that has single coil pickups. I’ve had both through the years and loved them. As for cheap…..when I got my first electric at 12 years old, with money saved from my paper route….I bought a Guild S65. It had a single humbucker that was sooooo weak. Wish I had the money for the version with a Dimarzio. Despite that, I played it for a few years until I could afford something better. It did the trick.

Acoustic is a good way to start so you can have a clean sound and hear what you play, it toughens you up so you can shred

As a dude with passion for guitar, I've been playin for around 1,5 years now, and I got my first floyd about 5 months ago, and yes, all what you said might be true but I think that floyd rose is worth it, even as a beginner, just if you got the right mentality, ans yes, it is pain to change strings and tune and change tension of the springs but I love it, its such a good feature

I played a singlepickup Squier strat for like 2 years when I started, and it was great! Then again, it was sunburst

Also guys I have a schecter PT with stock pickups one is a single coil the other is a p90 i bought it off my friend for $300 basically brand new. I know humbuckers are better for Metal but could I still in theory record decent metal tracks or ideas with my pickups the guitar sounds pretty good plugged in. I’m also using plug ins as opposed to a traditional amp.

I would agree about Floyd style terms and 7 strings. I think a lot of people start with acoustic in the UK because that's what they have in schools here. As for Stratocasters it depends what kind of music you like. Personally Metallica never really floated my boat I grew up on Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore and Hank Marvin so I was more than happy to start with a Strat plus you have the in between settings if you want a bit of hum cancelling. I would literally recommend one to anyone. If you prefer country or Rolling Stones a Tele might suit you better but the Strat remains a fantastic all rounder. Yamaha Pacificas are well thought of too

I believe beginners should start with a classical guitar. Wider frets to learn how to stretch and nylon strings are easier as well especially for a beginner. My 2 cents!

@JamieSlays

6 күн бұрын

Thank you :)

Having switched to a 7 string after the first year had one advantage: I could avoid the the "it's basically learning a new instrument" phase, and I now see no reason to switch back to 6 strings. It also taught me to play cleanly to avoid hitting the 7th if I wanted to do gallops etc on the E. But it really depends on the music, as you mentioned

I have a guitar with a through body tremolo and I like it. Still want a Floyd Rose though (It would be for leads and would never leave E standard, my current guitar can do drop D just fine with the tremolo bridge). I would probably need a tech though to change strings.

Man, I wish I had this video when I bought my first guitar. I bought a single coil strat about a year ago, just to learn metal songs on it. It sounds so terrible, but I managed to learn a few songs and techniques on it. The jack input snapped one day and now can't play it through my amp anymore. I'm gonna save up 5o get another one soon with the humbuckers pickups.

Solid advice. I've been playing drop C on my six string for years, doing all the chug chug widdly widdly stuff that I do on my 7 string, but I got my 7 string thinking I needed the extra string to do the chug chugs before I found out about drop C

When my son wanted to begin learning, I thought about my struggles and chose a guitar that avoids all of them. I found a used Taylor T5Z. It's got the piezo pickup, the humbucker and a mic built into the body for acoustic. You can play it all. The neck is very thin and playing acoustic with it is a dream. I picked it up for $1600. Yes, a little on the salty side. But it's actually like 4 guitars in one, very well made and you will never need anything else. And for effects, I got him the Boss ME-80. It's got real knobs and switches and is laid out very simple. One of my biggest struggles was too many options. I would spend hours fiddling with all the thousands of choices and endless tweaking instead of playing it. Paralysis by analysis. Same with the amp. He got an Epiphone Valve Jr. It has one control, that's the volume. And an off/on switch. With that rig, my 15 year old son blew past me in one year. He is so good. And gear is not even a priority. He comes home from school, flips one switch on the power strip and is tuning up within 30 seconds. lol back in my learning days it would take me 20 minutes of tweaking before I played the first chord. That's the way to go

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

That sounds epic. I love the boss me80

@valuedhumanoid6574

11 ай бұрын

@@JamieSlays lol same. I believe they just released an updated version. Perhaps worthy of a video?

good arguments + fun video, that’s it, you’re my fav guitar content creator :)

3:34 you can use the springs behind the back plate to tune it to something else.

Great point on the acoustic, starting on one doesn't make sense if all you wanna play is electric

I think the better analogy would be: "In order to drive a car,You need to learn to drive a bike." Similar things (Maybe),But not interchangeable.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Yehhhhhhhhhhhhh

@duxxxhm

Ай бұрын

Diference between car and bike is 2 wheels and a lot of diferent skills. Diference between electric and acoustic guitar is much much less than people sugest. And, yes I play GUITAR for more than 30 years.

oh dude you made it a whole vid right on! great advice man, always love your jamming, and I need to buy a new shirt, my wife stole the last one, haha dude and your picks are my standard now literally made me switch from dunlop, I just like the way they glide off the string!

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Aww thanks bro! Get yourself some sweat bands and I throw in my signature picks too! Https://jamieslays.com/product/jamie-slays-sweatband/

@Thrashpotato

11 ай бұрын

@@JamieSlays sweat pants?? dood im on it!!

@Thrashpotato

11 ай бұрын

sweat bands,..haha those are sick!! im 100 percent going to some hell yea man!!

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

@@Thrashpotato yayyyy I’m wearing them in the video also haha

@Thrashpotato

11 ай бұрын

@@JamieSlays I have my charvel ones but they aren't long enough man those look nice man

Get a guitar that works. Too many beginners buy the first cheapest thing they see and when it doesn't work right they don't know what to do to fix it or even if it's just them. Make sure your tools are at least usable. I bought my kids one of those Fender 149 USD guitar/amp bundles and the guitar was so flimsy you didn't need a trem to dive bomb - it played at least but it always felt like it was made of matchsticks and going to just come apart on you for no reason. The amp is still alive and fine while the guitar is long gone - maybe that's another point for beginners: DON'T BUY A TUBE AMP.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Exactly!

If I could choose a guitar to begin with again it would probably be a Tele with P90 as neck and splittable HB as bridge pickup. No trem, tone pot optional. And I have to say I'm quite a metal guy and never liked Teles just for the looks. After I played my first one I think they are great after all. Considering I knew nothing about guitars when I started I'd try to find someone who knows how to setup a guitar and how to identify "no-go" flaws. My first guitar was a Harley Benton Strat and it was... well not great after all. Would've been no issue now nearly 15 years later. But clueless as I was I returned it and got a guitar with a Floyd Rose instead. It felt great out of the box and so I kept it. So you might imagine how my first string change was... Could've avoided a few problems if I just took the Strat to a luthier or guitar teacher. Never visited either of those in my life and learned it the hard way. Now I can do nearly everything a guitar tech can do, as long as I have the tools for the job.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Exactly. You’re soo right

@matthewvalenti1348

11 ай бұрын

Yamaha Pacifica fits that description to a tee as well, but with a super strat shape.

@tostrmofo6686

11 ай бұрын

Those are awesome beginner guitars. Just forgot about them because I never owned one.

I started playing in 1973. My first guitar was a 1967 Gibson SG Special. My neighbors brother had it under his bed. My cost was a set of strings. I still have it today. There goes that myth.

I have a Jackson J12, what do you think about it?

@JamieSlays

3 ай бұрын

Great sturdy guitar!

I think playing on an (metal string) acoustic guitar will give you the calluses and the finger muscles necessary to play electric guitar easily. It's up to the player though. If I play a complicated riff on an acoustic guitar, I'll play it super well on an electric.

I totally agree with ditching starting with an acoustic. I have hypermobility in my fingers making my grip strength pretty weak. I started playing 30 years ago when I was 16 and I still have trouble on acoustic with open chords. Forget barre chords, I can't sound them right. The hypermobility is due to defective collagen so even forming calluses sucks. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean crap. My Tanglewood Les Paul cost £160 30 years ago and is an absolute beast. I don't need a Gibson or Epiphone because it's so good.

I'm wearing that same Metallica T-shirt from the beginning.😂 In justice for all. I started on acoustic. When I finally transitioned to electric it was way easier.

Thank you for a great video. It's like you live in my head. Currently experiencing regret at the 11s on my Floyd Rose Jems which I don't know how to change back to slinkys. Great advice.

Floyd rose needs to play Steve Vai's Tender surrender

Cheap guitars are fine if they're set up the right way. I had a Squier Mustang HH that I paid $140 for, got it set up by my local guitar shop guy, and it was one of the best playing guitars I've ever had.

Thanks Jamie 🤘🏼Good content I’d love to see your thoughts on recording metal music as a total beginner (DAWs, Interfaces, Troubleshooting and even making a KZread video)

*I play metal on a Jazzmaster with single coils.*

I've always been pretty split on the whole topic of whether or not a beginner should start with an acoustic or an electric. I definitely agree that acoustics are definitely harder to play that electrics; however, the benefit is, if you start off on an acoustic and get somewhat proficient with it like general chord shapes and maybe a scale or two, when you do finally go to pick up an electric, it's going to feel so smooth and much easier to play. You're used to thicker strings and applying more pressure, your callouses have built up a bit quicker and stronger, so everything on the electric will feel so much easier. But this could also have a reverse effect for some people where the change in string gauges and applied pressure could throw them off for a bit. It's also a lot more difficult to play riffs that have a lot of hammer ons and pull offs on an acoustic for beginners, whereas on an electric you can practically play without hardly ever picking with your right hand and hear everything consistently. You can get a decent acoustic and a Squire Starter Set with both an electric and an Amp for around the same price...give or take $100 depending on what you're getting, so cost isn't really a debating point when it comes to beginners, but you can lug an acoustic around and play on the fly a little bit easier than you can an electric, and for someone who is just starting out and wanting to practice a lot, this could be a selling point. With that being said, technology has come a long ways and it's quite inexpensive to get a little portable amp speaker for your electric. Matter of fact, I recently found one on Amazon for $30 that has a clean and an overdrive channel and runs on a 6 hour rechargeable battery that surprisingly sounds really good.

I was always told to learn on acoustic too. But it wasn't until I got an electric that I really got it. I got an acoustic later on. As long as you've played a while, but long enough that you know you're gonna keep playing, get any decent guitar that plays good & has good tuning stability. Also don't listen to anyone who says the wood it's made of makes a difference in sound (unless maybe acoustic instruments) & that you need to waste money on better pickups.

What's this EVH D tuna thing you speak of? I am somewhat still new at guitar and I have a Floyd Rose I want to put in Drop D tuning but have yet to do so because of exactly what you said about the springs, the bridge tuning dials, the Floyd Rose locknut, and of course the standard tuning keys lol. I really love the guitar but when I bought it I didn't think much on the drop tuning part. However, I just used that as an excuse last week to justify buying another Ibanez 😂🤣😅 my friend was like do you really need another guitar? You have two already. I'm like yeah. The goal is to eventually have one for standard tuning, another for standard a whole step down, then one for drop C, one for drop D, and lastly one for B tuning. So I'm looking for a total of 5 guitars at least. He has no idea about music really. Told him don't you ever see that at concerts when the guitarists switch guitars between songs? That's what they're doing with all of them. Do I really need another guitar? Damn right I do and I intend to get more than one for each tuning eventually. That way if I break a string, already got a backup in the same tuning. I don't believe too many guitars is an actual thing 🤣 Nevermind. I just went in and searched it here on KZread. Found plenty of informative videos. 😂

I was in a music store once and a guy bought a $1000 Rhoads flying V in white with gold hardware for his son who just started. I hope he's still playing it.

@JamieSlays

11 ай бұрын

Me too! Those guitars are sick

The part about single coils. I didn't know how many options were available when I bought my first Strat. I would have scooped up an HSS had I known a little more back then. I got lucky when modding that guitar later, and it was already routed for HSH.

Unless you live in reasonably near a certain part of Germany you can't try Harley Bentons before you buy. Send them back, yes, but all that is a time consuming arse pain. I have four HB electrics and three HB acoustics, I've upgraded pickups and tone caps on three of the four electrics. Are they _good_ ? One of the acoustics is genuinely good after usual adjustments, the rest are OK to good even after upgrades. What they are in spades is fantastic value, decent, usable guitars and light years better than the budget electric guitar I started with forty years ago which was an evil plank. For context I own over forty guitars ranging from Harley Bentons through mid priced to Gibson LP Standard and Yamaha SG at the top so plenty of scope for comparison.