The biggest mistake a beginner makes is thinking that if they could just get to the next level of improvement, whatever that might be, that they will be satisfied. Playing guitar is an ongoing process that never comes to an end if you stay with it. The process is the only thing that you can count on. If you are results oriented as opposed to enjoying the process, you will get very frustrated very quickly. This was a very good video with great advice. Thanks for posting it.

@johnmartin2597

4 жыл бұрын

Kevin O'Rourke wise words

@MobileDecay

2 жыл бұрын

I thought I was gonna be content if I could play one Van Halen lick when I was a kid. 🤣

The only gear mistake I ever made was selling items. Have had some great gear and wish I still had most of it.

@kelownarocks

4 жыл бұрын

Me too. I had two beautiful hand made Gordon Smiths that I sold, and an old JCM 800. All because I started going down a super strat, digital modelling path.

@lorenzo-agnes

4 жыл бұрын

Couldn’t agree more .. I recently read an article where a guitarist said he never sells any guitar he buys coz he then just wants to buy it again. Been there, done that - expensive. Now I buy what I really want and keep it.

@slippy8813

4 жыл бұрын

@Wicker Billy my dad had a george lynch signature sold it for 800 i think its worth thousands now

@slippy8813

4 жыл бұрын

@Wicker Billy i dont remember which one it is but i think it had a purple ish style to it maybe stripes ill ask him about it tommorrow

@duck_5150

4 жыл бұрын

Same boat myself..still kicking myself for selling a "pat pending" peavey Wolfgang..

Mistakes Advanced Players Make.... Splurging on a dream guitar thinking it will cure their gas forever.

@rickfeith6372

4 жыл бұрын

GAS is like AIDS in a way...the cure isl lots of cold hard cash. Buy everything, want nothing. Thats how it works. P.S. I'm 27 years guitarded and I'm about to get a $3k BFR Music Man 🤣

@hkguitar1984

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I've decades and decades of buying gear and it's not like I'm outgrowing any of my guitars. I just seem experienced enough to convincingly argue with myself WHY I need that next guitar or amplifier.

@kdrake777

4 жыл бұрын

Rick Feith Those BFR Music Man Guitars are nice! But they don’t hold their value. I found some like new on Reverb for under $2k

@StratMatt777

4 жыл бұрын

@@rickfeith6372 Actually, if you buy everything you will find that you are still not happy, but then... the hope of being happy is lost forever. It's a problem of thinking that there is a material cure for a feeling of lack or discontentment that has nothing to do with the acquisition of material items. "The thing that will finally make you happy" will not. The only cure is to stop buying gear you don't need and start donating to Smile Train or Doctors Without Borders. This is a thoroughly western problem, only experienced by people with homes, toilets, running water, cars and too much money. The idea that things will "fill that void" is a lie perpetrated on us by marketing geniuses who admit that they are manipulating people's sense of unfulfillment. Watch your toilet flush your next turd out of your life and give thanks because you have far more than most of the people in the world. /cynic

@StratMatt777

4 жыл бұрын

@@rickfeith6372 Oops! I forgot the LAST and FINAL two steps! Here they are: 1. Buy a Soldano Astroverb (and a clean amp) or a Soldano HotRod50+ or Lucky13 and run it into a closed back cab with Celestions. 2. Because Fender is a rip-off, build a Warmoth/USA Custom Guitars (Or Whoever) HSS strat with a contoured heel, compound radius neck, stainless steel 6105 or 6150 frets, Graphtech TUSQ nut and Graphite saddles, locking tuners, and a Super-Vee Bladerunner bridge. Pickups: Seymour Duncan Custom Custom TremBucker in the bridge and Fender Original '57/'62 single coils in middle and neck (BUT you do need to correct the vintage magnet stagger with vise grips). Now you're DONE! Welcome to my world. :P

I just want to add this in , I had spend a few months without my pedal board and pedals and plug just straight into my amp . That did more for my playing than anything. Having to play without delay , distortion , reverb and stuff forced me to learn a bunch of new stuff I wasn’t doing or wasn’t doing right . I became much more dynamic and musical and leveled up !

Thank you for addressing the "starter kit" issue. I work in a music shop too and I have to work so hard to explain to parents buying for their first-time players why that's not the best option. Music is an investment and the worst thing you can do when starting out is set the new player up for failure with something that's so poorly put together it discourages them from playing. That "I'm gonna lose money if Johnny doesn't stick with it" mindset is the worst! Well said!

@12south31

4 жыл бұрын

100 percent agreed. If a kid doesn't start with something decent that plays well, most of the time they will assume learning will always be like that and give up. I own a repair shop and offer 50 percent off set ups for kids 17 and under with a school ID. My hope is that when I give them their cheap guitar back and it plays much better they will stick with it.

Bought a Katana 50 for my 13 year old. Insanely good for very little money. So good. Wish they existed 30 odd years ago.

@anthonyquattro584

4 жыл бұрын

I have one as well and it is amazing 2 of my friends bought one as well after they played with my amp

@monke5052

4 жыл бұрын

@YUCA TEC man, you gotta fix that bloq mayus key. People will think you're yelling

@tonybrooks476

4 жыл бұрын

YUCA TEC OK. I hope you are being funny by doing an impression of a tube snob fool.

@corneliuscrewe8165

4 жыл бұрын

@YUCA TEC Tell That to BB King. He played transistor amps for decades.

@emiliocurbelo8891

4 жыл бұрын

I have it too and yep, it's great for so little money

My rig: modified squier strat, vox pathfinder 10 and a reverb pedal..thats it

@theasherroseman

4 жыл бұрын

Vlr Pachuau mine: fender tele in seafoam, and a fender mustang gt 40

@carlitoxb110

4 жыл бұрын

squire tele, Tube screamer clone, marshall MG15r 15W solid state amp

@telmiqq8590

4 жыл бұрын

Cort-X11, Fender Champion 20.

@olibolton4633

3 жыл бұрын

Mine:stock squier, marshall combo amp, didgey lead made by an auxiliary lead with 2 adapters either end😂

@chaotickicks7680

3 жыл бұрын

Same but my squire strat is stock

"Less is More" an old saying that holds true today

@sunburstshredder

4 жыл бұрын

Unless you're Yngwie Malmsteen

@christiancibulka1886

4 жыл бұрын

@@sunburstshredder"How can less be more? More is more." That Malmsteen guy man

Playing for 17 years now. My regret is buying too much stuff too fast instead of just playing and understanding music theory/harmonics. My recent setup is just a simple tube amp and an overdrive pedal. I really enjoy the simplicity.

You're still a beginner. How depressing is that for the rest of us lol

@richardcramp2850

4 жыл бұрын

we never stop learning..at any level of player

@Qwickv

4 жыл бұрын

richard cramp exacctly

@TheEchelon

4 жыл бұрын

richard cramp That doesn't make you a beginner... No one is perfect, experts still have things to learn and improve on.

@terrencegibson9012

4 жыл бұрын

LMAO. Right

@DJMerck

4 жыл бұрын

Its stuff like that, that is SO DAMN DISCOURAGING! It makes me sick to go on a video for beginner guitar. And then have to wait through 2 minutes of experienced shredding in a intro, and after that who wants to play Because what he does is definitely not doable by a beginner. Those videos get an auto dislike and maybe a report with hopes some copyrighted stuff will take it down. I got ZERO love for a showoff to beginner guitarist...

Agreed! I'm a begginer and my gear is a super cheap guitar(Squier Bullet Mustang, 140$) and a cheap but decent amp (Boss Katana 50, 235$). That's all. It sounds good and I'm very happy with it

@KalliLe.

2 жыл бұрын

hey i’m gonna get this exact guitar and amp probably soon. do you still recommend it to me a beginner now - 2 years later 😂

@emiliocurbelo8891

2 жыл бұрын

@@KalliLe. Yes, definitely. The simple design, the short scale (easier to play), no tremolo arm (more tuning stability), is ideal for beginners. Plus humbuckers mean you can also play music with high gain too and low noise.

@wuuuuuuu254

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, after 2 years

Great sentiment Robert! I’m not much beyond a beginner level, but have been plucking along for 20 years and thank God we have these better beginner amps now. They sound so much better. Have that very same fender mustang you were showing, and that’s all I need for my living room performances baby!

When I began to take my guitar playing more seriously, at age 48/49 (I'm now 54) , I had NO clue about the variety of amps and pedals and FX's and all that stuff. So when it came time for me to purchase a new amp I came across the Mustang 3 modeling amp with 100 presets onboard. I was so naive I had no idea what "modeling" or "presets" meant lol. As a matter of fact, I always thought all those weird sounds you can make on a guitar, Wah, phaser etc, were just done by adjusting the knobs on any style amp lolol. So after some research I decided to go with the Mustang 3 because I did not want to have to invest in all those pedals and cables, plus I was taking the amp on the road with me in my semi and I certainly did not have room for all that garbage! I now use the Mustang GT 200 amp and I have a Marshall Code 50 as well. I do plan on buying a tube (valve) amp one day but for now this set up works just fine for me. I somewhat disagree just a tad with you Robert, I think a beginner should get something like the Mustang GT 100 or 200 and use it to learn on. There are 100 presets already set up and ready to play so there is no need to have to fumble around and try to figure out what does what. Now also here is where I think such an amp is a great learning tool - you simply download the PDF manual that is online and within a few minutes even the most computer illiterate can figure out how to make changes on these amps, lol I know cause I am one of those illiterates lololol. But what I really like is this - let's say a beginner finds a preset that they really really like, you can open up the menu for that setting right there on your cell phone or tablet or PC and then you get to see everything that is used and the levels used to create that preset! You can click on "bypass" and shut off this or that preset and this will teach you what exactly that FX does. This is how I have learned what FX to add to get that sound I want and I think it is very beneficial to have such an amp. You can go online right through the amp, download " Jimmy Page Kashmir" preset, hit save and poof! It's on your amp and then you simply scroll through everything that setting uses and then you can go to an empty preset slot and create your very own Page sound by tweaking those FX's. The new GT series is much better than the Mustang series because you can just use your phone, but the original Mustang's actual had an onscreen amp that you could actually turn all the knobs and scroll through the list of added pedals and such. You can move them from post to pre or vice versa and see what that does. This is all so much easier than fumbling around with pedals on the floor. Can it be maybe a little confusing for a beginner? Sure it can, then again how confusing is learning scales and such for a beginner? If an amateur boomer like myself can figure out one of these things, a 20 year sure as heck can! lol. Plus once you buy say the GT 200 model, there is nothing more you need to buy! No more pedals or cables or batteries - plug it in, sync it with your phone and you are off to the races! Well, they do have a pedal you can buy specially designed for these amps to control things like your wah effect but it's not a necessary item to buy.

So many people go down the gear rabbit hole and have a room full of gear but don’t play so well. Lots of KZread Channels I could name but won’t. I took a year off from buying any gear and just focused on learning. It was a huge break through.

Amen, all you said! I've been playing since I was 5, and I'm now 51. I had the bad luck to have lost everything I owned about 7 years ago (5 vintage guitars, two vintage amps, and all of my effects, and not due to a divorce or jail! Lol) I've been starting over, and though I was never big on complicated equipment, I did have a Digitech RP2000, which had all the bells and whistles. I used about 10% of what it was capable of. Currently, I have a Marshall Code50, it has a lot of options, but I got it mainly for the reason that I can program it to several different amp settings that I like, and I don't use the effects. I buy pedals. I'm planning on buying a simple tube amplifier combo, and using the Code50 as a recording tool. Love your channel, Robert! (I too am a Page man!😄)

Took up the guitar in my late 40s. Have wanted to play my whole life and finally went for it. I got an entry level Squire Tele, a Blackstar 3w practice amp and a good set of headphones. What I finally realized is that I can play at night while the family is asleep and be virtually silent. This little 3w amp through headphones sounds great! With these few affordable items I am having a blast. I think the lesson is to do your research and get some quality gear at a fair price that fits your budget.

@smallville8865

4 жыл бұрын

What headphones do you have? I’m currently trying to find a decent pair for late night playing but trying to find good honest reviews/feedback etc is almost impossible as most videos are basically just sponsored ads and obviously if you ask 10 people you get 10 different answers.

@tbone25

4 жыл бұрын

Dean Pearson - I went with the Marantz MPH-2 Professional Studio headphones. I got them on sale at Musicians Friend during the holidays for $29. I now see they are $80-100 online. Try to find a coupon or sale. I like them a lot, but wouldn’t spend that much for them.

@bluebluebluebird

4 жыл бұрын

@@smallville8865 I will give you my opinion of what I call the industry standard closed back headphones. I have two pairs that were my own in 13 years. They are the sennheiser HD-280 headphones. The only reason I have had two personal pairs that are not still in the studio is because my young ones got a hold of my oldest pair, and on a trip to the west coast this summer the new part were stepped on my my youngest son. Those are to me the best sounding longest lasting (mind you keep you young children from them) headphones you can buy for $100 US dollars.

@TokyoBlue587

4 жыл бұрын

I have a Blackstar Fly 3, pretty good little practice amp

@smallville8865

4 жыл бұрын

@@tbone25 thanks for the reply, I’ll take a look.

My first amp was a Fender Junior G-DEC (which was part of a kit) and while it has a lot of options, it wasn't overwhelming. After years of playing on that I just got a Boss Katana and that tone studio is unreal. At first you do end up playing with the settings more than practicing but eventually you can dial in some amazing tones.

I bought a Line 6 amp with most of the bells and whistles, took it back and got a Fender Champion 20. Love it!

@eatmysalt291

4 жыл бұрын

Jeffrey Eagen I use a champion 40. Should have gone smaller cause I only play in my bedroom and I can’t turn it past 2 1/2 without rattling every window in the house.

Honestly, I’ve had an Epiphone SG special for three years and it’s awesome! This was my first electric guitar and I still love it. I have an American made telecaster now, and the SG can still compete with it. The only thing I’ve ever had to fix on the SG was a wiring issue which started to happen after I dropped it on my driveway, that’s it. I definitely recommend the Epiphone SG special as a beginner guitar. Plus it’s only $199

When going from acoustic to electric, I bought the Fender mustang amp and a squier affinity Strat which worked for me perfectly. They helped me when it came to upgrading my equipment.

I love the sound of my Tele with 8's run thru my pig nose. I recently picked up a Classic Vibe 50's Strat and a Supro Blues King 8 that I'm really liking. My grandson(6yo) likes his hot-rodded mini strat thru a Mustang 1. He likes the various modeling choices.

After getting the ultimate 18th birthday present (LP Goldtop!! In the days when they were cheap.....-ish), I saved & saved for a s/h amp a friend saw in a shop, and then a 4x12 cab to go with it! So I ended up with a Marshall 100w superlead halfstack - in my bedroom! I remember the anguish from my parents (volume never went higher than 1, but gain was maxed!). That was 40 years ago, but I've still got them both. :)

The search for that tone starts with shitty amps, evolves to lots of pedals, effects boards, pick ups, guitars, until that moment you are older and go back to a single amp and delay

@marshwiggle9676

4 жыл бұрын

I’ve gone back to acoustic all that tone chasing gets old .. and expensive

@utooberblooper

4 жыл бұрын

single amp with some balls to have crunch,delay,chorus and over drive and learn to use your damned volume knob and tone.

This is exactly why I always recommend the Katana amps. They have a lot of bells and whistles if you want them/when you get to that level, but they have a very simple front panel with no screens or menus. They are fantastic straightforward amps if you never plug them into a computer, and have lots of nifty functions if you decide to. That way they're very simple and easy to get a good sound out of for beginners or people that want a "normal amp", but you still have lots of cool features if you want them and/or start to want them in the future. It's an amp that is easy but grows with you if that makes sense.

@corneliuscrewe8165

4 жыл бұрын

How do they compare to say the Mustang 3 in terms of ease of use? I love my Mustang, but the menus are a bit of a pain...

@niclastname

4 жыл бұрын

@@corneliuscrewe8165 I haven't used a mustang, but if you look at a picture of the front (top) panel, you can see the controls. It's very simple. No screens at all. Also if you're fine with menus but just prefer it on a bigger screen with a mouse, you can actually fully control the front panel from the computer software window without touching the knobs, along with all the like 50 additional FX etc. That's what I usually do.

@corneliuscrewe8165

4 жыл бұрын

Sounds interesting, might have to check one out. Can you use a tablet or a phone with the menus? I haven’t had a proper computer in years. I do everything on tablets anyways and never replaced the computer when it died.

@niclastname

4 жыл бұрын

@@corneliuscrewe8165 Ummm I think someone made a third party app to do it with a phone/ tablet but there wasn't an app from boss that I know of. That might have changed with the MKII though, I have the MKI so I'm not 100% sure.

@corneliuscrewe8165

4 жыл бұрын

No worries. Not buying anything new for a while anyhow 😆

Good video. I agree with you totally. I think one thing that people do not think of or take into account is that when buying a cheap starter kit is that not only can they get a much better guitar and amp for a bit more, but they also have a better trade in or resell value if they want to trade up later, or if they do decide not to continue playing. I think spend a bit more and get a good setup on the guitar and the fact you spent a bit more can actually be a bit of a motivating factor, because you realize you put a bit more money into. A lot of times, businesses find that if they give a free seminar or course, people who sign up are more likely not to show up than if they charge a small amount, because if people pay for the course, they feel it is a waste if they do not show up, but if it is free they lose nothing if they decide not to go. I think a proper setup on a guitar is really key, and if you are a beginner you have no idea what a good setup looks like, but one of the things they tend to cut corners on in cheaper guitars is the time they spend finishing the guitar and doing the setup. In fact, on cheaper guitars, they tend to set the action a bit higher so they do not have to deal with problems with fret buzz that might require some filing on individual frets or other adjustments.

I bought a Line 6 Helix and PowerCab last summer. I struggled for 5 days trying to get something I liked. It’s a fantastic piece of equipment, but it was way ahead of what I was capable of benefitting from. I took it back and got a Fender Blues Jnr (and change) and was playing music again within 30 seconds of plugging in.

"Well, it's easy to use if you're very familiar with using stuff like this.." PREACH it brother. As a beginner guitarist, that's the crux of the matter for me. I don't care if it's really easy to scroll through the various plate, hall and reverb options, set decay times and ping-pong delays.. as I don't know what they do anyway! :)

I use the Mustang 1 on the Twin Reverb setting in the studio and live with the volume rarely above 4 with a loud drummer. I have a collection of vintage Fender tube amps and side by side to me the Mustang sounds and feels a little better. I love showing kids and beginners it’s more important to invest in practice.

Biggest mistake I made when starting was thinking a free acoustic amp would be good for electric.

I love your outlook, man. You’ve got a great viewpoint on how to approach your vision. Great job.

Robert I always love your positive attitude and energy man!

I'm starting out again after many years so instead of going down the squier route I've bought a Mexican strat deluxe which I know I'll pick up everyday because of the cost! great video as always 🤟🤟👊

@Gary_28

4 жыл бұрын

@Brian The BreadCrumbThat wasnt my point 🙄 but oh well......

I agree with this video. When I was a new player I got a vox valvetronix. It had amp settings and effects so it was fun for me to just mess with for hours, but it was simple enough to just pick a sound a get a good one. It also taught me the general differences between marshall amp sound, fender sound, vox, ETC. The basic fender mustang is perfect for new people. The Mustang GT, not so much.

100% agree. Went to buy a new amp about 2008 at a big box store. I was looking around and looking confused. An 18 year old sales rep came up to me, asked what i was looking to buy. I said, "I'd like an amplifier tubes, 1h volume and 1 tone knob with a 10 or 12 inch speaker combo." He said they didn't have any, and doesn't think that those are even made any longer. He kept pushing me to a 30 watt solid state Vox with a computer in it. I kept saying "no". A simple tube amp around 5 to 10 watts with a simple tone setup. He swore up and down they didn't make that kinda amp any longer. So as I was leaving in disgust due to the fact I was not helped and being told a line of BS. There it was! A Vox AC4TV in the corner. Farely loudly I spouted, "HEY! WHAT IS THIS!!?" So I played the amplifier, and bought it on the spot. So my son has started to pick up the guitar. He is nine, Instead of giving him the VOX AC4TV, I had enough parts on hand to build with him. A 5E3 Champ clone. So now he has a 3/4 Squire Strat, his champ clone, and a tube screamer clone that he can only use when it is his free play sessions. Other times during sessions of learning it is a clean tube amp that doesn't allow him to get away with the mistakes high gain allows. So when his free play sessions come up, and we jam. He sounds so much better when the tube screamer clone is used. Call me mean or whatever. At least he is learning to fret the notes properly, and getting a good sound without hiding behind the gain that effects and DSP allows you to hide behind.

I have a Epiphone standard pro, a mustang that is sitting in the back room. Decided on getting a Boss Katana mini that I use, it has an awesome sound through headphones, also added a Boss sd 1 overdrive pedal. Could not be happier with the simplicity of the set up. I do plan to eventually upgrade to a Orange Micro Dark.

Best guitar teacher on KZread! It's like I'm asking these questions and you're making these videos in response

I used to teach guitar, and even then I always advised students to find more experienced players so they could 'learn by Osmosis', ideally join a band. You always learn something so long as you adopt the right attitude. I've been in bands for best part of thirty five years now and I'm still learning!

Great Video, keep it on Robert!

awesome advice!! especially loved the bit about going into it with a defeated mindset! that was such an encouragement to me, thanks dude!!

Thank you ROBERT! Always looking out for us 👍😇🎸

I’m trying to relearn guitar after a 40+ year break. I bought a Boss Katana and a Squire Affinity Tele and couldn’t be happier. The Tele was set up perfect for me right from the store and the Katana is awesome it is basic if you want it to be and you can get into it more complex by hooking it up to a laptop to fine tune some of the settings.

@solarwinds5114

4 жыл бұрын

The Boss Katana is what I use as well. They're such incredible amps with tons of total capability

My first guitar was a Washburn Strat starter kit from Costco. It came with a strap, folding srand, extra strings, a simple 10W practive amp, electronic tuner, hex key and picks. It was all I needed to get started. Years later, I still love this guitar as it's so easy to play. It's actually easier than my main guitat, a Godin Solidac. It's made to be easy to play and it's really light. It doesn't have the resonance or sustain like my Solidac though. Nevertheless,I got it professionally set up by a luthier and it's the best thing I could've bought.

It’s such a great time starting guitar now so many options. Once you found your guitar which is where your inspiration gets going then need to get that starter amp but don’t skimp. The amp is so critical to your tone spend time checking out in person or videos. Tons of great resources available. Of course you budget needs to be able to support it. Buying used is definitely a good option but can take more time. Enjoy the journey it’s so much fun!!

I would recommend to buy a decent guitar and amp from the get-go. I started on a kit. The guitar was ok, but needed a setup and the frets weren't that good.. It plays ok now, but the frets are still bugging me a bit. Upgraded to the Katana 50Mk2 which is a great amp. The panel gets you a long way, but if you connect it to your computer it can get a bit confusing, BUT there is a lot of decent precets for different styles if you want that, but to do it manually is a bit weird. - You can also set it to 0,5Watt and 25Watt, your neighbors will thank you, and you will still have a good quality sound! Upgraded to a better guitar recently as well, and I regret not buying this earlier / from the beginning. It's so much easier and nicer to play with a proper guitar and no swarm of bees coming out of the amp. Also, don't sell your first gear. It's kind of fun to look back at what you started on. It's gotten some sentimental value now.

I had the Mustang 1. When I was done, I sent it to my dad. He couldn't stand it due to all the options. He traded it for an Orange Crush 35RT. For someone who wants solid-state with onboard overdrive at low volumes, that is a great option.

@augustotannus27

4 жыл бұрын

Man... I have a crush 20 and I can say that it rocks. It has a awesome clean, more awesome OD, it even can do that edge of breakup very well at low vol. I'm happy AF with this amp. I can do jazz, country, blues, classic rock and metal with the same amp.

@augustotannus27

4 жыл бұрын

Had the mustang aw but I blew it up lol

@calvin3230

4 жыл бұрын

I have an orange crush 32RT, awesome amp, though at times can be a bit muddy.(probably my pickups)

@augustotannus27

4 жыл бұрын

@@calvin3230 he has the tendency to go muddy with high output humbuckers. Try taking a little bit of the gain out, and a little bit of the mids. Not all of it

I'll probably start teaching my son soon and was thinking of starting him on a good clean amp that will work as a pedal platform and let him add pedals as he progresses and "needs" them. I've always been very budget-conscious, so when I was learning a bought a digital multieffects unit instead of individual pedals. As cool as it was being able to scroll through presets and get sounds that sounded (to me at the time) pretty close to the tones I was going for, it was a crutch. Any of the custom patches I created were utter garbage in hindsight, because I had no idea what I was doing. It wasn't until I got an amp with an effects loop and built a pedal board that I really started to understand how to craft a tone.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t: you’re right.” I really messed up with my starter gear. I bought an Epiphone Les Paul Special II “AFD” and a 65-watt Kustom amp used at a pawn shop for $200 (I had no idea just how big 65 watts was, or I would’ve looked at a different amp). I wasn’t even gonna buy it, but my dad was buddies with the shop owner and pretty much spent my money for me, which isn’t exactly uncommon. Anyway, I bought the better of the 2 Les Pauls they had, which is really saying something considering this thing has a crack between the fretboard and neck, the fretboard doesn’t even line up on the neck properly, the neck isn’t seated properly, etc. Of course, I noticed none of these things in the shop because I had absolutely no idea what to look for. I picked up on the issues over the first week or so of playing. While I love the guitar and have had a lot of fun learning on it, the longer I play, the more I realize just how much of a POS it is. I’m looking into getting a new guitar soon, probably a Squier Strat. My advice to anyone wanting to get a first guitar: if you’re gonna buy used, try and shop with someone who plays and knows what to look for. And don’t buy something because your friend is selling it.

@CavemanWithAStringStick

4 жыл бұрын

I never recommend an Epiphone product with a bolt-on neck. They just don't care about them as much as other models. For the same peice, i recommend ANY Ibanez product.

@CavemanWithAStringStick

4 жыл бұрын

If you like your Les Paul's humbuckers, but are thinking about a strat because of feel and single coil tones, the Ibanez Gio RG has two humbuckers, but will do stratty, single coil tones as well, and usually plays like a dream with minimal , if any tech work. A Squier strat is going to need a setup almost immediately

The equipment doesn't make the player, but there is a quality/cost line that if you go under, you hurt your ability to progress, for sure. Lots of great, cheap amps, but get a decent guitar. Get a good enough guitar that you can fall in love with.

Good job on the backing tracks Robert keep em coming please 🤩😋

Great points. I started learning just over a month ago. I borrowed my brother's $800 Fender Strat for a few weeks and bought the cheapest amp I could find at Guitar Center... a 20w Acoustic brand for like 80 bucks. Wasn't 100% if this was something I was going to stick with so figured this was a cheap way to go. Fast forward to today... I'm now the super proud owner of a Schecter C1 Platinum but I'm not happy with the amp. Since Guitar Center has a 45 day return policy, I'm returning the amp and replacing it with a Blackstar HT1R MKII. A simple 1watt tube amp with a couple channels and a some simple controls. Doesn't have a million effects, doesn't need to be loud enough to gig with... just needs to sound fantastic at lower volumes in my house... which is probably all most newbies need. Moral of the story... if you are thinking about picking up the guitar... do what you can do try it out for a bit for free, or as close to it as possible. If you dig it, THEN spend a reasonable amount of money on something that will inspire you and make you want to pick it up every day. And at least now you have at least SOME idea of what you like, what you don't, etc. Shop your local Guitar Center and take advantage of their 45 day return policy.

Started playing guitar again recently. Got a Squier Bullet Telecaster, running through an Hohner 20 watt amp, with a few basic effects pedals. Not the best sounding set-up, but man, it just fantastic.

Totally agree with those comments Robert. Great vid as always. The cheap guitar v's cheap amp scenario is well documented and I think everyone agrees, you'll sound heaps better with a cheap guitar on a more expensive amp than the reverse. I started with a Fender Mustang and must admit it sounded boxy as hell to me. I'd recommend the Katana as a great starter amp. They can be picked up pretty cheap second hand and there's lots out there.

I agree with the less is more philosophy. A line 6 pocket pod is my weapon of choice most of the time and I only use fuzz echo. It sounds great so I can spend my time practicing and jamming - not twisting dials. Well said RB!

I would agree. I spent a lot of time and money chasing tone that I wish I had known what I know now.

Totally agree with you. My first electric guitar was a used Ibanez X350 (A cheap Korean RG clone), a Washburn Amp with Reverb built-in. It was OK, but outgrew it quite fast... Sold both once I knew better what I was looking for. Now my gear is a bit higher grade, but I am much happier: - Schecter SSS FR - Jojo Banthamp Zombie for home playing - Harley Benton 1x12 Cab - Also got a Boss Katana Mini (for jamming at my friend's house) I have a pedal board, started with with Behringer and Donner pedals, having fun with it, and trying combination of effects in/out of the fx-loop. I guess the point is going into it gradually.

My starter guitar was from Amazon, the Donner 125 dollar or 135? Something like that HSS guitar that came with an mini amp, cable, extra strings, 5 picks (3 sizes), strap, capo, bag, it was a single way rtremolo bar tbagh goes down only, been playing it for about 6 months, only re stringed it ones after the high E string broke. But, the guitar feels good, the action does not seem too high, I had to buy a 20w Fender Champion amp because the little one's sound quality was a bit 'bad' and the sound completely changed with the new amp. I wanted to experiment with new picks and sizes, haven't tried tortex tho, I'm planning to buy a pack soon. And the capo ended up breaking. But the guitar seems great, haven't bought a new guitar but in planning to buy one above 300 dollars tho. My progress has been better since I started obviously. I have been watching lots of your videos for tips and tricks or lessons that help me learn 'better' and I might say, it has. Thank you man.

Just recently bought a blackstar fly 3 as I was beginning my guitar journey. Bought this merely due to the fact that I'll be graduating uni and potentially be moving out very soon, so a smaller gear would be more practical for my current situation haha

I made this mistake, for certain. Got a Black Star amp with the phone app and a world of effects available. Could never dial in what I wanted. Switched to a 15 inch active PA speaker with built in reverb and started slowly adding in a pedal now and then. So much better for me.

Started on an ibanez gio kit and no brand 80s hummimgbird copy with a baseball bat neck. When i was 6 aspiring to be jimmy page, waylon jennings, and a brutal bluegrass player. 17 years later. I have the right amazing gear, from trading and selling. And im still learning everything i possibly can. We never stop learning. One thing that took me a while to learn. Just because it cost more does not mean its better. Especially pedals . unless we're talking epiphone vs gibson. No contest.... Gibson haha haha. Theres awesome fenders in the 3-500$ range though.

that is a mustang 1. that was the amp i grew up on and learned to play on. the clean channels are good and to me has one of my favorite chorus effects built into it. the dirty channels arent very good, but its def better than most starter amps. Also it takes pedals pretty well on the front end on the clean channel. ( i used a g1xn. great multi fx pdeal with a variety of sounds and patches) i would totally recommend this to any beginner

I agree, people always comment all the gear no idea but good quality gear makes all the difference and can be the beginning of giving up if its not good

Thank you for this! I’ve been hungup on upgrading to a modeller or a tube amp from my orange crush.

Yes we all have made mistakes in buying the wrong gear. Your absolutely right in regards to cheap amps when starting out. Many don’t get a nice sound, it is better saving up a bit more for a better, slightly more expensive one. I think the other mistake you can make is choosing a guitar brand or type of guitar that your favourite player’s have. It is worth trying different ones out at the guitar store to see what you find to be more comfortable or has a better sound to your ears. I have even bought a number of guitars with a tremolo on to eventually realise I don’t really use it & prefer the stability of a hard tail. 😕

i just ordered squier affinity hss strat kit with the 15w amp, can't wait for it to arrive

I started playing a year and a half ago at age 50. Borrowed my son’s Yamaha Pacifica with the kit amp. The fam got me a MiM Strat for Christmas, so I wanted a better amp. Bought a Fender Champion 50xl. It has built-in effects I thought I’d use. They were actually a big distraction from practicing, and some of the effects sounded like static. Took it back, not sure what my next move would be. Until I decided, I bought a Blackstar Fly 3 for around $60. Wow! This thing should be the starter amp in every kit. I practice with it most of the time, 5-6 nights a week. It runs on batteries which last forever. I spend several weeks a year taking care of my dad who lives 1200 miles away. I keep a Squier Affinity Strat at his place and throw the Blackstar into my suitcase when I visit. Those two combined make a very good sounding quality starter package that won’t break the bank.

In my opinion you only need a few effects anyway: overdrive, delay, reverb, and maybe some tremolo or fuzz. A lot of amps will have a couple of those built in. Then you can get the rest through cheap Boss or EHX pedals. Upgrade and expand your gear later.

1st amp was fender champion 20 on a sales guys recommendation. After a year I realized it didn’t give me the distortion or versatility I really wanted. I picked up a vox vt20+ and this thing can do everything well. Happy I switched. And the volume controls are better on the vox for quiet playing.

I just got a Tech21 rk5 original version. I think that’s all I need for now. I’ve been playing since 1989 and I wanted: small, light, powerful.

Good advice. Agreeing with everything while I look over at my mustang iii amp. When a katana didn't exist it was cool. I got the expression pedal and 4 button switch. Upgraded to pedals and a tube amp but I still mess with it here and there.

Wow Robert, you really crank it on that Friedman. I love when you play.

As a bloke who has been playing for a little more than a year, oh boy multi effect pedals can be really confusing untill you learn how it works. I got a nux cerberus and at first i had no idea how to even copy a preset. Now i understand it for the most part. its a really good pedal. And its flawless even when using it without an amp.

Thanks for the great pointers!

0:02 When you wanna play It's Not Love by Dokken without angering the copyright bot.

I had that same Fender amp. I actually got it after I got my Crush 35rt. It was my first modeling amp, and it was awesome. I gave it to my daughters friend who was just starting out on guitar. I still have my Crush 35rt which I feel is one of the best first amps to have. 2 channels, EQ and reverb and tuner built in. Sounds great, and easy to use. If the 35rt is to much, the 20rt is also great. I just didn't like the sound of the 8in speaker in the 20 vs the 10' in the 35.

My first amp was a Pignose. No pedals---if I wanted distortion, I'd just turn the volume all the way up ( THAT'S rock and roll!!) BTW--I still have and use that same amp. I love it as a practice amp.

I've been playing guitar off and on for the past 40 years, still not very well and I have two strats and a tele and a Epiphone LP Special. My bedroom is full of cheap practice amps but most of my playing is on the Epi LP and a Hotone nano amp plugged into a Randall 1x8 speaker cabinet, that's all I really need.

Always love the shirts. I saw a golden girls one that reminded me of you it said appetite for cheesecake and was set up like gnr appetite for destruction. You could totally rock it.

Anyone who asks me what to get for a starter set I always say the exact same thing. Used Mexican Strat/Tele and a Fender Blues Jr. Done. You can literally play that for 20 years and be happy. Quality without breaking the budget. Done.

Bro Tip: Sterling / Music Man makes really, really good guitars for cheap. You can pick up a great beginner guitar used for $250-400, and it will play as good as a $1000 guitar

I have played through Line 6 Spider IV, POD HD 500X, Blackstar HT Club 40 with a pedal collection that got ridiculous and a Boss Katana. Some of these are like what Rob was talking about, time consuming to dial in a patch. I recently decided to get a Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 V2 and a Headrush FRFR 108 speaker. This is a great sounding rig that is simple to set up and use, and together weighs about 20 lbs. I love it.

@solarwinds5114

4 жыл бұрын

I currently am running a POD 500X into a Boss Katana, I find the tone to be really good

@hudathehudini9571

2 жыл бұрын

this comment is very old but i was planning on getting a boss katana 50 mk II because i’ve heard good things, but after seeing reviews some people say it’s overhyped and not good. should i get it??

Mustang I V2 Set the green and red channels to all classic Fender amps. Yamaha ... quality out of the box Pac 112J . Bullit Squier Tele @ 130USD ... if you mess up learning fixing it is was no big deal, and you still have the Pacifica. The "fixin" the Bullit is half the fun, and now that mine is playable I LOVE THE CHEAP unpretentious simple honest thing that it is. Never buy thinking you will "trade UP" ... make your own starter pack, Pac 112J & modeling amp, cord with a 90 end, picks. To cover all the basic types, 3rd Guitar Epiphone Spl. II. Spending a year with each will allow you the chance to learn which neck feels best.

my first amp was a mustang and i used it for a smallish gig a few months ago, they r great

7:27 My first amp was a fender blues Jr. If I'm not mistaken it was around $350 new in the mid 90's. Fantastic sounding amp but me being me, I wanted to sound like metallica so I used it as a pedal platform until I could afford a proper metal amp. I finally sold the Blues jr off a few years ago for $300. If I had started on a squier amp, It would have been nearly useless to me and absolutely unable to resell later on. If you can't afford a decent amp, just play unplugged until you can.

@deathmaybeyoursantaclaus

4 жыл бұрын

Agree with this. My 'mistake,' if you like, was waiting too long to buy a halfway decent amp. I'd played unplugged for so long that I initially struggled to dial my amp in when I finally did get one 😬

My set up and I've been only playing for 2 years has always been Guitar Rig 5, Rocksmith Guitar Cable and Ghost Fret Pro all goes into your computer. Simple and easy. Plug and sounds great. Guitar Rig 5 has 100s of presets for Metal, Punk, Rock, Country, Jazz ect... Its absolutely amazing. Guitar Rig 5 does go for £200 though but if you were a naughty boy like me and downloaded it for free to try it out it can be cheap. So basically my "Amp and Speaker" set up is Guitar Rig 5 and it sounds amazing. Presets "Big Monster" and RTM2 POWER1" are great Metal, my personal favourite.

Starting off, I used an old broken guitar I found in the garbage. I glued it together and it only had one string. Eventually I added the other 5 strings and learned the basic chords (G eM C D) that's what I learned on. I had a short hair cut. It was fun then -- and many years later -- it's still fun (I have a better guitar now -- and I have a shot hair cut).

I have that fender mustang amp. I agree it's got some great tones. I've recorded with it and have gotten a big sound out of it. A lot of people think it's my Marshall when they listen. Or on a clean recording they are asking if it's my tele but really it's my prs se. Lol I recommend the amp give yourself a week with it. Dial the gain back on some of the heavy settings. Nice.

One of my favorite guitars is a used Mexican tele. Awesome. Most of my gear is used.

I'm still very much a beginner, but as a starter amp I really enjoy my 10w Blackstar, it sounds great for a little over 100 bucks, and it has settings for drive and effects like modulation and reverb :D

@dash4079

Жыл бұрын

How you getting on now

One of my favorite amps to play on is a Marshall 30watt amp, with a drive button, delay, and reverb. When i bought my MIM strat in 2003, the guy at the store THREW IT IN with the guitar. Simple can be better. And l agree about guitar setup. If it's not playable, a beginner won't play it. If you like it, you'll play it more, and as you play more, you get better, and so you'll play more.

Thanks Rob! Now I’ll off to buy my custom shop strat and a Marshall half stack

I have that exact fender mustang amp. If it had an effects loop, I would never entertain the idea of another amp. It's simple to use, sounds awesome to my ear, and gets LOUD if you need.

@victorboucher675

4 жыл бұрын

Are you using a laptop to tweek it? I have it, gotta be in the program and you can have 4 in front or 4 in back or any combo. Most will not live long enough to try every combination ... just reverb alone has so so much.

@sammathis

4 жыл бұрын

@@victorboucher675 I tried the software but I spent more time tinkering around than actually playing, so I just use what I can adjust on the amp itself and can get a sound that I like.

@seoeomii

4 жыл бұрын

What model is it? Do you have a link by any chance?

@RobertBaker I agree with you on what you said about a new player listening to someone who has been playing for 20 years. I have been playing guitar for barely a year and I think I've grown faster that others but that still dosen't mean I don't get discouraged over my lack of a good amp or get disappointed in myself for not being able to consistently do pinch harmonics, I don't let it hurt me because I know that I am still a beginner.

Agreed! I have super simple amp (rd1h) and it just has 3 dials on the front like an orange tiny terror and i am so glad haha. My friend has a mustang and we watched a tutorial and made a couple presets but it was a lot of work for a couple like okay tones and she still basically intimidated by the dang thing and mostly just plays with no amp... its pretty much a tragedy....

i'd recommend the Blackstar HT1 or HT1R as a good starter amp. Very simple tube amp that packs a lot of tone for beginners.

Use my Monoprice tube amp way more than I use my Blues Deville. Great amp and only $200.

@misterknightowlandco

4 жыл бұрын

Which one do you have? The 5 watt or 15?

@bgsnyder

4 жыл бұрын

@@misterknightowlandco 15 watt, but I normally use it in the 1 watt mode.

That Friedman Vintage S is amazing

mustang amps are killer,sound great and arent too complicated.i have one within arms reach at my pc and use it daily. bottom line is you will need at some point to understand effects,what they are,what they do and how to use them.

My gear advice for a metal beginner: Guitar: ~500$ Indonesian made guitar (Schecter/ESP LTD/Solar/Ibanez or Yamaha) Amp: Marshall DSL5CR

@koushiro86

3 жыл бұрын

You'd tell a beginner to spend a grand right off the bat? REALLY??

The mustang(s) produce some sick settings but I got rid of my II due to over whelm. Less is more when you gig. 🤘🤘🤘

I can't remember my first couple of amps but I'm sure they sucked. I've got an older Mesa Boogie studio 22 that I love. But I recently picked up a Roland Micro Cube on e-bay for $80 and it's awesome! I got it to play slide on a 3-string cigar box guitar but it's great for any guitar. If this had been my first amp I would have been extremely happy.