Create
Quality Sounds with a Cheap
Electric Guitar
Do You
Need the Best or the Cheapest
Guitar? It Depends
...
Creating
music recordings or playing for a
live audience can be
nerve-winding if you don't have
the right equipment or setup. If
you're on a tight budget and need
to buy a cheap electric guitar
for now, don't worry.
There are
several steps you can take to
make your budget instrument sound
like the more expensive ones that
are often played on stage.
Sound is
more than Just the
Guitar
What many
beginners don't realize is
there's more to the electric
guitar than the guitar itself.
There's the amp, the microphones,
outboard gear, etc. that make a
recording studio or on-stage
performance sufficient.
You don't
necessarily need all the most
expensive items to get a quality
recording... especially when
doing recordings only for your
own music.
Keep in
mind that a cheap electric guitar
must have a good-quality amp. The
guitar itself should make a good
sound coming through the amp.
These two working together are
what makes a great sound.
To be on
the safe side, buy your electric
guitar and amp together and ask
to test both together to see how
it sounds. Once you have these
two necessities with a great
sound, you're ready to add other
items to your music collection.
Microphones
for Electric
Guitar
If you need
an inexpensive microphone, opt
for a Shure SM57 or a Sennheiser
E609 along with a couple of
condenser microphones, and an
affordable compressor/limiter
such as an AKG Solid Tube.
Place the
microphone towards the center of
the cone if you want a louder
sound with more treble. For a
warmer tone, move the microphone
out away from the center.
Remember,
the sound doesn’t come from
the center of the cone, but from
the off-center or off-axis area.
You can position it to get the
sound you want. You can also use
two microphones on your electric
guitar amp to maximize sound,
with one closer and one farther
back.
Buying a
Cheap Electric Guitar
Most
electric guitars are made from
wood but you can usually find
cheaper brands made of other
materials. Inexpensive electric
guitars might be made of particle
board but have a hardwood
laminate such as maple on the top
to make it look more stylish.
This style
is often called "flame top." The
body might also be made of
aluminum alloys, carbon
composites, or plastic (e.g. poly
carbonate), each having its own
sound.
Most
electric guitars (no matter what
the cost) will not have a sound
hole as a regular acoustic
guitar. This is not needed
because the guitar pickups will
carry the sound to the amp
electronically. Without the sound
hole, many of these feature
exotic designs and colors to make
them really stand out. So you can
easily find one to match your
style.
Taking
Care of Your Stringed
Instrument
Be sure to
take extra special care of a
guitar that’s not made of
solid wood. It might deteriorate
quickly if neglected and/or
exposed to the outdoor elements
for prolonged periods of time.
Keep it in a case for added
protection and handle with care
each time you play.
Picking
Out Cheap Electric
Guitars
If you are
thinking about learning a musical
instrument, you have to make some
hard choices right off the bat.
The first one is how much you
want to spend. A lot of people
think that if you are starting
off you should buy a cheap
electric guitar, but this isn't
always the case.
The problem
is that if you buy a lower
quality instrument, it will be
harder to play and will not sound
as good. Many cheap electric
guitars are not very well
designed. That doesn't mean that
you can't find one that is. If
you know what to look for, you
can find a low-cost electric
guitar that will still help you
shred like a guitar
god.
When buying
electric guitars that are
affordable, you have quite a few
options. A lot of people assume
that the only way to go is to buy
an all-in-one beginning guitar
kit, but this is not the case.
The
electric guitar is probably the
most popular instrument in
America. As such, people buy and
sell them all the time. You can
find a used musical instrument
that is still in pretty good
shape.
Know a
Guitarist? Take 'Em With You To
the Music Store
It helps to
take someone along who knows what
they are doing. You need to
understand whether the frets are
lined up properly, whether the
neck is warped, and a lot of
other things that you might not
know how to evaluate as a
beginner. Pawn shops can be risky
business, and used musical
instrument stores are not always
reputable.
Good
Cheap Guitars
Of course,
you can buy cheap electric
Guitars without buying them used.
A lot of the main manufacturers
produce beginner lines that are
still pretty good. My personal
favorite is Epiphone. Epiphone
guiters are made by the same
people who produce Gibson, but
they are a whole lot cheaper. The
quality is still good – they
just aren't as fancy. I know some
professional players who still
use beginner Epiphone, so they
are well regarded.
Buying
Factory Seconds
There are a
few other strategies to consider
when you are shopping for an
affordable electric guitar to
play. I have a friend who swears
by factory seconds. Factory
seconds are new guitars that were
somehow slightly damaged in the
factory.
Usually the
damage is simply cosmetic –
the instrument may have a nick on
the body somewhere that looks a
little bit ugly. If you don't
mind a bit of cosmetic
imperfection, this is the way to
go. You still get a brand new
electric guitar, but with
substantial savings.
Guitars
for Beginners
If you're a
beginner, buy a cheap electric
guitar to get started, and be
sure you like playing before you
get an expensive one.
Even the
more affordable instruments can
have an excellent sound with the
right amp and setup. As you build
your playing skills, you can also
increase your knowledge base and
start adding quality products to
your music room one at a
time!
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More
Musical Info about
Guitars
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Should
You Buy Cheap Electric
Guitars ?
- The jury is still out
on this issue but read
some options available
when buying inexpensive
electric guitars and
you'll be at least an
informed
buyer.
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True
Story about a Beginner
Guitar
Lesson
- Taking a beginner
guitar lesson is almost
like learning a foreign
language at first but
you'll get the hang of
it if you don't give
up!
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