Im a guitar noob and I wanted to buy a guitar which cost less than $400.What kind of guitar should I get?

Hello there I will answer your questions out of the order you gave them. How long do electric guitars take to quit sounding good? If the guitar is properly maintained, they last a very long time.

The best sounding electrics I have played were made in the early 1960s. On the other hand, some of the worst sounding and worst playing guitars I have played were made in the 1960s also. There were a lot of cheap import guitars back in the 60s and 70s that were terrible, even back then.

However, the craftsmanship that went into the Gibson and Fenders was outstanding. Even the Epiphones were very good. Guitar maintenance?

For an electric guitar the maintenance is somewhat similar to an acoustic. If you already understand how to properly maintain an acoustic guitar, learning the maintenance for an electric will come easy. Unless you plan to do a lot of gigging with the electric, I believe you should buy a used guitar.

Given your budget I think that especially applies in your case. You can buy a used good quality guitar for around the price of a new lesser quality guitar. Get more for your money.

I have made this same recommendation to several other questions here at Yahoo. I recently came across an article that pretty much echos my sentiments. Here is the link.

http://www.learnelectricguitarnow.net/le... One thing to consider when buying your first electric guitar is the amp. Unlike the acoustic where you depend on the quality of the instrument to give you good quality sound, the electric guitar depends on the amp. The amp is a big factor in the sound quality.

A great guitar played through a lousy amp will sound lousy. A mediocre guitar played through a great amp will sound decent. So in planning your budget you have to strike a balance between you guitar and your amp.

Don't blow all your funds on a great guitar and as an after thought pick up a cheap practice amp. You will be disappointed in how bad your great guitar sounds. Also, there are some very good Epiphones.

As you may recall, John Lennon sometimes played a Casino. I have played some Epiphone versions of the ES 335 that sounded very good. Perhaps not as good as my 1963 Gibson ES 335, but very good none the less.

I like the Epiphone semi hollow body guitars. They make some very good ones. Later.

Once you start talking about used instruments, you have to take them on a case by case basis. I've seen some real steals, I've seen some real POS's, and I've seen a number of guitars that *looked* good, but upon further close inspection *weren't*.... so if you don't know what to look for, you either need to have someone who does look at it, or just not go there. Saw a great five string bass at a shop, a friend of mine got it... then took it to a local music store to have the bow in the neck adjusted.... the guy said he's seen the same bass at least six times, and that no, the warping in the neck couldn't be fixed.

Some lessons are more expensive than others. I emphatically disagree with the other comments regarding Epiphone. I do not personally like Epiphones, but that is mostly because in general the necks don't fit my hands very well - they don't feel natural for me to play.

For others, they're just fine - everyone's hands are different! Quality is to a certain degree dependent on price point. If you're dropping two grand on an instrument, its hard to find one that sucks.

On the other hand, its not easy to find a guitar for less than, say, 300$ that really knocks it out of the park. When I've gone out and looked for a guitar, I look at my budget and subtract the cost of strings and a professional setup and intonation. I can do a setup, but I prefer the first one to be done by the shop.

This way, when I get the guitar, it will play well. I also keep in mind that I'm going to rip the guitar apart anyways.... I try my best to budget for the new pickups and electronic components I'm going to put in the guitar (ie onboard preamp, etc) as well. What does this mean?

I will never buy a "classic" or "vintage" guitar that will lose value if I (god forbid!) swap out a scratchy vintage pot! I've also found that customizing a less expensive guitar gives me the ability to get exactly the tone I want and still stay within my budget.... it is difficult for me to find a guitar that will give me the same range of tones off the shelf that my customized LTDs will, even for two or three times the price. The caveat is that you just need to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.... certain brands, for instance, just have crappy inexpensive guitars.... ie, BC Rich.

I'm not impressed with Dean, either. On the other hand, Ibanez and Jackson have a lot of pretty decent inexpensive models. Squier can be perfectly acceptable as well.

Anyways, take it case by case. Look at the *specific* guitar, and judge it on its individual merits. Have someone who really knows their stuff (not the staff at your local Guitar Center!) take a look at it, too.... with many inexpensive guitars, the quality control can suck, sure.

I think getting lemons is more the exception than the rule, but its best to look over the guitar carefully before buying, whether new or used. Keep in mind that just about any guitar sounds better with new pickups. Picking the right ones... well, that's a whole 'nother topic.

=) Good luck! Saul.

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