Posted on 12/17/2001 10:12:56 AM PST by Nita Nupress
FReeper help needed!
My son has taught himself to play the guitar and he's no longer content with just playing the acoustical guitar that he learned on. He's now wanting an electric guitar and amp for Christmas, and to achieve this goal, he's telling all the family to forego any Christmas presents this year and is asking for the equivalent cash instead. For those of you who remember what it was like to be young and wanting that first electric guitar, you'll understand that he's so desperate that he'll spend his Christmas money on trash if I don't take some action here and help him out.
I have several choices on how to help him find a good quality, yet affordable (i.e. "cheap") guitar, but I have no technical background or expertise on which to rely. Thus the vanity to ask the Freeper experts. ;-) I need your opinions and any information that I can collect before making a decision.
My main problem: Do I fix one of the guitars that I already have? Or do I go help him pick out something retail?
Here are the facts I'm working with:
I have two 'hand-me-down' electric guitars in storage that I used to play in the mid-'80's (When I started having kids, that was essentially the end of my guitar-playing days.) Neither of the guitars are in working order -- one of them (a GRETSCH) was taken apart and needs to be put back together (more on that later). The other (an Ibanez) just plain doesn't work; it may be something as simple as a loose wire.
I'm thinking that it would be much cheaper and safer from a consumer standpoint to choose one of these guitars to get repaired than to go retail and be at the mercy of some salesman who takes advantage of the dumb blonde. My main fear with going retail is that my son will get stuck with a guitar that's so low-quality that he'll get discouraged. I have no idea how much money he'll be getting for Christmas, which is another problem. My other fear is that I'll give him my vintage GRETSCH and find out later that it's worth thousands and he won't be nice to it. ;-)
Before I can make an informed decision on the repair job, I need information on the value and quality of the two guitars. I'm in the middle of doing an internet search but it's getting discouraging because I'm not finding much. Here's what I have:
- GRETSCH - Model 7628 Committee - solid-body guitar with a natural wood, two-tone finish. It has two pickups and 5 switches/knobs, but the problem is that all the electrical components are in a cigar box! It was given to me in this condition, but I played it before it was taken apart and it played fine. This was in the late '70's and early '80's, so it's at least that old. I'm not sure how much money I'm looking at to get it reassembled. Any guesses out there? I don't want to get ripped off.
This is the closest I can find to what it looks like: http://abacus.sj.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_6f5b41d7ead029265e1ab7c604/i-1.JPG
- Ibanez Silver Series - D77**** (Made in Japan) - If I'm reading this page correctly, the "D77" means it was manufactured in April, 1977, which means it's one of the Lawsuit Tele clones. I used to play this guitar on a Marshall amp and absolutely loved it. In fact, I used to own an American-made Fender Telecaster at the same time, and I always preferred playing the Ibanez. It stopped working one day for no apparent reason; hopefully it's just a loose wire or something minor.
This is what it looks like: http://www.tonezonenc.com/guitar_gallery/Mvc-593f.jpg
Here is a review: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Ibanez/Silver-Series-01.html
I suspect the Gretsch is more than a 15-year-old beginner needs and may be too valuable to give him. (If he sticks with it, maybe later.) But part with my Ibanez? Yikes!
Now that I've typed all this, I'm thinking maybe I should just take him to a music store and let him pick out a cheap guitar to learn on and give him one of my older guitars later if I see that he sticks with it. LOL!
Thoughts, anyone?
Certainly preferable to the oriental ones.
After looking at all the Strat copies, I went with the Pacifica.
It didn't really cost much more, but was a much nicer neck and action.
Thank you!
Dont worry I predict this thread will be running for some time to come...Now if you had some $$$ to spend, Im rather fond of PRS guitars.
A solid-body Gretsch or any kind of an Ibanez isn't worth much, in my opinion. Hollow-bodied Gretschs are awesome, naturally, but you're not going to gain anything quality-wise from fixing up an old solid body.I completely agree with Eddeche and OWK: get thy son a MexiTele. Five years ago I was looking for a cheap electirc solution after ditching my Gibson ES-335, my US-built Fender Strat, and my Rickenbacker Lennon model (the black and white teardrop one), and I came across a MexiTele that truth be told, blew away every single guitar I've ever owned except the US-built Strat. I cannot say enough good things about this axe: phenomenally distinct sound, an action as smooth as buttah, durable as all-hell, looks great, and cost me less than 3 bills.
Let him play the Gretsch when he is older and will not break/lose it.
the Fender Stratocaster is a good guitar for everything from country to jazz to metal to rock and roll. Although if he is into metal or really heavy rock, sooner or later he is going to want to rock out on your Gretsch!
good luck!
He can actually get quite a little setup with that kind of money these days. Check out Musician's Friend to see what I mean. As several others have mentioned, the Fender Squires made in Mexico are good guitars at modest price points. He should be able to get a guitar, amp, gig bag, and nice cord for $400ish.
Hope this helps.
MM
On the other hand, he'll want a new one as soon as he joins a band. The thing is, depending on the guitar and amp combo will give you a different sound. I bought a Marshall amp and Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar about 6 months ago and it set me back about $1500, but it was the sound I wanted (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC - heavy metal sound). I also had a Strat/Fender amp (Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Ray Vaughn - blues/rock sound) or you can go with Ibanez and a Crate amp and get the new rock sound.
And don't forget, you can buy some cool electronic sound modules that will radically change the sound for pretty cheap (although it sounds kind of cheap sometimes, too) but that might be a good compromise... Cheaper gear and an electronic sound module, or some pedals.
As for the GRETSCH...sigh.
Get that *fixed* & keep it for yourself, for Heaven's sake.
The "Ibanez" is a poor man's Gibson.
Kind of like a Sigma is the Japanese made, Martin.
If the kid's comittment & talent are equal to either an Ibenez or Sigma?
You'd probably buy him something better; after he proved that to your ears?
...guitars are like horsepower; how much $$ do ya want to spend?
If your kid has more sense than I did, you should look into used guitars by Jackson or Ibanez from around 1990.
They used to be really big at the time, but they've gone out of flavor, so the market for used ones is pretty good. They have a real ballsy tone, are quite easy to play, and most come with a locking nut and a Floyd Rose-liscensed bridge which makes it almost impossible to go out of tune.
Your part of the country should have tons of quality used gear - happy hunting!
1) Epiphone makes a nice line of affordable Gibson knock-offs. Good value for the money, and very playable. Lots of models to choose from.
2) Fender makes a line of lower priced (foreign made) guitars under the Squirer name. Can get strat and tele styles. Overall quality is not great (i.e., wood, pick-ups, hardware) but they play well and are good enough for a couple of years. Some bands use them as back-up axes.
For what its worth, most kids tend to prefer picking out their own instrument rather than using a "hand me down". This was true with my kids even though my gear was high end.
One of the most versatile amps on the market is the Fender Princeton Reverb. Check it out. Also take a look at Crate--excellent value for the money.
Good luck.
His grandfather has helped out too. He was kind enough to let him use a couple of the guitars in his collection, so he has gotten a better idea of the different qualities of guitars. He now has a Guild, a Martin, an Epiphone, and one I can't think of.
Have him check into a Carvin, they are reasonably priced, and seem to have good customer service. My son was set on one, but his grandpa being an older hippie discouraged him because they weren't proven. After further handwringing and arguing the finer points of Carvin's and other brands, my son still really likes the Carvin. He ended up buying Carvin amps. He didn't buy a Carvin guitar, but his buddy has one and he loves it. They are strictly mail order.
Have him check around the internet to see what he should pay for a new or used one. E-Bay also seems to be a great place for used guitars.
The biggest thing I would say is for him to try to take his time and wait for the instrument that feels right to him.
BTW- even if he doesn't have an amp, he will probably play it all around the house attached to his hip unplugged. It saves the hearing for a while at least when there isn't an amp in the house.
Take the Ibanez to a luthier and have 'em get it in good working order (just ask around; most GOOD music shops have a decent guitar tech around; doesn't really have to be a full-blown luthier; even our local Mars Music has one killer tech........); get a good "set up" done on it, new strings, etc. Then, give it to him along with a smaller amp; I'd look at a 1-12, probably the Line 6 Spider. Cool little modeling amp, single 12, hotter'n s**t. I have a POD, and I vouch for Line 6's modeling capabilities. Great little practice / studio / stage monitoring amp. Cool tones. That, plus your beloved Ibanez (YOU get first right of refusal if he ever decides to sell it..............make him swear to that :) ) would make a terrific "starter" to intermediate player setup.
Keep the Gretsch. 'Nuff said on that.
If you want to kick this around even more, give a shout.
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