Question for Real Guitarists/Musicians

[seafisch]

If I were to, as all the GH/RB haters say, "learn to play a real ****ing instrument", would this be a good choice?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-II-Player-Pack-102328770-i1150103.gc

The price is very nice, just wondering if the real world guitarists and musicians have any experience with that particular guitar and amp.

[Bakkster]

That would be a great choice. Epiphones are pretty solid instruments, at least for a beginner. I don't think you'd go wrong getting this bundle.

[Eastwood]

Go for bundles for beginners. If you love it, then throw the big money into a good guitar when you have learned enough to appreciate the difference in sound quality.

[Angry_Games]

Go for bundles for beginners. If you love it, then throw the big money into a good guitar when you have learned enough to appreciate the difference in sound quality.

yep...I remember my father buying me my first guitar/amp when I was 14. It was a HUGE PILE OF $#@# Harmony w/ a 5watt practice amp.

I hated that %#@$@# thing but I kept it for a year learning how to play with Metallica tablature books. Then I bought a Kramer and a Marshall hybrid half-stack (solidstate + tube).

Now I'm up to a Jackson + Boss GT-8 + Crate 60w practice amp + ADA MP-1 + BBE Sonic Maximizer 462 ;)

http://www.angrygames.com/pics/guitar1-1.jpg

(gf kicked over the kramer accidentally from the stand one day while working out, and it NEVER went back into tune, even after taking it to 3 different "experts" in Boise, even the guy who builds Billy Gibbons guitars for ZZ Top...)


http://www.angrygames.com/pics/guitars-3.jpg

(pic is too big for the forum but it's the pic I took when I had the chance to ask Disturbed a couple killer questions at NHL.com's site when they were the Artist of the Month and my questions were THE BEST because now they are in Guitar Hero but they still haven't done the Chicago Blackhawks theme song!)

[sonicbrew]

I would definitely start out with a beginner/low grade guitar to make sure you really want to play. The biggest problem with buying these types of guitars however, are necks that are warped or designed poorly and not staying in tune. Hopefully you won't run into this issue.
Epiphones are Gibson's lowe end line. However, some of their higher end spin off's actually play rather well. Get yourself some beginner books to practice or take some lessons.
I have ahard time being an instructor anymore because many new players want to learn nothing but songs right off the bat. Be patient, practice and run those boring scales and learn those chords. it sucks in the beginning but it will not only make you a better player, it will make things much easier for you.
Good luck to you and welcome to the wonderful world of music :)

[Eastwood]

Another issue I had with my "disposable guitar" was that it couldn't hold a note long enough to really get some good HO - PO action. You could do it, but it was discouraging for a beginner.

[Angry_Games]

Another issue I had with my "disposable guitar" was that it couldn't hold a note long enough to really get some good HO - PO action. You could do it, but it was discouraging for a beginner.

yep, and the strings are uncomfortably high, etc

but honestly, a good $199 Fender or Gibson starter guitar is going to be just fine.

The best answer is to find a good acoustic guitar so you can train your fingers to be strong etc

[R0ck3r]

Yep, thats fine. Didn't have that exact one but I had one very very similar to it. Worked fine for a beginner.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-SG-Special-Electric-Guitar-Players-Pack?sku=518745

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/Buck3thead/EpiSG.jpg

I'm actually working up to get this:
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/Buck3thead/SlashSigguitar.jpg
It's Slash's signature model guitar. $4400. (For some of those people, this is before I knew about Slash being in Guitar Hero 3 or even anything about Guitar Hero 3 for that matter.)

[Chthonic]

You know, I used to be of that mindset, being an (amateur) musician. But that was before I tried Guitar Hero. After I saw how well it was done, and how faithfully the game recreates the atmosphere and feel of playing live, I became a fan. Most people I know who play an instrument are of the same opinion, so I don't think the two are mutually exclusive at all, and it's only going to get better when Rock Band arrives.

And that's my 2 cents. If you're interested in learning to play a real instrument, by all means, go for it. Can't say much about that specific model, because I don't have much experience with guitars. (Actually, my first few experiences with the guitar were so phenomenally bad that I decided to switch to drums, and I haven't looked back since. :D )