What A New Guitarist Needs

Hello, my name is mahomy aka mahomy1000 on YouTube. When you just start out, you are confused on what to get for your guitar, especially if you just went out and bought one at a pawn shop. Simple advice to you, everyone sucks at playing in the beginning.

Small Practice Amp
Status: Need

Unless you buy an acoustic (yes bass players, there are acoustic basses)
you will need a amp. Btw, if you play bass, do not get a guitar amp! Get a bass amp.

Extra Case
Status: Would Be A Good Idea

An extra case is always a good idea, and if money's not a problem, spring for a hard case.

Guitar Stand
Status: Would Be A Good Idea

You won't need it, but if you want to display your ax, or if you don't like your guitar sitting in a case all the time, get a stand. Safer than hanging it on the wall, but if you have kids living at home, best keep it in the case.

Tuner
Status: Need

You will need a tuner, even if you are not serious about playing. But, tuning by ear is a skill that is also mandatory, but I recommend buying a tuner. Also, bassist you will need to get a tuner that can tune basses. A korg Ga-1 can tune basses and guitars, so that is useful, especially if you are in a band.

Riff Bandz Training System
Status: Would Be A Good Idea

This things will really help you shred fast notes and hammer ons! Practice with these, and you will learn to play your guitar faster. You can buy them online or at a Guitar Center, for around 10 bucks.

Picks
Status: Need

Let me tell you this now, if you play guitar, you need picks. Only guitarists that can play better than pros use their fingers. Bassites, it's fun to use picks, I know. But, playing with your fingers is a better idea.

Guitar Cords
Status: Need

An amp is a waste of money if you don't have a guitar cord.

Dunlop Formula 65 Polish And Cleaner
Status: Need

If you are in a band, or wish to play publicly, you will need this to clean your ax. Do not apply to the strings or the pick-ups, just use it to clean the body and neck.

A Second Guitar
Status: Want

If you love to play the guitar, chances are that you will have more than one.
A second one is the one you save serious money for. It will be the one with 3 or more pick-ups, a bunch of knobs, and a shiny, beautiful body. Most likely to be the one you carry in a hard case.

Comments

[G-Dog_666]

You don't necessarily need an amp. Things like Line 6 POD, VOX amPlugs and Korg PX4 areinfintesimally better than most crappy 15 watt starter amps.

Also, you don't *need* picks. Many players use their fingers. Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck and Lindsay Buckingham are three that spring to mind. But it is also good practice to be proficient both with and without a pick.

And I'd also hold off on an extra hardcase. A gig bag would be sufficient as a spare. And would take up a lot less room.

[VanTheKraut]

I know lots of guys who only play with their fingers and theyre not "better than pros" Hell, I play with my fingers on the acoustic, and Im mediocre on a good day.

Also what's with the Second Guitar section? Wouldnt you say those are all pretty clear opinions? Almost no one has a "3 or more" pickup guitar.

[P5ych0_Killer]

Overall, this is a pretty terrible article.

[Xenoflare]

For effect pedals,(depending on your tone) a vox/dunlop wah, some form of distortion, and a noise gate. I cannot stress the noise gate enough if you like tons of gain or overdrive like i do. it really cleans your tone up.

[Most_Triumphant]

1/10; TS needs improvement.

[Danjo's Guitar]

You don't need guitar polish. New guitarists shouldn't really be playing live, and anyway, I've never used or really needed the stuff, and I've probably been playing guitar longer than you. Yes its a nice thing to have, but you can play a guitar that looks like dump as long as it still plays.

Other things you do NEED though are new strings, because factory strings are a dump and a half, and probably a strap, because I get pissed off if I don't have a strap, haha.

[MetalChurch181]

What every guitarist needs -----> Inspiration and dedication

[zorba_the_cat]

Second guitar...It will be the one with 3 or more pick-ups

...What? Sorry, I meant WTF??

[dumbface12]

A lot of these things a beginning guitarist don't even need. Like riff bands, an extra case, and a polish and cleaner. How about:
Guitar, Amp, Cord, Picks, Stand, Case, Strings, Tuner, Strap, and a metronome.

[derek8520]

This is a ridiculous article.
I've been playing for 4/5 years, and i've had no need for guitar polish, i only have one soft case, i barely use picks, and i've never even heard of a "Riff Bandz Training System".

I'm glad i never read this article when i was starting out; i would have wasted a lot of money.

[CoreysMonster]

This things will really help you shred fast notes and hammer ons!

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day.

[yoman297]

I'm pretty sure RiffBandz would help with endurance more.

[mahomy]

thanks for the feedback.

[megaluisdeth]

What a new Guitarist needs is a guitar with some strings on it and some motivation to practice.

[TheNameOfNoone]

Second guitar...It will be the one with 3 or more pick-ups

DAMN... Does it mean I cannot buy a Les Paul? =[

[link no1]

You don't need a spare case to be a hard case, even if you do have money to spare. Infact, saying you should get a hard case is stupid as it is opinion. I have never used a hard case simply because I don't like walking around carrying it all day when I can put it on my back, I also trust myself to not get it damaged.

Tuner is also not a NEED. There are things on the internet to use, or even a Line6 with one built in.
Even if the ones on the internet require you to match the tone by ear, I recommend serious newbies to do it as it will help tuning by ear. I also never had a tuner.

Picks, as mentioned, are optional depending on what you want to play. Won't go into this, it is obvious why.

You don't NEED guitar cleaner, let alone NEED special guitar cleaning products when you can use most stuff you should already have in the house. I also doubt a guy that doesn't know whether or not needs an amp would be playing publicly any time soon.

A second guitar shouldn't even be on here. The article is called "What A New Guitarist Needs" not "What A New Guitarist Wants"
Also everything in this section is opinion (therefore wrong)
My expensive guitar has 2 nobs, not a bunch and dude, what the hell? 3 or more pick ups? If you put this at the start of the article I would have known to stop reading sooner.

Overall, pretty horrible article. You also missed things from the list.

[tarun8396]

Bassites, it's fun to use picks

[tarun8396]

tarun8396 wrote:

Bassites, it's fun to use picks

I'm pretty sure they're called bassists?

[jthm_guitarist]

This article isn't TERRIBLE, the only thing really wrong with it is that "riffbandz" (wtf) needs to be replaced with a strap.
And the "second guitar" part might be his attempt at a joke or something.

A nice checklist I guess for someone who has NO idea what you need to play an electric guitar.

[thf24]

Riffbandz and similar "training systems" are absolutely not a need and should be used sparingly. They yield short-term results but can develop bad habits and leave holes in your technique.

[Spreadsheet]

Seems like an advert for Riffbandz or whatever it was to me.. nothing useful in this 'article' at all.

[ZoaL]

Terrible article, why even publish that rubbish -.- Most stupid read 2012.

[RadioMuse]

F#@king guitar polish is a need? Good god, what is this world coming to... I've been playing guitar for almost 8 years and I've never, ever bought guitar polish. I've cleaned them on occasion, yes, but polish? Surely a joke.

If you're starting with acoustic you need:
-Guitar
-Strap
-Tuner
If the guitar has a solid top you'll also REQUIRE:
-Case
-Guitar Humidifier

For Electric:
-Guitar
-Amp (even if it's a simulator on your computer, or a little headphone amp, it's still an amp)
-Strap
-Cable
-Tuner

Picks are a pretty solid option.

Everything else is optional to varying degrees.

I find it interesting that metronomes have been brought up as a 'need'. I disagree completely. It's an option, and an excellent one if you're technique oriented, but it's certainly not a need. Playing along to recordings, and with other people, will help enforce a lot of the same concepts while also helping developing an ear and feel.

[badfish_lewis]

This Article

Status Don't need

[chris flatley]

some sort of drum and bass creation softgware would top my list of necessary extras for practicing. you really can't beat having some tonal and rhythmic context while practicing. heaps more useful than a simple metronome. my advice to beginners would be to never practice without some sort of rythmic reference point.

[ne14t]

What about extra strings, like one of the BIGGEST and most important things to making sound on a guitar? Break strings and no matter how much gear you have your guitar is useless.

[PunksNotBread]

Bassites, it's fun to use picks, I know. But, playing with your fingers is a better idea.

Um, no.

[Nitnatsnok]

Yall got trolled.

[BVBKilljoy]

But, playing with your fingers is better

That's what she said.


This article is terrible.

[Lightning_Ray]

Only guitarists that can play better than pros use their fingers.

Mark Knofler, anyone? Just kidding, for example, I wouldn't recommend using picks on classical guitars, you can make so many warm and different sounds on them if you play with your fingers. I know I do it comfortably, and I consider myself useless on a Guitar.

I know what this article tried to reach, but it failed. Nearly all of it is called "common knowledge", and some advices are just plain terrible.

Also, as a Bassist, I find offensive "we're" being called "bassites"...

PS:

chris flatley wrote:

some sort of drum and bass creation softgware would top my list of necessary extras for practicing. you really can't beat having some tonal and rhythmic context while practicing. heaps more useful than a simple metronome. my advice to beginners would be to never practice without some sort of rythmic reference point.

Try to use your right or left foot. Tap it on the ground on simple time signatures (4/4 for starters) every time you practice something, with the help of a metronome, and before you know it, you get at least a basic sense of rhythm yourself.

Also, while not completely necessary, knowing at least basic theory and learning how to read music helps... a lot!

[Therighthandman]

This is really inaccurate. A guitarist needs A Practice amp for travel, and a Amp for Gigs/Home playing. Also the number of pickups is a preference, some like dual humbucker Les pauls than the three coil Strat. Also you only need 1 case if you don't do gigs or only have 1 guitar.

[jedke]

Do you know English? Would it have killed you to run you article through a grammar check?

[henrihell]

You really don't need anything else than the guitar. Even an electric can be played without an amp. I for example practise without an amp, and when I feel like I'm starting to handle what I've been practising I plug it in (Although this might just have to do with the fact that I have a 100W tube amp and my dad gets pissed of whenever I use it because it's too loud .)

[derek8520]

jedke wrote:

Do you know English? Would it have killed you to run you article through a grammar check?

Maybe check your own grammar first?

[m3ran]

A guitarist need a guitar, nuff said