This whole process isn’t as hard as people make it out to be – even those dudes in stores try to over complicate it and sell you something more expensive than you really need. Your first electric guitar really doesn’t have to be great, just good. The first thing most people look for when buying a guitar is the shape and color – don’t feel bad, just know that it’s not all about a sexy lookin’ guitar. Chances are, once you get playing you’re going to replace your first guitar with a new, better one anyway… usually within a year or a little over a year people will grab a new one.
The first point I really wanna’ drill home is that it doesn’t need to be expensive; expensive isn’t always better. But in the case of your first electric guitar, it REALLY doesn’t need to be expensive. $200-$300 USD tops. The reason you shouldn’t start out any more expensive is that you can’t guarantee you’re going to stick with it. If you decide to quit playing you’ll at least get a nice chunk of that cash back when you sell it.
You can say “oh I’m going to stick with it, guitar is awesome!”… that’s all fine and good but the fact is not everyone is meant to be a musician. I’m not being negative, I’m being real. The good news is once you make it past about 6 months of playing you’ve surpassed the “honeymoon phase”… once you do that there’s a pretty good chance you’re never going to give it up.
Okay, so with all that good stuff out of the way there are literally just three things you’ll need to look for when choosing a guitar… the first one I already mentioned; the price. The next thing to look for is the pickup configuration.
The choice of pickup configuration will depend on the style of music you want to play, really. I guess I should explain what a pickup config is first, right? My bad. The two most common types of pickups are single coils and humbuckers. Single coils are what you’ll usually find in a Fender Strat (among many other guitars) – the pickup is one small coil. If you still have no idea what I’m talking about, go Google the term “single coil” using their super-fancy image search.
Humbuckers are basically two single coils side by side – sometimes they’ll have a case overtop of them. You’ll usually find humbuckers in a Gibson Les Paul (among many other guitars).
So how do you know which to get? Look at the guitars of players you like and get what they’ve got… that’s usually the easiest way. The reality is you can play any kind of music on any kind of pickup – some just sound better than others. Then again, what “sounds good” all depends on the person. The one thing that remains a fact is that single coils sound thinner than humbuckers – naturally though right? I mean a humbucker is TWO single coils… kind of a no-brainer. You can also split some humbuckers using what we cal a coil tap switch… blah, another article for another day.
So once you know the price range and you know what type of pickups you want, what’s the third thing? Why it’s the tremolo or bridge!
The tremolo or bridge is the fancy little contraption at the end of the body of the guitar. The thing the strings go through or into. So how do you know which is tremolo and which is a bridge? Well a tremolo will have a “whammy bar”… I hate that terminology but most people identify with it better. The proper term is “tremolo bar” or “tremolo arm”. There are multiple kinds of tremolos.
One type of tremolo is the Floyd Rose, easily the best in my opinion. With a Floyd, you can both raise and lower the pitch. This is ideal for people who want to do divebombs like it’s no bodies business or rip out squeels like “Dimebag” Darrell. That’s to their awesome construction and locking nut, tuning stability is pretty good.
Another type of tremolo is usually called the “Vintage” tremolo. With this, there is no locking nut and you can only lower the pitch with the bar, not raise it. You’ll find these on the majority of Fender Stratocasters.
There’s also a few others like the Bigsby but I doubt you’ll find that on a budget model guitar. Oh and there’s some tremolos that are similar to the Floyd Rose in design, like Ibanez’s Edge III, etc.
Now, a fixed bridge is exactly that – fixed. There’s no tremolo bar, just your fingers and strings. You’ll find these on the majority of Gibson Les Paul’s, although I think they did have some limited runs with Floyd Rose tremolos.
So how do you know which to get? Again, look at your favorite guitar players; do they use a tremolo? If you don’t know the sound of a divebomb or pull up, go listen to some Van Halen and Pantera. For an example of a divebomb, listen to “Eruption” by Van Halen. For an example of a pull up, go listen to “Cemetery Gates” by Pantera, the very end of the tune is filled with them.
There you have it; you’re ready to purchase your first electric guitar!
Keep rockin’ (or start!), and if you have any other questions, click here: http://www.farowt.com/opt/bgui01/index.php [http://www.farowt.com/opt/bgui01/index.php?t=4EB1A].
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1962 pre cbs fender stratocaster tremolo bridge unit $829.00 |
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1965 fender stratocaster tremolo block and plate org $549.00 |
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1962 fender stratocaster tremolo block and plate org $549.00 |
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Fender Cunetto TREMOLO TREM HARDWARE STRAT STRATOCASTER $399.00 |
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Vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar tremolo bridge 60s? $350.00 |
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1972 FENDER STRATOCASTER ORIGINAL TREMOLO USA STRAT !!! $275.00 |
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1970’s FENDER STRATOCASTER ORIGINAL TREMOLO USA STRAT $275.00 |
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1976 FENDER STRATOCASTER TREMOLO $275.00 |
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80’s FENDER STRATOCASTER CONTEMPORARY TREMOLO $265.00 |
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1982 FENDER STRATOCASTER FULLERTON RI TREMOLO BRIDGE $224.99 |
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2006 FENDER STRATOCASTER YNGWIE MALMSTEEN TREMOLO USA $195.00 |
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1973 FENDER STRATOCASTER TREMOLO $175.00 |
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Fender MIJ Stratocaster Neck w/ Tuners Locking Tremolo $159.99 |
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1983 USA Fender Freeflyte Stratocaster tremolo LEFTY $159.99 |
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NEW Fender Vintage Gold Left Hand Stratocaster Tremolo $132.99 |
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USA Fender SRV Stratocaster Strat GOLD TREMOLO American $129.99 |
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USA Fender SRV Stratocaster Complete Gold Tremolo $124.99 |
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2007 USA Fender Stratocaster JOHN MAYER Strat TREMOLO $119.99 |
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Fender ‘62 Reissue Stratocaster® Tremolo Bridge, Chrome $119.99 |
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BABICZ FULL CONTACT FCH STRATOCASTER TREMOLO NEW CHROME $119.95 |
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Fender John Mayer Stratocaster Bridge 57 62 Tremolo RI $115.00 |
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Fender USA Vintage Stratocaster Tremolo (NEW) $109.99 |
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SQUIRE BULLET w/Tremolo Fender Stratocaster(315443104) $109.99 |
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Fender John Mayer Stratocaster Bridge 57 62 Tremolo RI $103.50 |
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Eric Johnson EJ Fender Stratocaster USA Tremolo Bridge $99.99 |
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John Mayer Fender Strat Stratocaster USA Tremolo Bridge $99.99 |
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1960 ’s fender stratocaster tremolo block screws $99.00 |
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1960 ’s fender stratocaster tremolo block screws $99.00 |
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1976 FENDER STRATOCASTER TREMOLO PLATE $99.00 |
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Fender Vintage Stratocaster Guitar Gold Tremolo Bridge $99.00 |
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Tremolo $13.98 Tremolo |
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Squier Bullet Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar with Tremolo $119.99 Squier’s Bullet Strat with tremolo is a simple, affordable and practical guitar designed for beginners and students. Classic styling includes the added benefit of a single humbucking pickup/ two single-coil pickup configuration. Other features include five-way switching, synchronous tremolo and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and 21 frets. |
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Fender Classic Player Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar with Tremolo (and Gig Bag) $799.99 Fender did it before and now they’re doing it again! There are real-world examples of the much-revered Telecaster Deluxe that were factory-built in the ’70s with Stratocaster(R) tremolo bridges. With their new Classic Player Telecaster Deluxe with Tremolo, you can experience this rare and versatile instrument. |
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Art of Tremolo $13.03 Art of Tremolo |
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Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster (with Case) $3499.99 Built to Slowhand’s exacting specifications, the Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster guitar—among the “Cream� of the Fender crop, so to speak—is powered by three Vintage Noiseless pickups and features a special soft V-shaped maple neck, blocked tremolo and Clapton’s signature on the headstock. |
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Fender Stratocaster $24.32 Fender Stratocaster |
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Stratocaster Gypsy $18.99 Stratocaster Gypsy |
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Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Rosewood, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The Standard Stratocaster offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes three single-coil pickups, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Stratocaster–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Maple, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The Standard Stratocaster offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes three single-coil pickups, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Stratocaster–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Left-Handed Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Rosewood, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The left-handed Standard Stratocaster offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes three single-coil pickups, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Stratocaster–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Left-Handed Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Maple, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The left-handed Standard Stratocaster offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes three single-coil pickups, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Stratocaster–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar (Rosewood, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The Standard Stratocaster HSS offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes a one humbucking/two single-coil pickup configuration, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities, and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Strat HSS–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar (Maple, with Gig Bag) $499.99 The sounds that create legends! The Standard Stratocaster HSS offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes a one humbucking/two single-coil pickup configuration, a synchronized tremolo with high-mass bridge block, shielded body cavities, and medium jumbo frets. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Strat HSS–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender Standard Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar with Floyd Rose (Rosewood, with Gig Bag) $699.99 The sounds that create legends! The Standard Stratocaster HSS offers legendary Fender tone combined with classic styling that includes a one humbucking/two single-coil pickup configuration, shielded body cavities and medium jumbo frets. This model also comes with a Floyd Rose(R)-licensed locking tremolo for added tuning stability. New features include a tinted neck, parchment pickguard and control knobs, and a ’70s-style logo. The Standard Strat HSS–plug one in and listen for yourself! Standard gig bag included. |
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Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Rosewood, with Case) $1599.99 The new American Deluxe Series Strat is all that and more! Featuring an alder body, three new Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Strat pickups, Fender’s S-1 switching system and a 2-point synchronized tremolo with stainless steel saddles – this guitar is built for speed! |
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Complete Study of Tremolo for the Classic Guitar $6.49 Complete Study of Tremolo for the Classic Guitar |
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Ultimate Guitar Techniques:tremolo Ba $11.99 Ultimate Guitar Techniques:tremolo Ba |
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Boss TR-2 Tremolo Pedal $85 The Boss TR2 Tremolo is designed to provide guitarists with classic tremolo effects in an easy-to-use compact pedal. Dedicated “Wave,” “Rate,” and “Depth” knobs provide a multitude of effect possibilities. |
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Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster (Pao Ferro, with Case) $2019.99 The Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature model respectfully replicates Stevie’s favorite guitar. Pure Texas blues – Stevie style! Unique features include a special “oval” neck shape, Pao Ferro fingerboard, 3 Fender Texas Special single-coil pickups, gold-plated vintage hardware with left-handed tremolo, and a special engraved pickguard. |