Don’t learn on cheap crap
So yesterday, as I was out and about shopping with my roomie, and erstwhile MG.com member, Jenny at Sam’s Club, we passed the section where they have the cheap instruments. Now, I don’t mean cheap like Epiphone or Squier. I mean, stuff that makes those brands look like top of the line gear. She of course, being possessed of perfect pitch and just a touch of OCD has to tune them. It was…amusing to watch, although I think there are some kids with a rather expanded vocabulary that their parents would have rather they not learned.
We got to talking about cheap instruments, and my first guitar, a really dirt-cheap Ibanez, and what happens with them. (Understand that even my Ibanez was way better than what we’re talking about here.) I honestly think, and I’m saying this as a beginner, that a crappy instrument is the worst thing a beginner can have. While Jenny can speak of keyboards and other things, I can tell you that a really cheap guitar makes you hate playing. You can’t keep it in tune. I don’t mean for a couple of days. I mean while you’re playing the damned thing. The frets are crap, to the point where you can’t even play an open string, much less a fretted one without the buzz from hell. They don’t sound right. They don’t feel right.
Let’s understand something, unless you’re a prodigy, learning to play something like a guitar is hard at first. There’s a lot of stuff that just takes time before it makes sense. I still have some problems with smooth chord changes. But even beyond that, dealing with different keys, odd chords, different tunings, it’s all quite intimidating. I’m luckier than most, I have a friggin’ Mozart in the house I can ask about. What about the kid or the adult who’s the only one in the house who wants to play? If they have some cheap piece of crap, they’re screwed. I tried to learn guitar before, when I was 12. The only thing I could afford was a cheap piece of crap. Guess what happened. Yep. Gave it up, and decided that I just wasn’t a person who could do that. It took me 25 years to get over that.
When I had that Ibanez, it wasn’t bad, but it could take a while to tune, and it just never stayed in tune. It also never felt right, and while I was learning, I wasn’t really enjoying. But a few weeks after I got it, I get a call from Jenny who told me that at the Musician’s Friend warehouse, here in Kansas City, there was a brand new Gibson Les Paul for under $600. Now, for those of you who know Gibson, this is, essentially free for a new one. The difference was amazing. At the time, I thought it was due to the neck being .8mm wider. Now I realize it was just the difference between a good instrument that had a lower price, and a cheap one. It’s dead easy to tune, only goes out of tune for weather reasons, plays easier, and doesn’t have a dozen annoying quirks that make me worry about the guitar. I don’t think I’d be half as far along as I am if I’d stuck with the Ibanez. (Note, this is not saying all Ibanez’s are crap. But that particular model? That one is crap.
When my son showed an interest in learning guitar, I let him play with the Ibanez, and he hated it. He just couldn’t get it in tune. So, I got him a used Epiphone SG for like $200, and again, the difference was amazing. He loves that new one, not just because it’s just like the one Allison Robertson plays in “Fall Behind Me” (Which doesn’t suck. He liked that a lot when he saw The Donnas live), but as he said, “It’s nicer to play”. It’s nice enough that he wants to get into Jazz band in school so he can really learn how to play. A complete attitude change, and all because his instrument doesn’t suck.
So here’s my advice, and I imagine the other folks will chime in on this in the comments. If you have a kid, a friend, whatever who’s wanting to learn guitar, don’t just buy them one, unless you really know what you’re doing, i.e., you play, and have played for a few years. If you aren’t a player, but you know know someone who is, go down to a local music store, and have them show you some gear that would be good for a beginner. If you don’t know a player, talk to the folks that work at the store. Yes, they do indeed want to sell you something, but most of them are players themselves, so you should be able to get good advice, especially if you’re talking about a smaller non-chain store. Even if you’re talking name brand, you can get a solid guitar for no more than $600, and if you’re willing to go used, you can get a great guitar for that. Instead of giving them the instrument, take them to the music store, and let them pick out the one they want in the correct price range. (Note, while I’m not saying get them a cheap POS, I’m also not saying get them a $50,000 Jimmy Page special. One must be reasonable here.)
Let the person who’s going to be learning talk with the folks working at the music store, or your friend, to find the instrument that best fits them, be it acoustic or electric. Yes, there’s an “acoustic first” tradition, but that’s just a tradition, not a rule. I wanted to learn on an electric first, and now I have an acoustic too. A very nice little Ovation. I’m quite happy with it. The point is, you can learn on either, let the student have some say in this. Then, when they pick it out, buy it for them. Trust me, the gift will not lose any points in their eyes because it wasn’t a surprise, and down the road, the fact that you did it in a way that didn’t saddle them with something that sucks and made learning harder, will mean a lot to them.
While it’s true that it’s the artist, not the tools, the corollary to that is, you can’t be DaVinci with a ten – cent paint set. So avoid the cheap crap. Spend a little more, and get an instrument worth playing. My favorite resource? Musician’s Friend. Take a look on the site, and you’ll see you can get quality gear that won’t require a second mortgage. The person you’re buying the gear for will appreciate it.
Technorati Tags: Epiphone, Gibson, Guitar, Ibanez, Musical N00b, Musicians, Ovation, Learning to play
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