Top 5 Beginner Electric Guitars
By Dan Cross, About.com
 
The most commonly accepted method of choosing a low cost electric guitar is to find an instrument with good quality wood, and at least reasonable workmanship. Guitar manufacturers tend to cut corners with cheaper guitars, by using cheaper pick-ups, and hardware, but these are all upgradeable parts. The following are some of the better low cost electric guitars available.

1. Squier Fat Stratocaster

Squier Strat
This are one of several Squier models available that offer a pretty good product for a reasonably low price. The pick-ups and hardware are sometimes suspect, and the workmanship varies from instrument to instrument, but for the price, these are a very good beginner guitar choice. The look of the instrument is appealling - Squier Fat Strats are similar in appearance to the much more expensive Fender Stratocasters.
 

2. Epiphone G-310 SG

Epiphone SG
Modeled after the much more expensive Gibson SG guitars, the Epiphone SG G310 keeps it's cost low by using cheaper hardware and lower quality humbucking pick-ups. The G-310 features an alder body, a mahogany neck, and a dot-inlayed rosewood fingerboard. The buzz on this guitar is it's a very good value for the money.
 

3. Yamaha PAC012DLX Pacifica Series HSS Deluxe

Here's another guitar many people feel is a great value. This Pacifica features an agathis body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard, with two single coil pick-ups, and one humbucker. The consensus is the guitar is reasonably well made, and the quality of the wood tends to be high. Those who go on to become serious guitarists might want to consider upgrading the electronics of the Pacifica HSS.
 

4. Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

Guitarists like Keith Richards, Steve Cropper, Albert Lee, and Danny Gatton favor the look and sound of the Telecaster. If you're a fan of any of those guitarists, this beginner guitar may be for you. The Affinity Telecaster features an alder body, with a maple neck and fretboard.
 

5. Epiphone Les Paul Special II

The Les Paul is perhaps the most famous guitar in rock and roll. Epiphone has done a good job of visually re-creating the Les Paul in this lower-cost guitar marketed towards beginners. The Special II features a laminated alder/maple body, a magogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and two open-coil humbucking pick-ups.

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Modern Guitars Magazine - News Archive
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Steve Vai to Release Live Concert Film from Sound Theories Tour
Guitarist Steve Vai has announced the release of a live concert film (DVD, Blu-ray) and live CD on September 29, 2009. Titled Where The Wild Things Are, the material was recorded before a sold-out audience at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2007 during Vai's Sound Theories world tour. With 20 million units sold worldwide to-date, Where The Wild Things Are represents his 21st solo project over a 30-year career. The two-hour and forty minute set contains both several new tracks and re-orchestrated pieces from his rich catalog and was filmed at the State Theatre because of the venue's lush acoustics and attractive interior. Vai's Sound Theories Tour supported the release of the Sound Theories Vol. I & II CDs featuring Vai and the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra. Volume I presents Vai performing with the orchestra, while Volume II consists of the orchestra playing tunes written by Vai. The orchestral nature of Sound Theories accounts for the presence of two violinists in the touring band's lineup, Alex De Pue and Ann Marie Calhoun, both of whom double on keyboards. The other band members were Jeremy Colson (drums and percussion), Bryan Beller (bass), Dave Weiner (guitar and sitar), and Zack Wiesinger (lap steel). More »

Gibson Guitar Announces Les Paul Commemorative Events
Gibson Guitar will celebrate the life and contributions of guitar and audio recording innovator Les Paul during the month of September, 2009, with events connected to the anniversary of Paul's 1953 #1 Billboard Pop Single, "Vaya Con Dios," and the release anniversary of his 2005 album, American Made: World Played. Event details have not yet been announced. Gibson also plans to produce limited edition versions of the Les Paul Studio and Les Paul Standard electric guitars in honor of Les Paul, which could be available to consumers as early as November, 2009. "It is simply impossible to conceive what music would be like today if Les Paul had not lived," says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "During the month of September Gibson will celebrate Les Paul through various promotions and events insuring his legacy lives on. The Les Paul Studio and Les Paul Standard guitar remains the best selling guitar of all time and in honor of Les we will give fans the opportunity to purchase very special limited versions while enjoying numerous features and anecdotes about Les on the Gibson website..." More »

Gibson Guitar Introduces the Zoot Suit SG Electric Guitar
Though at first glance the look of the Gibson Zoot Suit SG electric guitar might be more reminiscent of '60s era psychedelia than the zoot suits of the '30s and '40s, behind the name are some interesting construction twists certain to garner interest from players and possibly collectors. This new entry from Gibson USA has not started to ship yet, but is expected to carry an MSRP of $1,999 with a likely street price from retailers in the area of $1,199. The instrument comes in six color schemes: Rainbow, Black and Red, Black and Natural, Black and Orange, and Red and Blue. While certainly colorful, it's interesting to note that they are not painted. Instead, the Zoot Suit SG is constructed from a number of laminated birch wood pieces (each approximately .075" thick) dyed with a different color, given two coats of satin nitrocellulose lacquer, then bonded together to form the body and the neck. In addition to the cosmetic effect, Gibson claims that the construction method "...yields maximum sustain and resonance." More »

Peter Wolf on the Guitar Manufacturing Industry
In July of 2009, Modern Guitars columnist Peter Wolf announced the launch of his new business, Brandwolf Consulting, LLC, aimed at helping music instrument makers with sales, marketing and related strategic concerns such as branding and distribution. Wolf recently left Paul Reed Smith Guitars where he served as the company's Director of Sales & Marketing from 2004, having previously been the International Sales Manager for PRS since 1997. His business relationship with PRS, however, goes back to 1990 and Wolf's founding of PRS Guitars Germany, a distribution company that imported and distributed high-end guitars and amplifiers to Central European countries. According to a recent press release from Brandwolf Consulting, "Under his direction, PRS Guitars’ export sales increased 10-fold in only 10 years and distributors and dealers in 56 additional countries were appointed and cultivated." While on some levels the driving force behind guitar lutherie and making is a passion for the art and craft, economics plays a significant role in the contined health of the industry. Today's financial climate poses a challenge to how guitar makers and manufacturers go forward, if not an outright threat to whether or not they can. More »

Taylor Guitars Responds to 'United Breaks Guitars'
United Airlines may have reason to sing the blues, but if they are, it's unlikely they're playing Taylor guitars. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Carroll's viral YouTube video "United Breaks Guitars" (close to two million views as of this writing), tells the story of his guitar's mishandling by United Airline employees and the indifference with which his claim for compensation from United was met. A well-produced and engaging musical rant, the tale's told with humor while giving voice to a scenario often recounted in the guitar community. Though in 2003 the American Federation of Musicians and the Transportation Security Administration produced an agreement whereby guitars would be considered carry-on luggage, there are restrictions on the size of the case and situations in which airline baggage handlers still come into contact with instruments destined for the cargo hold or passenger compartment. Carroll's unfortunate experience occurred in 2008 when he and his band, Sons of Maxwell, flew from Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) to Omaha, Nebraska, via United Airlines. More »

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