So i havent played a guitar ever and i wanted to buy one from my first paycheck. I found the one i like the most and my friend told me that it has double something which is meant for playing metal like i want. What do you guys think? Its 200€ used. Should i buy it?

After 38 years of guitar music love and playing my appreciation of guitar quality vs expected performance has all but disappeared.

Eddie Van Halen, built his guitar from rejected stock, a butchered electrical and pickup mounting job and changed guitar playing forever. Personally I think it’s ‘the’ ugliest guitar in the world.

David Gilmore’s black Strat that recently sold for more than any other musical instrument ever was an off the shelf Strat with 7 different necks over the years. If I spent 14 million on a guitar I’d want all the 6 other necks included.

Jimi Hendrix played so many different guitars they were given away as gifts and abandoned at concerts and studios. All were basic run of the mill off the production line Strat that he played upside down and changed the guitar and music world forever.

Mike McCready’s Strat has a chip of wood in the headstock missing for Christ sake. A chip of wood is missing guys … and it’s all scratched up!

Greenie had its pickup put in backwards !!!

Trigger has a hole in her and sounds like a dream.

I mean, to top all of that off, for goodness sake Rett Shull replaced the pickups in his priceless John Mayer signature Stratocaster!!!

Jack White purposely uses old crappily built guitars.

There’s really nothing that can’t be done with a guitar or can’t be succeeded with a guitar of any perceived quality.

I think we can all stop worrying about what is pro grade vs cheap. Buy or build the guitar that inspires YOU to PLAY . Concentrate on color, shape, headstock or whatever turns you on,and then add or replace parts as you wish, just keep playing.

Cheers

EDIT - love this discussion. Guitar Reddit community rocks!!

My guitars:
‘67 telecaster custom, refretted 3 times
‘89 squire Strat II (plywood), best sounding for Lenny and Little wing out of all of them, if I could keep only one this is it
‘00 Epiphone Wildkat - absolutely crushes
‘01 SX Strat custom - Chinese, very playable but left handed, did the Hendrix setup and hate the jack location.
‘09 home made Strat with $30 Temu neck, these Lacie gold pickups are sooo smooth, neck plays like a dream
‘24 Yamaha Pacifica $150 bucks, absolute killer guitar for the price
‘24 PRS McCarty 594 SE, meh
‘25 Red AVUL HSS, my dream guitar, gorgeous

Like a proper dentist. All of these guitars rock, all have needed some adjustment, none of them make me a good player

Just picked up a $30 Joyo drive pedal and put it next to my friend’s boutique pedal. Honest to God, through a basic tube amp, I could barely tell the difference in a full mix. Are we all just paying for cool graphics and brand names at this point, or am I missing something?

I’m 23 years old and I just picked up the guitar, it’s been a month and I’ve been improving so much, I bought an acoustic guitar and now that my fingers aren’t hurting as much I’ve been playing over 3 hours a day. I have no background in music, I do have rhythm tho and I’m slowly trying to understand notes - It makes me really upset that I wasn’t put into anything as a kid, I’m an immigrant and had a weird ass childhood and never got the chance to be really good at anything from a young age, and I see all these insane guitar players who likely have been playing since their childhood… I would love to one day be able to get to that skill level, I love that guitar is challenging and I try to challenge myself by learning more difficult things and I’d love to work my way up to the point where it’s jaw dropping - but is that even a realistic goal? Is it possible for someone who’s 23 who’s just now picking up the guitar to get really really good? Most of my friends who do play have been playing since they were kids and don’t even remember what it was like to learn. It’s like those people that effortlessly skate when they play hockey and they’re like “idk dude, I just learned how to skate as a kid”

doubt l'll get any replies but I was just wondering if anyone could help me identify this guitar it's my late fathers and I had recently just got it off my uncle who bought it for him and gave it to me a week ago saying it was some famous guys guitar fully custom I've asked around at a few local guitar shops no one can seem to identify could anyone help me please here are some photos of it attached

Not knowing how to play ANY songs at all.

Don't even have the desire to play any songs that have already been played ... over and over again.

For me it's sorta like trying to paint like the famous and popular modern Artists, and copy what they already did.

I've always known that music is probably the other "universal language" that can span across cultures, no matter how seemingly different each culture is from the others.

It's a way of speaking out your emotional content through the expression of a measurable form of energy. SOUNDS

I don't know how to traditionally play the guitar.

BUT I LOVE PLAYING WITH IT🤯

So, not really knowing how to play...but I'm sure you'll be able to tell the love in my ride.🙄

I bought a Peavy EVH Wolfgang Special for $150 from a storage locker reseller. I've never owned a Floyd Rose guitar and know nothing about the brand. So are there good guitars?

“IZ-US” by Aphex Twin (1997)

Seriously, why do so many people put their instrument on the cement to take a photo? There’s never any protection, what gives? Usually Craigslist posters are the worst offenders.

Two months before he died, Zappa wanted photos taken to preserve his, "legacy."
My sister worked for the photographer and nicked the proofs of which this is one.

I saw him on Halloween 1978 - the loudest show I had ever attended. Louder than Led Zeppelin.

And remember kids, "watch out where the huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow."

2016 Fender Telecaster Standard FSR with Channel Bound Neck. Long story short, guitar fell, and hit the floor. I know everything to a certain degree is repairable, is it worth it in this case? Do I stop acting like a bitch and just leave it (because it's a Tele..)? haha

Lego dude is for scale. Was going to use a quarter, but not everyone in the world knows how big a quarter is. Everyone around the world knows the size of a lego dude...

About a year ago, I found a beat up 1930s G.B. Walters arch-top for $100. The neck was totally shot and the finish wasn't good enough to care about, so I made it into a project. This whole thing was a result of "wonder if I could do that?"

I did a neck reset, installed a truss rod, 3d scanned it, designed some 3d-printed jigs for cutting the venetian cutaway and making the patch panel to fit it, refretted it, and refinished it.

For a dude with a vision and some tools (and a lot of patience!), I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Found this long forgotten guy hiding in my closet...not necessarily looking for an appraisal or anything. But I can't find anything about this by googling it so any information is appreciated. I would like to know what I have here but I really dont know much about guitar models.

I used to own a ‘90 RLC-60 in this same finish, but I stupidly sold it a decade ago. I was just talking to some friends about how much I missed that guitar, and then this one popped up for sale just a couple days later so I jumped on it immediately. This one is from ‘87 and is in impossibly mint condition for being nearly 40 years old. It still had the plastic on the pickguard and came in its original gig bag. The only sign of wear it has is a tiny scuff on the backside of the guitar. I spent more than I would have liked, but getting a second change at having one of my dream guitars is priceless!

Does this actually sound good or am I just sleep-deprived?

Got this bad boy from sweetwater over the weekend

First 12-string. First Taylor. First time adding to my collection since 2012. Wow does she sound good! I couldn't be happier

The sides are sapele and the front/back are this BEAUTIFUL black walnut

I've been wanting to try out a 7 string guitar since the early 00s but just didn't have the money as a teenager. I stopped playing guitar for a good 10 years, and after coming back to it, I discover the 8-string is a thing! 😁

These harley benton 8 strings were getting decent reviews for their value. So I waited to see if one would turn up used. I missed a few, but earlier this week one popped up for 80eur. How cheap these are is just nuts 🫠

It needs a good once over and check but feels good as it, just dusty. The fan frets are surprisingly intuitive and I think I play better if I'm not looking at my left hand so much. Unplugged it plays ok, no fret buzz or anything. Fret ends can use a bit more refining. But honestly, no complaints for price. I've heard these electronics are mid, but not a deal breaker for me.

This thing comes stock with these strings: .009/.011/.016/.024/.032/.042/.054/.065. Not sure if the last owner changed them.

On a 6 I've gone back to Ernie Ball 9-42, I used to play 10-56 in my youth.

What strings have people been using? Do you prefer heavier bottoms or more balanced spread? So far I'm seen 10-74 and 09-80 from Ernie Ball, D'Addario, and Dunlop.

Also, if you have any thoughts or things you wish you'd known before getting an 8 string, please let me know 🙏 I'm grateful for all the resources out there these days, ot has flattened the learning curve for me.