Has anyone ever used a "spectrum" guitar?
965245
Honestly...don't buy it.\n\nIf it's for you, or for someone else as a gift, spend a little more money a decent guitar.  I've seen too many people buy a cheap guitar as a first guitar because they think it will be a waste of money if they don't like it as much as they plan.\n\nthe bad thing with a guitar like that, is it's not fun to play.  It's made of cheap materials, does not sound good and will frequently fall out of tune.  It will be more of a hassle than you want.\n\nI always recommend that you go get a good guitar for your first one.  You don't have to spend a ton, but you'll have to spend a bit more than the "Spectrum."  Check your local classifieds or www.therecycler.com and often times you'll find people who went out and bought one, and decided it's not for them and they're now looking to sell it for a pretty good price.\n\nThat way, you'll have a lot more fun learning and if you decide guitar's not for you, you can actually resell it for something.  The only thing you can do with a Spectrum is throw it away or use it for firewood...\n\nLook into a Fender (Mexican or maybe American made if you get lucky on a price)  or an Epiphone, Gibson, Martin or Washburn...but that depends if it's acoustic or electic.
64910
I have personally built 2 guitars plus I started on one that I didnt finish.  I got started on that hobby back in high school.  The teacher to my schools woodshop happened to be a professional luthier in addition to his teaching job.  He guided me step by step until the guitars were done. Made completely from scratch and came out looking pretty amazing.  Though I forgot most of what he taught me, I can offer you some advice.\n\nBe prepared to spend a lot of money on the project. Every part of guitar will cost something and it really adds up. Good quality tuning machines (the knobs on the headstock) such as Gotoh brand can cost at least $10.00 a piece or way higher.  A good quality bridge  can run into the over one hundred dollars range. Plus you need pickups, easily 80-100$ a piece. There are cheap shortcuts you can take though, like buying a premade body or neck.  That would save a lot of time and effort plus the cost of lumber.  Some more important advice I have is always use standard laquer finish if you are a beginner.  It is relatively inexpensive and simple to use. Also laquer tends to "heal" itself as you apply layer upon layer.  What I mean is the solvents in the layer of fresh laquer meld together with the other layers and this causes any imperfections in the finish to partially smooth out. But you still need to lightly sand the finish between sprays.  You can buy laquer at an auto parts store. Be sure to get a can or 2 of the colored laquer plus 2 cans of clear laquer. If the laquer is a non transparent solid color like black you will need to use some primer first.Dont use paint, its ugly and incompatable with the clearcoat laquer. There are other finishes like polyurethane, but if you use that and screw up you will have a terrible time trying to remove it.  It hardens into a nearly inpenetrable plastic shell.  I know this because I have a squier guitar that I stripped and refinished and it had a hard poly finish. The only way I removed it was with a full days worth of tedious sanding. \n\nOther advice I have is dont wire the guitar yourself unless you are 100% sure of what you are doing.  If you mess up it wont work plus you could potentially scorch the electronics and the finish with the soldering iron.  \n\nMeasuring and positioning are crucial.  I recommend the purchase of a routing template. The routed out pockets in the body have to be exactly spaced and the correct depth or else the neck and other parts wont fit correctly. \n\nFinally, dont even bother with the neck just buy one. It is way harder to build the neck than the guitar itself.  Every fret has to be exactly level and smooth and the neck has to be tapered just right. It is pretty tough.\n\nFor more advice I recommend reading the various guitars forums on the web. I may have missed some steps, its been a while since I built a guitar.
405421
No, it is not good for a beginner. I would suggest either buying a Fender or a Squire. When I started learning how to play, I decided to spend the extra money and go with a Fender, and I never regretted that decision.
984459
Whew, take a look at this guy.\n\nhttp://www.prestonreed.com\n\nA couple short easy to watch videos: one of them instructional.\n\nhttp://homespun.powerusermedia.com/Homespun_Tapes/VD-PRE-PF01_Concert2.wmv\n\nhttp://homespun.powerusermedia.com/Homespun_Tapes/VD-PRE-GT01_Guitar2.wmv\n\n*may need to right-click and 'save target as'
798331
I have and it is a great guitar. I still prefer his washburns over the deans though. RIP DIME and Thank you!!!
191143
Any guitar with the right electronics and pickups. For the best out-of-the-box sound I love my SRV-edition Fender Stratocaster. My well-worn 73 Telecaster with Texas Special pickups is a close second.
822155
i've seen him use a Gibson Thunderbird and i think a Hagstrom semi-hollow.
986521
I got one for £80 at my local music shop. Fantastic sound. Its a black Countryman.\nGet a steel stringed one (6 strings, not 12) and not a classical (nylon string) one\n\nHope this helps. Rock On!
36780
A Lowery Tenie Genie organ has the steel guitar sound as well as a shifter (on the volume pedal) which simulates the "slide" of a steel guitar. Being a pedal steel guitar player and owning a Lowery, I can honestly say, I learn to play the steel by playing the lowery.  BTW, check the local freeetrader sites for instruments such as the Lowery which can usually just be picked up for free.
1059524
I think I would go with the Ibanez Tube Screamer. My cousin has one and it sounds really awesome.
156576
I agree with the above answer. Go to the music store and play some guitars by Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez that cost more than what you can afford. When you find what you like, write down the model name and number and go to eBay or a pawnshop and get it for the price you can afford to pay. I would keep about $60 in reserve so you can take it to your local instrument repair shop to have it set up (usually about $30) and re-stringed (about another $30 if you get good strings).
1123660
I've played one, and I agree, for as cheap as the artcore series is, they are some very good guitars, anyone looking for a good guitar definately needs to look at these. I currently have a carvin dc400 with active electronics and a air norton in the neck and a duncan sh10 full shred  in the bridge. it's an awesome combination. I'm currently looking into a new acoustic, but if I didn't have the carvin, I'd definately look into it more
995617
Absolutely!!  But don't focus on the brand name of the guitar - focus on the sound you want to achieve from your guitar.  What kind of pick-ups and position of the pick-ups best suit your style of music.  Your objective is to use as minimal effects as possible to generate the sound you are looking for.  I say research the pick-ups then go to a music store, sit down and have a good time with the variations of pick-ups, then decide.
230262
Some decent new ones are the Fender DG22S, the Epiphone Hummingbird (a Sheryl Crow look-alike), Takamine G320, or the Washburn D10S. These range in price from $150 or so for the Fender to $300 or so for the Epiphone. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. I am still playing the first guitar I ever bought (in 1980, its a used 1968 Martin D35 I paid $250 for). Don't be afraid to buy used for a first guitar. Older guitars tend to have more character if they've been taken care of...
357154
i'm searching for a free SG since '99 and now, after 7 years, i came to the conclusion then is time to raise some money .. you cand find the SG Standard at 1880 E in europe and under 1000 $ in the US.  www.gibson.com - there are some contests there having a free Gibson (sometimes SG) or Epiphone as prize; half of them are for US residents only but is ok, there are still enough contests for anyone
846194
E-mail (Or snail mail if they're not online) Ric and see if they'll send you a copy of the prints to build your own....Most Guitar companies are pretty cool about that sort of thing if it's just a regular person trying to do it.\n\nGOOD LUCK!! I hope it works out.\n\n\n\nMirage Guitars huh?? Well if you're the monkey building them I think I'd rather play drums!! You should do a little research before you go running your mouth about things you don't know...\n\nFYI: I got the prints for the Ironbird Guitar FREE directly from B.C. Rich and built it from the bottom up....AND...I paid $75 For the prints to the Telecaster again directly from Fender!! So it does happen!!     Anyway for the guy asking the question  You should try contacting Ric...All they can say is no.
293445
I think the Epiphone is a quality guitar.  Yes, it's a poor mans Gibson, but it still has a great sound and you can have just as much fun playing it.  If you gut it and replace the pickups with Humbuckers, you probably won't be able to tell the difference.