### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/21 "2010-03-14T17:39:14Z")
Back in the late 60’s a lot of beginners started with a Sears Silvertone Electric. They were actually pretty decent electric guitars at a great price. Several friends of mine played them in junior high.
Today, they are collectible and worth $$$$.
> **[VintageSilvertones – VintageSilvertones](https://www.vintagesilvertones.com/)**
>
> VintageSilvertones.com is for collectors of vintage electric guitars from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's guitars with a focus on Silvertone-branded instruments.
If you find one on Ebay in good shape and a reasonable bid! They are still a good beginners guitar.
here’s one
[http://cgi.ebay.com/Silvertone-SSL3-Electric-Guitar\_W0QQitemZ200440346085QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2eab2cf5e5](http://cgi.ebay.com/Silvertone-SSL3-Electric-Guitar_W0QQitemZ200440346085QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2eab2cf5e5)
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/22 "2010-03-14T17:56:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Back in the late 60’s a lot of beginners started with a Sears Silvertone Electric. They were actually pretty decent electric guitars at a great price. Several friends of mine played them in junior high.
>
> \
>
> here’s one
> [http://cgi.ebay.com/Silvertone-SSL3-Electric-Guitar\_W0QQitemZ200440346085QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2eab2cf5e5](http://cgi.ebay.com/Silvertone-SSL3-Electric-Guitar_W0QQitemZ200440346085QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2eab2cf5e5)
[Here’s another one](http://www.amazon.com/Silvertone-SSL3-CHERRY-SUNBURST-CS/dp/B002IQWF8Y/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1268589003&sr=8-6). Four reviews; three five-star, and one four-star. $30 less than the eBay one, and free shipping. The seller gets good reviews as well.
[Here’s the search page](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=silvertone&x=0&y=0).
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/23 "2010-03-14T18:06:00Z")
hmm, I didn’t realize they still made Silvertones. I guess they aren’t sold through Sears anymore. 😉
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/24 "2010-03-14T18:19:42Z")
I re-read the first review on Amazon (the four-star one – and the reviewer said he’d now give it an ‘A’ because of the customer service) and the other three (five-star) ones. If I didn’t have too many guitars already, I’d be strongly inclined to get a Silvertone. Same price as my Squier, but it really sounds like a solid instrument. Heck, maybe I’ll pick one up sometime just because it’s a good guitar at a very good price!
Have any of the Doper Guitar Gods aside from **aceplace57** experience with them?
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/25 "2010-03-14T18:31:42Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> In my opinion, DON’T EVER BUY A GUITAR YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED. The neck could be warped, the hardware could be falling off, the electronics might not work properly, etc. You have no way of knowing if the guitar is even playable.
Yes, play it first, that’s why I said look at craigslist since the guitars are local.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/26 "2010-03-14T19:31:46Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I re-read the first review on Amazon (the four-star one – and the reviewer said he’d now give it an ‘A’ because of the customer service) and the other three (five-star) ones. If I didn’t have too many guitars already, I’d be strongly inclined to get a Silvertone. Same price as my Squier, but it really sounds like a solid instrument. Heck, maybe I’ll pick one up sometime just because it’s a good guitar at a very good price!
>
> Have any of the Doper Guitar Gods aside from **aceplace57** experience with them?
Silvertone guitars rock. Very good construction, although some years the electronics were subpar. I think the newer (like 21st century) ones are made in China. The ones to look for are the ones from the early to mid-60s, especially the ones made by Danelectro back then.
A friend of mine from back in the day used to play his 1971(?) Silvertone when his band played out. It had a freakishly screechy sound, especially when he did his wah pedal solos.
**Bijou** , my apologies; I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I haven’t ever even looked at craigslist; I thought it was pretty much like ebay and no matter how good the picture is, if you can’t hold it in your hands before you pay, yer metaphorically walking thru a minefield. If you can find a guitar on craigslist then go check it out, then that sounds like a great option.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/27 "2010-03-14T19:37:06Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#):
>
> I just ran across an ad for a Ibanez As73 Artcore Brown Sunburst here in Guadalajara for approx. $335usd.
>
> Any opinions?
Ibanez makes great guitars, and they make shit guitars. If it feels good to you, if the neck looks straight, if the electronics work, then that might make a good guitar for you.
I recommend you look up that model up online and see what others have said about it.
A quick google shows lots of reviews, mostly very positive. It looks like it’s Ibanez’s version of the Gibson 335, which is a rockin’ guitar. But, it looks like it’s only $400 new from Sam Ash or Musician’s Friend (which is also Guitar Center), so you might want to pay for new and not save $60 on something that may have been mishandled by a previous owner.
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### Author:  [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/28 "2010-03-14T19:57:31Z")
In my opinion, no style of electric guitar is much better than any other for learning. Buy one that you think feels pretty good, looks pretty good, and sounds pretty good. Try them out.
It’s not like picking a Les Paul will make it hard for you to learn while playing a Strat will make it easy, or vice versa.
I think people also tend to exaggerate the differences in guitars. I would not deny the differences between Les Pauls and Strats, but there’s still a lot of connoisseurial, irrelevant blabber that you’ll encounter when the subject of guitar make/type/model comes up. Can the difference between this year’s and last year’s Gibson Les Paul Doublecut really be that big?
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/29 "2010-03-14T20:09:52Z")
I’m doing okay with my Strat. It’s a well known and tolerant guitar.
> **[Watch How to Play Guitar: Beginning Guitar 101 Volume 1 | Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/How-Play-Guitar-Beginning-101/dp/B001RH03MU)**
>
> In this free tutorial series, First Chords, discover new techniques, and chords to begin playing the acoustic guitar. Perfect for the beginning musician who has just picked up a guitar for the first time.
Here, have some free video lessons! I found 'em kinda useful.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/30 "2010-03-14T20:20:11Z")
When I first got interested in playing the guitar 20 years ago, my father took me to the local pawn shop and we bought the cheapest POS they had. It was a no-name(literally, there were no manufacturer’s markings on it at all. Weird) electric that I learned to play by playing the tabs out of “Guitar for the Practicing Musician”(remember that?). After a year and I had learned enough to know what I liked, we went to what is now Guitar Center and bought a nice Strat.
Anyway, my point is, as many others have already advised, it’s probably wise to spend as little money as you can on something to learn with before you make any kind of real commitment to a nicer instrument. Just buy a cheap used guitar that feels comfortable in your hands and learn with that.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/31 "2010-03-14T20:23:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I re-read the first review on Amazon (the four-star one – and the reviewer said he’d now give it an ‘A’ because of the customer service) and the other three (five-star) ones. If I didn’t have too many guitars already, I’d be strongly inclined to get a Silvertone. Same price as my Squier, but it really sounds like a solid instrument. Heck, maybe I’ll pick one up sometime just because it’s a good guitar at a very good price!
>
> Have any of the Doper Guitar Gods aside from **aceplace57** experience with them?
I have no experience with that particular type of Silvertone - as \*\*Bo \*\*says, the ones I know of were the ones built by Danelectro (e.g., the famous “amp built into the case” model sold through Sear. Those guitars are a lot of fun for an inexpensive guitar - not as versatile as Gibsons or Fenders but they hold their own and can be great slide guitars, as Jimmy Page would attest.
Ibanez Artcores can be a fine guitar - but as \*\*Bo \*\*says - if you are interested, it would be worth going to the local Guitar Center and trying one out - the one you found isn’t a hugely better deal.
…and to \*\*Bith’s \*\*point, any decently-made guitar would serve you fine at this point. As long as the neck is straight and playable and the action is good…
Keep us posted.
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### Author:  [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/32 "2010-03-14T22:39:41Z")
My favorite, between the two? Hmm, I’ll have to give that some thought.
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### Author:  [@Saganist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saganist)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/33 "2010-03-15T05:48:54Z")
Get a guitar that you think looks cool.
I’m not joking. It’s not like certain types of guitars are inherently better than others for beginners or experts. In my experience, quality is almost always exclusively a function of price. Plus, you’ll be more motivated to keep playing a few months down the road when frustration convinces you that you’ll never be a good player. Stick with it. You can’t practice and not get good.
Also, more importantly, while what people are saying about not needing an expensive guitar is true, don’t make the mistake of getting a really cheap POS either. I would suggest spending at least $200 for a new axe or getting something even better used.
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### Author:  [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/34 "2010-03-15T09:13:21Z")
I’m a bit late here, but another thing to consider is the size of your hands.
I have an Ibanez and a Lez Paul copy (bought it secondhand so I don’'t know the model). I have relatively short fingers and generally prefer the Ibanez for feel when playing.
The LP copy has been extensively modified with a new neck and improved pickups, but the most useful modification was trimming the edges of the square block where the neck joins to the body.
I found it difficult to play comfortably in the lower frets, due to this joint. On the Ibanez, which is essentially an updated strat shape, the neck joins smoothly with the body and it is easier to play.
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### Author:  [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/35 "2010-03-15T23:58:54Z")
I guess I’m lucky - I have long skinny fingers, so scale and width don’t matter much, except as a personal preference. I’ve played and owned Strat, a Country Gentleman, a Telecaster (didn’t own that one), a Gibson 175 (sweet for jazz, but it wasn’t mine), my current LP Custom, etc. Yup, I been pretty lucky. To me, it’s the sound first and foremost. The type of music you want to play may influence your choices, but you have to decide what sounds right and plays right for you. Then, the playability; playing should not be a test of brute strength. Some guitars are shit, and you have to really bear down on the strings - those aren’t even fit for kindling. My tip for going cheap, is to hit the pawn shops (with a friend who knows what to pick). You get to hear it, play it, visually inspect it, and you may come away with the deal of a lifetime.
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### Author:  [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-electric-guitar/532429/36 "2010-03-28T01:21:33Z")
> [@WordMan](#):
>
> Ibanez Artcores can be a fine guitar - but as \*\*Bo \*\*says - if you are interested, it would be worth going to the local Guitar Center and trying one out - the one you found isn’t a hugely better deal.
>
> …and to \*\*Bith’s \*\*point, any decently-made guitar would serve you fine at this point. As long as the neck is straight and playable and the action is good…
>
> Keep us posted.
Well I finally bought the Ibanez Artcore AS73. I paid the equivalent of $300usd. They sell for $500 here new in Guadalajara. The guitar has hardly been played and looks like brand new. Not really a scratch or blemish on it. It came without a cord or a strap, so I will be picking those up early nest week. A friend also offered me an amp on loan long term.
I did get off to an ominous start though. I broke the first string. Thought I was loosening it, duh. Since I’ll be buying new strings also, any recommendations?
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