A few months ago one of my sons decided he wanted to learn to play the guitar. So after he passed a reasonable motivation test I bought him a simple guitar and amp for under $200.
Now he wants a Les Paul guitar. A quick search on the web tells me they start at about $3000. That’s out of the question. But it leads to the following question. If he wants something that’s better than what he has, how much do I have to spend? My sense of it is that his current guitar is fine. I could see him using it for years, playing in a local band, etc. And if I did want to finance an upgrade it would make more sense to buy him a better amp. Of course, I have absolutely no
ear for music, and no idea what is considered stylish by kids his age.
But again, for a noticeable increase in quality of music, how much more money?
It’s a cheap guitar. Sorry, but it’s true. Don’t get me wrong: he could do much worse, and it’s a perfect starter electric guitar, but if he’s getting into it at all and progressing along, then he’ll soon outgrow it, if he hasn’t already. It’s not the kind of thing he’ll be able to hang on to for years and play in bands, even though nothing’s wrong with it. It’s hard to explain if you’re not a musician, but a better instrument will help you play better.
Squier is the entry-level line made by Fender; getting a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster would be the next obvious step. You can spend $3000, but there’s no need to. The Standard Strat can be had for less than $400. (If he says he doesn’t want a Mexican neck, you’re already in trouble ). A Les Paul, for that matter, can be had for less than $750 if you look around (eBay, pawn shops…they’re popular guitars). Still cheaper would be Les Paul-style guitars, but if he’s already in love with a certain style, I don’t think there’s any point trying to get him to compromise. Better to save and wait for what he wants. Basically, the extent to which he’s really playing is the extent to which he really “needs” it.
For example. When buying secondhand, it’s important to have some kind of agreement with the seller that the guitar can be returned if he doesn’t like it when he gets it, or better yet, try to find one in your area so you can try before you shindizzle.
IANRAG (I am not really a guitarist ), but it is my belief that the setup of the instrument is half the battle. Of course, with many cheaper instruments, it just may be that the parts needing adjusting outweighs the value of the instrument. Stuff like a warped neck isn’t too repairable (is it at all?). Things like new electronics make a difference as well, which again depends upon the issue of totaling.
You might take it by a local repair guy or luthier to see how much of a setup can be done on his current axe, and economically so. Discussion towards another instrument can commence afterward.
Anyway a Les Paul is something you arrive at, not something you start out with. Besides being expensive as f#$%, Les Pauls are really heavy, especially for a 12 year old or thereabouts. When I was a kid one of the guitarists in my band borrowed the bass player’s father’s Les Paul for a gig and could barely make it through a set. It was blessed relief to put it down. Another thing is that with your son playing around kids his age and through high school chances are his guitar could get knocked around.
If your son has to have a name brand, something like a Fender Telecaster or Strat might do the trick and they’re a heck of a lot cheaper, too. Yamaha makes good stuff as does Ibanez. Ibanez has a gazillion models so I can imagine he’ll find something he likes there.
Does he have a teacher? He can recommend something.
Also, as you’ll notice, musical equipment can be really expensive so the sooner he starts paying for this stuff the better.
I think you should ask him why he wants a Les Paul in particular. If it’s for the brand name alone, it’s not worth it. Get him an Epiphone. They make decent enough guitars that the quality won’t be an obstacle in his learning. Or like somebody else said, a Fender Strat (look for the made in Mexico).
I also see that he’s been playing for only a few months. I don’t know how much practice he’s put in or how much innate skill he has, but I can reasonably guess at how good a 12 year old is after playing for a few months. Get him the Epi or the Fender, and wait a year or two until he’s really found his own style/sound that he wants to go for. Maybe he’ll want something a bit more unique sounding by then.
Greatness lies in the musician, not the guitar. IIRC, the Stratocaster was a cheapo unpopular guitar pretty much until Hendrix came along.
A $3,000 axe is cool, but there’s nothing you can do with a all that fretboard binding & gold inlay that you can’t do on an el-cheapo squire. As long as the thing stays in tune, it performs adequately.
If anything needs an upgrade, I’d agree to invest in the amp. Thinking back to my budding musician days, the other thing I would have liked was little effects box. Though, at this point in his ‘career’ that would probably just give him more ways to make noise rather than music
If your son wants a Les Paul, you can buy a used one in the classifieds or craigslist or eBay for way less than $3000, more like 1000-1300 for a Standard of 90s vintage.
You could also get a Gibson SG, which has that great chunky sound similar to a Les Paul, but is lighter and cheaper (I’ve seen used ones in the $600-800 range.
If you really want to save, though, the cheap Fenders are a good deal.
While there is some truth to this, a cheap guitar will really limit what you can do with it. I have a very hard time playing the el-cheapo beginner guitars. An el-cheapo is going to be fine for simple chords and rhythm but that’s about it. Once you start getting anywhere at all advanced, you’re going to need something better.
That doesn’t mean you have to jump right to the $3000 Les Paul though. There are plenty of good (by good I mean playable) guitars with a decent sound for a lot less than the price of a Les Paul. I’d be looking more in the $500 to $800 range if I were you. The most important thing is the quality of the neck, at least as far as the playability of the instrument is concerned. You want a good heavy body too. A light guitar might be easier on the shoulders to carry it around, but it’s not going to sound as good or have a decent sustain. Anything cheaper than a few hundred bucks is going to have a crappy neck and a body that isn’t made out of a nice piece of heavy hard wood.
You can get a lot more bang for your buck going with a used guitar, but you have to be VERY VERY careful and know what you are looking for. If you buy a guitar with a warped neck you can easily end up with a $800 piece of firewood.
In my opinion, spend the money on a better guitar. If he’s at all serious about it, he’s going to be too limited by the beginner model. If he gets good enough to play in a local band he’s probably going to need a bigger amp too. He should have about a 50 watt amp, and I doubt the el-cheapo beginner amp is that powerful.
As much as I like my les Paul Custom, I have to tell you it is not the best choice for a 12/13 year old kid. It’s much too heavy, and way too costly. After only a few months of playing, the kid won’t even know the difference between it and something a lot cheaper. I suspect he wants it because it’s what the “rock gods” use.
If you can get a custom or standard used, that might be the way to go, but it will still be a heavy beast. Also, be aware that some people will not give a price break - used Les Pauls seem to become “classics” when you want to buy them.
There are plenty of other Gibsons, Gretsches and Fenders that are excellent guitars, and they are all popular with professionals too - SG, ES175, ES335TD, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Country Gentleman, plenty to choose from.
But, after only learning for a few months, I think it’s the coolness factor he wants, more than anything.
Also, remember that the best guitar in the world still sounds like crap in unskilled hands. Likewise, the worst piece of shit ever made can sing in the right hands. With an electric, the choice of amplifier makes a big difference too.
One thing he’ll get on the Les Paul and not on the Fender is humbucking pickups. Fatter, warmer tone, no 60-cycle hum from other electrical sources. Does he like that sound? Would he know if he likes it? Would he know it if he heard it? Who are his favorite guitarists and what do they play? There are plenty of guitars with humbucking pickups that would make good inexpensive alternatives to a Les Paul.
A good test would be to find some recordings unfamiliar to him that are known to feature Les Pauls and some known to feature Fender Strats. Give him a blindfolded listening test and see if he can tell which is the Les Paul. That might give you some idea if his basis for wanting a Les Paul is the sound or some fad/fashion reason (not that particular guitar sounds don’t go in and out of fashion.
To the OP, I’d say there’s three big things that are usually noticeably better in a more expensive guitar, although such a guitar need not be the Gibson Les Paul, as everyone has already said. However, these factors do directly affect the playability of the instrument.
[ul][1] A better guitar generally stays in tune better.
[2] A better guitar usually has a better quality neck and frets. You can play all up and down the neck and there won’t be “buzz” spots here and there.
[3]Hi, O…Oh, never mind that. Better electronics. Cheap electric guitars tend to go bad electronically speaking. Things come loose, if you don’t plug the cord in just so, it won’t play. Think of a cheap pair of headphones that stops working on one side…it’s like that.
[/ul]
With that said, I think the offshore Telecasters and Stratocasters have gotten much better than they used to be. I own a Japanese-made Telecaster which I bought 20 years ago, and I always had problems with it…chiefly (1) and (3) above. But sometime later I had occasion to rent a Japanese made Stratocaster, and it was much better. Keep in mind that these are actual Fender brand guitars that I’m talking about, not off-brand imitations.
Gibson makes a wide range of Les Pauls. No way should you have to pay three grand–I didn’t pay that much for my Les Paul Supreme, and that’s pretty close to the top of the line. You can get the Gibson Les Paul Special new for about $700.
). A Les Paul, for that matter, can be had for less than $750 if you look around (eBay, pawn shops…they’re popular guitars). Still cheaper would be Les Paul-style guitars, but if he’s already in love with a certain style, I don’t think there’s any point trying to get him to compromise. Better to save and wait for what he wants. Basically, the extent to which he’s really playing is the extent to which he really “needs” it.