Ever fancied trying Electric Guitar?

[Bazzlad]

Maybe so but if you get a cheap guitar (like any of these sub £100 package deals) it will just put you off - the guitars often feel horrible, come with really cheap + nasty strings, will sound pretty bad and just encourage you to give up after a few weeks.

I'm not so sure about this, after all I bought a nylon stringed acousticed from a car boot for a tenner and learnt to play, after all if you don't know the difference how can you compare.

(Also the uber wide classical neck made me a improve at a rate of knots! [and really appreciate elect guitar neck wideness])

I'd say a decent starter guitar would be a yammy, decently priced and play well.

Personally, I love Peavey guitars, but am extremely wary of their amps.

[greenalien]

Can I also recommend the tutorials produced by this chap :

eBay UK Shop - Guitar Methods: CD's, Special Offers, Downloadable

and suggest that, rather than buying a cheap practice amp, you invest in something like this :

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AMPLIFICATION - EFFECTS & MODELING PROCESSORS - V-AMP 2 : Virtual Guitar Amplifier with Tube Simulation and 24-Bit Effects

along with a decent pair of stereo headphones, as it not only gives you a large range of different 'virtual amplifiers' and effects to try out, you'll also be able to play as loud as you like without annoying the neighbours!

[dangel]

you'll also be able to play as loud as you like without annoying the neighbours!

Completely missing the point of doing it! In my uni flat I had four marshall cabs and requisite amp - my nearest neightbour was 500 yards away and still complained I used to have to 'babysit' all the equipment for my mates as none had enough space to keep it in... hard times!

[greenalien]

my nearest neightbour was 500 yards away and still complained

Really? How inconsiderate of them !!

Lucky the local council noise squad didn't just turn up and confiscate the lot!

[SilentDeath]

Maybe so but if you get a cheap guitar (like any of these sub £100 package deals) it will just put you off - the guitars often feel horrible, come with really cheap + nasty strings, will sound pretty bad and just encourage you to give up after a few weeks.

A good guitar can be had for just £150-£200 which will make the world of difference and really make you want to practice, as has been said a Pacifica is an excellent starter guitar, or something like an Ibanez SA would suit someone who wants to learn heavier stuff.

As you say practice is the most important thing, but actually wanting to practice helps there

I have a KCC from ebuyer at £70 delivered (looks like its £10 chepaer now when you add delivery). My brother has a Ibanez SA, which looks awesome but they both sound the same to me... until you get good you wont notice any difference. The KCC looks like same one as bigpockets.. but far cheaper on ebuyer..

[Oobie-]

I had one of those - I quickly learnt how bad they were, and purchased myself a schecter

[Knoxville]

Personally I'd recommend cruising ebay or the local classifieds for a second hand Pacifica 112 or Squier for maybe twenty notes more, however if you really want to learn as is evident in Bazz's post you can learn on absolutely anything you want if you've got determination on your side.

I had one of those - I quickly learnt how bad they were, and purchased myself a schecter

Good man, play a Schecter custom bass myself, solid instruments with good fit and finish and quality hardware and pick-ups, value for money wise schecter knock the back out of the mid-range guitar market in my opinion

[dangel]

Really? How inconsiderate of them !!

Lucky the local council noise squad didn't just turn up and confiscate the lot!

Fortunately this was before we became a nanny state

[Brucelles]

I learned on a cheap Hofner copy. It cost about a weeks dole money second-hand, but I had a load of musical friends who helped me improve it. I put new strings on it and swapped out the pickups for some off an old, smashed Gibson.

I practiced with a book, learning the chords and playing Greensleeves over and over etc. I learned to play "The Wizard" by Uriah Heep, even detuning the guiter to the weird tune that Mick Box uses for that track. The guitar was great because it was a semi-accoustic, so it made a reasonable sound even unplugged.

I kept that guitar from my 17th birthday, when I bought it, until my 24th birthday when I finally realised that Jeff Beck was never going to stand back and gasp at my playing. I got a good price for it, it was well worn-in, but I still kind of miss it.

The only bad thing about a semi-accoustic is that there's no way to pretend that you are cool with one.