hyndelegs

I saw a telecaster-type guitar today that has an anodized aluminum pickguard. I've read in a few places that this type of pickguard can change the tone of a guitar a bit, possibly making the tone a little darker with more low-end frequencies. No idea how true this is, and having never owned an electric guitar before, I am absolutely clueless about anodized aluminum pickguards. Has anyone ever had one before or has one currently? Any pros or cons, or general likes or dislikes about them? Do they feel weird under the hand? Do they make static or buzzing worse? Better? Any thoughts anyone has that they wish to share would be much appreciated

Hi all, me again... I'm getting closer to purchasing my first electric guitar (Squier CV 50s or 60s Tele), and I'm essentially looking to find as many of the smaller guitar shops / retailers that people have had a good experiences with as possible (and that they would therefore highly recommend). Note: the shop must have a website with online ordering and home delivery! If you have bought a guitar from a UK-based smaller shop / retailer (i.e. NOT the big places like Andertons, GAK, Thomann, etc.) and had a great experience in terms of customer service, guitar as advertised, knowledgable staff, etc., then let me know the store name and location! Preferably, I'd like to hear about shops that you have dealt with relatively recently (perhaps in the last year or two). BONUS POINTS for shops whose online listings include individual stocked guitar photographs, individual guitar WEIGHTS listed, and an extra bonus point for shops that do some kind of included free inspection / set-up pre-dispatch. (Peach Guitars in Colchester is one such store that can claim ALL of these bonus points). Apologies for being, once again, very pedantic, but I've always been a bit of a detail person, and I want my first electric guitar purchase to be as correct as possible (as correct as online ordering allows at least). Thanks for taking the time, much appreciated. (P.S. - thanks to anyone who has already mentioned smaller shop recommendations in other threads of mine, I have written them down!)

Thanks for the reccomendations! After having a quick glance, it seems that both Richards Guitars and Peach certainly carry out a free set-up pre-despatch. Looks like Wildwire, Absolute Music + Music Matter all have very good reviews too (and may have free / optional set-up services if I dig a little deeper on their websites), so I'll be keeping these outlets in mind. I'll have to see exactly what these places have in stock; I imagine the bigger retailers /may/ have greater variety simply due to the sheer size of their warehouses or whatever. (If I can find a guitar I'm after on a smaller, more personal / catered site though, I'd probably prefer to buy from there to be honest). Something I noticed on Peach's site is that they have actually weighed the individual guitars they have in stock, and so you have some choice over how heavy your guitar is! I remember during my Squier Classic Vibe Tele research, I found out that there can be a fair amount of weight discrepancy between individual guitars of the same model (seemed to vary between 7-odd and 9-odd pounds, with an 8 pound-ish average). I'm starting to think that if I can opt for a lighter guitar, it'll be better, considering A) I'm female and B) I'm fairly puny (despite being much taller than average...) Do you think it likely that the large retailers you mentioned would be able to help out in terms of guitar weight selection? i.e. if I was to get in contact with a big retailer's sales / customer service department, and requested that I'd be interested to get a lighter guitar of a given model, they'd be equipped to help out with this? Or do you think that's unlikely given the less catered nature of these companies? And last question: have you heard of Thomann? I think it's another big retailer, but I noticed you didn't mention it. I was wondering if maybe it's a retailer you'd avoid? Many thanks for all your help!

Glad to hear yet more agreement that a Tele should be a pretty solid first choice for versatility and beginner-friendliness - I arrived at this conclusion in the first place thanks to previous forum advice from the many excellent folk here Pre despatch set-up is certainly on my radar now. If I find that a reputable supplier offers such a service, I will certainly give it serious consideration; it may well be a good way to reassure myself during the online purchasing process! By the way, thanks for sharing your experience with shyness, as well as your considered understanding of the challenges that someone with anxiety faces when trying to make a sensible, unpressured purchasing decision in the potentially stressful / somewhat pressurised guitar shop environment. I'm sure there are plenty of shops out there where a pushy "make a sale" environment does not exist, and where the staff are genuinely helpful and just want the best for the customer. However, it's not only that idea of pressure that is daunting; it's also simply being in a dynamic and unpredictable place, as well as the fact I'd have to travel there, probably on public transport, etc. etc. Of course, I am aware that a great deal of these fears and anxieties stem from overblown ideas about the outside world in my head, and that in all reality, the perceived "threat" or "danger" is minimal. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the disorder for these overblown perceptions to (currently) rule my nervous system, and so at present, the reality of me being able to get as far as the guitar shop feels unlikely - I'd probably get as far as getting dressed before surrendering, staying at home, and looking at more guitars online :') (I agree that this is no real way to live long-term, and I promise everyone here that I will continue to work on getting better and to being able to take part in the outside world once more! )

Good to know that 'lemons' are few and far between these days. From videos I have seen on guitarists receiving a Squire CV Tele via online order, they all seem pretty happy with the quality of the instrument, and when I've heard them played (clean signal through an amp), they sound great, to my ears at least Checking to see if an online shop has a "pre-despatch set-up" service is not something I had looked into - I'll definitely keep that in mind and check what exactly those types of services entail (should any of the reputable online retailers offer such a service). It may be a good way of putting my mind at ease when purchasing online. With regards to this, do you happen to know of any decent online retailers / suppliers that offer such a service at present? I'll also be sure to read all the small-print on returns policies to protect myself in case I am unfortunate enough to receive a dud! Many thanks for your response - I feel as though I am not too far away now from being able to take the dive and to purchase my first elec. guitar!

Many thanks for the encouraging words, and it's good to know that at my price point, level of experience, and providing I order from a reputable on-line supplier, there shouldn't be too much of a problem in terms of "out-of-the-box" playability, at least for initial learning stages and simply enjoying my first electric guitar. I agree with you that there are opportunities here for me to step out and to challenge myself in terms of my social anxiety, and though I may be reluctant to do so at the purchasing stage, perhaps you are right that, down the road, a guitar may provide various ways to meet and talk to like-minded people who share an interest, whether it is shop folk / techs, or fellow musicians. Certainly, my ultimate goal is not to simply learn how to play an electric guitar in isolation, but to utilise the acquired ability in order to jam with others and perhaps to form a band (eventually). Whatever the case, I think the most important thing is that I don't hesitate to purchase something that has the potential to bring a lot of pleasure and enjoyment (and perhaps a few sore fingers)! Thanks for taking the time to give your views on the matter; greatly appreciated!

Hi all, I made my first post here back in September, and got some really good initial advice on electric guitars that might be well-suited for a beginner. As a reminder, I've never owned an electric guitar, but have played an acoustic guitar a bit. I want to achieve a jangly, twangy, melodic sound reminiscent of guitarists like James Honeyman-Scott (Pretenders), Johnny Marr, etc. (though having a versatile and beginner-friendly guitar is also something I'd like). At present, I'll most likely be opting for a Squier Telecaster of some kind, probably something from the Classic Vibe range (I like the look of both the 50s and 60s models from this range). Something I need to mention though is that I have suspected Social Anxiety Disorder, and so going into a guitar shop, trying out guitars, comparing guitar tones, and being able to discuss features and make considered decisions in that environment is not going to be possible for me at present (working on fixing that lol). Due to this, I wanted to ask if buying my first electric guitar online, based upon online research, online demo / test videos and general user ratings / reviews is a good idea? It feels as though I have little choice other than to do that, but I wanted to hear people's thoughts on this? Furthermore, I remember reading about guitar set-up, which I think is like a set of various tweaks and calibrations made (including probable strings replacement?) to improve the initial playability of a new guitar? (correct me if I'm wrong). Again, I'd be keen to get this done if it means the new guitar is checked-over, fine-tuned and calibrated for a better playing experience, but I'd be unlikely to be able to be the one to take the guitar to a guitar technician myself due to the same social anxiety issues, and would most likely ask a relative to help me out here, who would take my guitar to a technician for me and relay what it is I want done. Would this throw up any problems? Do I need to be there for a set-up to be carried out, considering I'm the one who will be playing it? Or is it a fairly standardised thing that a good guitar technician will be able to carry out without too much input (other than being told how extensive the set-up needs to be / what strings to use?) I'd be grateful to hear any thoughts you guys might have on the above, and thanks for taking the time!