Buying first electric guitar online & social anxiety

[hyndelegs]

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!

[Dad3353]

43 minutes ago, hyndelegs said:

...I'd be grateful to hear any thoughts you guys might have on the above, and thanks for taking the time!

 

Hmm... My first thought is that, even if it implies suffering a little (or even a lot..!), getting out to a music shop might well be a Good Thing, whether you buy a guitar there or not, simply as a step in getting rid of this Disorder..! Easy enough for me to write from the comfort of my own armchair, I'm well aware, but it's as much an Opportunity and Challenge as it's a difficult thing to do for you.
That being said, and if it's really impossible (but needs working on, just the same...), there are few downsides to ordering a guitar from a reputable on-line supplier.To be blunt, most guitars are much of a muchness when starting out, and any tweaks needed could only really be minor, and unknown at first. It's only really over time that one feels that such and such could be improved, or optimised, for one's own playing; that's not acquired 'in the box' anyway, but only over time. I would say that, in the range of instruments you're considering, any would be 'set up' from the factory and playable straight away, as long as you know how to tune it (you already play acoustic, so that shouldn't be an issue...). I've not counted of late, but, with my own guitars, those of Our Eldest and those of the other members of our little group, there must be at least two dozen guitars, all very different. Any of us can play and enjoy any of these guitars, albeit modestly (disclaimer : I'm a drummer...). I suggest that it's not an issue for a first purchase, and that a set-up should only really be considered after having played the acquisition for a while 'as is'. It may be that we (all four of us...) are either not too fussy, too experienced or just plain lucky in having guitars that we can all play. Obviously I'm not talking about a fault, such as a seriously bowed neck, or a stripped tuning peg, but these are not what is meant by 'set up', and would imply simply sending back any instrument so delivered.
No, order the guitar that inspires you the most from wherever you have most confidence and play the darned thing for a few months. That's time enough to get to realise if there's anything to 'tweak', enough time to learn how to do it yourself, and enough time to get yourself in the state of mind that enables you to consult a tech, if needed.
There, that's my opinion. Others may well have others; but that's my tuppence-worth. The joy of playing will out-weigh any reticence you may have with the contact of shop folk, or techs, and can only help in improving any such condition. It's an Opportunity; seize it, I say. 

[Skinnyman]

What Dad said. 
 

To add a little more…

 

There are some incredible guitars at very reasonable prices these days and it’s hard to buy a real ‘lemon’. A Squier Tele should come set up pretty well from the factory (or order from a shop that offers a setup service if you really feel the need). Certainly, it will be set up well enough to see you through the initial phase of learning the instrument. 
 

For versatility I think a Tele is hard to beat and all of the big online retailers have good returns policies - just keep the packaging and leave the plastic film on the pickups until you know you’re keeping it.

 

Happy hunting!

 

 

[ezbass]

Another vote for the Tele, good call there, I would would say that it’s nigh on impossible to go wrong with a Tele. @Skinnyman’s suggestion of selecting a shop that does pre despatch set ups is certainly worth looking into.

 

Whilst I agree with Dad up to a point about addressing your social anxiety (and you should, the more you get out there, the easier it becomes, take it from someone who was so painfully shy, I wouldn’t ask for directions and would rather be lost), a guitar shop is potentially a high pressure situation and a number of outlets will hassle you to ‘see how you’re getting on’, they are, after all, hoping to make a sale and some shops are better than others at being helpful rather than pressuring the customer. Another thing about ordering online, is that you have long distance selling regulations on your side and can send it back within a week or so, if it’s totally wrong for you. Regarding set ups, I was on my 5th guitar before I ever had a set up, so don’t overthink that aspect too much. Given your acoustic guitar experience, you already have a good idea of what you find comfortable.

 

Best of luck and don’t forget to keep us updated with your new purchase, with photos if possible. Also, don’t forget to try and get ‘out there’ more, small steps to start with, but followed by bigger ones and then long strides and feel free to share that experience here too, you’d be surprised at how much support a forum can offer, with all sorts of things.

[hyndelegs]

22 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Hmm... My first thought is that, even if it implies suffering a little (or even a lot..!), getting out to a music shop might well be a Good Thing, whether you buy a guitar there or not, simply as a step in getting rid of this Disorder..! Easy enough for me to write from the comfort of my own armchair, I'm well aware, but it's as much an Opportunity and Challenge as it's a difficult thing to do for you.
That being said, and if it's really impossible (but needs working on, just the same...), there are few downsides to ordering a guitar from a reputable on-line supplier.To be blunt, most guitars are much of a muchness when starting out, and any tweaks needed could only really be minor, and unknown at first. It's only really over time that one feels that such and such could be improved, or optimised, for one's own playing; that's not acquired 'in the box' anyway, but only over time. I would say that, in the range of instruments you're considering, any would be 'set up' from the factory and playable straight away, as long as you know how to tune it (you already play acoustic, so that shouldn't be an issue...). I've not counted of late, but, with my own guitars, those of Our Eldest and those of the other members of our little group, there must be at least two dozen guitars, all very different. Any of us can play and enjoy any of these guitars, albeit modestly (disclaimer : I'm a drummer...). I suggest that it's not an issue for a first purchase, and that a set-up should only really be considered after having played the acquisition for a while 'as is'. It may be that we (all four of us...) are either not too fussy, too experienced or just plain lucky in having guitars that we can all play. Obviously I'm not talking about a fault, such as a seriously bowed neck, or a stripped tuning peg, but these are not what is meant by 'set up', and would imply simply sending back any instrument so delivered.
No, order the guitar that inspires you the most from wherever you have most confidence and play the darned thing for a few months. That's time enough to get to realise if there's anything to 'tweak', enough time to learn how to do it yourself, and enough time to get yourself in the state of mind that enables you to consult a tech, if needed.
There, that's my opinion. Others may well have others; but that's my tuppence-worth. The joy of playing will out-weigh any reticence you may have with the contact of shop folk, or techs, and can only help in improving any such condition. It's an Opportunity; seize it, I say. 

 

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!

[hyndelegs]

21 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

What Dad said. 
 

To add a little more…

 

There are some incredible guitars at very reasonable prices these days and it’s hard to buy a real ‘lemon’. A Squier Tele should come set up pretty well from the factory (or order from a shop that offers a setup service if you really feel the need). Certainly, it will be set up well enough to see you through the initial phase of learning the instrument. 
 

For versatility I think a Tele is hard to beat and all of the big online retailers have good returns policies - just keep the packaging and leave the plastic film on the pickups until you know you’re keeping it.

 

Happy hunting!

 

 

 

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!

[hyndelegs]

19 hours ago, ezbass said:

Another vote for the Tele, good call there, I would would say that it’s nigh on impossible to go wrong with a Tele. @Skinnyman’s suggestion of selecting a shop that does pre despatch set ups is certainly worth looking into.

 

Whilst I agree with Dad up to a point about addressing your social anxiety (and you should, the more you get out there, the easier it becomes, take it from someone who was so painfully shy, I wouldn’t ask for directions and would rather be lost), a guitar shop is potentially a high pressure situation and a number of outlets will hassle you to ‘see how you’re getting on’, they are, after all, hoping to make a sale and some shops are better than others at being helpful rather than pressuring the customer. Another thing about ordering online, is that you have long distance selling regulations on your side and can send it back within a week or so, if it’s totally wrong for you. Regarding set ups, I was on my 5th guitar before I ever had a set up, so don’t overthink that aspect too much. Given your acoustic guitar experience, you already have a good idea of what you find comfortable.

 

Best of luck and don’t forget to keep us updated with your new purchase, with photos if possible. Also, don’t forget to try and get ‘out there’ more, small steps to start with, but followed by bigger ones and then long strides and feel free to share that experience here too, you’d be surprised at how much support a forum can offer, with all sorts of things.

 

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! )

[Skinnyman]

You could check out Richards Guitars in Stratford upon Avon or Wildwire in Selby - both quite small shops and may not be quite as cheap as the big boys; Andertons, GuitarGuitar, GAK and Gear4Music but I think they both offer (might even include) a free set up with any guitar. 
 

Other online retailers worth checking out are Peach in Colchester, Absolute Music in Bournemouth or Music Matter in Preston. 
 

I’ve bought from all the above over the years and had good experiences with all of them. The big guys tend to be box shifters - good service if things go wrong but everything’s necessarily a bit impersonal and you get the guitar as shipped from the factory. Which, as discussed, isn’t the end of the world as they’re generally perfectly playable straight out of the box (I’m convinced that a lot of the self-proclaimed experts online just fiddle with things for the sake of it and they often seem to ruin a perfectly well set up guitar. It’s a bit like cars. I’m happy to go with the suspension set up and tyres that the manufacturer fitted to the car I bought - if I was doing track days I might consider making some changes but for a run to the shops, standard is fine. Ditto guitars. In most cases, the manufacturer sets them up perfectly well and unless you’re a shredder there’s not much that you really need to alter). 
 

Have fun finding and getting your new guitar (have you thought about an amp yet?) Let us know how you get on and, when you’re ready, put a shout out on here for a jam partner!

 

 

[hyndelegs]

47 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

You could check out Richards Guitars in Stratford upon Avon or Wildwire in Selby - both quite small shops and may not be quite as cheap as the big boys; Andertons, GuitarGuitar, GAK and Gear4Music but I think they both offer (might even include) a free set up with any guitar. 
 

Other online retailers worth checking out are Peach in Colchester, Absolute Music in Bournemouth or Music Matter in Preston. 
 

I’ve bought from all the above over the years and had good experiences with all of them. The big guys tend to be box shifters - good service if things go wrong but everything’s necessarily a bit impersonal and you get the guitar as shipped from the factory. Which, as discussed, isn’t the end of the world as they’re generally perfectly playable straight out of the box (I’m convinced that a lot of the self-proclaimed experts online just fiddle with things for the sake of it and they often seem to ruin a perfectly well set up guitar. It’s a bit like cars. I’m happy to go with the suspension set up and tyres that the manufacturer fitted to the car I bought - if I was doing track days I might consider making some changes but for a run to the shops, standard is fine. Ditto guitars. In most cases, the manufacturer sets them up perfectly well and unless you’re a shredder there’s not much that you really need to alter). 
 

Have fun finding and getting your new guitar (have you thought about an amp yet?) Let us know how you get on and, when you’re ready, put a shout out on here for a jam partner!

 

 

 

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!

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, hyndelegs said:

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?

If you contact the store with stock direct, Guitar Guitar have been amenable to weighing guitars for me, as have Anderton's (whether they actually do it, or just guess is unknown, but worth a go).

 

Thomas are a huge, Germany based retailer who I've good service from in the past. The only problem is that if you decide to return an item, for reasons other than faulty, sending back to the EU throws up all sorts of problems and expense.

 

2 hours ago, hyndelegs said:

staying at home, and looking at more guitars online

An everyday occurrence for me .

[Skinnyman]

Thomann are another good site - I didn’t mention them because a) my post was already turning into a list of all the online retailers and b) they’re in Germany so stuff may be a bit cheaper ( depending on the value of the Euro against the pound) but it takes a few extra days to ship. I’ve used them a lot over the years but typically for things like mixers and cables. I prefer to have guitars spend as little time as possible being subjected to the tender mercies of the couriers so hence I’ve tended to buy instruments from UK retailers.

 

On which note, be aware that Gear4music have warehouses in York and in Sweden so if something on their site has a lengthy delivery date there’s a fair chance it’s coming from Sweden. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but worth being aware of….

 

Despite what many say about no two bits of wood being the same, I doubt there’s much variation between two Squier Teles from the same range. It’s handy that Peach show the weight of each instrument and gives you a handy guide for comparing the ranges. 
 

One thing that may have an influence on your choice is that many Telecasters are quite square-edged. Some have a cut-out at the back (known as a belly-cut which paints a charming picture) and some have some shaping of the bout where the arm sits but typically the bodies are quite squared off. 
 

The Affinity Deluxe one has the belly cut - compare it to the regular Affinity 

 

https://www.peachguitars.com/squier-affinity-telecaster-deluxe-laurel-burgundy-mist.htm?opt=22905

 

That said, people have played telecasters since before the dawn of time and never really had an issue so a squared-off body isn’t a bad thing - but if you can find a guitar in your price range that has the belly cut, it’s a nice feature that makes the guitar just a little more comfortable. 
 

(I hope all that’s helped and I haven’t fallen into my usual trap of mansplaining obvious things. Mrs Skinnyman says I’m a bugger for it )

[Dad3353]

May I just add that, in the very wide Telecaster range, I favour the 'Deluxe' model, with its pair of humbucker pick-ups, over the 'standard' Tele with single coil. Rather more versatile, I'd say, and, though it may lack the extreme 'Texan twang' of the single-coil version, that's not the sound I want from a sole guitar. As a second/third/fourth... I've no problem with the standard Tele, but if I was to choose as my only guitar, t'would be a Deluxe model. Just sayin'; good luck with the hunt...