getting daughter guitar for christmas...feedback

FatesFan · December 11th, 2007, 11:23 AM

So my 11 year old daughter says to me that she wants an electric guitar for Christmas. Not knowing if she will follow through or not, I did not want to go big end but I also did not want to get her a total crap ax for her first guitar.Being a drummer and not a guitar player I was flying blind.

I ended up with an ibanez starter kit. (ijx121) Does anyone have any experience with this guitar? As far as kits go, this guitar was rated very good. She wanted a Gibson flying V but like i said, not really sure she will like playing and thus not following through.

Any feedback on the below would be great. Again....she is 11.

Rick Pierpont · December 11th, 2007, 11:43 AM

Not familiar with that model, but it has to be MUCH better than the ultra piece of junk acoustic I started with 30 years ago (I was 8)! I think you did fine. Plus, it comes with the amp, tuner, strap, etc... I hope she enjoys it and takes to it.

Oddly enough, I also got my 11 y/o a guitar this year for Christmas. I got him an Ibanez RG120. My 9 y/o was really the one who got this rolling since he has been begging for a bass. I found him a real sweet Ibanez SR400 on eBay. Like you, I didn't want to lay out out much money, but I also didn't want them to start off with junk either. That's why I went to eBay and shopped for nice used gear. Hell, I buy myself stuff there and I've been playing most my life so surely its good enough for them to start out with.

Cheiron · December 11th, 2007, 11:58 AM

A good pick.

I haven't played it, but it's a good idea, and Ibanez is reliable.

As for a Flying V... definitely good choice in staying away! A flying V is a tough one to play sitting down =p And no reason to get that kind of a guitar till somebody knows that he or she is serious.

I'm thinking of getting my nephews a guitar. Maybe to share. Is this a bad idea? They are 2 years apart in age. Around 6 and 4 now. I just can't afford to get them each their own.

Bryan316 · December 11th, 2007, 03:42 PM

Yeah. You tell your daughter, if she wants a flying V, she has to pay her dues on the Ibby first, and prove she can ROCK. Then, you can treat her to a step up in quality and definitely a fun axe to play. An Epiphone Traditional V or a Jackson Flying V are great stage guitars, but they SUCK for sitting around and noodling/learning. But just so she knows, a Flying V is a bit easier to sit with compared to a traditional V or a King V body style. Also depends on the chair, though.

And show her some Heart and Vixen and Lita videos. Show her a chick can be just as METAL as the guys, if she ain't Hello Kittying it all up and playing Hanson just cuz it's fun.

Make sure to sling some vintage Deep Purple and Randy Rhoads at her, too.

Kenso · December 11th, 2007, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatesFan

So my 11 year old daughter says to me that she wants an electric guitar for Christmas. Not knowing if she will follow through or not, I did not want to go big end but I also did not want to get her a total crap ax for her first guitar.Being a drummer and not a guitar player I was flying blind.

I ended up with an ibanez starter kit. (ijx121) Does anyone have any experience with this guitar? As far as kits go, this guitar was rated very good. She wanted a Gibson flying V but like i said, not really sure she will like playing and thus not following through.

Any feedback on the below would be great. Again....she is 11.

this is almost the exact same thing i started out with

this guitar is JUST what you are looking for to find out if she will dedicate to it or not.

i think i got a package almost exactly like this, just 6 years ago, im sure by now its a little bit better than the one i had, and i didnt get a new guitar for like a year and a half. its a guitar that you know you can actually play on and make real sounds with. some starter guitars are just complete garbage, they break super easy, or the strings are so high off the fret board when you get it you just lose all inspiration to play period. im glad that i picked the ibanez pack when i first got a guitar, thats for sure.

ibanez is the way to go for sure.

Mooseknuckle · December 11th, 2007, 07:05 PM

Funny that you posted this today, as I got thrown out of a guitar store for suggesting this guitar combo to a lady in a similar situation. Her 13 year old son wants to learn guitar. So this salesman is totally trying to sell her on a 700 dollar schecter, telling her that you want quality and something "that will last and retain resale value". He ducks behind the counter to answer the phone and I started talking to this woman. I told her that she should go cheap so that if he doesn't pick it up, or gets frustrated and quits, or just decides to do something else, she is not out a crapton of money and left with a 700 dollar dust collector. I pointed her to the Ibanez combo and the salesman flipped. He said I was "interfering with the business being conducted by his store" and asked me to leave. I told him I wouldnt be back. Anyway, that's not a bad starter. The low level Ibanez stuff sounds good and is pretty reliable. I own 8 Ibanez Electrics and I love every one. Hope she enjoys it!

MetalRose · December 11th, 2007, 09:11 PM

Ibanez are good guitars. I'd say you started her out with a pretty decent rig there!

-Metal

Wandrail · December 11th, 2007, 09:35 PM

Well, they make starter guitar kits for a reason, and the ultra cheap guitars have come a ways, I suppose, though they can only come so far. Has to be better than the HONDO Les Paul copy I started learning to play on! That thing weighed a ton and sounded horrible. It must have been made out of oak or something.

shreddy · December 11th, 2007, 10:11 PM

We got my step son a base model ESP AX-50 might be what it was it looks like it. It was suggested by my bassist at the time who worked at Sam Ashe music at the time. It was a very nice but not too expensive guitar, my bassist told me the quality of it was much higher than the other cheapo guitars and it was just a slight bit more than the cheapos but not too expensive. Of course we added a small crate amp and guitar stand. We made him buy his own picks and strap.

The thing that really made the difference was having one of my old guitarists give him lessons ($40 an hour).

I guess all things considered that ESP was still less than what I paid for my last used keyboard LOL

FatesFan · December 12th, 2007, 11:09 AM

Thanks for the feedback.

This Ibanez is not the bottom end started guitar. There is one step down and this one was spoken highly of ( for a starter ). If she shows me that she is willing to stick with it, she will have any guitar she wants. Well, not anyone, but you know what I mean.....anyone below a grand. A new amp would also be in order. I smell Marshall.

December 11th, 2007, 11:23 AM	#1 (permalink)
FatesFan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,244	getting daughter guitar for christmas...feedback So my 11 year old daughter says to me that she wants an electric guitar for Christmas. Not knowing if she will follow through or not, I did not want to go big end but I also did not want to get her a total crap ax for her first guitar.Being a drummer and not a guitar player I was flying blind. I ended up with an ibanez starter kit. (ijx121) Does anyone have any experience with this guitar? As far as kits go, this guitar was rated very good. She wanted a Gibson flying V but like i said, not really sure she will like playing and thus not following through. Any feedback on the below would be great. Again....she is 11. __________________ www.myspace.com/loganmax www.myspace.com/houstonsscreamer Last edited by FatesFan : December 11th, 2007 at 11:26 AM.

December 11th, 2007, 11:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
Rick Pierpont Odin's Court Guitar Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Stewartstown, PA Posts: 1,337	Not familiar with that model, but it has to be MUCH better than the ultra piece of junk acoustic I started with 30 years ago (I was 8)! I think you did fine. Plus, it comes with the amp, tuner, strap, etc... I hope she enjoys it and takes to it. Oddly enough, I also got my 11 y/o a guitar this year for Christmas. I got him an Ibanez RG120. My 9 y/o was really the one who got this rolling since he has been begging for a bass. I found him a real sweet Ibanez SR400 on eBay. Like you, I didn't want to lay out out much money, but I also didn't want them to start off with junk either. That's why I went to eBay and shopped for nice used gear. Hell, I buy myself stuff there and I've been playing most my life so surely its good enough for them to start out with. __________________ Rick Odin's Court Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals Rick's MySpace page!

December 11th, 2007, 11:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cheiron Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,697	A good pick. I haven't played it, but it's a good idea, and Ibanez is reliable. As for a Flying V... definitely good choice in staying away! A flying V is a tough one to play sitting down =p And no reason to get that kind of a guitar till somebody knows that he or she is serious. I'm thinking of getting my nephews a guitar. Maybe to share. Is this a bad idea? They are 2 years apart in age. Around 6 and 4 now. I just can't afford to get them each their own. __________________ Cheiron Proud Co-sponsor of Andromeda for ProgPower IX Proud Co-sponsor of Virgin Steele for ProgPower VIII

December 11th, 2007, 03:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bryan316 METAL... nuff said! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Detroit Rock City Posts: 2,572	Yeah. You tell your daughter, if she wants a flying V, she has to pay her dues on the Ibby first, and prove she can ROCK. Then, you can treat her to a step up in quality and definitely a fun axe to play. An Epiphone Traditional V or a Jackson Flying V are great stage guitars, but they SUCK for sitting around and noodling/learning. But just so she knows, a Flying V is a bit easier to sit with compared to a traditional V or a King V body style. Also depends on the chair, though. And show her some Heart and Vixen and Lita videos. Show her a chick can be just as METAL as the guys, if she ain't Hello Kittying it all up and playing Hanson just cuz it's fun. Make sure to sling some vintage Deep Purple and Randy Rhoads at her, too. __________________

December 11th, 2007, 07:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
Mooseknuckle Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Charleston AFB, SC Posts: 153	Funny that you posted this today, as I got thrown out of a guitar store for suggesting this guitar combo to a lady in a similar situation. Her 13 year old son wants to learn guitar. So this salesman is totally trying to sell her on a 700 dollar schecter, telling her that you want quality and something "that will last and retain resale value". He ducks behind the counter to answer the phone and I started talking to this woman. I told her that she should go cheap so that if he doesn't pick it up, or gets frustrated and quits, or just decides to do something else, she is not out a crapton of money and left with a 700 dollar dust collector. I pointed her to the Ibanez combo and the salesman flipped. He said I was "interfering with the business being conducted by his store" and asked me to leave. I told him I wouldnt be back. Anyway, that's not a bad starter. The low level Ibanez stuff sounds good and is pretty reliable. I own 8 Ibanez Electrics and I love every one. Hope she enjoys it! __________________ "Some people are like slinkies - Not really good for anything, but you still cant help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs..."

December 11th, 2007, 09:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
MetalRose I am of Crimson Blood Join Date: May 2004 Location: The Black Hole Between Boston and NYC Posts: 2,500	Ibanez are good guitars. I'd say you started her out with a pretty decent rig there! -Metal __________________ Warning: may contain trace amount of nuts. Jeers to whomever decided to call me Rose this year. That's not my name, never has been. Nailz is my new best friend! His quotes: -I would quite litterally trample babies to see that tour. -Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure everyone was excited for a change of topic when in walked MR The Mad Mind of MetalRose ProgPower/ PowerFest Group on Myspace!

December 11th, 2007, 09:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
Wandrail I'm your Huckleberry Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Urban Sprawl, GA Posts: 1,842	Well, they make starter guitar kits for a reason, and the ultra cheap guitars have come a ways, I suppose, though they can only come so far. Has to be better than the HONDO Les Paul copy I started learning to play on! That thing weighed a ton and sounded horrible. It must have been made out of oak or something. __________________ "Imperialism and socialism - forms of the cosmopolitan heresy and in essence one - have offered man the material world. Nationalism has offered him a free soul." -Arthur Griffith Last edited by Wandrail : December 11th, 2007 at 10:19 PM.

December 11th, 2007, 10:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
shreddy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Chicago Posts: 322	We got my step son a base model ESP AX-50 might be what it was it looks like it. It was suggested by my bassist at the time who worked at Sam Ashe music at the time. It was a very nice but not too expensive guitar, my bassist told me the quality of it was much higher than the other cheapo guitars and it was just a slight bit more than the cheapos but not too expensive. Of course we added a small crate amp and guitar stand. We made him buy his own picks and strap. The thing that really made the difference was having one of my old guitarists give him lessons ($40 an hour). I guess all things considered that ESP was still less than what I paid for my last used keyboard LOL __________________ Mindwarp Chamber

December 12th, 2007, 11:09 AM	#10 (permalink)
FatesFan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,244	Thanks for the feedback. This Ibanez is not the bottom end started guitar. There is one step down and this one was spoken highly of ( for a starter ). If she shows me that she is willing to stick with it, she will have any guitar she wants. Well, not anyone, but you know what I mean.....anyone below a grand. A new amp would also be in order. I smell Marshall. __________________ www.myspace.com/loganmax www.myspace.com/houstonsscreamer