getting daughter guitar for christmas...feedback

[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.

 

[Rick Pierpont]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

-Metal

 

[Wandrail]

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]

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]

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.

 

[shreddy]

Very nice.

 

[Bryan316]

Here's an option for an amp.


Get a good multi-effects pedalboard. Like the Boss ME50 Guitar Multi Effects Processor.

Or, if you're brave and wanna get her something truly versatile and good enough even for a touring guitarist but still affordable, the Boss GT-8 Multi Effects Processor


What she can do, is run her guitar into the pedalboard, and out into the external inputs of a regular stereo system. Cuz she'll get great tone and effects and be able to tweak and experiment and have fun discovering sounds her ears want to hear, but once she starts programming all her favorite settings, she can blast them through any amplifier down the road. If she gets a combo amp, a head and half stack, a rack-mounted power amp, anything! It'll be compatible with anything out there.

 

[mëtålspëd]

You should have told your daughter "play big, or go home"

 

[Meedleyx10]

Here's an option for an amp.


Get a good multi-effects pedalboard. Like the Boss ME50 Guitar Multi Effects Processor.

Or, if you're brave and wanna get her something truly versatile and good enough even for a touring guitarist but still affordable, the Boss GT-8 Multi Effects Processor


What she can do, is run her guitar into the pedalboard, and out into the external inputs of a regular stereo system. Cuz she'll get great tone and effects and be able to tweak and experiment and have fun discovering sounds her ears want to hear, but once she starts programming all her favorite settings, she can blast them through any amplifier down the road. If she gets a combo amp, a head and half stack, a rack-mounted power amp, anything! It'll be compatible with anything out there.

that's a bit on the overkill side of things for an 11 year old just starting out....the best bet for amplification would be something like one of the Roland Cube amps. Self contained, has effects, capable of a variety of sounds, and cheap. Not to mention it's so much simpler than the boss units.

 

[Wayniac]

Roland Cubes or the smaller line 6 stuff is pretty good.. I have heard the Cube and they do ALOT... Check out the Cube 20 or 30...

 

[Pellaz]

You should have told your daughter "play big, or go home"

LOL

Who knew there's a guitar that can double as a Rebel X-wing fighter?


"We're passing through their magnetic field...angle your deflectors double-front!"

 

[Bryan316]

that's a bit on the overkill side of things for an 11 year old just starting out....the best bet for amplification would be something like one of the Roland Cube amps. Self contained, has effects, capable of a variety of sounds, and cheap. Not to mention it's so much simpler than the boss units.

My line of thought. Tiny practice amps ALWAYS sound horrible. But a good pedalboard with good settings sounds great through headphones, home stereos, computer speakers, power amps and a good 12" cab... it's a better investment with long-term usefulness. It won't quickly get obsolete once her skills improve.

 

[FatesFan]

My line of thought. Tiny practice amps ALWAYS sound horrible. But a good pedalboard with good settings sounds great through headphones, home stereos, computer speakers, power amps and a good 12" cab... it's a better investment with long-term usefulness. It won't quickly get obsolete once her skills improve.

Its some good info as I am not aware of such things. Thanks.

 

[Meedleyx10]

My line of thought. Tiny practice amps ALWAYS sound horrible. But a good pedalboard with good settings sounds great through headphones, home stereos, computer speakers, power amps and a good 12" cab... it's a better investment with long-term usefulness. It won't quickly get obsolete once her skills improve.

The Roland cubes or even some of the small Line 6 models actually do sound pretty good for just jamming/practicing at home (even in small jam sessions depending on which model). There will always be a need to have a small amp to practice with regardless of playing level. Nevertheless, the last thing someone needs to be thinking about when buying their 11 year old daughter gear is pedalboards, power amps, extension cabs, etc. It'd be much wiser to wait to see how she ends up liking it and if she sticks with it before you start worry about things being obsolete. There are just too many bells and whistles on those boss (and similar) units for any beginner to have any use for.

 

[Bryant]

You received good replies on this post and I can't add much, but I will say this: I bought a Korean made Ibanez in the early 90's from a pawn shop. It was probably a mid-late 80's model. I STILL own it and I STILL play it. I have guitars that are more expensive and play a little better for metal, but that guitar is my "versatile" guitar and when I was playing in a band, my back-up. I honestly wouldn't take $1000 for the guitar, yet I paid $100 for it. Maybe I happened to get a jem or something, but that thing is twenty years old and I still rock with it. If your daughter does decide to stick with the guitar...... don't be too quick to try and trade that one in or sell it.
I was friends with a cool local cover band back in the late 90's and I would catch many of their shows. Their guitarist, Jeff, had a high dollar Paul Reed Smith that he played most of the time. He loved my version of "Knocking on Heavens Door" which was little more than the Dylan version done electric. I never metalled it up a whole lot. Anyway.... the band often asked me to go onstage and play and "sing" (if you call what I did singing ha ha ha) that song at the end of the night. I got onstage with that $1800 guitar and wished I had my $100 Ibanez EVERYTIME.
I am getting off on a tangent, but the real scoop on what I am trying to say is that a guitarist and a guitar bonds together. If she keeps playing and becomes a guitarist.... don't get rid of that axe. It might not be what she wants at the time, but she may go back to it for a certain styles of music.


Bryant