Mikey B Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Howdy boys and girls! First post, but I wanted to ask a few questions before I ventured to GC to buy my first ever guitar. I've recently decided to start learning to play as something to pass my spare time and jam with friends and I'm trying to decide on my first guitar. I have to tell ya, I love the arch-top look. But I'm wondering if a Casino or a Riviera would be too much axe for a newbie. I've also got my eye on the LP Korina after reading the review here. Most of the music that my friends play is in the classic rock wheelhouse, with some heavier stuff thrown in. My person tastes go towards bands like Oasis and the rest of the mid-to-late 90's alternative scene. Any thoughts on which road you'd recommend for this wayward traveler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kong Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 You should try a few different guitars out to see if any feel "just right" to you. I have 3 Epiphones and they're all great guitars in my opinion. If you're leaning towards a hollow body, you should check out a Dot. I traded for a beautiful cherry Dot on craigslist last year. Based on your musical tastes, you can never go wrong with a Les Paul. I personally like the Customs and the Standard Plus Tops. I have a Custom Silverburst There are tons and tons of killer deals on Craigslist, although I'd get pictures and check with the folks here to make sure it is authentic. There are some fakes out there, mostly Customs in my experience. I've seen a lot of mint condition Epi's that you could get for 1/2 price on Craigs vs. the big retailers. I think Epiphone is a great choice for a 1st timer. So yeah I don't think you could go wrong with an Archtop or a Les Paul. I would not say either is too much for the beginner player. A lot of beginners go for cheap guitars and they don't feel or play as nice as a quality instrument. I think this turns off players that may otherwise have stuck with guitar if they had a better playing instrument. All just my very humble opinion and your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoFrills Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I think what Kong said is right on the money. For the oasis sound I personally would prefer the ES-355 style guitars. I have a 1980 Ibanez Semi-Hollow Artstar which is great for that kind of sound but being semi hollow it has a tendency to feedback and not in a good way. The Gibson LP which is also a favorite of Mr Bean Gallagher will not do so but still there is more versatility in the LP. Although one thing I found with the Epi LP I played is the Pickups were not very nice sounding so you may look into replacing them to get a much better sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 If you're a huge Oasis fan like me, you might as well wait a month or two until this comes out, but yeah the Dot is good too. Just go and play as many guitars as you can and see which one fits YOU the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Considering what you said about styles, and also that this is your first guit and you don't know if you'll dig it, i'd agree with kong and say you should go with a dot. You can get a used one for like $250, and you'll be able to play pretty much anything and everything. Anyone around here will tell you, if you dig it and get into it, there are MANY more guitars in your future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 The Gibson LP which is also a favorite of Mr Bean Gallagher will not do so but still there is more versatility in the LP. Sorry... totally off topic... but ROFLMAO I think I would go with the Dot Oh... & Welcome to the Forums Mikey B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 How does Noel Gallagher look anything like Mr. Bean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 How does Noel Gallagher look anything like Mr. Bean? Dunno Mike... ya gonna hafta ask NoFrills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSAR Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 If you're planing to play heavier things then i wouldn't go with the casino, I've never honestly gotten the chance to play one myself, but from what I've heard, hollow bodies tend to feedback wih gain, and P90s can be a noisy. I can't see that adding up to anything great. THe dot would probably be a good guitar for what you say your plans are. When you say korina lp, i assume you mean the traditional pro? Personally, that'd be my choice, because you'll get well, a great looking, sounding and playing Les Paul, plus it comes equiped with coil taps, so you have access to a wider variety of tones. What's most important in the end however, is that you try as many guitars as you can, and pick the one that plays and sounds the best to YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heilly Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 My 2 cents: This being your first guit, I would go with a used hollow body. Simply put, when you are first learning to play, you can practice without plugging in and have a decent sound vs. solid body. Plus, if you need a heavier sound, effects pedals can help you accomplish anything. I would go to GC and try everything you can within budget. You will find that even the body shape will have an effect on your decision; the way it sits against your body. When I first started, I thought an LP was for me... until I sat down with it over my knee. The position just didn't feel right to me... (however over the years, I learned to deal and LOVE my LP's LOL.) Bottom line, don't blow your wad $-wise on your first guit... there is plenty of time to build up your collection. Find one that feels right, my friend from the land of Corn! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Considering what you said about styles, and also that this is your first guit and you don't know if you'll dig it, i'd agree with kong and say you should go with a dot. You can get a used one for like $250, and you'll be able to play pretty much anything and everything. Anyone around here will tell you, if you dig it and get into it, there are MANY more guitars in your future. Good advice and I'm a L.P. guy! How does Noel Gallagher look anything like Mr. Bean? Personally, I think he looks more like Tony Montanna. Say hello to meet my little friend. Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_edward Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 A hollow or semi-hollow with P90's is a tough go for a beginner, when plugged in it brings much more to the equation in terms of noise control, it could be discouraging to some. IMO your best bet is an LP standard, if the Korina model does it for you, get that one - if you have the cash an Epi LP standard is the best option for a newbie (once set up). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 My opinion. "Hollow bodies have feedback problems". I disagree. I have no problem getting feedback on my Casino and that's what I like about it. It's all about knowing where you are in relation to your amp. Orienting yourself correctly can allow for some great fun with controlled feedback/sustain (think early Neil Young). If it is such a huge problem, why do so many great players use them? Because they know how to use them. It's a poor workman that blames his tools. Semi-hollow and hollw guitars have the advantage, as somebosy has already said, of being playable without an amp. Both my Casino and Ric 12 get played "unplugged" as much as they do amplified. "P-90 pickups are noisy". Duh! Single coil pickups are noisy, that's why hunbuckers came about. But they get a sound that very few double-coil or humbuckers can get (without a bunch of electronic mumbo-jumbo). P-90s are great PUs for getting that raucous, over-driven sound. At the same time, an underwound P-90 at the neck can get a very nice jazzy, almost acoustic sound. The thing that I've learned about P-90s is that the magnet used makes all of the difference. Ceramic and some AlNico 5 PUs can be too edgy and feedback a little more. Same if they haven't been wax-potted. I bring this up because sweeping generalizations can be very misleading. I think that the best advice given here was to go and try every type of guitar available to see what works best for you. Whatever you get now will just be the first of many, if you are anything like the others here. Plenty of chances to experiment and explore. Keep us posted and send pics when you get something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 My opinion. "Hollow bodies have feedback problems". I disagree. I have no problem getting feedback on my Casino and that's what I like about it. It's all about knowing where you are in relation to your amp. Orienting yourself correctly can allow for some great fun with controlled feedback/sustain (think early Neil Young). If it is such a huge problem, why do so many great players use them? Because they know how to use them. It's a poor workman that blames his tools. Semi-hollow and hollw guitars have the advantage, as somebosy has already said, of being playable without an amp. Both my Casino and Ric 12 get played "unplugged" as much as they do amplified. "P-90 pickups are noisy". Duh! Single coil pickups are noisy, that's why hunbuckers came about. But they get a sound that very few double-coil or humbuckers can get (without a bunch of electronic mumbo-jumbo). P-90s are great PUs for getting that raucous, over-driven sound. At the same time, an underwound P-90 at the neck can get a very nice jazzy, almost acoustic sound. The thing that I've learned about P-90s is that the magnet used makes all of the difference. Ceramic and some AlNico 5 PUs can be too edgy and feedback a little more. Same if they haven't been wax-potted. I bring this up because sweeping generalizations can be very misleading. I think that the best advice given here was to go and try every type of guitar available to see what works best for you. Whatever you get now will just be the first of many, if you are anything like the others here. Plenty of chances to experiment and explore. Keep us posted and send pics when you get something. +1 on everything said here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_edward Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 My opinion. "Hollow bodies have feedback problems". I disagree. I have no problem getting feedback on my Casino and that's what I like about it. It's all about knowing where you are in relation to your amp. Orienting yourself correctly can allow for some great fun with controlled feedback/sustain (think early Neil Young). If it is such a huge problem, why do so many great players use them? Because they know how to use them. It's a poor workman that blames his tools. Semi-hollow and hollw guitars have the advantage, as somebosy has already said, of being playable without an amp. Both my Casino and Ric 12 get played "unplugged" as much as they do amplified. "P-90 pickups are noisy". Duh! Single coil pickups are noisy, that's why hunbuckers came about. But they get a sound that very few double-coil or humbuckers can get (without a bunch of electronic mumbo-jumbo). P-90s are great PUs for getting that raucous, over-driven sound. At the same time, an underwound P-90 at the neck can get a very nice jazzy, almost acoustic sound. The thing that I've learned about P-90s is that the magnet used makes all of the difference. Ceramic and some AlNico 5 PUs can be too edgy and feedback a little more. Same if they haven't been wax-potted. I bring this up because sweeping generalizations can be very misleading. I think that the best advice given here was to go and try every type of guitar available to see what works best for you. Whatever you get now will just be the first of many, if you are anything like the others here. Plenty of chances to experiment and explore. Keep us posted and send pics when you get something. Ya what he said, study it Duh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Okay. First, thanks to everyone here for the advice. I spent about 3 hours at GC today. Last night I scoured Craigslist for anything that made me say, "Oooooo" but the pickings out here in the heartland are slim at best. So I sat down first with a Dot Deluxe and I liked it quite a bit. Seeing as I don't know anything about playing, the sales guy demoed it for me and pointed out what he thought was good and bad about it. Next we looked at an Ibanez, but I didn't care for it as much as the Dot. Next I looked at a Les Paul Standard which I also liked, and was $100 cheaper than the Korina one that I had my eye on. Brian (sales guy) showed me things about that one too. He went to check on any specials that he might be able to hook me up with and came back with good and bad news. The LP that I was holding didn't have any promos, but the Korina LP Traditional Pro had a $100 discount on it. Cha-ching! So my first-ever HNGD is for a brand new Les Paul Traditional Pro Korina! w00t! I also picked up a Fender Mustang I amp while I was there. I'll have pics here in a little bit, if I'm still alive after wifey gets home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Mikey, you know what they say, better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission. Good for you, love korina guitars. Hope it's the first of many. Waiting on pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrw1960 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Korina LP Traditional Pro had a $100 discount on it. Cha-chingrst, ! So my first-ever HNGD is for a brand new Les Paul Traditional Pro Korina! w00t! I also picked up a Fender Mustang I amp while I was there. I'll have pics here in a little bit, if I'm still alive after wifey gets home. Mikey, Welcome to the forum and CONGRATS to your 1st guitar.Good choice. I have a Fender Mustang III. For a SS amp great. The FUSE hardware is excellent. And for the wifey getting out of sync, she will get over it. Once you start making music on the fretboard, she will be telling her family and friends about you. There are some great folks here that can steer you in any direction for advice. AND definitely post some pics of the new aquisitions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Sterling play Mikey B ... Apart from lack of pics , you are clearly 'our kinda guy' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amx05462 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 based on what sound your trying to achieve id say les paul first then a dot standard . dont get a dot studio. there crap. casino is a whole different sound. the standard dot is well made the studio is cheaply made. i know i have both. the difference is night and day. also if you really are leaning toard the p90 sound of the casino. give a gretsch with dynasonics a try. you may like that sound better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 As promised... Pics!!! And someone still isn't sure about all this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Mr. Mike, BIG TIME CONGRATS!!! Fantastic looking guitar..... Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrw1960 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Mikey, Beautiful straight grain guitar. HNGD to you!!! Give a review of her sound,fit and playability Please!. Pretty Korina top!! Again= WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Give a review of her sound,fit and playability Please! That's gonna take a while as I'm totally new to all of this, but the guy that sold it to me at GC loved playing on it. Chords and scales start wednesday! (I can't play until then due to have a 10-page paper due Wednesday morning that's taking all my time at the moment.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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