My son (14) who plays the piano and cello has been teaching himself the guitar and has asked for an electric guitar for his birthday. Unfortunately although I know lots about pianos I know nothing about guitars. I understand there are lots of good shops near Tottenham Court Road but I would be really grateful if anyone could tell me what I should be looking out for. What sort of price should I pay. Any tips at all would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

What type of electric guitar is he after ?
Does he care most about what it looks like, or what it sounds like ?
Does he like tremelo ?
And how much are you prepared to spend ?

If its £100-£200 Squier Stratocasters are reasonable value for money if he prefers the Gibson shape there are loads of companies that make copies in that price range.

If you go a little higher in price (>300) Epiphone by Gibson make very good Les Paul copies, how high the price of these go depends on the finish and graphics you want.

Don't forget you'll also need an amplifier- I'd recommend a Vox AD30VT for around £150

And don't forget the cable !

http://www.epiphonestore.co.uk/acatalog/ep...l-standard.html
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...product_id/7947
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier/~electric_guitars

I believe it is considered advantageous if the amplifier goes up to 11!

I think buying an electric guitar is a lot different from buying most other instruments

the guitar kind of becomes an extention of you so believe it or not first you have to like the look of it,
the most important thing then is to play it and see if it feels comfortable and sounds right!

most guitarists I know agree that they just get "a feeling" when they play the guitar they want, coz they can imagine enjoying playing the guitar at home in their rooms (or up on stage in lights )

of course price range needs to be considered when choosing which guitars to have a play on, you don't want them going "I neeeeeed this £1,200 Gibson I've got a feeeeeeeeeeling!!!!" hahaha

To be honest the epiphone Les Pauls are a fair approximation of the real thing.

My wife has a wine red Les Paul Standard (£1500). The real thing does have better electrics and a better finish and a better action, but the sound of an epiphone isn't far off and does have a solid maple body like the real thing.

Hello everyone
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REPLIES! I see I will have to take Mark with me to buy the guitar so it can't be a birthday surprise. Never mind - its more important to get it right.
Thanks again for the information.

So how to choose between a Gibson (or copy) and a Fender (or derivative)? Soundwise, the Fender is cleaner and more sparkly sound when played with no distortion and a more trebly sound when overdriven. Gibson gives out a bigger, meatier sound when overdriven, but tends toward a darker tone at low volumes.

But what might sway it is the size of your sons hands. The Fender-style necks tend to be wider, slightly shallower and the frets slightly further apart than the G. That's why I've ended up with a Gibson Les Paul after 30 years of alternating between both.

One last thing - presuming he's more of a bedroom guitarist than a performer, he might prefer an amp-modeling effects unit rather than an amplifier. I recommend the Line6 Pod. You get a million different tones and effects and best of all, it is most enjoyed by the exponent wearing headphones!

Good luck! Paul

Denmark Street just off Tottenham Court Road in London is THE Guitar Street.

For a reall exciting day out book tickets for the London Guitar Show 2007, 27-29th April, but watch your wallet and dont get carried away!

www.londonguitarshow.co.uk

Wrong way round that surely
strat necks 1.65"
Gibson les paul 1.695"

Although the scale length is longer on the strat so the frets are further apart

I use the Les Paul (mostly) because I almost always play with my fingers and find it easier to finger pick than the strat because of the little extra width

Depends if its a 50's or 60's neck Les Paul

but still both wider than the fender