Electric Guitars & Gear: Fender Player Precision Bass Guitar

I ordered the $300 paranormal Nashville strat, the fiesta red color looks off but hopefully in person it's more accurate.

Was about to get a mini squire strat kit for my 11yo son. He has small hands, thus the 3/4 or mini but this thread has inspired me to take him to a store and check stuff out before dropping $300 on a bundle

On the fence for either the teal squire affinity strat @$150 or the red gretch electromatic @$300.

Opinions welcome…thank you

It's important not to buy price level preferences; but buy a guitar for you. Understanding a player of any means best sets a price limit and considers what's missing or not, at the lowest prices and up. Because; in the end it's an instrument, not bragging rights. If you are worried you friends won't like it then you need to think about that. Which can be confusing for interesting looking guitars, for showmanship; but it's how it plays for you and your possible listeners EARS before eyes, that matters.

With electric guitars an oversimplification is its a warmer punch vs.brighter classic tones; but since electric guitars are amplified then if you are including any type pedal or multi circuit for tones then it can make a brighter(ish) single coil pick up sound like a warm(some) punchy humbucker and the other way around. Bright switches, inputs and preset modeling. Consider a global setting for your guitar type brightness.

Ceramic pickups are great for Strat classic sounds; but somewhere between original very bright pups and classic warm jazzy humbuckers. Actually, similar to sometimes expensive P90's or P.A.F's. So for owning($) one or your first guitar, into multi tonal devices in your sound chain then they are great. While it's good to stay away from a basement guitar farm (self control) then having a single coil and a separate humbucker guitar in two guitars to switch to is a good choice also. I would not buy for noiselessness pickups first; but tone first as there are several ways to limit 60 cycle hum. Hum can vary depending of location too. Hum is even part of some classic riffs. The 2 and 4 position on single coil Strats cuts hum too. As can multi amp/FX devices.

But mainly you need to play the guitar first! Even if you are learning in a store then go crazy anyway. You need to feel it. The issue is you're not just playing the guitar; but the entire signal chain after that. You should try/test both a select (clean to high distortion types) all tube amp and then also a select multi amp/FX unit that lets you just pick you favorite song tone with instant presets.

I'm a fan of mixing tube and non tube devices most of the time. Not tube vs. non tube wars. You can do both apart and together and affordably.

I did not buy my gear without massive study first; nor should you. Include combination(s) like a 1x12 combo tube amp.; but only where a value buy. Include partly separate components like a Cube Baby multi amp/FX mini pedal, where they are the best value and can combine in your total signal chain.

The electric guitar is just that. Your interface to the rest of it. Today nearly anything can be better setup, fine balanced. By the ad stated 'pro setup included' seller, or by you, to fine tune it.

If you closed your eyes and were handed two different Strat twins/clones, of with the same parts locations, one $60 and the other $5000 then you'd most likely prefer the feel and sound of the $60 guitar, or may like both similarly. Everything else is in your head.

With a certain Gretsch you would need to play a very well setup rendition, of several varying ones of that model, to compare to a Strat type or any other model, where you did the same.

Sure, personal preference of color, looks and many things that don't matter to the sound and feel. And there are many, MANY myths to put down. So sure what inspires you; but because you inspire the guitar, not because it "inspires" you. It can't without you and your own, generally daily motivation.

SO much is written about how a poorly playable guitar stops new players and it's complete BS. Because every single guitar hero in existence was NOT derailed by their guitar setup needs. Setup does NOT breed desire. Desire breed fine playable setup. Custom to you. Whether or not you DIY your own setup. And guess which famous guitarists can finely setup any guitars, even if they decide to pay someone to ready them (shipped town to town in different weather, for example); before a big performance? Generally 100%. It takes longer for you to tell someone to do fine changes for you than for you to just tweak it yourself. Some even change broken strings while playing.

And the new and tiny kids are always used in the argument. As if it's so cruel to "make" them tweak their guitar. Where the simple response is why can't their buyer see to it being playable (paid or DIY) for them then? When most people grow big enough to play guitar then they can tweak it also. And no special tools or expense are required. Just know how and YouTube has that. Because it's easy. And custom guitar tools are cheap, if you do want some anyway. But what's going on is just a sales pitch! Trying to get you to pay far more than about $40 extra for shipped "pro setup". And the lie that expensive guitars automatically arrive better setup. They do not, unless specified. Because; due to the lie then select, new, $60 guitars need so much more. But then ironically more of them are arriving perfectly playable and that means almost nothing to do. Not just kits, loosely bolted together. Not just for parts only. And not more price, even if you paid for setup separately to due to the easy fine balances. Even spending your own time DIY. Because the time watching a video to learn and why all the balances interact together and how easy it is to fine tune them (even with a floating Trem/Whammy) does not count as the actual quick labor of doing it for each guitar, repeatedly and when weather might require a quick fix. AND not spending ANY money or replacing ANY parts (But $5 strings). Even if it's good, to sometimes replace the nut with one already perfectly slippery and cut, for $10 or less; just to save TIME!. That doesn't mean one can't optimize a nut to work just as well, even if you spend a minute building it up and re-cutting it. So it's not all or nothing. You might try reconstructing any rare, errant nut and just because you do not want to wait on shipping or put one more cent into it. And no one should buy expensive parts, for best deal value. Again watching a video (or many) on how to remake a nut is a one time deal, not included as labor time. You do it only if you want to do it and it's fun. Because on any guitar shipped to you, then it typically does not need much setup!!!! Once good strings are stretched in well then it plays good and stays in tune, as is. Most without any fret buzz; because that's what a quick setup for shipping does. So it plays fine on stage or for fun. You only do more setup to perfect it; because you want to and it's optional. Such as slammed action height. Watch a video on T.R.A.I.N setup balances. You don't have to guess. It's a known way.

Now YOU probably knew all that, didn't you?

Only you can decide what you like. We're not buying trendy clothes here. It's an instrument.

Better off with a Monoprice Indio strat, Monoprice tube amp, and CUBE BABY pedal... right?