What is the best electric guitar for a beginner? It depends on a couple of things – style of music and budget being two big considerations. Most folks understandably don’t want to spend a fortune on their first guitar as they may not stick with it, or might want something else down the line. That being said, you owe it to yourself to get something built well enough that you can really play it – playing music should be fun. You don’t want to struggle with an instrument that won’t stay in tune or has a poorly made neck that gives you grief. It’s a simple fact that if it doesn’t play well you’re not going to want to practice. Get something you love so you’ll stick with it.

The resulting contenders: Squier, Ibanez, Fender, Squier...

We asked Mass St Music staff Matthew, Alek, Ted and Anne what their recommendations were for a best first electric guitar. Each came up with something different, though these guitars have some things in common. They’re not only great first guitars, but they won’t break the bank, and can even grow along with the player – something you’ll still pick up and play years after your first lesson. Here’s what they had to say:

Matthew K: Squier Classic Vibe Tele Custom, 3 Tone Burst – $379.99

“This tele is just a timeless guitar, and affordable. It’s pretty versatile too – it can cover rock, blues, jazz. It’s really a great place to start. It’s the kind of electric that if you get it, ten years later you’ll look back on it as a respectable choice, and even if you branch out into other genres, you’ll still enjoy playing it.

Matthew says the Squier CV Tele Custom is 'really comfortable and extremely easy to play."

“In terms of playability, this Tele feels really comfortable and is extremely easy to play, which is perfect for a beginner. Squier really stepped it up with the Classic Vibe series – in fact the new Fender Modern Player line is made at the same place in China as the CV series – they’re built really well. The frets are seated well, which is hard to come by on an instrument in this price range. Playability is the #1 reason why players would feel the need for a new guitar after just a few months, or even stop playing if they had just started – it’s not an issue on this Squier at all. The frets are consistent and super level. The neck is great quality and it’ll last – that makes a big difference. The finish on this is just so classic too – you’ll never get sick of it.”

Alek N.: Ibanez 321MH, Blackberry Sunburst – $299.95

“This 321 has a great neck on it, for beginners or pros. It’s Ibanez’s Wizard II neck, with a very thin profile – it’s super easy to play. I love the design of this too. I like that it doesn’t have a trem, for a beginner that really simplifies things. And it’s great for a lot of styles, but if you’re into rock or metal this is definitely the one. The thin neck is great for shredding, it plays super smoothly. It also has medium jumbo frets, which are a great size for beginners too – you know they’re there, but they’re not in the way.

Alek says the Infinity humbuckers in this Ibanez RG321MH are something you'd find on a more expensive guitar.

“It has Infinity humbucking pickups which are really hot and something you’d find in a more expensive guitar – plus this has 5 way switching, so it’s really versatile. The quality, fit and finish are just great and there’s not a lot that can go wrong on this – the strings are through the body and there’s no trem…. It looks really sweet. I love how the grain of the wood shows through the finish – sharper than a solid color guitar. Great price too.”

Ted K.: Fender Standard Strat, Candy Apple Red – $499

“There are a million reasons why I think this is hands down the most versatile of electric guitars and a great choice for someone starting out. You can play rock, you can play country, you can play metal, you can play blues, you can play Himalayan Pan Pipes – no, no you can’t, but you can play just about anything else.

“The three pickup combination plus the volume and tone controls give you an almost infinite palette of tonal colors to choose from, from bright and twangy to thick and meaty. It’s just the most versatile guitar around. Also effects pedals go great with this if you want to get more ‘out there’ with your sound.

Ted says this Fender Standard Strat offers "an almost infinite palette of tonal colors to choose from."

“Another thing I love about this guitar is that it’s infinitely customizable – It’s really well constructed, with great tone woods so with more experience you might swap out your pickups for a different sound or a different pickguard for a different look, which I think is really cool. Fender makes a lot of replacement pickguards and knobs for all different styles and colors. This one, in Candy Apple Red, is a super fun finish. Red is the color of passion – there’s a reason why it was one of the most popular Fender custom colors in the past.

“A lot of parents try to get the cheapest guitar because they think their kid won’t stick with it, but you have to get something good that won’t hurt their fingers when they play or they’ll be doomed from the get-go. With this Standard Strat, I think you actually save money in the long run – it’ll always be a workhorse no matter how proficient you become over the years – you’re always going to want a Strat.”

Anne T.: Squier Classic Vibe 60s Strat, Burst – $349.99

“I love this guitar – the three single coil pickup configuration and 5-way switching really give you a lot of versatility for many styles of music, and it’s a classic finish. Easy to play for a beginner but also you’ll discover all it can do as you get better at playing. A Strat is always my go-to for a first electric because of that, and this Squier Classic Vibe is just built well. Squier’s really changed for the better over the past few years and done some really cool instruments instead of just being Fender’s ‘lower end line’. The Classic Vibe series really shines on these, essentially, recreations of classics.

Anne's says the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Strat gives you "a lot of versatility for many styles of music."

“This Strat has nice detailing with good frets, a 3-ply pickguard and great finish. No matter what kind of music you’re into you can do it with a Strat – rock, blues, country, surf, etc. This is a guitar that can fill a lot of needs as your skill grows. And as Ted pointed out, you can pretty easily switch out parts later – though I think the tortoise style pickguard would be hard to beat with the burst finish on this – it’s pretty slick. The price here is about $150 less than a Mexican made Fender Strat and you could easily pick up a practice amp with that and have some cash leftover for a strap or gig bag.”

Though our staff each chose different guitars, they all agreed that the starting point should be thinking about the kind of music you want to play, then going from there. The Squier CV Tele Custom, Ibanez RG321MH, Fender Standard Strat and Squier CV 60s Strat are all great choices and constructed well so you’ll actually enjoy practicing. No matter what guitar you get, make sure it has a proper set up (setting the action/intonation and checking several points) – something we offer for free with every new guitar purchase at Mass St. Music.

When anyone is asked about George Winston, the majority of folks may respond that they know Winston for his beautiful and unique piano music and extensive knowledge of the form. In truth, he’s also an incredibly accomplished guitarist as well as a harmonica player – and quite an authority on Hawaiian Slack Key playing. We were lucky enough to do a Take 5 interview with George in anticipation of his benefit solo guitar concert on Friday, October 30th at Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City. Details of the upcoming concert follow the interview.

1. Some people might be surprised to know you’ve been such an active advocate for Hawaiian Slack Key music with your Dancing Cat Records label for over 21 years. I have several of the discs and didn’t realize you were the man behind the label! How did a pianist become such a Slack Key fan as to start a label?

GEORGE: Actually I am a solo instrumental player on the guitar and the harmonica as well as the piano. Many of the great Hawaiian Slack Key guitarists are influences and inspirations to my own playing, and about 40% of what I play on solo guitar is Hawaiian. I started the label to record much more of the music of these great players.

GEORGE: Very minimal on the piano and harmonica as far as a direct influence, but inspiring for everything I play.

GEORGE: I play almost everything in Open G Major (C)-D-G-D-G-B-D from lowest pitched string to the highest and I had a low pitched 7^th string added to the guitar which I tune to a low C note, and very occasionally to the A below that.  This actually combines two Hawaiian Slack Key tunings, the Open G mentioned above and a C tuning (C­-G-­D-­G-­B­-D). For more on tunings you can go to the   Slack Key Info Book (at www.dancingcat.com) – specifically section III (Slack Key Guitar Tunings Essay)—and the section IV (Summery of Recorded Tunings)—-and the section IVa (Chart of Recorded Tunings)—-and section V (Hawaiian Recordings in the Slack Key Tunings).

GEORGE: I heard about him when I was living in Los Angeles, CA in the 1970s. I immediately got his first album when it came out in 1977, Ted Greene: Solo Guitar (Art of Life Records). I met him shortly after, and we were good friends until he passed on in 2005. We talked about many, many aspects of music and I always took many notes and checked out everything he mentioned, and it was always inspirational and educational. I still learn things every time I hear his album,  and I always loved the beauty and soul of his playing and his use of chords. He was also very inspiring and influential to me personally, as well as musically. He’s best known for his great books, especially Chord Chemistry, and his longtime companion is making more information available on the website www.tedgreene.com.

5. You’ve done Slack Key duets with others on your label, but when can we expect a Winston Slack Key or acoustic guitar album?

GEORGE: Nothing is planned. The guitar music just likes to be played at certain moments, but I have no concept for an album. The two recordings I have with guitar are Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Liv Ullman [narration] & George Winston [solo guitar] – the guitar solos also appear alone), and Remembrance – A Memorial Benefit (a six song CD of piano, guitar and harmonica solos, to benefit those affected by 9/11). I do play a few solo guitar concerts each year, in which I play Hawaiian Slack Key pieces, Appalachian and Folk  pieces, some Doors songs, and more. For more information you can see the concert program that I use for the guitar concerts and the other concerts, on my site.

GEORGE: No,  because I always play a couple of guitar pieces during the solo piano concerts.

GEORGE: I only play guitar, piano and harmonica. The only other instrument I have played was organ, which I started on in 1967 after hearing the Doors. In 1971, I switched to solo piano after hearing Fats Waller’s recordings. I later started playing guitar after hearing the Hawaiian Slack Key guitarists Gaby Pahinui and Keola Beamer. I also later added solo harmonica after hearing Sam Hinton (we produced an album of Sam’s solo harmonica playing, Sam Hinton – Master of the Solo Diatonic Harmonica (Eagle’s Whistle Records).

Thank you George!

George’s Solo Acoustic Guitar Concert will be held on Friday, Oct. 30 at Kansas City’s Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 West 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri at 7:30 p.m. and will benefit Guitars in the Classroom-Kansas City, a program that inspires, trains, and equips pre-kinder through 8th grade teachers to provide daily hands-on music integration that transforms classrooms into more vibrant, creative and effective learning environments. The first training class is forming now. For more information, visit www.guitarsintheclassroom.org. As with all of Winston’s concerts, concert goers are encouraged to bring a donation of non-perishable food to support Harvesters Food Bank. Collection barrels will be available in the lobby.

Concert tickets are $15.00 for Adults and $10.00 for Children in advance ($20.00 for adults and $15.00 for children at the door). Tickets are available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com, (800-838-3006), Good Book Book Store at Unity Temple (816-561-4466 x125), and Goodhart Shoes at 105th & Metcalf. For more information contact George (“Skip”) Voitik at 913-579-4908 or georgevoitik@mac.com. Check out www.massstreetmusic.com to enter to win tickets to this show!

(This interview was originally done in August 2009, before his Sept ’09 show). We’re excited to have the great Roy Book Binder play Mass St. Music again on Friday, June 11, 2010.  He’s not only a killer blues and folk guitarist, but a real entertainer who has lived a life that provides plenty of fodder for his true tales. He was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions because, you know, inquiring minds want to know. Tickets for this show are $15 and are available at the store, by phone (785-843-3535) and at our store website at www.massstreetmusic.com

More tunes and tales than you shake a stick at

TAKE 5 with Roy:

1. How did your friendship with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen (Roy teaches sometimes at Jorma’s Fur Peace Ranch) come about?

ROY: Back in the ‘old days’, back in the ’60s, often when I played ‘Hesitation Blues’, someone would yell out, “JORMA!!”…I didn’t know what they were talking about….didn’t know what a Jorma was. You see, I had no interest in Rock n Roll after my childhood hero, Buddy Holly died – I did see him and the Crickets perform 3 times in the ’50s.

Well, I did find out about Hot Tuna and the Jefferson Airplane… doing Rev. Davis music, and I was not thrilled that these ‘hippies’ were invading my sacred territory…..About 15 years ago, I got a chance to open up for Jorma at a club in NY, and that’s when I met him.  Jorma said he had all my records and that he especially loved the one I did with Jerry Douglas and the Bluegrass pickers – Bookeroo!, on Rounder……He also said he always looked forward to my appearances on TNN’s Nashville Now television show. He suggested we get to know each other better and invited me to the Woodstock house that weekend. The rest is history.

2. What is the most important thing you learned from your friendship and touring days with Reverend Gary Davis?

ROY: Traveling with Reverend Davis was a life changing event for sure. Out of the Navy, a guitar lesson, and the road….I never looked back.  The Rev became more of a friend than a teacher and I learned so much from him.  He was like a wise grandfather….and I was closer to him than I was  to my own father, who died while I was in the service.

Mostly he taught me to enjoy my accomplishments, the people I met, and life. I do believe, like many, I used to dream of what I didn’t have and take for granted what I did.

3. Can you tell us something about the guitars/instruments you’ll be playing for your show here at Mass St.?

ROY: I only play pre-war American guitars.  My favorite guitar, which will be with me on this tour, as it has been for the past 3 years, is a S.S. STEWART, (Professional Model). This guitar was made for the SS Stewart Banjo company by Gibson in 1931.  During the ’30s, Gibson made limited batches of guitars for a few distributors. It’s really a Gibson L-2…..a 12 fret guitar that’s light as a feather and an absolute joy to play.  I only know of one other Gibson-made SS Stewart in the collectible world. It’s believed that 6 were made, some were tenor 4 string guitars.

4. You’re a renowned storyteller. What’s the key to telling a great story? I can’t remember where I put my coffee cup, much less retell a tale.

ROY: I never considered myself a “Storyteller”, until I was invited to perform at The National Storytelling Festival, in Jonesborough, TN – found out it’s the all star game of storytelling festivals. I just talk about my times on the road and the people that I’ve met, and people like hearing about it.   It’s always a little different, as one thing leads to another and memories drift into my mind as I go along.

5. Can you tell us a little something about who Pink Anderson is?

ROY: I met Pink Anderson in the early ’70s.  He recorded a few 78s for Columbia Records in the late ’20s.  He spent his entire life working Medicine Shows around the Mid-South.  He was a comedian, guitar picker, and a bootlegger.   Pink was recorded in the early ’60s but suffered a stroke and never got to play the major folk festivals as many old timers did.

Before he passed, we did get him a few college gigs up North. He got great press coverage and reviews! It was very exciting and Pink told us he made more money on that trip than he ever did!  I asked him what folks back home will say….he replied, “They gonna bite their heads off!”

He never knew the band Pink Floyd was named after him and Floyd Cousel (another Carolina blues cat)  and I’m sure he never heard of them. To tell you the truth, I never heard their music or that of the Jefferson Airplane.

Note: Roy will be playing at Mass St. Music on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m., with his many cool books, CDs and DVDS in tow.  Tickets are $15. C’mon down.

-Anne

The classic 60s instrumental ‘Telstar’ starts off (and ends) with an otherworldly blast-off, space-like noise, which turns out to be the producer, Joe Meek’s invention. He recorded the flush of a toilet and played it backwards.  Thanks to Little Steven’s Underground for this crazy bit o trivia. Read more about eccentric and extraordinary producer Joe Meek at www.wikipedia.org.

It’s Thursday, have a little Bo Diddley courtesy of youtube:

Hey, Bo Diddley Bo Diddley

Love me some Green Onions. This show is a repeat, but I never heard it the first time around. Here’s a link to the story, with pics on npr.org. He sez ‘Green Onions’ was something of an accident in the studio and talks about how he had a paper route in high school when he started playing at Stax. Funny thing, the instrumentalist has such a velvet smooth voice. Also some news about a new album from him.

Booker T and the MGs

Ah spring! Incessant rain, purty flowers, hay fever and some cool new gear in the store. Here’s what we’ve been drooling over lately:

John Flynn – Don Grosh Retro Classic S Shape

This is a fantastic instrument and now that Birdseye necks are going to skyrocket in price, this is a great time to get one at the old price. This guitar plays and sounds amazing. Definitely a brighter “Robert Cray” type tone. The neck is super stiff and just has a great vintage feel about it and Don’s new pickups are just as amazing.

This Grosh has been taunting John - he can see it from his office

Isaac Flynn - Don Grosh Retro Classic S Shape

Like father, like son…Isaac had this to say on the RC, “It’s so easy to play, the Grosh pickups are the best I’ve heard, and the guitar just looks awesome!”

Eric Mardis - Ome Sweetgrass Banjo

This banjo is so gorgeous. The fit and finish are second to none, but the real payoff is when you put on some picks and let loose on this thing. Â The tone is bright without being an “icepick in the forehead.” Bright yes, but also full and pleasant at the same time. Â I’m truly impressed with this, our first OME Bluegrass banjo!

Sweetgrass Ome Banjo

Matthew Khomsi – Mogami 12′ Right Angle Platinum Cable

I thought I would see what all the hype is about with these high-end cables. Well, the jury is in and let me just say, from the first second I plugged it in, my bass sounded substantially more massive. I was genuinely shocked at how big a difference replacing my instrument cable had on my tone.

Worth the hype? Matthew gives a resounding thumbs up

Jason Jones – Fender Hau’oli Tenor Ukelele

I choose the new Hau’oli Ukulele from Fender. Hawaiian for “happy”, this ukulele lives up to its name with its rich tone, stable tuning, and great price that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

O Happy Day, the new Fender Tenor Uke!

Matt Christenot – Fender American Vintage 52 Tele Reissue

This 52 tele reissue is a must have for tele lovers. Very cool.

Fender 52 Tele Reissue

Anne Tangeman – Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Tele

That’s right…I said Squier. Honestly the past two years they have been making some very cool guitars and basses and I think this Classic Vibe line shows them off at their best. This tele has a retro eye on the past, it’s well made and it’s inexpensive. Twang!

Squier (that's right) Classic Vibe 50s Tele

This Collings D3ASB Varnish just came in and I just wanted to post a photo to show you all why I love my job so much. When I get to shoot a guitar this beautiful, it just makes my day. It’s just a perfect sunburst, on wide grained Adirondack Spruce. I think it’s the finest instrument in the store right now.

A perfect finish? I think so

Versatile and virtuoso guitarist Beppe Gambetta stopped by Mass Street today. When I asked him if he was playing in the area, he said no. He said “I came to have Jim (Baggett, the owner) set up my Rockbridge guitar. He’s a master.”

Here Beppe shows off his newly set up guitar, along with his infamous red shoes in one shot. Beppe’s off to St. Louis to play then Indiana and Iowa and parts beyond. Don’t miss him if you get the chance to see him play.

Beppe and his Rockbridge

Beppe and those red shoes

Beppe and the boss