Are electric guitars from Wal-Mart a good choice for beginners?

Question

Are electric guitars from Wal-Mart a good choice for beginners?

Answer 1

My brother has a doctorate degree in music.  He pointed out to me once that the person who needs a good instrument the most is a beginner.  The more a musical instrument costs, the easier it is to play.  So, if you are really interested in learning, do not buy the cheapest thing you can find.  That said, the first guitar I ever owned (in 1960) cost me $5, and I played it until my fingers bled.  But I bought a Gibson Les Paul within one year.  If you are learning guitar, you don't need to start with an electric, and try to buy something in the $100 to $200 range.  Do not buy a nylon stringed guitar unless you intend to play folk music or flamenco.

Answer 2

Any guitar will do, it doesn't have to even be new.

I would suggest you check out the used music stores first.

Answer 3

nothing from wal-mart is a good idea, they are a very bad company.

Go to your local music shops, and talk to the people there, they will help you find what you need.

Answer 4

a very definitive h***s no

Answer 5

No they're junk, visit a real guitar shop or even Guitar Center and ask to look at the student models.  Better yet, let the potential guitarist play the junk first then try out a real student model; just try not to get distracted by the fancy appointments on the medium and high end instruments that will be on display.

Answer 6

It depends on how serious you are about the instrument.  If it's something you believe you have a serious interest in, will continue to play and will get better at fairly quickly you may just be better off getting a decent guitar.  Cheap guitars will not play as easily, lose their tuning and not sound as good as something a little bit more pricey.  It may frustrate you and you could give up prematurely since you can't hear the quality of your playing.  If you're just checking it out and not sure than a department store guitar may be fine for now.

Don't be afraid of inexpensive guitars at guitar shops though.  I bought my first acoustic for $250 16 years ago and it still sounds a plays great.

Answer 7

No, they are horrible for beginning...they break REALLY easily.  They're also really hard to play, since they have such low quality material.  If it was for a little kid and no serious in playing, I'm sure it'd be alright, but looking at the price (around 100), it's just garbage.  

You can get a Squier Affinity for the same price (in the 100's) with professional quality and great sound! (Plus it has the famous brand name)

A Yamaha Pacifica is also great too (same price), the quality is great, has the "natural" look and WAY better quality sound. Trust me on this on...I've tried my friend's Wal-mart guitar and it's sound was extremely fuzzy, even when I didn't put it in distortion.  Also, my friend told me that the coils always come off loose and the strings are a pain to tune.

Whatever you do, don't get Wal-Mart guitars.  They may have the look and beginning materials, but they suck.