Decent guitar and amp?

Definitely agree about the Floyd thing. They can be finicky and if things get out of tune or you need to change string it can be time-consuming to get it all set up. That's all time that could be spent playing guitar.
 
Any beginner who has to have a particular guitar is going to quit as soon as it gets hard. So that's pretty soon. If he wanted to REALLY learn non of this would matter.
There are exceptions to that rule.

Back when I was teaching guitar for a living in the '80s, I had a student who was new to the guitar. After about 3 or 4 lessons with an acoustic guitar, he decided he wanted a Gibson Les Paul Custom and it had to be brand new. To make things worse, he played left-handed, so the guitar had to be special ordered, since there were no new left-handed Les Pauls for sale in town. I tried a million ways to talk him out of it, or to at least start with a less expensive guitar, but he was insistent. Long story short, I taught him for another couple of years and he progressed well, and last I heard he's still playing guitar.
 
There are exceptions to that rule.

Back when I was teaching guitar for a living in the '80s, I had a student who was new to the guitar. After about 3 or 4 lessons with an acoustic guitar, he decided he wanted a Gibson Les Paul Custom and it had to be brand new. To make things worse, he played left-handed, so the guitar had to be special ordered, since there were no new left-handed Les Pauls for sale in town. I tried a million ways to talk him out of it, or to at least start with a less expensive guitar, but he was insistent. Long story short, I taught him for another couple of years and he progressed well, and last I heard he's still playing guitar.
The exception to the rule does not invalidate the rule nor makes for a viable strategy to pursue though.
 
Doesn’t it depend on who the individual is, as to whether it’s a valid strategy or not? I would think so.
 
I just mean that if you really want it you will do it with what ever guitar you can get. Obviously something good would be nice but in the beginning everything you play is going to sound like shit anyway whatever guitar you have. Leaning to tune it with your ears and hold a rhythm on one chord is what matters to start not, what model guitar you can't play.
 
I just mean that if you really want it you will do it with what ever guitar you can get. Obviously something good would be nice but in the beginning everything you play is going to sound like shit anyway whatever guitar you have. Leaning to tune it with your ears and hold a rhythm on one chord is what matters to start not, what model guitar you can't play.

I dont teach my students either of those things to start. I show them E F and G in sheet music and how to fret notes and pluck strings.

At some point you'll need to accept that your way isnt the way.
 
I dont teach my students either of those things to start. I show them E F and G in sheet music and how to fret notes and pluck strings.

At some point you'll need to accept that your way isnt the way.
What makes you think yours is ??? I can't think of anything more important than timing and ears.
 
Play nice kids.

As for me, I can't imagine having a hard time getting a good guitar and amp for $1000.

You made me look back and remember my beginnings.
My first guitar was free. I got it out of a garbage can. I played it for a whole summer.
My second guitar was a $15 harmony. Played it till my fingers bled. (But it was actually the summer of '79.)
I didn't have an amp. I plugged it in to the AUX in of an RCA stereo system.
After about 2 years, my dad got me a Fender Lead III and a Crate 112. I was in heaven!

My point is that if your friend really loves it, it won't really matter what it is. For that much money it will be hard to go wrong. If I had to do the whole hog, I'd spend most of it on the guitar. You can probably get something with John's name on it for that much.
 
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You made me look back and remember my beginnings.

My first guitar was free. I got it out of a garbage can. I played it for a whole summer.
My second guitar was a $15 harmony. I played it every day for 18 months.
I didn't have an amp. I plugged it in to the AUX in of an RCA stereo system.
I was very similar, someone I knew was throwing away a guitar with the head broken. I fixed it and played it until I could afford something better .
 
I spent a ton of money on junky gear when I first started - when I got a descent guitar and modeller that sounded great is when I really started to enjoy playing even at a beginner level - In hindsight I feel I would have been better off skipping the cheap stuff. I think beginners can appreciate and descern the better tones that better gear provides - being picky about tone and gear features is not only the domain of those who have gained a lot of proficiency with the instrument. Also, "style" is a huge factor - rock guitar is as much about expressing your own style as it is about the process of learning to play - so having a guitar that looks good to the player, and appeals to the player from a style point of view is, I feel, just as important for beginners (maybe more) as for experienced players to bring a positive feel to the whole journey.
 
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I spent a ton of money on junky gear when I first started - when I got a descent guitar and modeller that sounded great is when I really started to enjoy playing even at a beginner level - In hindsight I feel I would have been better off skipping the cheap stuff. I think beginners can appreciate and descern the better tones that better gear provides - being picky about tone and gear features is not only the domain of those who have gained a lot of proficiency with the instrument. Also, "style" is a huge factor - rock guitar is as much about expressing your own style as it is about the process of learning to play - so having a guitar that looks good to the player, and appeals to the player from a style point of view is, I feel, just as important for beginners (maybe more) as for experienced players to bring a positive feel to the whole journey.
So true.
 
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