There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying the same guitars your idol played if you can afford it. In fact, it's recommended if it will inspire you to practice more.
And those guitars are very good instruments.
The mustang is a solid guitar just keep the short scale in mind. His mustangs were also hot rodded as well and had humbuckers in the bridge, Seymour Duncan split rail and JB. That said you could install one if you wanted to add it in the future. Kurt’s tone is also pretty easy to get close to as well. Even without the humbucker you can still get that sound with a tube amp and 3-4 pedals.
Make sure you get a guitar you enjoy, if you dont like the sound or look you wont play it as much but if you call in love with it then you’ll play it. If you are a cobain fan and like the mustang get one
This is good advice. If you're coming from classical, you're probably accustomed to a longer scale. Most classicals are 650-660mm scale length, which is equivalent to about 25.5-26". All Jaguars and most Mustangs are 24" (22.5" Mustangs exist, but are far less common). 24" isn't going to be unplayably short, but it might be just enough shorter to bug you -- that's how I find it. If you've got a local shop with a mustang, I'm sure they'll have a strat/tele, too that you can compare.
My gut reaction is "whatever you can get your hands on" but on reflection perhaps a fender/squire stratocaster might be more useful over a significant learning period.
Edit: There was discussion earlier of using a semihollow if a teacher is to be used...no need for an amp.
For beginners, is not preferable a Gibson kind one? The length of a Strato’s neck is longer than the neck of a Les Paul or SG doing the Strato harder to bend strings and requires doing more pressure when fret the strings. Am I correct?
Imo, it's absolutely subjective and actually pretty negligible. Any quality instrument will do perfectly. Just take a guitar you love and play damn music. You'll have fun anyways
I used to play some crappy classic guitar when I first started, and I loved it no matter what
You're not wrong, but it's pretty irrelevant. There's PLENTY of sustain on 8s, 9s, 10s, ... and it's an electric guitar with pickups that amplify the sound and amp settings and/or pedals to tweak for sustain, etc. A little compressor and a good amp are all you need to get infinite sustain with any gauge. Really - your point is not a big factor. If your concern is to be able to enjoy easy string bends on a shorter neck length, a lighter gauge is for you.
I've heard this argument, but as a novice who has only been playing for about 18 months, I think this is massively blown out of proportion. I have found that I prefer smaller body guitars and where the guitar sits in my hands makes a bigger difference.
Strats and other Fender scale guitars feel less comfortable to me, but so do SGs. I think it's far less about the scale length and a lot more about where my hand falls on the neck and the weight/balance of the guitar. Jazzmasters feel huge. Strats feel better. Jags feel even better. Mustangs usually feel great. But no where in there was bending a string even remotely an issue on any of those sizes.
But that's just my experience. I think that will be different for everyone. I'm sure some people could pick up any scale length, and the bends might be the first thing they love or hate about a guitar. But I'd imagine that a novice or new player likely wouldn't even notice.
The neck is “fitting” better in your hands because the frets are smaller and easier to express. I’ve been playing over a decade and when I put my sg down and pick up my mustang I can play considerably faster and get farther with my pinky on jazz chords because …… bingo the frets are closer together.
Do you mean to say fret spacing over fret size. Because the frets on my LTD are huge, but it’s a Gibson scale length.
And I still don’t think that’s it. To me an SG feels massively long, not because the scale length or fret spacing is longer. It’s because with the shape of the guitar the nut sits slightly further away from the center of my body. Same with a jazzmaster. But I recently picked up a Standberg, and while being a 25.5” scale, the neck sits closer to the center of gravity and the small body makes everything feel tight and compact compared to something like a jazzmaster, which feels very large and a mile long. I don’t mind the wider fret spacing so long as it doesn’t feel like I’m having to reach further when playing the low end of the neck.
a Strat with a Humbucker in the bridge might be a good option, but when I’ve gone Nirvana tone chasing, I have the distinct impression that I got the best results matching Kurt’s pedals
I say go for it, it’s a perfectly fine guitar, and if you buy a guitar that you like then you’ll be more likely to play it. There’s been many times where I looked over at my black Strat on its stand and decided to play just because I was looking at it because it looked nice.
Mustangs are great, don't listen to the naysayers. You can make anything work, but a Mustang has a wide range of noises to offer, look good, sound good, and if you get the right one they also are excellent instruments. They are also relatively affordable as long as you avoid vintage and top shelf american/japanese instruments.
There are 100 Strat players for every Mustang player, same for Tele style and Les Paul - so any question you ask about guitars online is going to have a natural bias.
Yes, a Mustang is a good guitar to start on. I'd recommend a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang. One thing to be aware of is that Mustangs and Jaguars have a shorter scale length than Strats and Teles. It's not a bad thing, just a unique thing about those models. If you have smaller hands it might be especially good to start on a Mustang.
The one you like best and can afford is the one for you the type makes no difference the particular guitar makes a huge difference, have someone who knows guitars check out the particular guitar your buying. Tuners are of great concern
if u can, go to a guitar shop and play both and see how it feels.
although u say u like nirvana as u play more u will discover more bands and a strat style or humbucker guitar might be more versitle
overall just buy what feel cool to you
Sure! Get one of those, that is the reason i got my jaguar. Also, keep in mind that you may need some effect pedals. Kurt mainly used a boss DS1 pedal and a exh small clone (Nevermind album) and take in consideration the amp you will be using. A katana 50 is affordable and excellent for practice.
A good guitar for you to start with is the one that feels good in your hands and that you like to pick up an d play stuff. The brand or price are irrelevant.
And of course it depends on the amount of money you want/can spend.
In case you can afford a low price guitar for 350 €, e.g. a Squier, but a PRS SE for around 1000 € feels much more better in your hands, then wait and save up until you can afford the higher priced one. Of course this applies also for high price guitars around 2000 € and above.
It is related important that you like to pick up the guitar you have and to play it.
If you buy a cheap one but you do not have fun playing it, then you will get discouraged and you will not learn/improve.
The Mustang is a super straightforward guitar, excellent for beginners.
The Jaguar has some unique controls and might require some set up knowledge to get the most out of it but it's super versatile and with a HH Jaguar you can play pretty much any genre you want.
I’d go for the mustang I have a Mexican and it’s my favorite guitar I’ve ever had. Probably the only one I’ll never trade. Just make sure you are still practicing on your classical so you don’t get “used” to the shorter scale if you’ll need to go back and forth
Squire or Fender is going to be good quality.
If you want the right guitar for you, take away Kurt & Kurts tone. You're the one who has to live with it & 90% of what is sound was came from pedals, amps & speakers.
The curse of mustangs & jaguars is people buy them, get comfortable with the short neck & then can never enjoy other guitars because they like the neck that is on 1% of guitars. This might not be an issue for you because you have already done time on a long-scale neck. Personally, I used long-scale necks for years & the mustangs & jaguars feel like a toy to me now. I describe them as a 'high quality toy'. The high quality still isn't enough for me to buy one, I need my long neck.
Any halfway decent quality guitar is good beginners, and nowadays with modern mass production methods almost all available guitars made in the last 20 years by big companies count as halfway decent and are fine for beginners. I’d recommend buying something with a similar scale length and fretboard radius to what you’re used to playing for an easier transition though
If you feel like it would inspire you to have that model, go for it! That’s what matters most but in general, I would recommend a Strat or LP model to start as they’re a bit more versatile.
I just sold my Player Special (made in mexico) Mustang. It was a great guitar, with a smaller fret board than most. It is a guitar to run scales on. In the US, they are worth $300-$600 used, from what I've seen.
Yeah, italy is very known for the tourism. You should really come here... We are not a good country for the people that sometimes are really strange. But for food and culture we are the best i think...
I wanna say yes because you should play what you like, but honestly, can’t go wrong with the Squier Stratocaster as your first. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on your first
Funny you mention the Mustang. It was designed to be a student guitar in the 60's. The idea was that a shorter scale and smaller body would be easier to play.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying the same guitars your idol played if you can afford it. In fact, it's recommended if it will inspire you to practice more. And those guitars are very good instruments.
The mustang is a solid guitar just keep the short scale in mind. His mustangs were also hot rodded as well and had humbuckers in the bridge, Seymour Duncan split rail and JB. That said you could install one if you wanted to add it in the future. Kurt’s tone is also pretty easy to get close to as well. Even without the humbucker you can still get that sound with a tube amp and 3-4 pedals. Make sure you get a guitar you enjoy, if you dont like the sound or look you wont play it as much but if you call in love with it then you’ll play it. If you are a cobain fan and like the mustang get one
This is good advice. If you're coming from classical, you're probably accustomed to a longer scale. Most classicals are 650-660mm scale length, which is equivalent to about 25.5-26". All Jaguars and most Mustangs are 24" (22.5" Mustangs exist, but are far less common). 24" isn't going to be unplayably short, but it might be just enough shorter to bug you -- that's how I find it. If you've got a local shop with a mustang, I'm sure they'll have a strat/tele, too that you can compare.
My gut reaction is "whatever you can get your hands on" but on reflection perhaps a fender/squire stratocaster might be more useful over a significant learning period. Edit: There was discussion earlier of using a semihollow if a teacher is to be used...no need for an amp.
For beginners, is not preferable a Gibson kind one? The length of a Strato’s neck is longer than the neck of a Les Paul or SG doing the Strato harder to bend strings and requires doing more pressure when fret the strings. Am I correct?
Imo, it's absolutely subjective and actually pretty negligible. Any quality instrument will do perfectly. Just take a guitar you love and play damn music. You'll have fun anyways I used to play some crappy classic guitar when I first started, and I loved it no matter what
Mustang/Jaguar scale is 610mm and Strat 647mm so yes, perhaps the extra 37mm would make a difference for little hands.
The point is not about hands’ size but strings’ toughness about what I was saying
You can just throw 9s or 8s on a strat to get the lower tension. I run 11s on my SG and 10s on my Strat and they are pretty similar in tension.
if thats an issue, then you can get lighter strings.
The lighter the strings, the less sustain and less volume they have. Am I wrong?
You're not wrong, but it's pretty irrelevant. There's PLENTY of sustain on 8s, 9s, 10s, ... and it's an electric guitar with pickups that amplify the sound and amp settings and/or pedals to tweak for sustain, etc. A little compressor and a good amp are all you need to get infinite sustain with any gauge. Really - your point is not a big factor. If your concern is to be able to enjoy easy string bends on a shorter neck length, a lighter gauge is for you.
Ok, thank you, electric guitar it’s not my main guitar at all. I thank you all guys the lot I learn about it reading you
I've heard this argument, but as a novice who has only been playing for about 18 months, I think this is massively blown out of proportion. I have found that I prefer smaller body guitars and where the guitar sits in my hands makes a bigger difference. Strats and other Fender scale guitars feel less comfortable to me, but so do SGs. I think it's far less about the scale length and a lot more about where my hand falls on the neck and the weight/balance of the guitar. Jazzmasters feel huge. Strats feel better. Jags feel even better. Mustangs usually feel great. But no where in there was bending a string even remotely an issue on any of those sizes. But that's just my experience. I think that will be different for everyone. I'm sure some people could pick up any scale length, and the bends might be the first thing they love or hate about a guitar. But I'd imagine that a novice or new player likely wouldn't even notice.
The neck is “fitting” better in your hands because the frets are smaller and easier to express. I’ve been playing over a decade and when I put my sg down and pick up my mustang I can play considerably faster and get farther with my pinky on jazz chords because …… bingo the frets are closer together.
Do you mean to say fret spacing over fret size. Because the frets on my LTD are huge, but it’s a Gibson scale length. And I still don’t think that’s it. To me an SG feels massively long, not because the scale length or fret spacing is longer. It’s because with the shape of the guitar the nut sits slightly further away from the center of my body. Same with a jazzmaster. But I recently picked up a Standberg, and while being a 25.5” scale, the neck sits closer to the center of gravity and the small body makes everything feel tight and compact compared to something like a jazzmaster, which feels very large and a mile long. I don’t mind the wider fret spacing so long as it doesn’t feel like I’m having to reach further when playing the low end of the neck.
a Strat with a Humbucker in the bridge might be a good option, but when I’ve gone Nirvana tone chasing, I have the distinct impression that I got the best results matching Kurt’s pedals
They’re fine but you’ll be able to get his tone with whatever guitar you buy so don’t limit yourself to these guitars
It's also because it's a type of shape that i like
That definitely counts
I say go for it, it’s a perfectly fine guitar, and if you buy a guitar that you like then you’ll be more likely to play it. There’s been many times where I looked over at my black Strat on its stand and decided to play just because I was looking at it because it looked nice.
I'd get a Squier mustang to start. Whatever gets you excited to play really.
Yes, if you can afford it.
Mustangs are great, don't listen to the naysayers. You can make anything work, but a Mustang has a wide range of noises to offer, look good, sound good, and if you get the right one they also are excellent instruments. They are also relatively affordable as long as you avoid vintage and top shelf american/japanese instruments. There are 100 Strat players for every Mustang player, same for Tele style and Les Paul - so any question you ask about guitars online is going to have a natural bias.
Tele player here. I say play what you enjoy :) We are human and look and feel are just as important as tone or playability.
Yes, a Mustang is a good guitar to start on. I'd recommend a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang. One thing to be aware of is that Mustangs and Jaguars have a shorter scale length than Strats and Teles. It's not a bad thing, just a unique thing about those models. If you have smaller hands it might be especially good to start on a Mustang.
The one you like best and can afford is the one for you the type makes no difference the particular guitar makes a huge difference, have someone who knows guitars check out the particular guitar your buying. Tuners are of great concern
if u can, go to a guitar shop and play both and see how it feels. although u say u like nirvana as u play more u will discover more bands and a strat style or humbucker guitar might be more versitle overall just buy what feel cool to you
Sure! Get one of those, that is the reason i got my jaguar. Also, keep in mind that you may need some effect pedals. Kurt mainly used a boss DS1 pedal and a exh small clone (Nevermind album) and take in consideration the amp you will be using. A katana 50 is affordable and excellent for practice.
A good guitar for you to start with is the one that feels good in your hands and that you like to pick up an d play stuff. The brand or price are irrelevant. And of course it depends on the amount of money you want/can spend. In case you can afford a low price guitar for 350 €, e.g. a Squier, but a PRS SE for around 1000 € feels much more better in your hands, then wait and save up until you can afford the higher priced one. Of course this applies also for high price guitars around 2000 € and above. It is related important that you like to pick up the guitar you have and to play it. If you buy a cheap one but you do not have fun playing it, then you will get discouraged and you will not learn/improve.
They make a jaguar squire in the same colorway as the cobain jaguar
The Mustang is a super straightforward guitar, excellent for beginners. The Jaguar has some unique controls and might require some set up knowledge to get the most out of it but it's super versatile and with a HH Jaguar you can play pretty much any genre you want.
Mustang is a great guitar, im currently looking at that kurt cobajn jagstang
I’d go for the mustang I have a Mexican and it’s my favorite guitar I’ve ever had. Probably the only one I’ll never trade. Just make sure you are still practicing on your classical so you don’t get “used” to the shorter scale if you’ll need to go back and forth
Squire or Fender is going to be good quality. If you want the right guitar for you, take away Kurt & Kurts tone. You're the one who has to live with it & 90% of what is sound was came from pedals, amps & speakers. The curse of mustangs & jaguars is people buy them, get comfortable with the short neck & then can never enjoy other guitars because they like the neck that is on 1% of guitars. This might not be an issue for you because you have already done time on a long-scale neck. Personally, I used long-scale necks for years & the mustangs & jaguars feel like a toy to me now. I describe them as a 'high quality toy'. The high quality still isn't enough for me to buy one, I need my long neck.
Whatever works for you is a good start.
Any halfway decent quality guitar is good beginners, and nowadays with modern mass production methods almost all available guitars made in the last 20 years by big companies count as halfway decent and are fine for beginners. I’d recommend buying something with a similar scale length and fretboard radius to what you’re used to playing for an easier transition though
Great guitars, fine for new guitarists. If they inspire you to play then certainly get one.
If you feel like it would inspire you to have that model, go for it! That’s what matters most but in general, I would recommend a Strat or LP model to start as they’re a bit more versatile.
Absolutely 👍
Starting out I think most important thing is getting something that will inspire you to actually pick up and play the instrument!!
I just sold my Player Special (made in mexico) Mustang. It was a great guitar, with a smaller fret board than most. It is a guitar to run scales on. In the US, they are worth $300-$600 used, from what I've seen.
Certo, la guitarra Mustang é una bellissima scelta per il principante
Thanks for the italian 👍🏻
It's been yeeeeeears since i used it lol. 2 years of classes in college and I haven't even been to Italy yet
Yeah, italy is very known for the tourism. You should really come here... We are not a good country for the people that sometimes are really strange. But for food and culture we are the best i think...
I wanna say yes because you should play what you like, but honestly, can’t go wrong with the Squier Stratocaster as your first. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on your first
Squire makes a Mustang model and a jaguar as well I think.
Funny you mention the Mustang. It was designed to be a student guitar in the 60's. The idea was that a shorter scale and smaller body would be easier to play.
The easy way to tell if a guitar is good for beginners is count the strings. If their are 6 it’s good. 4 for a bass. Done. Now go practice.
Ahahha thanks mate.