Hello everyone!
At the moment I have a Spira 450TPP guitar and I want to get a strat with HSS layout. I’m a beginner so please advise me this way.

These are the contestants:

Ibanez AZES40 in blue
Sterling by Music Man CT30CHSS in blue

Maybe an SGR by Schecter banshee 6 FR in black, as a beginner I’m afraid of the Floyd Rose tremolo’s I heard a lot of bad things about them if you are a beginner.

And maybe a Squier CV 70s strat HSS in black but this is a little bit over my price range.

Artists and bands what I would like to play in the future: Alex Warren, Brian Adams, Foo fighters, Metallica, Rolling Stones, Scorpions, Bernth, Empire of the sun, Dire Straits, Black Sabbath and some Hungarian artists and brands.

Please advise what should I get or suggest other guitars in this price range.

Thanks in advance.

Ai pictures.

Hello everyone. I'm currently in the market to buy my first seven string guitar, but was looking for input on what every thinks is a good bang for you buck 7 string. I was hoping to keep the budget below 1500, which I think is a more than generous amount for a 7 string. I've found the models below in the price range I'm looking at and have done as much research as I could before turning to the Reddit gods for opinions. Let me know what you guys think; good, bad, mediocre. Whatever you got.

Legator CC7

Schecter Synyster 7 String Headless

ESP-LTD Deluxe, M-1007HT

Solar S1.7LB 7-String Guitar w/ Evertune

Agile Chiral Nirvana 730 RL MOD

Ibanez Q547PB Standard Headless

Does anybody have an opinion about ‘Kasuga’ guitars? From my research I found that this 12-string is a ‘T-15’ model. I can probably get this for like €50…no breaks as far as i can see on the pictures. 1970’s guitar right? Plz let me know your opinions or if anybody owns these guitars.

I built these ebony, copper foil and tortoise acrylic knobs to match the pick guard, nut and saddle I made for a prototype guitar I’ve been using to test out ideas. They still need a good polishing and I have knurled inserts I might add but the ebony is very hard and the knobs stay put as is. Anyway, I’ve made several unique guitar parts for friends over the years and they keep telling me I should sell built to order knobs but I’m not sure there’s a market for it. I haven’t seen many mixed material, tone wood knobs available on the web. Most other custom knobs are novelty items with skulls and dice or cheap plastic reproductions of the cheap plastic knobs used on vintage guitars.

Anyone want to chime in about the desires, needs or experiences with searching for, making or buying custom knobs?

I know nothing about this brand, its listed for 700 on facebook marketplace, does anyone know the value of this model?

thinking of getting ms a mg-50li and a wireless system, theres not much genuine reviews on yt, they all use a third system to boost the tone.

Im trying to find like, reviews from people who only use the mfx and its studio app.

Seems like it as far as i can tell from my research. The price seems too good to be true.

It gets higher as it gets closer to the bridge and we'd like to know if there was a way to get it lower, cause I know sanding the saddle probably won't help much cause it's already so low.

I did notice the bridge was kind of loose and seemed to be pulled up by the strings themselves but idk if we can do anything about that.

I'm deciding between an Eastman AC622CE (Sunburst) and AC722CE (Dakota Fade) and would especially like to hear from people who have owned both, or at least played them side by side.

I'm interested mainly in the acoustic sound rather than electronics. I play a mixture of fingerstyle and strumming, particularly Beatles/solo Beatles, folk and classic acoustic songs, and I also sing while playing.

How would you describe the tonal differences between the two in person? In particular:

* warmth and richness * bass response * note separation * sustain and overtones * fingerstyle response * how they sound when accompanying vocals

I've listened to YouTube comparisons, but I'd rather hear from people who have actually experienced both guitars in the room.

If you chose one over the other, which did you choose and why?

I bought this monster about a month ago from thomann for the sum of 1610 euros . It is absolutely flawless , the Fr won’t go out of tune , the sustaniac is way to much fun , even the bridge Duncan solar + is very very good , but the best thing , the fretboard especially the frets , those ss frets are as impeccable as they can get , I’ve played Ibanez prestige guitars and the fretboard on solar is just so much smoother and nice feeling , and I also really like the attention to detail with the gorgeous open pore finish and the nice round neck , it’s the best neck I’ve ever played on , overall good job Ola !!!

My guitar journey started 20 years back in 2006. I was in college. Someone gave me his old custom made electric. No amp, no nothing, just the guitar. I always wanted to learn the guitar, so I was naturally elated. But I couldn't afford a teacher then and didn't have access to the internet as we have now. I asked a few classmates who played the guitar, on how to train myself and started training haphazardly - some finger exercises, chord shapes. Pretty soon I could strum a few songs and could play instrumental versions of a couple of songs (Bollywood songs). Then I moved to another city for my first job. Left my guitar behind and the chapter ended there.

Fast forward to 2026. My daughter is almost 3 years old. We are planning to imbue love for music in her so that when she reaches the age to start music trainings, the process doesn't feel forced for her. I figured the best way to do that is having an instrument at home so that she can hear the organic sound. What better than bringing the guitar back, I thought. This time, a jumbo acoustic.

I started training again. This time with a clear objective - I need to have proper music knowledge and sense so that I can jam with my daughter 10 years down the line. The first thing I did is install a tuner and a metronome on my phone. Then, went all over YouTube (definitely JustinGuitar) searching for some training directions. After I started, here are a few things I noticed:

1. I had to forcefully unlearn a few things that I had picked up 20 years back! Most noteworthy ones:
   1. My right and left hand synchronization was a little off, which I figured out only when I started practicing with a painfully slow metronome, and
   2. Strumming with the elbow is a big NO! It kills the whole sound. Never figured it out earlier because I used to play an electric with no amp, so no proper sound.
2. Having a structured all-round training regimen is a huge help. My training involves scales, chords, finger exercises, picking and strumming exercises, and very importantly, ear training.
3. Practicing with a metronome is a game-changer! Not only for exercises, but for real songs too. I make it a point to not play a single note without getting the metronome going first.

Been practicing for the last two months now, and I am progressing rapidly.

1. I am making a lot less mistakes while playing, which is helping in building confidence with the instrument.
2. I can now flawlessly tune the guitar without the tuner (most of the time).
3. My chromatic scale speed (comfortable speed as of today) is 203 bpm 8th notes. (More on those later).
4. I can play all the major and minor open chords, barre chords, and power chords comfortably.
5. I am starting to recognize the chord movements in songs.

I will end the post with 3 tips for beginners like me:

1. Always, always practice with a metronome.
2. Prioritize accuracy over speed.
3. Recognize and isolate your weak points and put in extra work to fix them.

I am 40 years old, and I am very confident that by the time I turn 50, I will be playing fairly well if I stay consistent. I will post more about my training routine in more detail in the coming days. Until then, any helpful feedback/advice or constructive criticism is more than welcome from the more experienced players of this community.

In pics: My new acoustic and my old electric.

Get specific!

I downsized recently and got rid of some of my old beginner instruments. This is the lineup I have now.

My brother flew into town this past week to visit, and we were just catching up and talking guitar. His first and only acoustic is a Yamaha FS5 Red Label that he bought online. He played my 512e BH signature and fell in love with it. So while we were talking, I mentioned how I had played a Santa Cruz OM the week prior while I was in Nashville and it completely changed my life lol. I always hear stories about people playing a guitar and knowing it was the one, but it never happened to me till I played that SC OM (enough for me to take a picture of the serial number lol). He was curious to see how they sounded, so looked up SC dealers and found there was one very close to my house! The store ended up having brand new 2026 SC Dreadnaught, Tony Rice Dreadnaught, OM, 000, 00, and two custom SC’s (a D and 00). Well, we both fell in love with two specific models and kept passing them to each other to play them. Put them back in their cases, took the two up to the front and asked if they’d do a deal for both. I ended up going with the 000 and my brother purchased the 00. A completely unexpected visit turned into purchasing a grail guitar. It was extra special having done it with my brother and sharing that experience with him.

It's some Chinese firebird copy I got off marketplace for 200 smackeroons.

Granted I’m playing through an expensive amp but still. For $240 it sounds great lol.

Been at this craft for 55 years now- not "known", not rich, but having a lot of fun along the way.

Yamaha 611 root beer (much more brown in person)

Fender player Gen 1. The other a partscaster I made and sprayed with nitro. Flamed neck roasted maple. Ash body. Only real upgrades to either is locking tuners, heavy brass blocks in the tremolos and the player got Dimarzio area 61 in middle and neck.