I started learning the guitar around 6 months ago, and find myself playing a lot of power cords and trying to learn metal and rock songs. With my acoustic guitar leaving much to desire (it's old and has some problems) I figure it's time for me to pick up an electric guitar.

I went to a guitar center today just to get an idea of what is out there, and I came across this guitar, which I really liked.

It's a fender 014. It comes with a bag and amp (fender 15g) for $500. It felt very nice to hold and comfortable to play.

First off, is this a decent deal? Also, does this guitar suit my intention of playing a mix of metal and rock?

Keep in mind I know next to nothing about guitar purchasing, and still have a ways to go before I'm busting crazy solos.

AdamBanks

Canada996 Posts

June 27 2009 19:17 GMT

Check the frets for wear (first few usually the worse), make sure the neck isnt warped. make sure all channels(pickups) are working also ur volume/tone knobs. Look for nicks on the body esp the back and neck. Check tuning pegs. Play through the frets and check for any 'buzz' 'hum' or weirdness. Do likewise with the pickups. Check the input jack for any loose connection that might have to be soddered.

What kind of fender is it ? american? mexican? korean?

You should be able to talk down the price a bit depending on condition and where it was made. This seems like a good start

edit: also check the intonation, make sure ur open notes are in harmoney with the 12 fret.
if the intonation is out it will make ur chords sound quite nasty and will be a real pissoff when u wanna jam with someone and can't figure out why ur out of tune when ur tuner is saying otherwise

FragKrag

United States11554 Posts

June 27 2009 19:32 GMT

check the trem, if it goes out of tune easily, you might want to reconsider it. ~~Looks like a Mexican strat to me (sub 1k strat?).~~

A strat is quite versatile, and metal/rock shouldn't be a problem.

Edit: I'm not sure of the make actually. It might be an American strat, but to be sure, you want to ask for the serial number.

LuMiX

China5757 Posts

June 27 2009 19:32 GMT

its probably an american strat bc don't mexicans go for around ~200ish?

R3condite

Korea (South)1541 Posts

June 27 2009 19:57 GMT

15G? mmm, i heard those sounded too clean...

you should try tuning it and then use tremolo arm and see how fast they go out of tune. Unless the strings r brand new, which I highly doubt, it shouldn't go out of tune that quickly (otherwise it'd be a pain and really not worth your money)

I honestly feel like they are overcharging you by 50 - 100 dollar but it totally depends on where it was made...

I'm assuming this is a new guitar since you haven't said anything about it being used. However, if it has been used before then you can definitely cut the price instantly by half.

You should bring a guitar smart friend if you are going to haggle the price.

Kentor

United States5784 Posts

June 27 2009 20:23 GMT

On June 28 2009 04:32 Metal[x] wrote:
its probably an american strat bc don't mexicans go for around ~200ish?

isn't it mexican if it has 21 frets? $500 seems like a lot... seems like a rip off

check the headstock somewhere it should say made in ______

plus sunburst makes me puke

s.a.y

Croatia3840 Posts

June 27 2009 20:47 GMT

On June 28 2009 05:23 Kentor wrote:

Show nested quote +

isn't it mexican if it has 21 frets? $500 seems like a lot... seems like a rip off

check the headstock somewhere it should say made in ______

plus sunburst makes me puke

he said the amp was included.

what amp?

if you plan on to play rock metal, you should check out ibanez guitars.

FragKrag

United States11554 Posts

June 27 2009 20:59 GMT

On June 28 2009 05:23 Kentor wrote:

Show nested quote +

isn't it mexican if it has 21 frets? $500 seems like a lot... seems like a rip off

check the headstock somewhere it should say made in ______

plus sunburst makes me puke

No, most of the popular Strats had 21 frets.

I vouch for the guy above me who suggested Ibanez. The pickups in Ibanez are great for distortion, and have good sensitivity. The Edge series of tremolos are also fairly reliable.

7mk

Germany10157 Posts

June 27 2009 22:06 GMT

On June 28 2009 05:59 FragKrag wrote:

Show nested quote +

Even though I play a beautiful Fender Telecaster nowadays I think that as a beginner who wants to play metal, Ibanez is definitely a good idea.
I used to have an ibanez when I first started playing and I was very satisfied with it.

FakeSteve[TPR]

Valhalla18444 Posts

June 27 2009 22:07 GMT

#10

you wont like this combo for metal

Mah Buckit!

Finland474 Posts

June 28 2009 06:17 GMT

#11

On June 28 2009 07:07 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote:
you wont like this combo for metal

Well I wouldn´t go for any low-end combos distortion. The best thing to do would be to check out that you like it´s clean sound and then try a couple of distortion pedals. For home practicing i got a Orange 15R with has just nice clean sound, then I got a few used distortion pedals that give great versatility with cheap price.

Also going for used stuff is a great decision ´cos you can get just awesome gear compared to new stuff.

It helps if you are interested in some guitar maintenance and repairing stuff too i.e fret filing/replacing and electronics. Many sell their guitars a bit cheaper because there is something wrong with the guitar and atleast here guitar shops rob you. Still the parts are cheap and easy to find and the process isn´t that hard although time consuming. And the internet provides you with shitload of great advice.