So im 42 and have decided to try and learn how to play guitar. My wife thinks im an idiot but thats par for the course anyways. I bought Rocksmith 2014 for my ps3, im assuming that will atleast get me started and maybe i can take some lessons later. Question is what kind of guitar? A friend of mine has a 60s Gibson ES-330 that is amazing but im not dumb enough to shell out 3 grand before i can even play a note. Im thinking maybe a used Japanese Fender Strat. Am i on the right track or better suggestions.
A couple common choices/configurations....Typically if you want a cleaner bluesy sound the Strat with it's single coil pick-ups (typically) is really good at that (Stevie Ray, David Gilmour, Hendrix' non-distorted sound, later Clapton), although with the right volume and amplification and effects it can be pretty wild (Hendrix' heavy distortion). If you want more crunch at lower volumes, more sustain (AC/DC, Gary Moore, Martin Barre, early Clapton), a Gibson with it's humbuckers (typically) is a good choice. Some of the Mexican Strat's are really good (Artist or Classic series especially), as for Gibson the Special Faded SG is a great option. The SG, IMO, is easier to play as it has a shorter scale and slightly wider and flatter fretboard (it's also very light and comfortable). You can get both the mentioned Strats and the SG (which is a real USA-made Gibson) in the $500-$550 range, used....and even less if you are patient.
I'll second the "good Mexican Stratocaster" recommendation- I've had one for 12 years now and it's held up fantastically and is capable of producing a pretty wide range of sounds. It's the only electric I've ever had, and it's probably the only electric I ever will, simply because it covers all my bases well enough. I will say that I'm a bit surprised that's what they're going for now. When I bought mine, it was only $350 or $400 new, and the $500-550 range would get you an average American Strat brand new or a very good American Strat used.
This assumes you're sold on an electric guitar- I've always tried to steer people towards starting with an acoustic, because there are no fiddly knobs and settings and effects to get bogged down with. There's also no setup, no breakdown, no space requirements, no other inconveniences- you just pick it up whenever you want, tune it, play for as long as you want, wipe down the strings, and move on. They even make acoustics with built-in tuners, which will make your life so much easier.
If you have any friends who play, bring one with you to pick out the guitar, and have him play it before you buy it. Guitars aren't like most products that just roll off the assembly line and are all exactly the same. Even guitars from the same line are going to sound different based on the quality of the wood used, how many pieces there are, etc. It can be tempting to get a brand new, straight-from-the-box, never-been-played guitar, but I wouldn't trust any instrument that I didn't play myself (or which wasn't played by a friend who knew what he was doing).
Really, though, I'd second the recommendation to ask around and see if you can borrow a guitar first to see if it's what you really want. I've had probably a dozen friends decide they wanted to learn the guitar, and I've always loaned them one of my acoustics and told them that they can keep it indefinitely, just give it back if they ever go two straight weeks without playing. I almost always get them back within 3 months. Lots of people want to
know how to play the guitar, but most find that they don't really want to
learn to play the guitar.
