JS 1000 or JS 1200 for beginner

piccyman · #1 12-22-2007, 09:33 AM

Hello All,

Are either of these guitars suitable for a beginner?

One of the reasons I am looking at either is that that have quite thin necks.

I already have a Gibson Studio, but the neck is too thick and the guitar is way too heavy

richard1973 · #2 12-22-2007, 10:02 AM

apparantly JS guitars necks are thicker than Jems and 550's 20ths. I was asking a similar question not long ago as I really want to get a JS1200.

One day i'll get one but what with xmas, and old xbox breaking and now washing machine is on its last legs the JS keeps getting put back, ah one day

And as a beginner then yeah why not start on a great guitar, saves upgrading at a later date

Scali · #3 12-22-2007, 10:08 AM

Thin necks are bad for beginners. Thick necks are good.
The thumb needs to be BEHIND the neck people, not wrapped around it!
That's also why many guitar teachers want their students to start out on classical nylon string guitars. You HAVE to have a good technique there, with the thumb behind the neck. That's the whole point (I learnt on a nylon string myself, and an Epiphone Les Paul was my first electric guitar. Still have it, still play it a lot, great guitar, superfast neck, mega tone).

Learning it the right way makes you a better player in the end. Neck thickness won't matter much after that... And you can still get an Ibanez and shred the heck out of it later

Heck, you could go for a 7-string

markg5150 · #4 12-22-2007, 10:11 AM

You can't go wrong with a JS - but I would suggest trying one first just to check

piccyman · #5 12-22-2007, 10:33 AM

I have had the Les Paul for 10 years, the problem I have is when playing bar chords my thumb will not be on the back of the neck, this means that i have to rotate my wrist forward so that the index finger reaches the top e string, this then makes my hand a wrist hurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scali

Thin necks are bad for beginners. Thick necks are good.
The thumb needs to be BEHIND the neck people, not wrapped around it!
That's also why many guitar teachers want their students to start out on classical nylon string guitars. You HAVE to have a good technique there, with the thumb behind the neck. That's the whole point (I learnt on a nylon string myself, and an Epiphone Les Paul was my first electric guitar. Still have it, still play it a lot, great guitar, superfast neck, mega tone).

Learning it the right way makes you a better player in the end. Neck thickness won't matter much after that... And you can still get an Ibanez and shred the heck out of it later

Heck, you could go for a 7-string

jemjem · #6 12-22-2007, 10:38 AM

There are alot of decent guitars out there for the beginner, (just about any but the lowest RG series guitars for example) and the JS would IMO be much better than decent. I've been teaching guitar for nearly 20 years and I would disagree with the fat neck statement above. Good technique is a matter of discipline and not the instrument somehow dictating your hand position based on the size of the neck. If anything, a fat neck will hinder a students reach as compared to a thin neck...and in some cases even be frustrating for the student if they have very small hands. Nylon string guitars are IMO preferred more for their relative ease for fretting notes and being softer on the fingertips than steel stringed instruments. In the end, if the student doesn't have the discipline to properly position the hand, and the instructor doesn't care enough to correct it, it won't matter what size the neck is.

piccyman · #7 12-22-2007, 10:45 AM

I am not really worried about the cost, i just prefer to buy very good quality.

So I guess either JS would be ok

Quote:

Originally Posted by jemjem

There are alot of decent guitars out there for the beginner, (just about any but the lowest RG series guitars for example) and the JS would IMO be much better than decent. I've been teaching guitar for nearly 20 years and I would disagree with the fat neck statement above. Good technique is a matter of discipline and not the instrument somehow dictating your hand position based on the size of the neck. If anything, a fat neck will hinder a students reach as compared to a thin neck...and in some cases even be frustrating for the student if they have very small hands. Nylon string guitars are IMO preferred more for their relative ease for fretting notes and being softer on the fingertips than steel stringed instruments. In the end, if the student doesn't have the discipline to properly position the hand, and the instructor doesn't care enough to correct it, it won't matter what size the neck is.

Scali · #8 12-22-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piccyman

I have had the Les Paul for 10 years, the problem I have is when playing bar chords my thumb will not be on the back of the neck, this means that i have to rotate my wrist forward so that the index finger reaches the top e string, this then makes my hand a wrist hurt.

This is YOUR problem, not the guitar's problem.
You are making your wrist hurt by playing in the wrong position. Millions of players play Les Pauls every day. Even women, with small hands, and they too can do bar chords. A lot of them even play nylon string classicals.
In fact, one of the best classical virtuosos of our time is a Chinese woman by the name of Li Jie. Talk about small hands! Does it limit her ability to play? Heck no, she has technique. Look her up on Youtube, you won't be disappointed.

I don't agree with jemjem. If the student cannot bring up the discipline by himself, then he needs to be forced into proper technique by playing guitars that won't allow any other way. This makes it easy for the teacher too. He can just say "See, you're doing it wrong, this hurts. If you do it right, it won't hurt".
Lesson #1: Point the neck upwards, put the wrist under the neck, and the thumb behind the neck. That's the way to play bar chords, do any amount of stretching etc. People have been playing like this for decades. They have their reasons.
In fact, I know of teachers who tell their students to first practice without using the thumb whatsoever. Just make the bar chord from the wrist.

richard1973 · #9 12-22-2007, 10:56 AM

piccyman which site are you thinking of buying from (if it is internet your buying from). There's two websites I found last night based in UK doing it for £1049 and one is reputable for certain as I bought my Jem from there. Theres a bunch of other sites selling for over £1200.

Just letting you know of the deals out there in case your mouse is hovering over a buy button on a website selling for £1300

2 months ago i found a site doing it for £950-£999, cant find that site anywhere now, i lost all my favorites in IE when my profile screwed up

Dino · #10 12-22-2007, 02:02 PM

1000 BTB!

S-man · #11 12-22-2007, 02:12 PM

These guitars are horrible for beginners.

I will help you out though....Buy it, Send it to me and I'll keep it safe for you...until your ready for it.

piccyman · #12 12-22-2007, 04:08 PM

Thanks everyone, I am now on the lookout for a good price for the JS1200

chris101 · #13 12-22-2007, 04:16 PM

Yep, the JS1000 or 1200 is a fantastic guitar, and wont hinder the development of a beginner (I wish I started out on one, not a crud Argos special 18 years ago!). Gak were selling the 1200 for £999 inc delivery, I expect the price to return in the new year as some kind of sale price.

richard1973 · #14 12-22-2007, 04:36 PM

Just checked GAK and its £1049, i'd still prefer Playrecord.net they also use msn so you can check progress straight away and ask questions there and then, i did that when getting my Jem, was handy to have them on msn.