I dont own a guitar, but I build guitar effects... help me fix that!

[Boner]

So I'm obsessed with building guitar pedals and the likes, but I'm not a guitar player. I know it sounds weird....

I've built 3 from the ground up but to test things out I;m using a buddies hello kitty squire with a single coil pickup at the bridge. Its driving me crazy that I'm testing with something so limited.


Which 1 or 2 guitars do you feel is "best" for all around testing? I'm not very well versed in guitars.....

I dont care about looks or used.... as long as its "affordable" and gibes me a good range to work with.

[EBK]

Hmm.....
I know that you say you are not a guitar player, but are you interested in becoming one?  Or, do you know how to play a few chords and riffs, but just don't consider yourself very talented?

Having better gear, but not understanding how to fully use it won't necessarily make your pedal building easier or more fun.  But, having better gear can possibly make playing more fun, even at a beginner level.

(Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player either.)

[GibsonGM]

A cheap strat would do it, with a HB in the bridge, 2 single coils.   If you need a 2nd, get something like an epiphone les paul...2 HB's...that will cover your Fender and Gibson needs!   
Just my 2 cents. 

[Aph]

My take,
Having a strat type guitar with 3 split coil humbuckers would be ideal, though probably expensive.
Either choose between a Squire Strat or this:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone/Limited-Edition-SG-Special-I-Electric-Guitar-Cherry-1500000013041.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXGP&gclid=CjwKCAjwkYDbBRB6EiwAR0T_-nbo6IHkqrkvAcL_Jnj9eCP3LkSdwmxfS_rx9A9pbcXtws2itCTw_BoCFuQQAvD_BwE&kwid=productads-adid^57619015002-device^c-plaid^143118042042-sku^1500000013041@ADL4GC-adType^PLA

Or buy both?
Having a guitar with pickups that are not cheaply made will give you a better idea of what the pedal can sound like.
Since I just make pedals for myself and I play a strat, that's all I test with.

[Boner]

Thank you all!

Hmm.....
I know that you say you are not a guitar player, but are you interested in becoming one?  Or, do you know how to play a few chords and riffs, but just don't consider yourself very talented?

I'm not good. I can play 3 chords but I can't name them. I can play the main riff to weezers sweater song, break on through by the doors and I can awkwardly solo to nothing.

[italianguy63]

I can play less than that!

I agree-- a Squire Strat, and an Epiphone Les Paul!

Super cheap on Craigslist!

MC

[EBK]

I'm not good. I can play 3 chords but I can't name them. I can play the main riff to weezers sweater song, break on through by the doors and I can awkwardly solo to nothing.

Well, that's many steps above "well, I know that it makes noise when I hit the strings with a wrench."    You have my blessing (not that you need it) to upgrade your gear.   

I personally like Squiers a lot.  They are cheap, but seem well made for their price (the fret ends on a new one will feel like saw teeth unless you file them a bit though). 

[italianguy63]

I'm not good. I can play 3 chords but I can't name them. I can play the main riff to weezers sweater song, break on through by the doors and I can awkwardly solo to nothing.

I personally like Squiers a lot.  They are cheap, but seem well made for their price.

If you can pick up a "Classic Vibe" Squire Strat... they are really awesome with some upgraded parts.

MC

[Marcos - Munky]

Having better gear, but not understanding how to fully use it won't necessarily make your pedal building easier or more fun.  But, having better gear can possibly make playing more fun, even at a beginner level.

(Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player either.)

That.

[DIY Bass]

A mate of mine just bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112.  It looks like a decent guitar for a pretty small price.

[Joncaster]

You haven't mentioned what Amp you are using for testing? I use a small Roland Cube and then take the circuit to my work and play on the big amps.
My bassist lent me his Squire to use as a backup to my American Tele, but they really do sound completely different. I think the pickups make a difference? A classic vibe squire has decent pickups and a nice neck.

Epiphone SG's are pretty cool sounding, a nice platform for tone...

[ElectricDruid]

Having better gear, but not understanding how to fully use it won't necessarily make your pedal building easier or more fun.  But, having better gear can possibly make playing more fun, even at a beginner level.

(Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player either.)

That.

Laurens Hammond, inventor of the famous electric organ, wasn't a keyboard player either. So no bother!

I use guitar samples played by a friend to test some of my pedals. I've even played them from my phone through the pedal to hear what it sounds like with a guitar. I only play synths, and don't even own a guitar. Unless you're deliberately *going* for some hideously interactive "it depends what guitar you use, man" type pedal, then the only thing that should matter going in is the signal level. Otherwise, you'll have decent buffer on the front that will provide a very high impedance to anything that is plugged in (e.g. no tone suck) and no significant variation from one pick-up type to another, aside from levels (we accept that humbuckewrs are louder than single coils, etc). And there's a control on the guitar for that. Don't know why, just thought that needed mentioning. So many guitarists seem to have forgotten it exists.

T.

[DFX-PCBS]

I'm pretty much like you but i've played a lot more in the past, i still have a couple of guitars but I like making stompboxes alot which has taken over a bit. I will pick up the guitar and play more again in the future.
I would like a new guitar tho, something that makes me want to pick up and play. I want something a bit different tho, I like they style of the Ibanez Roadcore RC320 but wish it had a strat style tremolo, if anyone knows of a similarly priced guitar let me know.  i like the look of the hollow bodies but dont want the big bigsby type tremolo arms that they have.

[thermionix]

A Strat style tremolo won't work on a true hollowbody because you need a solid chunk of wood to mount the spring claw to.  I love Bigsbys myself, but personal preferences are just that.

[PRR]

> Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player either.

I bet he could strum simple chords (even if un-named); and he SURE had *access* to guitars at-and-above the Hello Kitty level.

Famous Names have been seen with Kitty:
http://www.feelnumb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/slash-hello-kitty-fender-squier-strat-guitar.jpg
(ummm... some of these Name&Kitty pics may be fake)

Making an axe play 95% good is not *that* hard for the big Asian factories. Yes, a steady player starts to long for a 97%, 98%, 99% great guitar. If you are just using it as a test generator, you may not fall into this rabbet-hole.

I'm sure the same machine is sold $10 cheaper in basic black, white, beige. And readily available pre-owned in the sort of places where growing guitarists trade-up.... beginner axes must be a plague on rock shops.

[mth5044]

I'm surprised at all the strat recommendations! I started on a MIM strat and the whole whammy system was a NIGHTMARE. I played it for a year or two then went to a Les Paul. Granted, I still have it 14 years later because a strat sounds like a strat, but keeping the thing in tune, keeping it tensioned, really turned me off to the whole thing. A simple epiphone les Paul is fantastic. No moving parts (well... unless you drop it), smaller fret board = easier on the fingers for a novice player. And rock and roll, man. Led Zeppelin. Come on, now. Teles are great too, and can be used as a weapon in a home invasion, but both pickups can be a bit.. niche? compared to your LP or strat

[Sooner Boomer]

I don't play guitars, but build pedals.  Actually, that's not *totally* true.  I've been putting electrical/electronic circuits together for more than 50 years now.  I decided to try putting a few pedal designs together, and thought I should have a guitar to try them with.  A friend donated an Epiphone "Squire Strat" to the cause, and I found an inexpensive Fender Squire Bass at a pawn shop.  I can pick on the strings and make sounds, some of them don't scare the cat.  Maybe I'll actually learn how to play for real...

[sixthfloor]

Boner, if you like building pedals you might like building a guitar too... There are plenty of diy kits out there, and building a guitar is a fun diy project in my experience

May I add a telecaster to the suggestions ? They can get pretty versatile with a humbucker in bridge position.

[EBK]

I'm surprised at all the strat recommendations! I started on a MIM strat and the whole whammy system was a NIGHTMARE.

I've actually forgotten that my strat has that capability!  Seriously!   I removed the lever and secured the bridge down flat many years ago without looking back. 

[Joncaster]

Had a PRS SE Torero that I let go, after trying to fiddle with the Floyd rose and locking nut. Never again.
But when I hear a good strat whammy, makes me want to have one.