The Industry Hates You - Getting Started or Restarted with Guitar

I boiled down the guitar industry to get you (re)started on the guitar and get the best value.

1. The industry has eaten itself. Sellers and producers are one step up from mattress salesmen.

2. Background
2.A. Fender owns Ovation and essentially owns Gretsch.

2.A.1. Gibson owns Epiphone and has sued darn-near everyone else at some point.

2.A.2. G+L, PRS guitars, Martin, and Ibanez (and many others) are private but essentially produce the same product with the latest window dressing.
2.B.1. The producers and sellers are supported through price fixing (minimum advertised prices) with legislative support of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).

2.B.2. Guitar Center flirts with bankruptcy while clinging to an empire that includes Musician's Friend, Music123, Woodwind and Brasswind. Generally the lowest price negotiators.

2.B.3. There are a bunch of other internet suppliers. Good luck getting the best price.

3. Purchasing
3.A. Call the dealer and ask for a lower price.

            Lowball! Target 20% off MAP (not MSRP) at least!

3.A.1. Buy your accessories on Amazon. The high margin game is over for the music stores. A quality cable is ALWAYS a quality cable, no matter the price you pay!

3.B. Low cost + quality electric guitars.

A guitar can play any genre with the aid of modern technology.  

Epiphone Les Paul Standard ($349) - The ever-popular Gibson but without the cost.
Gretsch Pro Jet ($499) - An all around solid body (chambered) electric.
Epiphone ES-339 ($449) - An excellent semi-hollow based on a venerable Gibson.
Any PRS SE (made in Korea - excellent quality)
Fender Telecaster Classic ($499) - A staple found on thousands of songs.

 3.B.1. A quality amplifier - the current value king is the Fender Mustang Series (Version 2) ($120 to $500)  Fender's website provides "Fuse", which is a software front-end for loading darn near any combination of delay, reverb, pedals, gain, and volume to individual presets...of which you have 24 to mess with! I load 8 block packs of of jazz, punk, and acoustic (warm) tones across 16 different simulated amps (Blues Jr, Princeton, etc). Combine that with your guitars' natural tones and you can darn-near-do-anything.

3.B.2. Cables and accessories - because they do not come with your guitar/amp.

3.B.2.A. Cable ($7) - Just like Frampton, the cable makes it electric.

3.B.2.B. Guitar Picks ($4) - Nothing fancy; just buy a bunch and figure out your favorite.  Tortex is a standard.

3.B.2.C. A Snark Tuner ($11) - portable, colorful display, and super easy to use.

3.B.2.D. A cheap strap ($6) - Don't fret over a $70 leather strap now, get a colorful Ernie Ball (made in USA).

3.B.2.E. Guitar stand ($12) - Because you need your bed for sleeping.

3.B.2.F. String Winder ($7) - Replace a broken string (it happens eventually)

3.B.2.G. Strings! ($5) - Start with .10 or .09. The lighter the string the easier it is to play. Heavier gives heart to the notes. Surf twang = 0.11

3.B.2.H. A Cheap Capo ($11) - Changes the pitch

3.B.2.H. Guitar Cases - Buy the manufacturer specified case or use the product finder at SKB or Gator to fit your guitar.