Anyone into Guitars ??

All,
Just purchased a basic electric guitar starter set with an amp for my son who wants to start learning to play. I would like to look at getting him a set of headphones so he can practice in silence. Not looking to spend a fortune incase he loses interest, so maybe £80 absolute maximum if that’s possible. I know nothing about this kind of stuff so hoping someone can offer up some recommendations. TIA…..

 

Yes!

If you are willing to spend up to 80-90 quid I highly recommend looking at a pair of Beyer Dynamic DT990 pro or DT880 pro headphones.

You might think any old headphones will do but I know from painful experience this ain't the case!

Reasons:

You want a pair of "monitoring headphones" as opposed to purely listening headphones like airpods or beats. Purely listening headphones shape the EQ of the audio, often adding loads of bass. That's not what you want when listening to your own guitar amp. You want to hear what the amp is doing clearly and if he gets in the music production he'll thank you later.

Secondly, both the 990 and 880 are open back or semi open back designs, meaning that they are not closed/isolated. When playing guitar through them it will sound a lot more natural, like there's an amp in the room with you, as opposed to an isolated guitar amp. Closed back headphones can lead to a lot of ear fatigue very quickly.

Thirdly, they're great bits of kit that you can pick up pretty cheap second hand. They are durable, comfortable, have long cables, and they do a great job.

Final VERY important point: get a high impedance version of whatever headphone you get. Impedance is measured in ohms and it is basically a measure of how much gain or drive the headphones can take before they start distorting.

For guitar you want a higher impedance headphones (I use the 320 ohm ones) as this gives you much more headroom. Downside is the higher the impedance the lower the max volume. But you don't want to be blowing your ears up.

This is an absolute rabbi hole / can of worms for audiophiles online so can be very confusing but those are my takes.

Cheaper options are Sennheiser HD series.

The DT770 are closed back versions and very highly rated for guitar but I steer clear because of the closed back design and potential ear fatigue

 

Ok thanks for the detailed explanation. I’ve briefly looked online and tried to read reviews, but as you eluded to it’s a rabbit hole when you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for. I will take a look at the two you mentioned and see what the pricing is like. Maybe some Easter deals coming up. I suppose the main thing I want is something that isn’t going to break the bank, but are more than adequate for his needs to begin his journey. Thanks again.

 

No worries, I appreciate I've not given the cheapest options there but I picked up a pair second hand for 50 quid and they're great. You can buy replacement ear muffs for a few quid online if they're damaged.

 

Was going to suggest the Sennheiser HD series for a beginner, but they Beyer will grow with him and he won’t need anything better until he’s a professional. I thought they would be more than 80 quid to be honest!

 

Oy vey

 

Just checked the Bayers online. Circa £120 - £150 respectively for a new set which is a bit steep ATM. Will look at the Sennheiser’s for prices, then may have to consider a second hand set.

 

@RedLeader21 @Deafening Silence any particular model for the Sennheiser’s. They seem a little more affordable.

 

There are pro's and semi-pro's on here who know a lot about guitars and sound equipment.

I'm not one of them, but my Stratocaster 50's Classic (Mexican-built) is the best guitar I've possessed by some way. I'd a Gibson SG Custom and a Telecaster De Luxe before that. The Telecaster was nice enough, but American-built and struggled to stay in tune. The SG was OK but didn't have the tone or the character of my current Strat. This axe stays well in tune, even if I leave it alone for a while.

My current amp is a Vox Valvetronic VT 20+ which is a modelling amp with apparently, 99 voices. I'm buggered if I can understand it, but I fiddle around and sometimes get a decent sound!

 

I've had a little look around, Andertons is a good site to use, very reputable dealer in the industry.

Had second thoughts about Sennheiser for a couple of reasons, but..

AKG k240 MkII semi open headphones are £69.

Could be a decent shout within budget.

Hope tay helps

 

Guitar George knows all the chords.

 

It's strictly rhythmn, mind!

 

@Mr C would probably be worth speaking to. Not seen him on here for a while but he's on FB pretty regularly.

 

https://harleybenton.com/

Try these , very good value

 

I'd try & find him someone who could inspire him a bit to learn the basics of chord structures. The the 3 major chords in any key & the 3 relative minors. So in G major , it is C major & D major with relative minors E minor, A minor & B minor. The last is a bit hard to play, If you don't master the barre chord straight away, which he won't ,there are easy shortcuts at first, just fretting the bottom 3 strings & letting the 4th open string ring, which is a D, so is the right note. Approaching songs in that way & understanding those 6 chords, covers a lot of songs, till you want to get more complicated. A capo isn't a bad idea IMO to get your head around the concept that the same rule works up the fretboard. Most great songs since the 50's follow these rules.

Finding the inspiration & understanding a structure of a song you like & would love to play will get you started. At the end of the day, it's if you want it enough, like everything in life.

 

As @John Peachy says, if you can get him to play C, D and G he'll be on the way. These three chords (plus a slight modification of C into Am7) and he can play "Knocking on Heaven's Door".

Simple.

 

Mama, take this badge off of me, I can't use it anymore.

 

It mixes amazingly into Enrique Inglesias...

https://fb.watch/r4qmdpf0ei/

 

Nahh, I'm more into being a keyboard (piano) wizard.

 

The issue you might have is dependant upon the electric guitar in the starter kit. Some are difficult and cumbersome to play, and often don’t sound very good. You may also consider getting a guitar pedal. There are also mini amps designed for quieter playing and powering headphones.