Topic: So i bought an electric guitar...

[The Dead Herring]

I can't really give you exact advice without knowing what make or design it is.

But basically there will be a knob for volume, controlling the output of the guitar. One which limits the lower frequencies (making it sound tinnier), and one for limiting the higher frequencies (making it sound softer).

The volume knob is usually situated closest to your hand as you strum, allowing the volume to be adjusted whilst you are playing.

As to the fourth one, I couldn't tell you without knowing more about the make and setup of your instrument.

Joe

EDIT: Finished off a sentence

[Veraal]

it's just like this one.

only the "strum guard" (is that right?) is white.

[Daxx]

Sorry I didn't get here earlier. Nice guitar.

It is technically possible to plug your guitar into your computer. However, don't do this. Save up and buy yourself an amplifier.

As for the four dials - one is a tone control. The other three are volume controls for the pickups. The tone control cuts off the bass or treble signals, depending on which way it's turned (keep it in the middle to start with). You can check which pickup corresponds to which dial by turning them all to 0 and adjusting one at a time - the one that doesn't respond is the tone control - the most tinny one is the one closest to the bridge, and it's less tinny out towards the neck.

EDIT: Unless that switch up the top is a pickup selector. In which case it's different, and you have two pairs of volume and tone controls. Gibsons are alien to me, you're better off Googling it.

[Veraal]

a reason would be nice 

well, i see what you mean, people say that it doesn't get the greatest sound by doing so.

but yeah, i have decided to buy an amp.

[Daxx]

Mostly because playing through a computer is awkward at the best of times - monitors and speakers can interfere with your sound, your sound card affects the sound considerably, and you need to play in the same room as your computer (which means you can't practice/jam/gig elsewhere).

An amp can be transported, allows you to adjust your sound quickly and easily, and is much easier to use (plug and play).

[LadyM]

You should save and rehost that image since it's hot linked. 

[Veraal]

i thought that was only in the random img bonanza 

j/k...

bought an amp today.

now it works perfectly, just have to learn how to play properly, any advice on where the best ever ultimate learning tutorials can be found? in b4 google.

[Daxx]

Google it. But, in lieu of that, you might try:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ (check out the "for beginners" section).
But really, there are lots of guides to everything and you should read around as much as you can.

You need to learn, in order:

How to tune your guitar (this helps)
What the different bits are, and what they do
How to look after your guitar (very important, I can't stress this enough)
How to read tab notation
Some basic chords
How to do barre/power chords

Then just pick a basic song that you know and learn it. Then repeat. Then practice. Then practice some more. Maybe try a few more songs, but keep practicing. It's not going to be easy, but you'll get it. I started out on Beatles songs, you may want to try some of those.

[Veraal]

thanks.

i guess i should get one of those guitar stands with the rubber thingy.

[Daxx]

Yeah, they're pretty useful, it's better to be safe than sorry.

You might also want to pick up some lint-free cloths (wipe the strings down with them after you play) and make sure you wash your hands before you practice and you should extend the life of your strings by a surprising amount.

[Veraal]

i've always imagined that if a string snaps, it would snap in such a way that it would slash a five centimeter deep cut across my face and set the wound on fire.

Is this true?

[The Dead Herring]

i've always imagined that if a string snaps, it would snap in such a way that it would slash a five centimeter deep cut across my face and set the wound on fire.

Is this true?

Despite that being totally rock and roll, it is unfortunately not true. If a string snaps it is pretty much always at the bridge (bottom) of the guitar, where the string becomes frayed and gives way. The strings aren't very elastic, and therefore never really fling out with any force, although that would be totally awesome.

Also here's an image vaguely explaining the knobs:

Sorry I didn't get here earlier. Nice guitar.

It is technically possible to plug your guitar into your computer. However, don't do this. Save up and buy yourself an amplifier.

Although I would recommend an amplifier for casual practice. You should still consider setting up digital recording. As I said, the vast capabilities of amp simulation is enormously convenient when recording a track.

Perhaps Veraal, you should get the basics down using a real amp, then when you want to start recording, you can start looking into the digital stuff.

[Veraal]

already bought an amp, and it sounds rad.

it's got a mode called insane, which is all grudge-ish.

my sister playing the harry potter theme with that on, awesome, even for harry potter.

And thanks for the pic, but two volume knobs?

[Daxx]

Yes, they'll correspond to different pickups. You can alter your sound by varying the volume of each pickup (which will pick up differing frequencies depending on where they are in relation to the bridge/bottom of the neck).

I should really clarify that what I was saying about taking care of the strings is related more to keeping their sound fresh rather than stopping them from snapping. If you want to lessen the chance of snapping, you should keep your guitar at an even temperature, be careful when winding and tuning that the string is sitting on the nut and bridge nicely and that that they're kept free of dust and dirt, use the appropriate string gauge for your playing style (e.g. if you're playing heavily, you need thicker strings), and not to overdo it with de-tuning and re-tuning (you're probably not going to be playing non-standard tuning, but nevertheless).

[Veraal]

aha.

daxx and joe, you seem like skilled guitarists, are you good?