GuitarWolf Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 The amp or the guitar...? Should i buy A good amp and an average guitar, A good guitar and an average amp, or an average guitar and an average amp. I only have about $350 u.s to spend on a guitar and an amp, so if possible could u recomend a good non jazz amp? YtseJam your Majesty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylver Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 Originally posted by D-Prime: The amp or the guitar...? Should i buy A good amp and an average guitar, A good guitar and an average amp, or an average guitar and an average amp. I only have about $350 u.s to spend on a guitar and an amp, so if possible could u recomend a good non jazz amp?that's not a lot of scratch for both, but my advice is to spend almost all of it on the guitar, and get one of those cheap, $10 practice amps, just so you can hear yourself. There are also some beginner packages with a guitar, cord strap and amp. Not the best stuff, but as if you stick with it, you end up upgrading anyway. The other thing is ... you could get a decent acoustic, and wouldn't need an amp at all. I really don't know what to put here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 Get the best INSTRUMENT, as in guitar, you can find/afford. It all begins and ends in your fingers. And then practice and play. That's where most of your sound is. Source. Amp is down the chain. Source: Heart/mind --> fingers --> guitar -->cable --> amp (if recording)--> mic --> cable --> micpre (if not DI) and then it gets further simple/more complex from there. But source is you and your fingers to the guitar. That's the most important element IMHO. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 I think there's a happy medium. Look for a used Fender Mexican Strat or Tele. That should cost about $200 and you can get a used amp to hold you over. Set up the power search @ MusicGoRound.com to look for used gear in your price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 Originally posted by henryrobinett: Get the best INSTRUMENT, as in guitar, you can find/afford. It all begins and ends in your fingers. And then practice and play. That's where most of your sound is. Source. Amp is down the chain. Source: Heart/mind --> fingers --> guitar -->cable --> amp (if recording)--> mic --> cable --> micpre (if not DI) and then it gets further simple/more complex from there. But source is you and your fingers to the guitar. That's the most important element IMHO.I'll go with Mr. Robinett here. I'll second your motion, Henry. Don't skimp on the instrument. It's nice to have a rocking amp, but, you oughta be able to play your guitar without being plugged into anything and have it talk to you. Wick's got a cool take on it though, too. Get a Mex Fender and a nice little practice amp. Then be saving for an amp that will get you jamming. Meanwhile, do what Henry said and bust your butt (or fingers as the case may be) practicing. Don't sell your practice amp. Don't quit your dayjob. It'll come together with work. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Originally posted by Tedster: I'll go with Mr. Robinett here. I'll second your motion, Henry. Don't skimp on the instrument. It's nice to have a rocking amp, but, you oughta be able to play your guitar without being plugged into anything and have it talk to you. Wick's got a cool take on it though, too. Get a Mex Fender and a nice little practice amp. Then be saving for an amp that will get you jamming. Meanwhile, do what Henry said and bust your butt (or fingers as the case may be) practicing. Don't sell your practice amp. Don't quit your dayjob. It'll come together with work.Exactly. Practice. It hurts, but it works. As I type this, my right has is sore from a long acoustic practice. Sounded good until my hand (the muscle at the base of your thumb) hurt so much I couldn't fret a barre or even a 5 chord... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboDog Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Well somebody once said, you can make a crappy guitar sound good with an awesome amp, but you can't make an awesome guitar sound good with a crappy amp. (I think it was me that said that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyingGuitarGods Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 I recommend that you buy an amp simulator such as the J-station and hook it up to your home stereo. This will get you very close to a veriety of real amp sounds. It's about us $150. With the rest buy a guitar . You wouldn't regeret it. the J-station. I have one and sometimes it's more useful than my expensive Marhsall JCM900 which is not a cheap amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Worthington Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Go with the guitar. That's what's in your hands, and once you become comfortable with a particular guitar, it becomes an extension of you. The amp? It can be upgraded, even circumvented, but your guitar is YOUR guitar. Even if it's a piece of shit, your guitar ends up being what you're most comfortable with, so make it a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baronedo Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 I'll go with Wickerman's suggestion and find a decent Mexican Strat (new or used). Their pups are not the greatest (but are easy to upgrade later if needed) but the necks and bodies are generally pretty good. Try to find one with a transparent or semi-transparent body (e.g. sunburst or natural). Fender charges more for these bodies because they have to use a better piece of wood free from large knots and noticeable defects which can be covered up and painted on a solid colored body. Check out the playability and sound (both acoustically and electrically) before you buy it. Make sure that each note sounds cleanly and sustains at every fret on each string without excess fret buzz or dead notes. It will help if you can bring an experienced guitar friend with you to help check the guitar. I still have my first guitar which is a Mexican Strat and it plays well. I will eventually give it better pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_denys Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Like everybody else in here I think you should go for the guitar, one that you feel comfortable with and yes, maybe an accoustic one could be an option. The amp there to help you get a sound that suits your style of playing but since you are a beginner you might have an idea about what style you want to pla but you'll find that this could change with time... So yes, go for a nice guitar (mexican strat or tele is wise choice) and by a cheap used practice amp and upgrade later... And if you end up playing a lot of gigs, the mexican fender would be a good backup anyway... d_Denys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyM Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Assuming you're not going to hit the stage tommorrow, or have to compete with a live drum set, I'm in agreement with the group, put the bucks in the best guitar you can find for your $300 bucks. Used will get you more bang for the buck, take someone you trust with lots of guitar buying (and playing) experience to help you evaluate. Play the guitars, and then listen to your friend play the guitars to get the max feel/vibe before you commit. There are any number of 10 watt SS practice amps that will wail enough to get the neighbors calling the cops. I've got a $40 DeanMarkley that just rocks. then just play until your fingers bleed. and save up for that bigger/better amp (gig volume and tone) which can still be had for just a few hundred bucks if you read forums like this and find the bargains out there in the real world. The Mex Strats are way-cool bang for the buck. Easy to play, and you'll find out if a better strat is going to be something to strive for later. It's hard to find used Gibson's for $300, unless you drop down and go with the Epiphone's. Final note: It's hard, but try not to be in a hurry, play dozens of guitars before you choose. Within a given brand/model there can be a lot of variation; find that good one that speaks to you. JonnyM It's cooler in the shade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 Get the good guitar - you're not learning how to play an amp. A good guitar will make it enjoyable for you to play and should keep you playing it. The more you play, the better you get. You don't even need an amp to hear an electric guitar if the room you play in is fairly quiet. I keep an electric by the side of my bed and will frequently play it unplugged while lying down. aka riffing Double Post music: Strip Down http://rimspeed.com http://loadedtheband.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted April 19, 2002 Share Posted April 19, 2002 I use a Mexican Tele and my best friend/bandmate uses a Mexican Fat Strat and a vintage Les Paul. The strats more versatile but both the Tele and Fat Strat can get just about any tone you want. With my tele I play jazz, blues, hard rock and metal-core (rhythm in my band) My friend played blues and metal with his strat. They're well made and VERY versatile. Great deals. $350 for the Tele, $400 for the Fat Strat both new and you can usually get one in good condition for 1/2 the price. I've seen MiM Teles for $150! They're more typically about $200-$250 or so. Leaving plenty of cash for a small solid state amp. Check out Ebay\'s Musical Instruments page. Click the category you want on the left and then do a search and it'll only show things in that category. Great deals over there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarWolf Posted April 19, 2002 Author Share Posted April 19, 2002 Well... thanks for all the help , i think i will just stick to the stores around my area, i dont really wanna buy from the net because you dont get to test the guitar or amp out before you buy it... Im takin lessons now on an accoustic becuase it was cheaper to rent $15 can (not bad eh!) i didnt rent an electric because they were $60 plus a $10 rental cost for the amp, i found a great site with free Note and chord charts and evern some really cool riff's by Lenny Kravitz and Jeff Beck! AND AGAIN THANKS EVERYBODY FOR ALL THE GREAT ADVICE AND HELP U HAVE GIVEN ME! YtseJam your Majesty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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