Time to buy electric!

LastExitBJP

Hey jammers!
I'm sure this post pops up here a lot, but it's time to retire the acoustic for awhile and check out electric. I need help in finding a good guitar/amp! I love the old grungy distortion, but I also love the mellow sound of the strat on ledbetter. I'm also am obsessed with the guitar Ed uses on wishlist, untitled, and MFC. Anyone have suggestions on what I should get my hands on? I'm probably going to spend under $500 for the guitar and amp. I'd rather not have to buy at guitar center - Go small business!

Thanks - keep rockin.

Stone Is God

Your best bet is to go to your local music store and play a bunch of different guitars. Your guitar has to feel right to you as well as giving you the tone that you're looking for. That's what I do when I get the itch for a new guitar.

xtremehardy388

Stone Is God has it nailed right on. Go try stuff out--and different models of the same guitar. Each one should and probably will feel different.

IDgotI

Hi.

Picture a room. In it there are twelve guitars. One is a guitar of Eddies. One is a guitar of Mike's. Another is a guitar of Stone's. The rest are just used guitars from music stores. Now you don't know which one is Eddie's, which one is Stone's and which one is Mike's. You play them all and on each one you can play chords you know, or licks you know... and you play them and they sound good... but then there is one that you pick up... and for some reason you find that when you play some chords it makes you want to try them out in a different order. And when you try them in that different order you start to get curious what it would be like to try dropping one and changing the rhythm... and then that gets you so curious you pull up a chair and start thinking about what the same pattern would sound like if you move your hand to a different spot on the neck... then you start experimenting with changing the pickup settings in between phrases... and you dig that ... so you start playing a different progression... and more ideas start coming into your head... and you suddenly find that you and this guitar are like two friends meeting for the first time... where the conversation just takes off and starts to flow naturally. Hours go by...

Then someone walks into the room and tells you you can have any guitar in the place.

Do you really care at that point which one was Ed's which one was Stone's and which one was Mike's?

You're looking for your guitar. Go find it. It's out there.

Trailer

IDgotI wrote:

Hi.

Picture a room. In it there are twelve guitars. One is a guitar of Eddies. One is a guitar of Mike's. Another is a guitar of Stone's. The rest are just used guitars from music stores. Now you don't know which one is Eddie's, which one is Stone's and which one is Mike's. You play them all and on each one you can play chords you know, or licks you know... and you play them and they sound good... but then there is one that you pick up... and for some reason you find that when you play some chords it makes you want to try them out in a different order. And when you try them in that different order you start to get curious what it would be like to try dropping one and changing the rhythm... and then that gets you so curious you pull up a chair and start thinking about what the same pattern would sound like if you move your hand to a different spot on the neck... then you start experimenting with changing the pickup settings in between phrases... and you dig that ... so you start playing a different progression... and more ideas start coming into your head... and you suddenly find that you and this guitar are like two friends meeting for the first time... where the conversation just takes off and starts to flow naturally. Hours go by...

Then someone walks into the room and tells you you can have any guitar in the place.

Do you really care at that point which one was Ed's which one was Stone's and which one was Mike's?

You're looking for your guitar. Go find it. It's out there.

Yeah I still care which ones were Ed's, Stone's, and Mike's.

mccreadyisgod

The advice so far has been spot-on... try a bunch, see if you gel with one in particular. If someone told me I could only keep one of my guitars, I'd probably be able to choose one, but even that would change day-to-day. But you gotta start somewhere.

I'd personally recommend looking at some of the more versatile options out there. One of my favorite guitars to suggest for someone in your shoes is a Fender Strat (most likely a Made in Mexico version, or MIM) with an H-S-S pickup configuration (that's a Humbucker in the bridge, and two Single-coils in the middle and neck position). You'll be able to achieve a broader range of tones from such a guitar, and it's an easy one to sell if you decide to trade in for a different model.

Another option is to get something with two humbuckers that can be coil-tapped. Essentially, humbuckers have two single-coil pickups wired in a special way; coil-tapping means you can access one of those single-coils in each humbucker. That will also give you a broader tonal palatte to play with. I'm drawing a blank on specific models... but you could always get a dual-humbucker guitar, and replace the pickups with coil-tap versions. I'd budget around $150-200 for parts and labor, which could break your budget. Maybe someone here knows of a specific model that offers such pickups from the factory...?

The last option I know of with a lot of options is the Line 6 Variax. The Variax uses digital technology to "model" different guitars, all within one instrument. So, you can have a Strat, a Tele, a Les Paul, an ES-335, a Rickenbacker, etc., etc.... Now, they aren't amazingly great guitars, and they don't always sound *exactly* right, but they are pretty good, and a lot of fun to play with. You'll get some disapproving looks from purists, but it would be the broadest option to play with, at least until you figured out what your sound is. Resale value is a little dicey, so if you want a Variax, I'd find one used (eBay). You can get a used 300-, 500-, or 600-series Variax for about your budget, so long as the amp isn't a high-ticket item.

ccpa

I bought my first imitation strat guitar 15 years ago for $70 off of a buddy of mine. Since then, I've purchased an fender strat and an LP.

I still play my 1st guitar. The volume pots are shot but it still inspires me to play. My recomendation is to go 5 watt tube on the amp. Epi Jr or blackheart. Save even more money on the amp if you go used route. You will save $ and have the same amount of fun.

I'd say start with a strat. You can play mike, stevie, and jimi with it.

Later on when funds permit, add a delay pedal and wah pedal and you will have even more fun. Then come od pedals... Good times await you!

xtremehardy388

The Squier Strat pack was my first guitar and I love the guitar. I was lucky to get a great guitar but it really is a big bang for a small buck. Trust me, on that. It also comes with an amp-cruddy solid state. If you want to sound good, get a nice small tube amp.

EvilTB

Ultimately, the best possible advice was given by Stone Is God.

Personally, for a low budget electric I think the Yamaha Pacifica 112v looks pretty cool, I don't know if it is yet available outside Europe though. I owned a normal Pacifica 112, it was awesome 13 years ago, considered the best guitar in its price range, but I'd probably prefer a current Squire Fat Strat.

The V Pacifica has upgraded pickups (alnico instead of ceramic), the humbucker is mounted to the body instead of the pickguard, and the humbucker can be coil tapped so you get 7 sounds. I think the tremolo is improved too, I want to try one out.

Mookie1976

LastExitBJP wrote:

Hey jammers!
I'm also am obsessed with the guitar Ed uses on wishlist, untitled, and MFC.

The one he uses in whishlist should be a schecter pt.

cheers!