electric guitar suggestions...

LoveGoatCaptainLoveGoatCaptain Posts: 6
edited September 2003 in Musicians and Gearheads
i'm buying an electric guitar. i'm looking to spend no more than about 500 dollars. what should i buy? what kind of amp? what kind of effects or pedals should i get?
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • That's a wide open question! You'll get about a hundred opposing opinions on that one.
    It depends on your playing style, and what kind of music. I think one of the best deals going is the Fender Jimmy Vaughn strat. It's made in Mexico. For some reason, people think that's inferior, but they're the same parts as American Standards. You can always change out parts and pick ups later. But if you're a committed guitarist, it'll last. Then some day, you'll have way too many guitars like I do.
    If you're just playing at home and practicing, you can get any variety of small amps. Crate makes some reliable ones, I think the 15x or something? for a hundred bucks or so. It's not a tube amp
    My favorite amp is the Fender Deluxe 65 re issue, but they're pricey, like 600 + bucks, and each one is different, so you have to aquire an ear and try a lot before you buy one. If you play out a lot, you can crank them to work the tubes, and the reverb and tremelo are tube driven. (Neil Young style)

    Effects? Whew. That you have to go to a music store and play and play and play. Usually some sort of distortion pedal. ( Fuzz )
    A stand by is the Ibanez tube screamer ts9.

    Good luck
    I'll be around for a couple a days, then I'm gone for a few months. If you have any questions, gimme a shout
    Gone To California
  • dont get a strat.. do not get a strat. if i were you id go with an epiphone les paul special or sg special, they are great guitars.. as far as cheap amps, the marshall mg series are pretty good amps, theyre not tube but they sound pretty good for the money.. if you dont know about http://www.musiciansfriend.com/, check their prices before you buy anything, local music stores tend to be way overpriced
    this heart's on fire
  • Well, there you go, Lovegoatcaptain , That about nails it down!

    Two answers as opposite as you can get! We're both right. There's nothing wrong with a Strat and there's nothing wrong with Epiphone. My favorite guitar in my collection is this old "Gramburg" brand guitar. I have no idea where that company was, and it was probably a 50 dollar guitar in the 60's, and so ugly and weird but so righteous sounding.

    Really, your best bet is to play around with a bunch of different guitars. There's so many different ones out there, buy what you think feels sounds right . Don't by a Strat because I suggest it, or because Mcready or Clapton or Hendrix played one. And don't not buy it because someone else suggests not to. ( The autographed strat that Mike Mcready auctioned off on Ebay was a Mexican Strat ) Everyone has different hands and tastes. If Carlos Santana walked into a store and played some beat up old cheap guitar into a cheap amp, he'll still sound like Carlos Santana.
    All the amp companies have something good ( Even Peavey!) So go to a music store and spend some time. Musician's Friend is good, but remember that each instrument sounds different, and may sound different than what you heard in a store. Their return policy is good though, I've used it a lot. Local costs more, but sometimes you can trade in easier if you don't like your stuff.
    Oh so many choices.

    I've been playing and fixing and building guitars for 30 + years or so, and have found that no matter what effects and amps and guitars I played, you STILL have to practice.
    What a pain in the ass!
    Good luck
    Gone To California
  • As a Gibson Les Paul owner myself if I had that kind of budget (under $600) I would get a Mexican Strat and perhaps a Peavy tube Classic 30 amp.
    "you're the only one who cannot forgive yourself"


    "model role-model no dumma dah...fuck"
    Satan's Bed 5/3/03

  • jdesko23jdesko23 Posts: 32
    go to guitar center, or somewhere like that, and play a bunch of different guitars, which ever one feels the best, get it.
  • I'd go with a Telecaster, I myself really love that sweet tone that comes from them, and the Nashville Tele is sweet cus u can switch to the added strat pickup for the strat single coil sound. And its affordable like 489.99.
    Bowwowwow...yippie yo...yippie ye...bow wow...yippie yo...yippie ye...
    -Eddie Vedder
    (Blood, 7-5-03, Camden 1)
  • I got one of those to learn on and it worked out great the really cost efficent!
    "All in all it no ones fault" Ed Ved
  • actaloactalo Posts: 29
    I have a Peavey 110 amp which is about six years old... still works. Sounds fine with its own distortion too, unlike most other amps. As guitars go, avoid stratocasters unless you plan to buy something high-quality; cheap "strats" do not hold tune. I would go with something without a tremolo bar.
  • Alright, here's what you need

    A "Strata-tel-epiphona-paula-rickencaster". Get the one with the non-movable tremelo. It's got single-fatcat-telehumbuckers on it.
    Made in Mexico, but the factory straddles the border of the US.

    The Amp should be a marsha-peava-fende-boogie. Switchable from 10 watt transistor to 160 watt tubes.

    Then we'll all be happy!!!!

    I agree withyellowpearljam. Take $499.99 to the guitar center, sit around for a few hours. Walk out with one. That's what we all do! They all go out of tune until you learn how to string'em
    Good Luck on your new Strat!
    Gone To California
  • Much as I hate Guitar Center, they have a 30-day return policy which is good when you are just starting out. Go there & pick out a guitar and amp. Take them home & try them out for 29 days. If you don't like them, take them back. Repeat until you find something that speaks to you. It's never the same in your bedroom as it is in the store.

    Don't let the Strat bashers deter you from buying one. I had a $700.00 + Les Paul Studio that couldn't touch my $350.00 pawn-shop American Fender Strat. G & L ASAT's are nice (not sure of their price) and I've tried a few Hamers that I liked. Just make sure you are serious before shelling out the big bucks on gear.

    Go get 'em.
  • Exactly Mellowcat.
    I had a G&L , it was awesome, then stolen from my tech. They're a little pricey for a 500 buck limit, unless lovegoatcaptain finds mine on the black market!

    Don't worry Lovegoatcaptain, we'll have a decision for you in no time!
    Gone To California
  • Oh, one thing I accidentally deleted. Depending on how you play your guitar makes a difference. This may sound stupid, ( actually now that I think of it, it is , but it's true) but if you're a couch/big soft chair sitting player, picture yourself with the cord sticking out. If the jack is hanging downward, your cord will always be poking into the upholstery , bending and eventually shorting out. and loosening up the jack. Get a 90 degree angled cord plug if that's the case.
    Gone To California
  • get a schecter, they're affordable and for an amp get a marshall
    I attack with love, pure bug beauty, curl my lips and crawl up to you.
  • you guys rock! whats all this talk of "tube" amps? whats the difference? would i really need one? i've been looking at small amps like a 15 watt amp & i think some of them had distortion and reverb knobs so i'm thinking an amp like that would be the way to go and then i wouldn't have to buy effects equipment or at least not anytime soon. what do ya think?
    I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
  • I'm still a rookie. After playing the acoustic for almost two years, I just bought my first electric a couple months ago. It's a used Fender Toronado. I was lucky to find a Fender tube amp that a friend was selling for $50 because they were moving.

    My whole point is that you don't have to buy brand new. I think buying a used guitar is like buying a used car. There's still many miles left! So you can get a higher quality guitar at a lower price. Many people who start playing guitar give up pretty easily, so their guitars are barely used.

    Pawn shops and e-bay are great places to shop for used guitars. Many music shops also have used guitars for sale.

    You've already gotten some great advice about visiting music stores and trying out guitars. That's really the only way you'll know what you like, and that will tell you more than any advice you'll get anywhere.
  • Originally posted by inner sense
    get a schecter, they're affordable and for an amp get a marshall


    affordable doesnt mean reliable......at least in my experiences with em
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Think of G&L as (Real Fender) since this was Leo Fenders company after he sold the Fender name to CBS


    As far as guitars and amps go. Play everything you can and decide on what feels best and looks best to you in your price range.

    My advice is not to settle because if it looks cheap and it feels cheap it is. Ok so how do you tell the difference, the answer is the first guitar you play should be the most expensive you can get your greasy little hands on.

    Keep in mind however just starting out that you need to buy the best guitar you can afford in your price range even if you can't yet afford an amp.

    At this point in your journey the amp and its features are un
    important, the feel and playability of your guitar are paramount because if it does not feel good to you and isn't fun to play you are going to quit.

    So play everything and get the best guitar you can afford that you like.

    You can read about various options on http://www.Harmony-Central.com

    And see various choices on http://www.Musiciansfriend.com

    but don't you dare buy a guitar sight unseen without playing it first.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • All right
    Here's what I know after almost 35 years of guitar playing, I've started and corrupted and taught a lot of people in guitar.

    I'm leaving tomorrow for a 3 month tour to Eastern Europe, then Africa , so I feel like I have to see this through!

    If you're a beginning guitarist. My opinion is : Go to a big music store, Like yellowpearljam said, play around with a lot of them. Your best bet is to buy one from a store if it's your first, because you can usually bring it back if you don't like it, like MellowCat said. . As much as people talk bad about the big stores, at least you can usually find someone to help out a little. And a new guitar will have a warranty. Used is ok if you know someone, but a little riskier, and you're stuck with it. It depends on your comfort level. If you buy it on line, and it's not right. Oh , pain in the ass.
    I was at guitar center yesterday and bought a Fender "Standard" Strat, and a Standard Telecaster to take with me on tour as backups, and to give to a a guy I will be studying African guitar with in Mali. They're made in Mexico with the same parts as American. I played about 20 of them, and they were all different, but not much different than 1200 dollar strats. These were only 350 dollars each. I liked it better than the Jimmie Vaughn model I mentioned before. It's not like I'm endorsing Fender,,,,,,,,,,,,,but they're like old Volkswagons were. You can always find stuff for them. Like different tremelo, pickups, blah blah blah. If you don't like the tremelo, you block it from moving.

    As far as Amps. That's even a more wide open question. Like I said, if you're a beginner, just a small 15 watt transistor amp with built in reverb and distortion is perfect. ( ahem, not fender ) Because you can rock out in the bedroom at low volume and not bother the neighbors. Once you have a style, and gain an ear for what you like, then you can join the fray and argue about tube amps. Tube amps are definitely have a warmer sound and respond to touch much better. But to truly make a tube amp rock, you've got to be somewhere to crank it up to do it justice.
    The Marshall sound is aka Jimmy Page. To get that sound you need to be drunk or high or good enough to take a 100 watt marshall stack and put it on about 9 and everybody within 9 blocks will here you! If you turn it up to 1, it's wimpy, but everyone within 1 block will hear you.
    The Fender sound is like Buddy Guy, more blues.
    After that, there's only about 200 other types that everyone will argue that's the best!
    Then you start buying effects. Not to worry, within 10 years you will have 15 different colored little stompboxes, dumpsters full of dead 9 volt batteries, little tiny cords and patches to decorate your home. You'll have marshall, fender boogie, hounddog amps. 16 different guitars sitting around. Welcome to my life!
    I've been through every guitar there is, pretty much 50 amps over the years. When it all comes down to it. What guitar you play and what amp and effects you use only color your sound. If what you're playing doesn't sound good clean, it won't be much better with all the effects.

    Where'd that come from? I'm supposed to be packing for a three+ month trip tomorrow!
    Gone To California
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    you think you're old, good luck with the trip.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • Thanks Pacomc79!
    By the way, G & L is great. But I'm not gonna write that whole thing over again! They've got great switching and tremelo.
    You're right, The guitar should feel good first and foremost.
    Ugh, I gotta go to Target and buy cheap socks and underwear. This is low budget trip! only one roadie, and he ain't gonna do the laundry! And neither am I!
    Gone To California
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    only one roadie??? Damn. Still to me it sounds like heaven.

    O well buy enough underwear for a month. Never wash, just buy new underwear.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • That's exactly what I do! Wear it, give it away. Actually 3 pairs of socks can work. Rinse the day's pair out at night, hang'm on the rack of the bus the next day to dry. wear them the next day. The socks ride on top with the African Beer cooler. This works! Wrap a warm beer with a wet towel, an put it on the roof of the bus. As it dries, it cools the beer.
    I've toured Africa before. We give the laundry stuff to people and people appreciate it. We could probably pay someone in a town to do laundry. I get tons of crayons to give to kids. I got a hundred sets of strings to give to guitar players, Glue and saddles and nuts to give out.
    Actually, this is the poorest country tour, but probably spiritually most rewarding I've done! We don't even have places to stay yet! Way different from touring the US. It'll be like peoples' houses, local school building, who knows! My favorite way to travel though. Play for someone and stay at their house. You meet the most wonderful people that way.
    Yea, one roadie for hmm, 14 people ( 8 or 9 musicians , 5 of THEM, drummers, and 5 or 6 hyperactive wiggling and shaking dancers. ) Driver, sound guy, clothing director, stage hand all wrapped into one! Not like a Stones tour!
    Gone To California
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    sounds like a lot of fun too.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • I wouldn't give it up for anything!
    Gone To California
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