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Which electric guitar??

A

AUMM

Diamond Member
so i've been playing an acoustic for about 8-9 months and i feel like gettin an electric. What do you guys recommend i get? keep in mind i dont know a thing about electric guitars. im hopin to spend less than about $350. im also assuming i have to get an amp and stuff??
 
you're not gonna be able to get a quality guitar+amp for under $350. you could get those packs with the crappy guitar and the cheap amp for like <300 but thats about it. any good guitar alone costs at least 200, most are way more. and as far as amps go, I got a huge combo amp for like 300 bucks(used)
 
350 for both the guitar and amp, or just the guitar? An entry level Ibanez runs around $250 or so, same as a Standard Fender Stratocaster. Epiphone (spelling?) the "lower" version of Gibson also makes a couple in that price. And yes, you'd need an amp.
 
i was hopin to get it all for less than 350, but i guess i can spend some more. about how much does a decent amp run?
 
A decent starter's amp will run at least a bare minimum of $100. iirc, my Fender 25R was like $130 or $150 a couple years back - its a nice practice amp but the distortion leaves something to be desired (too hollow a sound, my Ibanez SM7 distortion pedal takes care of that though).
 
Depends on what you want to do with it.

This marshal looks pretty decent, and marshal is a very good brand. This will also give you a good bit of growing room.

With guitars, Im partial to the Les Paul, so I would suggest the Epiphone Les Paul, but that will put you right at that 350, if not above.
 
hmmmm ok, so what guitar would you guys get for like 300 bux? does it matter what brand amp i get or is it just based on size. also, what are pickups? do i need anything else to get started?
 
Originally posted by: AUMM
i was hopin to get it all for less than 350, but i guess i can spend some more. about how much does a decent amp run?
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if i were you, id shop around for used stuff. especially as far as the amp is concerned. all you are using it for (i gather from your post) is just to hear yourself. you could do that w/o the amp...of course that sort of defeats the purpose...but, if you're strapped for cash you could hold out a couple months.
my advice is to go with a low-end 200-250 guitar and used amp for 100 or less. this way you're not spending too much if you dont keep up with it and if you do, when the time comes that you can afford a high-end piece, you'll really know what you're doing with it.
 
Originally posted by: PatboyX
Originally posted by: AUMM
i was hopin to get it all for less than 350, but i guess i can spend some more. about how much does a decent amp run?
Click to expand...

if i were you, id shop around for used stuff. especially as far as the amp is concerned. all you are using it for (i gather from your post) is just to hear yourself. you could do that w/o the amp...of course that sort of defeats the purpose...but, if you're strapped for cash you could hold out a couple months.
my advice is to go with a low-end 200-250 guitar and used amp for 100 or less. this way you're not spending too much if you dont keep up with it and if you do, when the time comes that you can afford a high-end piece, you'll really know what you're doing with it.
Click to expand...

i dont really wanna get toooo low end of stuff, i plan on stickin with it cuz i love playin my acoustic.
 
I just got a Fender Toronado for $380 used. It feels like a mix between the Fender Strats and Gibson solidbodies, and plays wonderfully. You could probably find one cheaper (or buy new for $525), I just wanted one in a somewhat hard to find color.

pic
 
I highly recommend a Standard Fender Stratocaster (the one made in mexico). They are solid guitars, and good enough that upgrading later would be a choice and not a neccessity. Crate makes solid little practice amps with a good clean sound. If you know you're serious about guitar, I wouldn't get anything less than the Standard Stratocaster, even if it means saving longer to get the amp. Otherwise, you'll just have to buy another guitar down the road.
 
It would be very difficult to get a guitar and amp for under $350. When I was looking to buy an electric I was going to get a Epiphone Les Paul Style one, but my friend who is VERY experienced in guitars and the like told me to either save up more $$, or buy used. I ended up spending more money than I wanted, but got an amazing guitar that plays and sounds like one 2-3x its cost.

As for an amp, look to buy one used as well. The newer Marshall stuff isn?t as good as the older stuff, especially in the lower spectrum. Look in the classifieds, as many people are looking to sell of old, unused guitar equipment at low prices. Make sure that you play everything before you buy it.

If you are looking to buy something on the internet, go a local guitar store and see if they have it in stock. Try it out there before buying it online. I really can?t stress that any more.
 
Originally posted by: AUMM
hmmmm ok, so what guitar would you guys get for like 300 bux? does it matter what brand amp i get or is it just based on size. also, what are pickups? do i need anything else to get started?
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Check the MusiciansFriend.com scratch and dent specials for a solid guitar that could be in your price range. I bought my acoustic from them, and other than a minor scratch, its perfect. Plays beautifully, and I got it for under $300. It was half off.

The brand of amp factors in, but you will pay more for a name brand vs another brand with the same specs. The name sells. It also depends where you are playing. If you are just going to play by yourself, you dont need to spend $500 on a 100W amp. I have a Crate 30W amp my friend loaned me, and it does just fine. You can hear it over the drumset when my roomie and I are "jamming" (we still suck, so I use the term loosely). The type of amp matters as well. Tube amps are generally more expensive than solidbody ones, but some people swear by them.

A guitar pickup converts the vibrations of the string to an electical signal which produces the sound through the amp. The quality of the pickup is almost directly related to the sound quality, so dont scrimp on them too much. If you buy a cheap guitar, you may be getting bad pickups so you may want to change them. They may get expensive though. I like my Seymour-Duncan pickups, which are one of the best IMHO.
 
i got a peavey rage 158 off ebay for 50-70... i dont remember...but its decent...

peavey rage = no dist
peavey blazer = dist...goes for a little more...
 
The most important thing is to PLAY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT. All guitars feel different. There are all kinds of variables (pickup height/location, knob placement, the bridge, etc). So you want to make sure the guitar's design is conducive to your playing style (where you rest your hand, etc).

Just don't rush into anything. There's no worse feeling than spending your hard earned money on something you realize you wish you hadn't bought a week later.

 
thanks for all the info! i think im gonna look into buying a Standard Fender Stratocaster probably a used one, is there anything i need to check out in particular when buying a used one? i only plan on playing for myself, not performing or anything so im guessing a relatively small amp should do.

how much do decent pickups run?
 
Good choice on the Standard Strat. You could probably find them for about $250-275 used on eBay, or about $350 new. The pickups that come with them are already decent but usually cost $50-70 each for upgraded ones.

The amp makes a huge difference in the sound, so I'd recommend saving up for a good one, otherwise you might think your new guitar sucks when in fact it's the amp. The cheapest small amps I've heard that really brings out the sound of any guitar is the Peavey Classic 30 (30W tube amp, $430) or the Fender Blues Jr. (15W tube amp, $385). These have more of the 'vintage' sound; if you are looking for more of the modern rock sound then a small Marshall combo might work. If you like British rock sounds then a Vox Pathfinder ($120) is a pretty nice imitation of the Vox amps.
 
Originally posted by: yellowperil
Good choice on the Standard Strat. You could probably find them for about $250-275 used on eBay, or about $350 new. The pickups that come with them are already decent but usually cost $50-70 each for upgraded ones.

The amp makes a huge difference in the sound, so I'd recommend saving up for a good one, otherwise you might think your new guitar sucks when in fact it's the amp. The cheapest small amps I've heard that really brings out the sound of any guitar is the Peavey Classic 30 (30W tube amp, $430) or the Fender Blues Jr. (15W tube amp, $385). These have more of the 'vintage' sound; if you are looking for more of the modern rock sound then a small Marshall combo might work. If you like British rock sounds then a Vox Pathfinder ($120) is a pretty nice imitation of the Vox amps.
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ouch, i didnt know amps were that expensive
 
Umm... Geez, people.

If you go to Guitar Center, you can pick up a Fender Strat Squire and a 15W Crate practice amp for 350$ easy.. Of course it isn't going to have humbuckers, but he's just starting out.. who cares?
 
Get the Strat Pack with the Squier Strat and the little 15W amp. Who knows! You might get tired of it and you'll be glad you didn't spend $500 on a new guitar and amp.
 
My point is just start out with something good...he's already been playing guitar for a while so there's less chance of him giving it up. If you go the cheap route, 6 months from now when you're jonesing for a better guitar/amp, your old stuff will sell for chump change.
 
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