feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Which do people think is the more important? Hopefully soon I'll have about €1200 to spend on a guitar and amp and I'm trying to figure out which I should spend my money on. I have only low-medium guitars and we'll say for the sake of argument that I've no amp. So, spend more on the amp or the guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I found that a good electric guitar sounds pretty good unplugged, although it's not very loud, but I think it's loud enough. So, give me a good sounding, good playing guitar and no amp, over a "so so" guitar and an amp. A good sounding amp is hard to find. Two amps can be the same make and model, but usually don't sound exactly the same. Crappy pickups can make the guitar/amp combo quite useless. I come up with my best stuff playing an electric unplugged. I actually think playing through an amp can mask enough of the guitars true tone, that it doesn't allow me to hear the subtleness I need to hear when making slight chord changes. It's as if the song needs to be created unplugged before doing the amped version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Cool. Got any recommendations for that price range so? I need a good amp too that'll be usable for small-medium gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I'm not too good with knowing the prices of already built guitars. My one strat that sounds great unplugged is a parts guitar that cost me about $215.00 plus a few hundred $ worth of work on it that I did myself. Pre-ebay days, when I could buy good cheap parts here and there without any clowns being able to "outbid" me. These days, a toothpick with a piece of guitar string glued to it ,seems to sell for $75.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Yeah, I'm not great at the old guitar making thing unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Sorry for my ignorance, but I know next to nothing about Ireland's economic state - what do you have good access to over there, Brit gear, US stuff, European (German, Dutch), or none of the above? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 If it fits in with your sound...one of the best deals on the planet is the Made in Mexico (MIM) Fender Strat, they are pretty well made, the pickups are decent, and you get ALL those very versatile stratty tones. I think it is the most versatile guitar out there. At any given time there are at least a dozen on eBay going for around $250 USD (sometimes with the case included), you can almost pick your color. Try to get one from the early 1990s, the fit & finish is actually very very close to that on an American strat from the same era (and about $300 cheaper). That will leave you enough for a decent amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Lovekraft, European and UK websites are easily available, US and Japan are also reasonably accessible. Erik, if I was to get a MIM strat (and that's an option) there's something not right abuot running €250 worth of guitar through a €800 amp imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I would say go for a good playing, good sounding guitar with a small, decent sounding amp first. Then, if you have money left over use it to get a Line 6 POD or a Johnson J-Station. They have alot of great sounds to tinker with. You can have a great sounding amp but it's only going to amplify the tone that's already there so start with a guitar that sounds and feels good. I've found myself switching amps several times through the years but I still keep the same couple of guitars around. A good guitar will grow on you and break-in like a good 'ol pair of jeans but you may get bored with the sound of an amp. I agree that MiM Strats are a good way to go. You can modify them to sound and play as good as an American series with a lil fretwork, pup upgrade & wiring mod. They're easy to find parts for. I guess the guitar/amp you get depends on the style of music your gonna use it for but Strats are pretty versatile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Well, I'm planning on getting an ME-50 too. Ah, I'm into rock, metal, anything. Metallica, Vai, Satch etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 ... if I was to get a MIM strat... there's something not right abuot running €250 worth of guitar through a €800 amp imo... Never worry about what you paid so long as you got what you needed - most gear snobs aren't actually playing anywhere, or they wouldn't have time to show up and talk about your gear! If you have the opportunity to play some Mexican Fenders, it's worth checking out - remember, those guitars are being made on the same assembly line that turned out all those pre-CBS classics. You may have to pick through a few to find a good one, but the best of the Mexicans is as good or better than most American Standards. So far as I know, Fender is currently manufacturing all their necks and bodies in Mexico, so you're getting the same stuff as the Master Builts are made out of! Just be sure you play it before you buy it - some of them are rubbish! Of course, so are some of the Custom Shops. For an amp, you might like the Laney VC50 - you should be able to pick one up for £500-600 used, sometimes even less. It's gig-worthy, built road tough, and sounds great once you've tweaked it out! Just my two cents - YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Hmm, I actually won't have the ability to try the guitar. No decent guitar shops around. I was also looking at the Tremonti SE. Opinions on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 (edited) Tough call in a lot of cases. A high price doesn't necessarily mean a "good" amp or guitar. There is always that fine line when buying a guitar. After a certain price the only difference between one guitar and another could be a name or all the gold plated hardware, spit and polish finish and fancy inlay made of exotic materials. But a guitar without all that stuff at half the price could play and sound just as good. The older Mexican strats are a good suggestion. No bells and whistles, affordable, a good working musician's guitar and an excellent beginner's guitar. I had a friend who played since he was knee-high to a leprechaun and knew his guitars. He preferred to play his Mexi over his US made strat anyday. I prefer my Musicman 210-65 combo amp. They are just as good as Fender amps but can be found at half the price. Lots of people don't know that Leo Fender himself had a hand in their design and production. Just marketed under a different name. But if you see one that you can afford, grab it or regret it later! I will have to say a good amp has precedence over a good guitar. I've had bad amps and no matter what guitar you plug in they all sound like crap. I think, in most cases, a not so good guitar will sound better through a good amp than a good guitar played through a not so good amp. Make sense? Me either! Edited November 30, 2004 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I would say a good setup first. Then you can find a guitar that plays well and a amp that sounds good. I personally like a good amp, because I have my guitars, and i have gone through so many I know what I like. Amps are tougher to Figure specially since they are harder to get rid off... weight can' sell on ebay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I would never buy a guitar without a tryout. Now, I've bought most all my amps for the past 10-12 years completely unplayed off the 'net. But I know I can fix an amp, I can mod it or twist it to whatever I want in the end, or have someone do it for me. The pics tell me enough, I know what to stay away from, etc. So I'm walking on pretty safe ground when I buy an amp without playing it first. Guitars are a different story. I have to make a personal 'connection' with a guitar, I don't care how much it costs or how cool it looks or anything, I have to form a personal rapport with it before the money flies. Oddly enough, I completely stopped buying guitars alltogether when I started building them, about 10 years ago, and you know what? The last guitar I actually bought ten years ago, I STILL have it, because I tried it out, it melded perfectly with me, and it freaking rocks, and still does. That's how important it is to me to actually hold a guitar before I'll ever think of buying it. Finding the right guitar is like finding a girlfriend or wife. Finding the right amp is like finding a house or car or boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 A mediocre guitar through a good amp sounds way better then a great guitar through a mediocre amp. If you use good pickups the wood, etc. is not that important. I would say that pu's and amp make about 80% of the sound coming out of the amp. Anything else like tonewood and construction, etc. have a way more subtle influence on the final sound. But if playing through an amp is not that important to you and you like to play your guitar unplugged as well, then the quality of the guitar is more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Guitars are a different story. I have to make a personal 'connection' with a guitar, I don't care how much it costs or how cool it looks or anything, I have to form a personal rapport with it before the money flies. Finding the right guitar is like finding a girlfriend or wife. Finding the right amp is like finding a house or car or boat. The problem is, I can't play the guitars before hand because there's no good guitar shops around and if I did find a guitar I liked, I could easily find it online for €200 cheaper, probably more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Can't get to Dublin? No good gear shops there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 I can't really get there easily. I suppose I should just go down some Saturday. Unfortunately, tickets aren't cheap and time isnt' available. Plus they have a distinct hatred of people trying their guitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 What are people's opinions on Peavey Bandit II's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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