Help with first Electric/Amp choices

I just bought my first guitar, my budget was $500 ( i already had an amp ), initially I wanted to get a strat, till I found Godin.

http://www.godinguitars.com/indexlanguage.html

They are not just looks, they play great as well.
I researched all over the net and didnt find one single complaint about them.

I ended up buying an Exit 22 ( it costs around $430, i got it for $350). For ~ $550, you could get the LG P90.

I highly recommed them and so do these guys
https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16055

happy shopping

Vic

a) Or maybe you should choose the guitar first so you can try all the amps on the same guitar! 8) I kid! What you should really do is test the guitar through a whole bunch of amps. Eventually you'll get a feel for the true sound of the guitar and start to hear what each amp is adding. Also, play and listen to your guitar candidates unplugged, a great test for any electric is feeling how it resonates naturally.

b) depends on what you want your amp to do for you I'd say. If you're just going to use it at extremely small or headphone volumes, then that's something. More money usually means more features in cheaper amps too. Honestly decide what features you're going to use. Having 6 different built in reverb effects doesn't do much for you if you never use reverb, but you're certainly going to pay for it! Decide what you need, and buy the simplest unit that fulfills those needs, don't buy features you don't use! That will dictate what you buy.

c) Yeah, those LP's... they're pretty sexy... :twisted: Evaluate them by three measures, in this order of importance:

Sound - Can you get the sounds you want from it? If not, then the rest doesn't really matter.
Feel - Are you comfy with it? If it's a bother to play, you won't play it, regardless of how cool it looks. You have to feel at home with it.
Look - If it's ugly as heck, that generally doesn't inspire you to play either, but if you find a guitar that suits you PERFECTLY, gives you the sound you've been dreaming of, responds to your touch like it's alive... who cares if it's the wrong color? Believe me, you won't regret buying an ugly guitar that sings, but you'll definitely regret a beautiful guitar that sucks.

d.) typically SS amps have more uniform performance, while tubes only open up in the louder ranges. On a tube amp with a master volume, you'll be able to drive it at low volumes, but the sound will be nothing like the amp driven hard. Generally "worse".

The amp should work fine with your electronics on your acoustic guitar.

Most importantly, screw any conceptions about what guitars should be for what purpose or what not. It's the way you respond to it that matters, so if you're a blues guy, don't be afraid to try a Jackson Superstrat or a BCR Warlock, you might end up suprised, and if nothing else, it will broaden your mind and help you really zero in on the features that you want.

Good luck dude.

+1 for the previous posts... 8) Yeah, try everything and dont be afraid to try used guitars, some of the best deals are used... For instance, my guitar teacher has a bass with a (I think) '52 neck (Sometime in the 50's)
and a '73 body. He bought it for a 1200 bucks off a friend, who bought it from another dude for 300 bucks!!!!!! :shock: The neck alone is worth 2000+ bucks! That was probably a once in a lifetime deal, but you can definitly get good deals used.. Another good tip is to get a good amp... A 1000 dollar guitar through a 100 dollar amp will sound like crap, but a 100 dollar guitar through a 1000 amp will sound pretty good(belive me, I've tried). Happy buying! :)

I agree with Undercat.
The guitar at this stage is the most important piece of it and be "Open Minded " about which kind you get into. Sound then feel then looks. (except I usually got the other way) :roll:

Anyhoo, you might also consider an alternative to an outright AMP. Since your now getting into the world of 'quasi' manufactured tones, in as such as the combo of guitar, pickups, amp(s) make the sound(s). You may consider a Pod or V-amp. They're reasonably inexpensive yet they have a lot of bang for the buck and they give you an avenue of great experimentation with all kinds of tone and sounds.

I have a V-AMP and I'm not sorry I got it before I found my current Amp. It really helped me decide where to invest my money.

As far as quiet play and practice, these lil units sound great in headphones and if you want to crank it up, you can almost blow your head off.. I have a few times... well almost, but I've had my ears ringing :)

Happy Hunting Dude.... and welcome to the world of GAS!!

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried out a MIM fat strat today at Guitar Center, but there were so many people trying out guitars and basses and amps and drums, it was kind of hard to get a good feel. I generally liked the sound though. Also tried an Epi LP for a little while, but didn't really get a good feel. I think I will go to the couple of other guitar stores in the area, which seem to have slightly better conditions for trying stuff out. They had a good sale going though (about $320 for the MIM fat strat), that I'm tempted..

undercat said:
typically SS amps have more uniform performance, while tubes only open up in the louder ranges.
From this, sounds like I should probably get one of those, because I won't be playing loud most of the time..(the bad thing about GC was that they didn't seem to have any of the amps I was thinking about, and I played through a much larger amp than what I would like to buy.)

dagwood said: You may consider a Pod or V-amp.

Dagwood, what's a V-amp? I know what a pod is to some small degree because someone showed me one and suggested getting a guitarport. I saw that Line 6 had some "pods", but I didn't really look at what those could do. I assumme the difference between them and the guitarport is that the guitarport only works when connected to the computer, but the pods can be used in-line with an amp as well?

And Vic, thanks for the suggestion on Godin. I have read your thread on it. I haven't seen any of the local stores I visited carry them, but I have not gone looking for a store in the area that carries them, I'm sure there is one around.

I've been thinking about the used route that yoyo286 suggested as well, but given my relative inexperience, I am a bit weary about buying something over the net, and the local used selection is small. I'll keep looking.

thanks for all your suggestions!

Tube amps don't have to be LOUD. THey do have to play saturated to get their sound.

That means that if you want to play a tube amp in your living room and not bother the neighbors you need a low wattage tube amp.

These amps generally are NOT cheap. But you can find good kits to build your own for a hundred bucks or so, less the speaker.

The V-AMP is the competition to the POD.

Here's a link: http://www.behringer.com/V-AMP2/index.cfm?lang=ENG No I'm not pushing the V-Amp, its just that I own one.

Both the POD and V-AMP are whats known as 'Modelers' in that they 'Model' different kind of amps from Black Face, Tweeds, Cleans, Crunch, Blues, Brit Classics, Rectified, etc... ad nauseum. They also have 'EFFECTs' built in like Echos, Delays, Flangers, CHorus, Compression etc.

You could say they're like having 10 or 20 type of amps in one package, along with a bunch of effects pedals to boot. Now some of the purists will say they're crap, or they don't really sound like the real thing, but technology has come a long, long way. There are other modeling type of amps out there, but the POD or VAmp have the better reputations, at least what I've found.

In my experience, I've only been playing about 9 months, this was my solution and its enjoyable to dial up a Hendrix sound, then push the button and sound like Angus, or Page, or Zakk or Gilmore or....

By the way, my guitar tech has been around for a long, long time, has owned every kind of Amp out there as well as guitars and he is totally sold on these units, He has a POD plugged into a standard PA system and he, like me likes the wide versatility of sound and tone you can achieve with one of these and not be 'tied' to just the classic Tube sound, etc.

Oh and did I mention they sound great with headphones on ??
:lol:

Here are a few links about Modeling Amps.

http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=11389

https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10058

Amps 101 thread-
https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7608

Thanks for the links on the amp/modeling amps, I will check them out. (Is there a search facility for the forums? I haven't seen a search button yet..) BTW, my colleague who showed me Guitarport was very sold on those as well. He had a PodXT.

As for "low wattage" tube amp being too loud or not, I think the Epiphone Valve Jr is 5watts, so maybe it's not too loud even when the tubes are in saturation. I'll have to try it out.

Sound then feel then looks.

I respectfully disagree. Especially those that are relatively new to the guitar. I think it's feel then feel then feel. Nothing can turn one off of guitar (or any instrument, for that matter) quicker than a guitar that is a pain to play.

You said..

... those that are relatively new to the guitar. I think it's feel then feel then feel. Nothing can turn one off of guitar (or any instrument, for that matter) quicker than a guitar that is a pain to play.

Ahh-hahaha My Friend SLITHY, let the Friendly Debate begin shall we?

W-WHAT?!?!?! A newbie knows NOTHING about feel. Early on in ones guitar playing ANYTHING is a pain to play. Our hands don't work, the right hand fingers seems to move then cramp up while the left hand is trying to find the right strings to play. I don't think most beginners sit down with a LP style and "FEEL" it, then sit down with a Strat and notice the V'd shape of the neck right away. I doubt they pay attention to the differny Bridge types out there and how they feel against the palm. I don't think they notice an LP being a bit head heavy. I dont' think they notice that a bolt on neck doesn't quite resonate as well as a set neck.

I don't know that they notice, right away, things like LOW vs HIGH action(s) nor the differnces between rosewood and maple and ebony fingerboards..

On the contrary, I think it is the LOOKS of a guitar that a beginner is looking at and 'wants'. Not feel.

Sorry buddy, but I DISAGREE with you.
Cheers 8)

If someone is totally new to guitar and playing an instrument in general he/she should just get a $150 guitar that looks cool. By the time you learned to play some stuff you'll want a better guitar anyway, and you'll be far better able to judge what guitar you'd like.

By the time you learned to play some stuff you'll want a better guitar anyway, and you'll be far better able to judge what guitar you'd like.

In my case, I think I have to agree with Arjen here. I am relatively new, but not totally. I played for a few years about 20+ years ago, so when I started playing again a few months back, it was not totally new.

When I went to get my accoustic guitar, the guitar did "pick me". I played several guitars, but I just couldn't leave the store without this one. So far in trying electric guitars, I have not quite had that feeling yet, and I can discern some differences in how each one feels. I couldn't tell you what the difference is, but I can feel some difference. However, it is very hard to get any feel for what kind of sounds the guitar is capable of through different amps and different pickup combinations, and that's making the electric choice much more difficult..

Still have to go play a few more.. and wait for the guitar to pick me :-)

But all you guys have been a great help in the process!

I think you should go about 50/50 on the guitar and amp.

There are lots of nice modeling amps out today like the Vox AD30VT. I believe Argen owns one of these. They get excellent reviews and are very affordable. You can get just about any tone out of these amps from Country to Heavy Metal. They can be played at home, but are capable of playing out in small venues as well. There are other good modeling amps like Behringer. I have heard these and they sound great.

As far as guitars, there are many companies making nice guitars for under $400 (or less) today. Ibanez, Epiphone, Schecter, Squier, Peavey and many others. The competition is fierce today, so they have to make a good guitar. The quality of low end guitars today is pretty darn good.