Advice on Fender guitars and amps

that Champion looks good. I like the idea of on/off switch and volume knob. ny favorite small amp is a 1958 Gibsontte. made the same way. it is nice.
now for guitars. Fender has a wide range of models in just as wide of range of prices.
to help we should know how much you want to spend.

The Squier '51 is a popular first choice for many, and you can save some money if you look for a package deal. The amps that come in guitar packages aren't the best quality, though. As dogbite said, it's all dependent on how much you're looking to spend.

There's also a good thread on the forum in which the GN staff recommends some good quality guitars. It's in the Opinion and Polls section of the forum, and the guitars are recommended based on price. (best price for best quality)

How much do you want to spend?
have you been playing acoustic, and now want to move to electric, or is the electric your first choice?
if you are a stone cold beginner and aren't really sure of your commitment level, then a starter pack is the way to go.

however if you have been playing awhile and are sure you won't give it up, then i would suggest getting the best guitar and amp you can afford.
My first electric was a tele copy, and was more than enough to last me quite awhile. after several cheaper models i finally bit the bullet and went all out for an American made Deluxe Strat. It's easily the best guitar I've ever played.

i would go to the nearest shop that has the biggest selection and try as many as you can. take a friend that plays with you if you aren't comfortable by yourself and spend the day listening to all you can.

good luck, let us know how it goes and, Welcome to GN!

Hi. Welcome to the forums. I agree with the others here. Best thing is maybe find a good music shop or a guitar center or sam ash near by and look around at the guitars in your price range and also amps in your price range. Try them on for size, see what's more comfortable for you to play and what you like the best. Different makes and styles have their advantages and disadvantages. My first guitar was a Squier stratocaster that a friend gave me so I only spent money only for a Fender Frontman 25 amp. In time, after realizing I wasn't giving up playing the guitar in a few weeks, and after noticing that I have made some imrpovements, I bought a Mexi made strat and a blues jr. tube amp to upgrade my sound and to get a tube amp sound as well. More money though. Best of luck and let us know how you do and what you eventually settle on. :)

hello,
I agree with what everyones been saying here-if i could add anything it would be to not buy a guitar by brand name-go check them out and see what feels good to you.-Fenders are great (my favorites)but you may be more comfortable with a les paul style or sg .....check them out. :D good luck

Hi all, thanks for the advice! :D

Sorry, I didn't give a budget because I am a little flexible and I wanted to hear what you would suggest first...

So, I was planning on spending around $800 for both the guitar and the amp, but I don't mind spending more if I find something I really like. There are so many choices though, and I feel a little overwhelmed!

I know that I shouldn't choose just by the brand, but so many people have told me that Fender is the best and so I really want one (good marketing on their part I guess!)

As far as the type of music I want to play, I want to try some kind of blues / rock sound...like Eric Clapton

So, that being said - any other ideas?

Hi - and welcome aboard :-)

For what it's worth - with that budget, I'd say you couldn't go much wrong with a std. Fender Strat e.g.- http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=516037

The small Fender amp is very cool - but maybe a bit special for a beginner(?) - maybe you'd be better of considering something with reverb and two channels - maybe even something with all kinds of effects built in to play around with? I have approx one of these http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Frontman-212R-100W-2x12-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=481601 and like it a lot

good luck - don't forget to keep us up to date on what you end up with :-)

lars

The amp you were looking at is only small, but still, a 5W amp can be loud - especially a tube amp. Have you thought about starter packs? You can get a Squier Strat - pretty decent guitars - and a 15W Fender Frontman amp for a reasonable amount.
Then again, if you only need a small amp, the Roland Micro Cube - another 5W amp, but with quite a few features - is also very reasonably priced.

I'm a recent Telecaster convert - hardly put my MIM Tele down since I bought it last August! - but before that, I had a Squier Custom Tele - great guitar for the price.

Still, it's always a good idea to wander into a music shop and try a few different guitars - I've lost count of the number of people around here who've gone shopping with one guitar in mind, and bought something completely different!

:D :D :D

Vic

get a strat. the best you can afford. then Eric will take you to Korea for the big gig.
strats are great fun. personally, I find they are the easiest guitars to play.

ps...a used guitar is not a bad thing. you could get an older American strat for around 500 in the states.

Get that strat !

thanks! I really like this site, you are all really helpful :)

I'll let you know what I end up with!

Get a nice Strat and save on the amp. There is no way to get around having a lame guitar and the bad sounds might deter you from practicing and getting better. Get yourself a used American Strat and then a modeling amp. The amp will have tons of tones you can try out to see how things interact with each other and will sound good enough that you'll want to play all the time.

If all goes well and you practice enough you'll be posting "Advice on getting a quality tube amp" in no time.

I'm really picky with guitars, especially Fender guitars. I love Fenders when I find the 'right ones' but I always spend a while trying some I'm not happy with, so I'd urge you to try the guitars before buying!!! Recently, I got a Mexican made Tele which I love - I tried the US made Highway 1 Teles and some others in a local store, and they sounded and felt really cheap, despite supposedly being 'better'. Same thing with my strat - I got a US Std in the end, but spent a good few months just trying strat after strat in various shops until I found one I was happy with.

hope this helps

I sort of agree with the Strat or Tele suggestion, but, if you're going to buy an MIM (Made in Mexico) model, I'd strongly suggest that you look at G&L Tribute guitars. Yes, they're made in the Far East, but to a very good quality for the money - I'd say that they're better quality than MIM Fenders.