Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I've found myself very happy with middle-of-the-road gear. I mean if you get an amp that does a clean sound you like, a pedal that does a distortion sound you like, and a guitar that feels and sounds a way you like, without being PERFECT, it can come out to under $1000.

And always shop used -- you'd be surprised what some people are throwing out. If you hit up pawn shops, eBay, or your local chapter of Music-Go-Round (am i the only one who loves this store?) you're bound to find a diamond in the rough.

 

[BluesNRock87]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

im gonna make a new statement, what i said ealier, dont listen to it

i just got a new amp. while its no marshall stack, it is one heck of a sweet amp. (i went in moderation, and i love it, a solid working guitar w/ duncans and a solid working tube amp = unique tone, and under the price of a gibby oir a marshall, go used, get solid stuff, and get stuff that is good value/underpriced)

get the amp, it is a world of difference, i went from crate gx-30m (crappy ss crate) to a crate vintage club 30 (amazing tube amp) and lets say it has changed my life...

a good amp will work wonders, plus u can always put duncans in a not-so-great guitar and make it sound good, than later on, pull them, sell the pos and have dunacns for ur next guitar.....

 

[TheMist]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

Tone is all in your hands and amp. The guitar is just a tool.

 

[jmv]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

Well, i got a gibby and played it through a Solidstate fender combo that really isn't too super. Its nice, because it has great playability, and it does sound better than my squier.... however, with my new amp, i'm amazed at how good even the squier sounds....

Its a tough choice, i would say prolly the amp is more important. But if you're out playing guitars, and you get one that feels right, sounds good unplugged, plays easily, or just grabs you by the cajones, i'd get that. If that happens, don't let the guitar get away from you..... because guitars are more of a hit-or-miss thing when compared to amps, even in the same models. And be open minded about what you're looking for whether you decide to go for a guitar or amp first, cuz if you are too set on getting one particular thing, you may very well pass up something else that would be even better for you.

About the mid-line gear.... i would say play a bunch of real nice guitars (if you can... most large chain stores, even their 'nice' guitars aren't so hot...), and play a bunch of mid-line guitars.... be honest with yourself, listen hard, and if you can't tell a difference (which is nothing to be ashamed of), then i'd definitely go for the mid-line gear. You'll end up saving yourself a ton of money if you CAN'T tell the difference.... if you CAN, then i'd go for the high end stuff, because you won't be happy with anything else... you'll end up spending more in the long run if you settle on something less.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

guitar first

 

[Bones]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I would get anything that would guarantee me getting poontang. (And this is the majority of us.) But all joking aside, THE GUITAR FIRST In my opinion. You said Gib Custom which is got excellent quality control for that model. But if you were talking about any guitar you have to remember this: Not all guitars feel the same. I've found some excellent playing squiers that could take a **** on a usa fender. What I am trying to say is that good guitars are harder to find than good amps. Most amps usually have a signature sound that cant be dictated by the make of your axe. (notice how I didnt say pickups?)

 

[heavydutysg135]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I have found amps to make much more difference in the tone than the guitar. I think that a cheep guitar run through a great amp will still sound pretty good, but not awsome. I don't think that it is possible to sound really good through a cheap practice amp nomatter what guitar you put through it. I would take the tone of a stock epiphone run through my JCM 800 over my eclipse or sg run through a practice amp any day. No doubt about it.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

even crappy guitars will sound decent through a good amp so i think buying an amp should be first priority.

 

[Jonny R]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

Yeah, if you've got a great amp, you can get a pretty basic guitar and still sound good.

And, if you need to you can upgrade the guitar one SD at a time

 

[MoodyBlue]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

Seems to me when you find someone with a guitar they really love, they kind of form a bond, a relationship with it. Then when you talk to someone with a great amp that they really think is it, they're really happy with it but they dont seem to get that same attachment as I've seen guys form with their guitars.
The Great Players too. You hear of them and that guitar they love. The amps will generaly change before that guitar will.
I gotta go with Guitar first. When you have it and fall in love with it, you will find its mate amp. You wont sleep until you do! AHHH G.A.S.!

Jim:cool2:

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I say that you should get the amp, first. If your guitar lacks some character, you can always spice it up with an EQ pedal, Tube Screamer or another booster. If your amp lacks character, there isn't much you can do about that.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I'd put my money into a good amp and get a decent $500ish guitar. Most moderately priced guitars have good necks and frets. Throw some decent pups in and your good to go. Cheap amps generally suck. I'm not full on tube snob, but not much sounds better than the real deal. YMMV

Mike

Good advice. 59Paul also had good advice, which is opposite of this totally but still good! He stated get a nice guitar with some SDs in it then test amps out with the guitar. I believe one is better than the other in 2 different cases.

You have money, you can spend money = Guitar, then amp - for 59Paul's reason.

You have limited money, need tone fast = Amp, then guitar - for msawitzke's reason. Especially, if you already have a half-decent guitar.

 

[Maggie]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

I would put the Duncans in the axe and spend the rest on AMP!

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Guitar or amp? what to sink more money in

If the question is which combo of Cheap/Good will sound best, I say the good amp will be more important.

If the question is which to get first in the process of building a rig then I agree that the guitar should be first.