Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

[darkshadow54321]

OK, I've now come to the stage in my life where I feel I have to upgrade, and I actually have enough money to do that. However, I only have enough money to upgrade either my amp, or my guitar. Not both.

So should I buy an amazing amp, and keep an ok-ish guitar to play with until I have enough money to buy a great guitar, or should I buy my dream guitar, and play with an ok-ish amp?

In terms of values, I'm talking spending $1500 on either the guitar or the amp. (custom guitar vs Bogner Shiva or similar) The ok-ish amp would be in the $500 range.

It makes more sense to get a good amp as it'll make anything should good, but at the same time, what's the point in playing if you don't get enough pleasure from the actual instrument itself? (don't take that the wrong way... :laugh2: )

Right now, I'm leaning towards the great guitar option... whadya think?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

what would th3e ok-ish guitar and amp be?

 

[darkshadow54321]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

what would th3e ok-ish guitar and amp be?

Don't know... that would be a seperate thread! :smack:

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Either way would be fine, as 500 could still buy you a decent amp secondhand, but I'd go for great amp/ok guitar personally.

 

[ankalar]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

What do you have now?

 

[sweet_lou]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

I would go for the great amp and OK guitar you can upgrade PUPs and strings and get great sound out of an OK guitar.

I put new good strings 10s and a pair of used Seths in a 300.00 335 style guitar it had tone to die for.

 

[theodie]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Though it is very tempting to have the "Gas" for a great guitar, The great amp will have a much larger and better effect on your tone.

 

[Mkf411]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

How about selling both your OK amp & your OK guitar? If you make some money and add it to the $1,500 you have, you might have enough for a great amp and a great guitar.

 

[italic zero]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

It depends on whether you want to work on guitar technique and practice or if you want to be jamming and gigging. To practice hard it really helps to have an instrument you love, but the amp really has a much greater effect on the tone.

 

[TheLizardKing]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Well, in my case I could use both. Have you looked in any pawn shops? lol You can get lucky and find a nice guitar. Amps in general seem to hold their value, and are more valuable with their stage presence. 1500 isn't enough to buy a great guitar and amp? What are you playing on right now?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Hmm..tough question...

In my experience, even the best guitar with great pickups, and choice build and tonewoods still doesn't sound very good through a bad sounding amp.

However, I've had some pretty bad sounding guitars that sounded pretty darn good through a high end amp.

So I guess I'd get a better amp if I had to choose one or the other, and perhaps install some new pickups, etc. to help improve the guitars sound.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

I would personally go for a good amp, but at the same time I'm torn between buying a great guitar... Who cares if the guitar sounds only decent if it's a complete joy to play??

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

wooops...I accidentally voted for guitar, I meant amp.
Crappy guitar into crappy amp = crappy sound
Crappy guitar into great amp = good sound
Great guitar into crappy amp = crappy sound
Great guitar into great amp = great sound

 

[some_dude]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Amp.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Amp.

A great amp can make an OK guitar sound beautiful.

 

[Jonny R]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Definitely the Amp.

You can get a really decent guitar for not too much money on the 2nd hand market, but you need to spend some moolah on a good amp.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Since you do live in Portugal, buying used may be a bit more costly. But still, you may be able to get both for $1500. My Hamer Studio and Peavey Classic 50 are both top quality products, and they cost me about $1000 combined. If you're set on buying new, you 'll have to choose one or the other. But if you're willing to go the used route, you may be able to get both at the same time.

Ryan

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Go with a great amp and a good guitar. If you really cut corners either way, it will show. A mid-line guitar, as long as it resonates well (should ring out for 15 seconds or more with one strum) is all you need. Pickups and some slight hardware upgrades will take care of the rest.

 

[guitarshredder]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

Crappy guitar into crappy amp = crappy sound
Crappy guitar into great amp = good sound
Great guitar into crappy amp = crappy sound
Great guitar into great amp = great sound

+1 :cool3: :dance: :newangel:

 

[ishmun]

Re: Priorities: Great Amp or Great Guitar?

+1 :cool3: :dance: :newangel:

+2 :dance: :laugh2: :blackeye: