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I would say getting a good guitar that wont frustrate you is more important than a good amp right now.. Spend 300 on the guitar, and 100 on an amp.
I'd suggest looking for a cheap used Carvin for 300-400.. They are AMAZING guitars for the price, and my $350 Carvin's outplay $1500 fenders no prob.
Or if you like Les Paul styles.. AGILE GUITARS.. trust me, they can be had in the $300-400 range new, and played better than real Gibsons. Most big guitar companies you are paying for the name, not quality products.. thats why I'd never buy a Gibson or Fender, they are at least 3 times the price they should be.
for an amp, its hard to get something for $100.. but you'll want to go like a 1x12 combo, maybe look for something like a Roland Cube 30, decent amps that can be had very cheap, I played afew shows with them in tight-situations and they worked alright.
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So everyone agrees on the Roland micro cube?
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On May 22 2010 05:40 zulu_nation8 wrote:
So everyone agrees on the Roland micro cube?
Yeah, the general consensus in the guitar community is that the Roland Micro Cube is a great practice amp which can play a ton of styles.
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I have a cube 60 (same as 30 but more power). It doesn't hold cradle to a peavy classic or a blues junior. It's not bad for a transistor amp though, I guess.
I'd at least check how much price difference it is between a blues junior and a cube, but a micro is going to be a loooooooot cheaper i suspect.
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My first (and only) guitar is an ibanez rg320x, or something like that, which I bought used a few years ago. It was a challenge at first because of the whammy bar, but I have not regretted buying it. I would advise against buying a cheapo electric. Either go all out and try to get a nice guitar for your price range or go acoustic. Acoustic are harder to play imo, requiring better technique to get a perfect sound.
Regardless, pick something you like the looks of, because that is what 90% of people will care about when they see it. Personally I don't really like stratocasters (dont hurt me!), but the fact Hendrix used one makes them a billion times cooler. I have heard amazing things about some different les paul clones which are around 400-500$, which would mean a cheap amp though. A nice amp is soooo important. A good amp will save you from having to buy tons of pedals, and can keep an amazing guitar from sounding like crap.
GLHF!
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Besides the guitar and amp, what other accessories do you guys recommend? Should I get a tuner? If so what kind?
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Buy used for sure! I've played for about 15 years now.
Rather than an Amplifier I would recommend a POD XT. It's a previous generation POD so it's inexpensive used and an incredible device. It will provide you with a tuner which will save you some cash and it lets you play whatever style you want. You can use headphones , which is recommended in general for practice if you're around others , or you can run the audio out to a stereo - which will sound good, because it's a complete sound stack and not at all like running a guitar into a pedal into your stereo. They run around $150 on ebay. I have amps and PODs, and the PODs get used way more to be honest.
If you absolutely must have an amp, the Roland Micro Cube is good, as is the Fender Super Champ XD (I own the latter, love it dearly). You'll still need a separate tuner in either case, which is about a $45-50 expense for a decent quality one. Again, I never recommend an actual amp to a beginner, and I firmly believe you'd get much more pleasure out of a POD - which you can throw in your guitar bag and take with you anywhere you go, and create any sound you want.
As for a guitar, go with a Mexican made Fender Strat, used, for $300-350 on ebay. They are _substantially_ better guitars than the Squires and if you buy used you can get hooked up.
You can also check guitarcenter.com / musiciansfriend.com for used/clearance/scratch and dent items to find these. For example, I bought MY POD XT there about 3 years ago and only paid $149.99 because it was a demo model - this was when they were still $349.99 new.
You can get decent gear on a $500 budget for sure. Just, if nothing else, take this advice:
Don't buy a guitar, EVER, that's called a "starter" or "beginner" guitar. You will quickly outgrow the pitiful sound quality, poor intonation, and general lack of playability, even at a very low skill level. I speak from experience as a player and as someone who's taught lessons on and off for over a decade.
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Yeah to be honest, $400-$500 will get you a First Act guitar and a combo amp that sounds like a Gameboy. You'll also not have much invested and probably take it less serious. Unlike other hobbies, what you pay is what you get in music. Never cheap out, you'll hate it in the end.
I'd invest about $500 into each if possible, and definitely look at used first. If you want amazing rock tones, just get an Orange amp. Their "Tiny Terror" is a freaking phenomenal amp especially for the price. You can run it clean (no gain) and use something like a Full Tone 2 for your distortion and, snap, you are now Jimmy Eat World. Even without the Full Tone, the Tiny Terror with it's gain at 8 or 9 sounds so warm and full, you'd never believe the price.
Look used first, seriously. Skip the Squire if possible and get a Fender. Also, imo, the Telecaster > Stratocaster for rock tones. I'd put the Strat towards the more bluesy end of the spectrum. You don't want a guitar with high action (distance from strings to fretboard), it will make your learning experience suck and probably hurt your untrained hands faster.
I know I probably just sound like I'm coming off as an elitist or "this is what I do" prick, but I actually own none of that gear and am speaking from 7 years of multiple bands' experience and things I've noted from other performers while on tour. Go for warm tones, a solid guitar, never regret it for a minute.
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i started out with similar budget and looking to play same kind of music
went with the epiphone les paul + vox pathfinder. pretty happy with them
glad you didn't get a beginner squire. those are terrible x)
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Good luck and Have fun playing your guitat! 
Hope you enjoy learning it and keep up to it
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EPT
