Guitar Thread - Page 22

On March 23 2013 04:44 MooseyFate wrote:



Disclaimer: This is all personal opinion from someone who has been playing guitar and bass for nearly 20 years and listens to similar music as the musicians you listed ( I don't listen to much modern metal, modern jazz fusion, math rock, etc ).

At that price range you have a couple of options for the tone you are going for based off of the influences you named:

I'd start off by narrowing down to 3 of Fender's models (nothing against Gibson, but you'll be better off matching your influences with a Fender)

1) Fender Strat
2) Fender Telecaster
3) Fender Jazzmaster

Go to a music store and play all 3, see which you like the feel of the most. You can always tweak the sound a bit with your amp/pedals/new hardware but the actual feel of the guitar is tough to modify so get one that is comfortable to play, otherwise you'll be fighting against it the whole time.

Once you find one you like the feel of, your price range will limit you to the particular make/model. Fender's Squier line has improved greatly over the years and you can find a new one for around $300.
Guitar Center link with all of their sub 300 Fender Squiers:
+ Show Spoiler +

The name snobs will sometimes scoff at the Squier on the headstock, but with a proper setup (~$50 at a nearby shop) this will sound leagues better than an off-the-shelf, Made-in-America full-blooded Fender version. And you'll have saved about 60-70% of the cost. Tell the guitar tech what style of music you are going for and they will setup the guitar to emphasize those qualities.

Edit: Most of the upgrades you can buy for a standard Fender will fit on a Squier, meaning you can always upgrade any of the "sub-par" components like pick-ups/tuners/bridge/nut piece by piece to further customize your tone. And you can do this as you get the cash instead of dropping a ton at once.

Once you settle on the guitar, walk around the store and plug it into every amp you can find in your price range and run it through the gauntlet. By only spending $350 on your now professionally setup guitar, you have another $350 to get any kind of small combo amp you could possibly want.

On March 23 2013 03:43 DoctorHelvetica wrote:
If I wanna spend about 700 bones, what's the best combo guitar/amp I can pick up? I heard good things about the gibson faded strats that are like 400-500 dollars. I'll probably just head to a pawn/used shop though or check out craigslist.

I've been playing on an epiphone lennon signature (acoustic) for a long time since my stepdad sold his Fender Strat. I'm mainly interested in post-punk/rock guitar, my main influences are guys like Johnny Marr, Jonny Greenwood, Frank Zappa, Kevin Shields and Michio Kurihara.

On July 12 2013 05:22 Meow-Meow wrote:
Does anyone else use a Blackstar amp?

I play predominantly fingerstyle on my steel string nowadays, but every once in a while I crank up my Blackstar HT5 stack and really love its sound. Other than that, it's a sick piece of furniture.

Does anyone have any idea about what's the best strat up to something like 350 €?
I don't play electric enough to justify buying a real Fender and I'm not sure I want a Squire.

3TS is a must, and I'd prefer to buy it used.

On March 23 2013 08:34 renoB wrote:


Until You know exactly what tone you want, just go to a guitar store and play a few different guitars on different amps. The guys there will help you out if they know you're interested in buying. I remember really enjoying playing Ibanez's and Jackson's when I was in a punk band in high school (never really liked strats). But everyone has their personal preference, and since you're not picky about tone, you have a lot of guitars and amps to work with.

On July 11 2013 20:26 TOCHMY wrote:
I'm on the lookout for a specific external soundcard for guitar, plug'n'play, to the computer.

Currently, I have this: http://line6.com/podstudiogx/ It's nice but the sound isn't great and it's old and starting to break down.

I remember going to a music store few years back, they showed me a product that looked advanced, but was relatively cheap. My mind might be playing tricks on me now but i recall that one of the features was pre-made tuning in the software that comes along with the product, so that you can select a tuning on the software, without having to tune your guitar to it. When i ask in the store, nobody seems to know what I mean.

Anyone heard of this? If not, can anyone give a few tips of good, not too pricy, products similar to what I have or what I'm after?

On July 12 2013 20:00 RezJ wrote:

I wouldn't go with an interface made for guitarists - they tend to be overpriced garbage. You could probably find a better and more reliable interface for the same price, if not less. Then, all you need is a guitar software suite (or a POD-like machine).

What you're talking about is pitch-shifting and is something you can do with freeware plugins.

If you're locked on getting a 'guitar interface', I guess that's fine; it cuts out some of the hassle. Check the line 6 product line again. I can't think of another company right now.

On July 12 2013 20:41 TOCHMY wrote:


Do you have any examples of those freeware plugins you're talking about ?