New Rig

feylya

Right, I'm seriously thinking about flogging all my gear and starting a new. So, with a budget of abotu €1500, what one amp and guitar would you get? Effects would be a bonus (chorus, delay, reverb), preferably not on the amp but no essential. Shoot!

Oh, I'd also like everything to be new so nothing from Chris's Guitars Doc

It wasn't me!

As regards the guitar.

Lovely. Might look at a spider or something too for an amp.

feylya

It's lovely but no longer in production. I'd rather split the money 50/50 rather than spend a grand on the guitar.

Doctor J

You're a fecking eeejit if you rule out second hand.

Spend €1300 on Ibanez Prestige from Ishibashi and pick up a Peavy combo from Buy and Sell. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

feylya

Hmmm. TBH, I was even thinking about making a neck through 6 string, alder wings, maple cap, natural finish, EMG's, Floyd Rose lo-pro.

Hmm, what sort of Peavey combo? The prestiges are cheaper than that, are they not?

Doctor J

If you're going to buy a quality guitar, then blow the lot on it. Don't hold back. Get a lifer. When it comes to amp time, you can get a good result for a couple of hundred euro, then save at your leisure for a big amp. Get a frikkin Jem or something. Get the best guitar you can, it is something you will never regret. Compromise... well, you'll learn to live with yourself, I suppose... eventually

feylya

I know. I'm just sick with my current gear. Nothing worth €500 even

With the exception of my new bass perhaps...

Doctor J

The logic would be that you're aways going to be playing your guitar. When you're doodling watching TV, you'll be playing a great guitar. When you do a gig, you'll be playing a great guitar. You may not, however, be playing your amp, so sort the guitar first and it will be the motivation to get a kick ass amp which can do justice to the guitar.

feylya

BUT incredible guitar into ****e amp = ****eness.

Thinking about getting a H-302. Opinions? EMG's will be going into it of course

Zoton

Well my own Eggle and Spider II combination cost around 1500, so i can recommend that.
(Although the eggle was second hand)

feylya

I don't know. I want to try and stay away from the Line 6 stuff. Don't ask me why.


BTW Zoton, you and me share the same birthday...

Karl Hungus

In all fairness, the Doc is absolute, 100% right here. Blow the WHOLE lot on a really awesome guitar, and a microcube. Because if you're not gigging, a big whomper of an amp isn't of that much use, and even if you do start gigging, there's always the option of renting/borrowing equipment.

Listen to the Doctor my friend, he is wise.
And a microcube is a lovely practice amp altogether.

Like I said to you before though, you're an excellent guitarist, and you need a guitar worthy of your skills0rz.

feylya

Ah, you're too kind :P

I've a feeling a Microcube may be coming my way soon enough.

As for a decent guitar, I think the h-302 with some mods may be perfect. Mahogany neck and body, neck through, 24 fret, stop bar... About €640

Leaves about €800 for and ENGL combo. Question is though, should I sell everything I own (guitar wise) for the sake of one amp? How much will I regret it later?

Doctor J

A lot. Good amps generally sound cack at low volumes and the times when you can let rip on a good amp (and really get the quality out of it) are few and far between. Let me assure you there's a world of difference between a LTD and an Ibanez Prestige model, and sooner you'll play a Jem or some other top of the line guitar and realise you've got to buy one and sell the LTD and go throught the whole process again. For 2-300 euro you can get a decent amp which will do you for practice at home, rehearsal and gigs. You need about 70W to be as loud as a bass player with 300W, so forget about JCM900's until you've got the van to get it around, otherwise it just sits in your gaff taking up space.

Get the finest guitar you can afford, no question. Why get a guitar that costs as much as an Epiphone Les Paul when you can get a guitar that's as much as a real Les Paul. You know there is a difference between the two Les Pauls, so it stands to reason that there'd be as big a difference in any other comparatively priced guitars. Get a Leviathan from Jeremy. Don't compromise when buying a guitar, it is a crooked path walked only by those whose destination is regret.

Zoton

feylya wrote:

I don't know. I want to try and stay away from the Line 6 stuff. Don't ask me why.


BTW Zoton, you and me share the same birthday...

Wierd. Though you're not hitting the quarter century at your next one are ya?

Unless you can really let rip with the Engl there's not much point in owning one. When i was buying my amp earlier this year, i was looking at that model, tried the marshall's too etc. But settled for the spider because it has a nicer sound than the AVT's (you probably know that already), but it also sounds good a low volumes which just doesn't suit the valves. it was purely a bonus that it was cheaper than the other amps i looked at.

Eoin Madsen

feylya wrote:

BUT incredible guitar into ****e amp = ****eness.

This is true, but you won't get a really good amp for less than €1000. You're just not going to get a great rig for €1500, so it's really a question of prioritising one or the other - unless you want a rig that's mediocre overall.

I'd stay away from JCM900s and 2000s anyway if I were you. For the same money as a JCM2000 head with a 4x12 marshall cab you can buy a Vox AC30. Which is in a completely different league, and pisses on the JCM from an almighty height. I recorded a fair number of JCMs at this stage. They're cack. For all the difference it would make, you'd be as well off with a Spider.

eoin5

Doctor J wrote:

You're a fecking eeejit if you rule out second hand.

Spend €1300 on Ibanez Prestige from Ishibashi and pick up a Peavy combo from Buy and Sell. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Agreed, or maybe a Musicman Axis

Doctor J

For about €1200 including shipping... ah so!

feylya

7 string though... I like 7's and everything but my main guitar has to be a six...

Doctor J

Same price.

feylya

TBH, not a massive fan of the vine inlay. Or the middle pickup.


(Yes, I know I'm awkward)

Doctor J

Slightly cheaper but still from the top drawer.

Mongo

I'd suggest a Marshall DFX for about 500 eurons for a 100 watt amp.Lovely distortion tone.As for guitar....a PRS SE???Tremonti?

Doctor J

SE? Tremonti? "really awesome guitar"? :eek:

Doctor J

OK THEN HERE YOU GO, YE FUSSY BASTID! They just don't make better guitars than these If this doesn't tickle your fancy then I think you're just beyond help

feylya

YES, that'll do perfectly. Oh, besides the English flag...

Mongo, the DFX is a terrible series of amps. Horrible things.

It wasn't me!

True. Get very bored of their awful distortion very fast. All-valve Marshalls though; that's the way to go, unless of course you can afford a nice big Mesa setup, in which case I hate you anyway. :rolleyes:

Karl Hungus

I plan to get a MarkIV at some stage myself, It Wasn't Me.

Although my plans have a habit of falling through. I did plan to get a Mesa Boogie years ago, and I still don't have one yet.

It wasn't me!

Mmmmmm.... Triple Rectifier for me personally.

Karl Hungus

Well, I've got Rectifier modelling on my microcube.
I think that's about as close as I'm gonna get for now.

Ancient1

Doctor J wrote:

Don't compromise when buying a guitar, it is a crooked path walked only by those whose destination is regret.

All Hail The Great Doc!

I couldnt agree with you more. Feylya, the guitar will always be your priority. Like the Doc says, get a guitar you're going to keep for life and then worry about the amp. I recently got my dream Strat (I still wet myself at the mere sight of it) but i play it through a Marshall G80R which is just completely sub-standard. I have the guitar i want now, and i can always get rid of this Marshall and get something else - but the Strat - never!

It wasn't me!

Heh. I'm starting to like the sound of this Microcube.

/scowls at MG beside him.

feylya

TBH, I'm pondering getting a job til Christmas. Should end up with about €1500. Then an ENGL combo wouldn't be unreasonable or even something from Ernie Ball. Spend the other money on the amp or guitar (whichever I didn't buy).

TBH, I'm not impressed by Mesa cleans. ENGL sounds nicer The microcube roxors tbh.

Karl Hungus

Go for the job so, that way you won't have to skimp on the old Guitar, and at the same time, you can get quite a nice amp. Although I still say a Microcube would be a good option.

Why not get the John Petrucci signiature model Musicman?
How much would one cost, do you know?

feylya

The JP model is pushing five grand the last time I checked

Karl Hungus

ERK!

That's a lot of money!

feylya

Two and a half times the price of a Leviathan...

Karl Hungus

Are you considering getting a Leviathan?

Mongo

Not a fan of the Tremonti SE doc?I heard they were good value!I don't know play bass myself.I like the distortion off a MGDFX.Better than a Fender Stage Combo.

feylya

And tbh, the distortion from a Microcube is nicer than the MGDFX.

Na Karl, too expensive for me. Plus the style doesn't suit me.

Doctor J

Mongo wrote:

Not a fan of the Tremonti SE doc?I heard they were good value!I don't know play bass myself.I like the distortion off a MGDFX.Better than a Fender Stage Combo.

Nah, there are much, much butter guitars out there which just have less fashionable brand names and cost a lot less too.

D!ve^Bomb!

i have the mg250dfx... i have to admit,, depending on the settings you can get **** distortions.. but mess around with it for a little while and you can get some awesome distortion!!! and the effects on it are pretty good also..

feylya

Hmm, it seems that the option for an ME-50 and and Engl combo are suddenly quite possible...

Engl combo, about €800

Doctor J

Get a better guitar then the LTD FFS!

D!ve^Bomb!

i know you said no second hand but... but.. mmmm




see here

feylya

TBH, my LTD feels and sounds better than basically every guitar I've ever tried. Admittedly, the only high end guitars I've tried have been a Gibson Les Paul Special, Gibson Gothic Explorer and a few high end Godins.

As for that PRS, I've seen nicer looking haemorroids. TBH, if I was going to spend €1200 on a guitar, a PRS is near to the bottom of the list.

Doctor J

A Gibson Les Paul Special? Godins? High end guitars? This isn't North Korea, my friend.

feylya

Godin are made in Canada...

Doctor J

Eeen my cowntreeee, Godins don't qualify as high end, more upper-middle class. Sort of like a new Primera.

feylya

OK then boss, what's your version of High end?

Doctor J

This would qualify.