Best place to buy starting gear?

Leprekaun

Hey lads, I've been interested in music for some years now and I've been playing acoustic for over a year now. Anyway, I mainly listen to Metal, mainly METALLICA, so I'd be looking to get into electric. I've decided on what guitar I want to get which is the Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Not sure about which amp to get but don't need anything too loud (10-15 kW) as I'll be starting off playing as a hobby. I have thought of the idea of starting/joining a band but wouldn't look into that until I can build up some experience first.

As the subject suggests, I know what I need but I just need to know where to look. I've been told by a few friends that Thomann are the best for value and dealing but I was just curious to know if there is anyone better? Thanks.

Sergio

Theres anew superstore out near the naas road called xmusic which is probably the biggest musical equipment retailer in the country.
I visited the store last week and i was very impressed with the setup.I think there willing to match thomann with there prices at the moment so it might be worth checkin them out if you can get out there to see it.
In my personal opinion and i playing 15years i wouldnt buy a Lespaul whether epiphone or original starting off as its not a very versatile guitar and is heavy and not great for sitting down practicing with.i would recommend a fender squire or maybe if your intent on playing mostly rock/metal metallica type stuff i would buy a cheap ESP.
Other folk here would advise you on other brands to buy when your beggining.
Best of luck anyway!

novarock

The best amp to have as a beginner is definitely one of the Roland Cube range. It starts from the microcube (2W) upwards. To be honest the microcube is probably the most versatile, and only practice amp that you will ever need.

As far as guitars go, its entirely down to taste, and of course budget. Keep an eye on adverts.ie for a bargain, or alternatively go into X-Music, and they will point you in the right direction. I know you are in to metal mainly, but its still good to have a guitar that can play several styles while you are learning. Me personally, a squier strat would do the job. By the time you are able enough to play, you will more than likely have enough of an interest in guitars to decide what to get next by yourself..

Best of luck!

Lands Leaving

Try getting some stuff on adverts.ie, you'll get an lp way cheaper than in a shop and you should probably be able to try it out, unlike online.

I just got a cort kx1q and it's similar in sound to an epi lp, but more versatile. Has coil tap which makes it sound like a strat and it has emg pickups, which are pretty much standard for metallica style music. It also has 24 frets if you wanna play solos and such, unlike an lp. I'd really recommend it for what you want and it's far lighter than an lp. You can pick them up cheap enough second hand too. They're €400 on thomann, but I assume you'll stick with it if you already play so it's a solid investment. I had an epi lp and it sounds way better imo.

I only made the leap from acoustic to electric a while ago, my first attempt was wrecked by a crap guitar (sx lp copy) and I gave up on electric. Then bought a strat a few months back and haven't looked back!

If you wanna play metallica stuff look into a good distortion/overdrive pedal and a wah too. Multi effects might help too and they're great fun when you're starting off on electric. Boss me-20 or 50 would be a good start.