Buying New Guitar, Amp & Effects.

TotallyEpic

Hi,

I've recently had an urge to get back into guitar after a 6 month or so hiatus due to college. I've played for about 10 years, and have a few guitars but I want something new to play around with. I've never really passed the intermediate level so I don't have a high technical knowledge of hardware. My budget is around €600-800 for a Guitar, Amp and Effects.

What would you guys recommend? I've recently discovered I like the feel of fixed bridges so one would be nice.

Also, better to get multieffects or individual stomp boxes?

Thanks.

Alanstrainor

what kind of music are you in to? We can't possibly recommend gear without knowing what sound you're aiming for.

And as for your budget, you're asking for a lot for 6-800 quid tbh. If it were me i'd buy the best guitar and amp for the budget, and add effects later.

Ostrom

On the effects - I'm very impressed with the sounds from my me-25, paid around 150 for it. Not as good as individual stomps but I'm not a serous player.

Demeyes

Alanstrainor wrote: »

what kind of music are you in to? We can't possibly recommend gear without knowing what sound you're aiming for.

And as for your budget, you're asking for a lot for 6-800 quid tbh. If it were me i'd buy the best guitar and amp for the budget, and add effects later.

I'd agree there, you won't get much in the way of gear on that budget so you're better off getting a nice guitar and a half decent amp and trying to add some effects later. Single pedals are fairly cheap so you could add them as you go along.
I'd recommend checking adverts for stuff you might like, for your money buying used will bet you much nicer stuff. As for amps, I'd be looking at small wattage tube stuff like the blackstar HT5 or Orange tiny terror. A cheaper solid state combo will just leave you wanting to upgrade again in a while.

rcaz

I dunno if it's as unreasonable as people have said, you definitely won't get incredible gear for that, but you'll get good stuff.

I got a Mexican Telecaster standard for €350 on adverts, and I've seen a few Peavey Classic 30s around Adverts for €3-400ish. Depending on your taste, that'd be a very nice start.

I'd definitely recommend getting as much second hand stuff as possible, and as for effects, get individual boxes one by one. Any time I've gotten more than one pedal at the one time, or close together, it's been overwhelming. If you get one at a time, you learn all the intricacies of one before you get the next, you learn a lot more about how your gear works and how it all works together. Also, if you get pedals second hand, and you take care of them, if you decide you don't like something or it's been superceded by something else, you can probably sell it on and make your money back. Pedals = currency

Ooh, also, if you're into that idea of buying second hand and selling on if you don't like it, don't be too afraid of making the 'wrong' purchase, you might have some happy coincidences, and you'll gain so much experience by working with different kinds of gear and comparing and finding your tastes that way. It's all a learning experience

Definitely tell us the guitar sounds you like!

new fang

yeah, i'd agree very much with the above

in particular, if you have the cash to spare, then no purchase is a mistake. it'll just be a matter of time before you can sell it on to get your money back. if you don't desperately need the money, then someone will eventually come along who is willing to pay the same price you did.

as for your budget constraints.. well, i don't think you need a tube amp to get a good sound. people hold them in high regard but well, the difference to my ears is almost completely superficial. the tone "shortcoming" is nothing a good pedal and a mess with the EQ won't fix. solid states are ragged on all too often and there seems to be a stigma attached to them in the guitar world.

someone on harmony central once said that a boss bluesdriver + any amp = instant tube tone. i'd have to agree. the difference is negligible unless you have the most sensitive ears in the world.

rcaz

new fang wrote: »

as for your budget constraints.. well, i don't think you need a tube amp to get a good sound. people hold them in high regard but well, the difference to my ears is almost completely superficial. the tone "shortcoming" is nothing a good pedal and a mess with the EQ won't fix. solid states are ragged on all too often and there seems to be a stigma attached to them in the guitar world.

someone on harmony central once said that a boss bluesdriver + any amp = instant tube tone. i'd have to agree. the difference is negligible unless you have the most sensitive ears in the world.

I dunno. I definitely don't think any piece of gear should be held in very high regard over any others, and I'd never say one thing is 'better' than any other, but particular things are better for certain jobs. Even from a physics point of view, tube amps are very different to transistor amps. And that can be both good and bad depending on the circumstances.