Suggestions on Guitar,..

[eternalmuzik]

I'm in a newly formed rock band and i got a Kramer focus 111s guitar and fender 20 watt amp, the guitar is VERY VERY cheap and makes toooo much noise and i want a new guitar that has nice pickups with LOW noise for around $200-$300,....and an amp for around $300-$400,.. i was considering a Line 6 amp,..it costs around $300,..any feedback on the amp?

[lgj]

Hey Eternalmuzik

I remember when I was getting into my first rock band waaayyyback in the 70's. I'm sure you're gonna have a lot of fun.

As for amps, if you were gonna play blues stuff I would recommend a Fender Blues Junior, I believe its one of the best tube amps around in the 300 - 400 dollar range. The tone is incredible on this little amp. But......... I know you're gonna want something with more gain than that so the Line 6 might be a good choice, I guess you're talkin about the Spyder thats got one 12" speaker and modeling on it?

Guitars? Lots of choices out there! Buy as good as you can afford. For the kind of music you are gonna play I bet you're gonna want humbuckers, I could be wrong.
Check out the epiphones. Some of those Les Pauls they have are real nice and theyre probably some in the price range you are looking for.

Also, don't forget to check out the good used stuff. You just might do better that way. Sometimes you can find a guitar that sold for 500-600 five years ago for sale around 250-350. You'll get more guitar for your money.

Have fun
peace lgj

[hixmix]

Record the noise. Build your career on that. Chuck the guitar and amp.

[wes480]

Eternal - a lot of people like the Yamaha Pacificas for a cheaper electric guitar. Has a nice sound...kinda similar to a strat sound. Single coil pickups of course.

As far as the amp - I own a Line6 Flextone II XL....and I am not that happy with it. let me clarify -

I've played gigs with it...and it sounds pretty good (I am in a rock band...but we don't use that much distortion...so, i mostly play with it cleaner) It's easy to get a nice blues/distortion sound...or a nice clean sound. And, hell the crunch sounds pretty good. If you have a Line6, you will want the floorboard...which is gonna hurt your bottom line.

So, for a live amp...it is pretty decent. And definately versatile. Also for a practice amp it is nice...becuase you just turn it on and go.

Now the downside, and this is a BIG one. Since you are at homerecording.com - i guess you want to record that amp at some point? heres a run down -

1.) line 6 is designed to sound like the guitars you hear coming off of CDs. That nice EQ'd sound.
2.) The guitar sounds they get on CDs are NOT how the actual amps they record sound raw.

I have tried to record my Line6 for rock music...by amping the cab...and it just isn't right. It already sounds EQd...its not in your face enough....i dunno. I have tried with several nice mics...etc, and all I can say is that a Line6 sounds good when you are listening to it - but not so good when you record it. I have also tried using the direct XLR outs...and I don't care for that result either...I guess it sounds better than mic'd though.

In conclusion - for gigs etc, line6 is a good value for your money. And...if you are an "incubus" type band...you are going to need the effects and versatility it offers you.

If you are a *real* rock and roll band...like say...the strokes - look at the amps they use. Small tube amps, they mike them on stage and in the studio. Check out the 30watt Marshall tube amp...that little guy rocks my socks off...in the studio and on stage. however - with the marshall you get 2-3 sounds, a world class clean...a world class mild "bluesy" rock distortion, and a pretty good heavy distortion.

The blues Jr. reccomendation from earlier is good too...great little amp. I played a gig with one of those once and was duely impressed.

I assume you are gonna be recording - so...my advice is check out a small tube amp over a line 6. you can crank it and really drive the tube...stick a mic in front of it and experience bliss.

good luck,
-wes

[wes480]

that was supposed to be "real" rock and roll band, not *real* rock and roll band - not trying to insult anyones music.

[FZmontanaDF]

Originally posted by eternalmuzik
I'm in a newly formed rock band and i got a Kramer focus 111s guitar and fender 20 watt amp, the guitar is VERY VERY cheap and makes toooo much noise and i want a new guitar that has nice pickups with LOW noise for around $200-$300,....and an amp for around $300-$400,.. i was considering a Line 6 amp,..it costs around $300,..any feedback on the amp?

Line 6 amps are awful sounding. Don't be fooled by the cool effects. Get a Blues Junior....they may say it is 15 watts but it sounds like 50-60 watt Solid State amp and would blow away ANY line 6 in tone.

[jimistone]

you can always find a fender guitar and a peavey amp to fit your price range. Im finishing up some tracking on a few blues tunes that will "retract the whack" about peavy amps. I got some fantastic sounding guitar tracks with a small peavey solid state "transtube" amp and a fender strat. Solid rich blues tone on a $300.00 solid state amp....it CAN be done.

[Buck62]

Hang around for a few more messages, kid... Gidge is gonna come around and throw some Yamaha atcha!

[foo]

and not just GIdge, Buck.
Yamaha Pacifica is the way to go for the guitar - plays and sounds way above it's price range.

Amp? Don't be fooled by the 'modeling' pre-packaged, 'it-sounds-just-like-a [insert name of famous amp here].
Get yourself a small all-tube amp, mike it into the PA for live gigs and play it loud for recording.

Just my 340 yen.

foo
P.S. and have a great time - you are embarking on a long and often frustrating journey, but you are going to have more fun than you can imagine!

[badgas]

Everyone has opinions on what amp or guitar is best.
But it's someone else's opinion, concidering their style, music, sound they like, feel, etc. Much more than the almighty $ or specific brand should be concdered when making a purchace.

Best thing I can tell you is to listen to everyones opinion, ideas, experiencs with amp & guitars, then head to the music store and spend conciderable time playing a variety of guitars and amps within your budget.

What I play may not be the sound you want in your guitar.
What I play suites me and feels fine, but may feel ackward or unbalanced to you.

Listen to everyone, glean what you like and dicard the chaff. The final desion is yours.

Good luck Eternal.
Let us know what you get so we all can tell you, "I told you so!"

[Gidge]

ok, Gidge has stopped bleeding long enuff to say Yamaha Pacifica.....

[dirk_demon]

Hi y'all!

Let's not forget about one thing: personal preferences!
When buying a new/used guitar, you must consider three things:

* Price range (how much can you afford?)
* Sound of the instrument
* "The feeling"

The third is incredibly important, but loads of people tend to overlook it! When you buy a guitar, it must feel "right". In other words, you must be comfortable with the fretboard setup, position of the strings, knobs, etc. You still don't know what I mean? Here's an example:

I own a (relatively cheap) semi-acoustic with a really narrow fretboard. It works for my since I have long, slim fingers, but for my chubby guitar teacher it's a hell, he can't play it! On the other hand, a friend of mine has a pointy Ibanez metal-style guitar that he loves, 'cause it's so smooth! I hate the thing, because of it's shape you can't sit it down on your lap, and I also dislike the sound of it.

So here's my point: go to your local guitar shop, and tell the shopkeeper that you want to test-ride a few axes. Pick four of five guitars that really differ from each other, even if you don't like the shape/colour of it. If that specific guitar feels right for you, take it. You'll learn to appreciate the purple (it's PLUM) glitter finish or the fact that a spruce top instead of a rose top.

2nd hand guitars (or most equipment for that matters) are a good option too, but beware of flaws, since most of them don't have guarantee.

As for amps, I use a Marshall 65 valvestate, and I love it! I don't have much experience with other amps, but I would recommend it to anyone. It was made for a Les Paul, although a Fender-ish guitar sounds less on it.

Enjoy!

Dirk Demon

[SeppukU]

i dont have much expeirence with different amps but for guitars i would go with either a ibanez gsa60 which is around 204.95 and the banez rg7421 which is 359.97 its a seven string and i happen to own one and love it! the other one i mentioned one of my freinds owns and its a very nice guitar the prices i put in are from american musical supply you might be able to find them cheaper some where else but i dont know.

[kylosius]

i have one of these. i love it. in fact it rocks. mine isn't very noisy. i swapped the bridge pickup for a bartolini single coil humbucker. provides a good single coil sound. no noise. works well for punk rock.