Official buying advice thread

[ThrashKing]

hey guys, i'm a novice player but I want a guitar that is decent and not too expensive. My current budget for all my gear is roughly $2000 give or take a couple hundred.

here's what I currently plan on getting:

$1,250
Fender American Deluxe Strat HSS With Deluxe Locking Tremolo Maple
guitar

$600
Marshall MG100HDFX/MG412 Slant Cab Half Stack Package
amp

$150
DigiTech RP300A Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal
effects


any advice or changes i should make? is there anything else I need to get started up?

thanks in advance,

TK

[Sunbane]

The links don't work for me...

I'm not sure GC is the best place to shop from, but I'm not an american, so it's hard for me to make any other suggestions. All I know is that people on the forums I hang on try to avoid GC and Musicians Friend.

Secondly, I suppose you're looking at a Fender Strat to be able to play more than metal? My initial reaction is that for metal alone, there are just as nice guitars to be had for half that price. For instance the Jackson DK2M...they are quality guitars made in Japan, and they go for around $600 new.

I don't know how good those Marshalls are, but I don't think buying an american made guitar and then a cheap amp made in India rhymes very well? No offense meant - just stating my thoughts here. The older Marshall Valvestates (8100 series) were at least made in the UK and can be had for very cheap these days.

I'm not really a fan of amp modelling, so I can't comment on the effects unit. If you find a decent amp, you will probably want to either disable the amp modelling in the FX unit, or bypass the preamp stage in your amp.

If I were you, I'd look for used gear. With the amount of cash you have, you should be able to find a killer setup at a reasonable price. For instance a Peavey 5150 head+cab, and a nice import guitar with american made pickups and decent Floyd. Add to that a distortion pedal to drive the preamp of the head (if you need more distortion). You will also need some quality cables (like Planet Waves), and maybe a dedicated wah pedal.

Anyway, good luck!

[ParsonsMatt]

For $2000? You can get a nice set up

Avatar 4x12 cab ( Avatar Speakers ) $500

Used good amp head $900-1000

Used guitar $5-600

Go for a used G&L or American Fender strat if you MUST have a Strat. Don't discount MExican or Japanese guitars. Its best to go to guitar center and try out each and every one to see which you like best.

Its far better to have a decent guitar and a good amp than a great guitar and a crap amp. The Marshall MG is crap.

[Warheart666]

I dunno much about the rest of the stuff on there, but I do know that that Marshall you're looking at is a piece of shit. Terrible, terrible quality. It just makes everything sound like a big muddy mess. Especially if you're spending a good chunk of money on that quality guitar. No point in having a nice guitar if the amp makes it sound like shit. I would suggest doing a bit of research, as I'm sure you'll be able to get an equally good guitar for a bit cheaper, and then using that money to buy a better amp.

[Puzzleface]

I'll put in my two cents. It will probably echo the sentiments of the people who have posted above me.

Great choice on the Fender. I've played one a couple of times at the local music shop and the American Deluxe series play like a dream.

Why the Marshall MG series? It's solid state and sounds very sterile & squawky. I don't see the point in going balls out for a top of the line Fender but then going with a crappy sounding amp. If Solid State is your thing then I'm not going to quibble with you about that. There are, however, plenty of amp manufacturers out there that make a Solid State amp that will sound a fuck-ton better than the Marshall. Try a few more brands before making your choice. However if you want to go Tube you can get entry level Tube amps for around $400 (Peavey makes a pretty decent one called the Valve King and it sounds really good for the money). Don't be so hung up on a name. Play what you think sounds good to you as well as what is going to be able to offer you flexibility.

I'm also wondering why you are going with a Modeling Effects floor unit? If multi-effects is your thing then I suggest you look at TC Electronic's line of effect units. I own the G-Major and it the effects are the best sounding I have ever heard. They make an entry level rack mounted effects processor called the G-Sharp. It is also just a straight effects unit. There is no preamp or other modeling bullshit. The TC Electronic units have transparent audio quality to their effects which means that the natural sound of your amplifier will not be fucked with in any way especially when you bypass the effects for when they are not needed. If you want a modeling type of set up then you may as well just buy a Power Amplifier to go with your speaker cabinet. No sense in having two preamps that are going to joust with each other and turn your tone into mush. My guess is you only want effects like Delay, chorus, flange....etc. You may even be better off just buying some stomp boxes if you don't want to deal with the hassle of a programmable effects unit.

If $2000 is your ceiling on gear you may consider purchasing a less expensive guitar. Fender makes a guitar called the Showmaster. Probably set you back around $700 but is a gorgeous guitar and plays fantastic. This will free up $1300 to spend on your amp and effects toys.

Hope this helps.

[ParsonsMatt]

Why do you want a Fender Strat anyway? That's a very expensive guitar for something 'inexpensive, but decent'

[Hexer]

Originally Posted by ParsonsMatt

That's a very expensive guitar for something 'inexpensive, but decent'

thats what I was thinking, especially if you're "a novice player"
I think youd do just fine getting a cheaper guitar first and then buy something that expensive later when you're really shure about what you want in a guitar (at least "novice players" usually need some time to figure out what is the right guitar for them, I was like that for shure)

[MrMajs]

As stated earlier, the marshall amp sounds like shit. I would go for a Peavey Bandit, I think you could get a new one for 300-350$. For guitars, An American Fender is a great guitar but you should keep in mind that they are not as good for metal as an ibanez or jackson is. If you haven't tried Ibanez or Jackson you should do that before you buy your Fender and see which neck you like the most.

[Dead Winter]

If you want to play only metal, don't play a Fender. If you want to play many styles and metal is only one of them, then STILL don't buy a Fender. Get a Les Paul or something. I've played tons of Fenders and I still can't understand what the big deal is over them. I don't like how they play, their action is shit, the neck is really short, the frets are really small, and they just aren't made for distortion. They are great for blues, pop, etc....but IMO, not metal. Even if you put a humbucker in the bridge, it still doesn't have a great sound compared to other "metal" guitars. You may have seen some bands play them like Entombed, but you have to realize that those are MODIFIED Fenders...not store-bought. If you want to play metal and are just starting out, buy this:

Guitar - Ibanez - any between the 300-600 dollar range is fine for starting. They last long, their sound is quite good even with stock pickups, and they're tough.

Amp - Peavey 5150 or 6505 or 6505+...get them used for around 8-900, even cheaper some places. These are all-tube heads that have tone, gain, and enough crunch to render your entire family sterile. Loud, tough, and great tone.

Amp Cab - Get a used Marshall 1960AV cab with vintage 30s for about 4-500 dollars. New for about 6-700.

Effects - I had the Digitech RP300 as my first...it's decent, but nothing to write home about. The T.C. Electronic G Major is a great, great rack-mounted effects unit which I have as well and will cost you about 300 bucks...HOWEVER, you're gonna have to buy the midi switchboard to go along with it, which is another 150 bucks, 100 or so used. So, instead of dumping 450 bucks on the G-Major, which by the way doesn't have any distortion, only effects (although THE BEST effects), get a Boss GT-8 for about $450. It does everything the G-Major does, has amp modeling, you can invent your own effects, tweak effects, distortion, etc. however the hell you want...you can even meld TWO different distortions if you want. I mixed a 5150 with a Hughes and Kettner Triamp sound that had enough balls to cause an earthquake. However, if you have the Peavey 5150 or 6505 (which are the same amps, the 5150 has been discontinued and the 6505 is it's replacement), you won't need amp simulators. You can program your own effects chain too. I use a tubescreamer setting to boost just a tad the amp's distortion, and I have all the effects I will ever need at my disposal. You can even go online and download patches to your computer, and then upload them to your GT-8. If you want more information, go to Boss GT Central. If you're just starting out, the GT-8 has more effects, amp simulators, stompbox settings, and technology that you'll ever need. Use the 4 cable method and you can use your amp's distortion coupled with effects, stompboxes, etc from the GT-8, and switch to a clean patch and it can override the amp's clean and give you whatever clean sound you want from the GT-8...I use a JC-120 sound. With the 4 cable method, you give the BOSS preamp a straight shot to your amp's poweramp, bypassing your amp's preamp running straight off the GT-8. Basically, you can turn your amp's sound on and off via the GT-8, and use different effects from the GT-8 instead of having to tapdance all over stomboxes and effects chains.

So, to re-cap:

Ibanez guitar...take your pick.

Peavey 6505 or 6505+ used for about 800 bucks...new for about 1100.

Used Marshall 1960 cab for about 4-500...new for about 650.

Boss GT-8 multiFX board for between 4-450, depending on where you buy it.

Trust me.

[Sunbane]

Originally Posted by Dead Winter

If you want to play only metal, don't play a Fender. If you want to play many styles and metal is only one of them, then STILL don't buy a Fender. Get a Les Paul or something. I've played tons of Fenders and I still can't understand what the big deal is over them. I don't like how they play, their action is shit, the neck is really short, the frets are really small, and they just aren't made for distortion. They are great for blues, pop, etc....but IMO, not metal. Even if you put a humbucker in the bridge, it still doesn't have a great sound compared to other "metal" guitars. You may have seen some bands play them like Entombed, but you have to realize that those are MODIFIED Fenders...not store-bought.

Hey, it's all in a person's preference you know. If he likes small frets and thicker necks, he will probably like it way better than an Ibanez. I agree with you about Fenders in general, but you can make just about any guitar have a great metal tone if you just put a high quality humbucker in it. Load that Fender up with a Dimebucker or EMGs, and its sound will crush any guitar with stock pups - including anything that Ibanez can throw at it. And don't think that you can't shred on a Fender! I thought YJM made that clear 25 years ago, and it doesn't end there. You have Murray/Smith/Gers, Glen Tipton, Wolf Hoffman, and a crapload of other metal greats who have used them both in the studio and live.