Please spec me a guitar + amp for a beginner guitarist

[peteruk]

Hey all,

After having wanted to take up an instrument for some time ( I felt an urge for some musical expression/creativity), I’ve recently been watching/playing friends’ electric guitars and have been inspired to get my own, as that’s how I’ll develop my ability (practicing in spare time) and of course enjoy.

Now, as you’d expect, I have done some research (including on here) as to what’s best for me to get for starting off. Now my budget for both guitar and amp together is £150-£200, though as usual, if necessary I could pay a little more if it was worth it. I’d quite like to know too what your views are on buying second hand guitars/amps as I may consider this as an option to help get more out of my money.

As for guitar, I’m looking for something that’s going to be good value and quite easy to play (I am only a beginner after all ). Sounding good is also important, but good looks are not so (if you can actually buy ugly guitars these days), as I’m not about to be playing on stage with it. The best suggestion I’ve had so far is the Yamaha Pacifica 112, which is about £179 new, but only around £100 - £120 used. I’ve heard comments such as ‘ by far the best choice in this price group’, so this could be a hard choice to beat. Any from the selection in here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=425 could also be options, but I think this one comes out on top. Also to note, I noticed the ‘Vintage The Zip’ guitar in a review magazine; they said for £159 it was great value and had good playability, but I’m not sure how flexible it is and it is also a single pickup guitar (though not being a pro, I can’t say what effect this has on the guitar).

As for amp I have two real paths. Firstly, I could do the standard thing and get a cheapish amp (unfortunately the only option I’ve seen so far is the Roland Cube 15Watts, which was recommended on here a few weeks back), or, something someone else suggested: getting a so-called ‘amp head’ (‘amp front’ should that be? ), which has all the controls and functions of an amp but outputs to speakers (I have a sonic T and a pair of Mission M72s I could use with such a thing). Perhaps that could help me get more out of my money.

Lastly, it would be handy if those of you who know particularly good teach-yourself sites could post links, as although I’ll probably end up getting lessons, I’d quite like some resources to get started first.

So get speci-ng! Thanks to all who can help; as you can probably tell, I’m not very knowledgeable on the subject and any posts are welcome!

 

[Hellsmk2]

Do you definately want to go the electric route?

I'd sugest getting an acoustic to begin with. It'll be a little harder to learn with, but ultimately, you'll probably be a better player. It's also nice using an electric after you've got the basics down on an acoustic (just seems a heck of a lot easier).

I fount the best way to learn is just to memorise a few basic chords and sit and watch TV and just switch between chords without really giving it too much attention. As the months pass by you'll find it far easier to switch between chords and before you know it you'll be able to figure out the structure of a lot of songs without too much effort or a great need for tabs.

A couple of stupidly simple songs to learn straight off the bat are Zombie by the Cranberries and Disarm by the Smashing Pumpkins. Both are nearly identical to play (just the speed that changes really) and will help no end confidence wise. These two songs take about 2 minutes to learn.

Sorry I kinda went off on a tangent there: There wil be others with far a far more qualified opinion than myself as for what electric is decent in that price range.

 

[riddlermarc]

It all depends on what style you want to play, but the Roland Cubes are quality amps, you can get a real decent range of sounds for the price.. I'm looking to get one as a spare home practise amp after playing on my other guitarist's one Also, the Behringer V-Tone GM-108 is getting rave reviews over on Harmony Central as a decent practise amp..

The 112 definitely seems to get a thumbs up on this forum too, I haven't played one but a lot of people seem to say it's excellent value for money. There are always a few on the 'Bay, at the moment there is one for < £130 delivered brand new

Also, check out your local music shops as they sometimes have pre-owned or display models going for a good few quid cheaper and they will still have some warranty on them.

Good luck and welcome to the club

 

[alexthecheese]

Yeah, go with the above. Acoustics are generally more pleasing to play with to begin with as your ability only really allows you to play chords, and like hellsmk2 says going from acoustic to electric once you can actually play something makes a lot sense. But hey, everyone's different and if you want to start out on electric there's nothing to stop you.

Roland Cubes are awesome for the price, I have a micro cube and it is fantastic.

Yamaha Pacifica 112's are very, very good for their price and shouldn't be sniffed at, especially for £130...!

Those combined should come within your price range if you shop about.

 

[MookJong]

I bought a Roland Cube 15 and a Yamaha Pacifica 112MX the other week on recomendations from here.

Absoloutly brilliant, simple as that.

 

[Chronos-X]

OcUK, sponsored by Yamaha!

 

[m3csl2004]

OcUK, sponsored by Yamaha!

lol


edit: with hindsight, i would have bought a decent elctro acoustic, i love the look of some of the ibanez ones actually



must resist

 

[atpbx]

This is quite freaky.
I said to the missus this week i needed a new hobby and i decided to learn to play the guitar.
Picking the stuff up that the guy in the music shop recomended for me to start with tommorow for £140.
Lessons start the week after next.

 

[peteruk]

Thanks for all your advice so far people!

Although I can understand what you're saying about starting on accoustic, I think my enthusiasm for the accoustic is much less, so although seeing the warnings, I think I will jump straight in on the electric .

The amp options are looking good, with the Roland Cubes (I'm not entirely sure how the different cubes in the range differ, but I'll check their website in a sec) and that GM108 both seeming to be great choices. No one has said anything about those amp control unit things, so it's probably best if I stay away from them.

I'm still holding the Yamaha Pacifica 112 as my top choice, but there is one thing I'm wondering:

I bought a ... Yamaha Pacifica 112MX the other week on recomendations from here.

Is that 112MX just the full name for the 112, or is there a difference?
And yep, I did read your thread, very useful!

 

[peteruk]

Just to further the last point in the last post:

Now I can guess the '112L' is the left handed one, but the 'J', 'JX', 'M', and 'MX' are beyond me. Could the J be for junior perhaps?

 

[Cybermyk]

I think the J is the standard rosewood fingerboard whereas the M stands for Maple and the X is the natural finish.


Maybe

 

[starscream]

The standard response to this question is a Pacifica 112 and a Roland Cube

However.....

How about spending 10 quid on a beat up accoustic guitar from a charity shop to learn on, then if you want to take it up properly, save up while you learn and end up spending £500 on something like an Epiphone LP Standard and 50W Marshall (MG series?). In your price range, there is nothing better than what I stated above, but if you are serious about it, and want to join a band, rather than bedroom playing, you will need to upgrade and the resell value will be very little on the kit suggested.

Just a suggestion anyway, the other answers that fit your price range are pretty much spot on if thats the route you want to go

 

[peteruk]

The standard response to this question is a Pacifica 112 and a Roland Cube

However.....

[idea]

Just a suggestion anyway, the other answers that fit your price range are pretty much spot on if thats the route you want to go

I'm sure for the right person, that's a great path to take. However, I can't see myself being in a band for quite a while, and if I ever do, then I would have been bedroom playing for so long I'd have earnt enough for a better beast. I hate to say it, but I think my enthusiasm would decrease considerably if I played the accoustic for long.

I can see before me just two more questions:

A) What kind of 112 to get. I heard someone say the natural finish was slightly easier to play.

B) The GM108 Vs. a roland cube (what size...?)

I shall go do some more contemplating...

 

[starscream]

Don't get me wrong, the kit mentioned is the best you can get for the money, and if thats what you want to spend, that is what you should get

OK second suggestion

Go for a 112, with budget guitars, there can be quite a difference in quality in production, so go to a couple of music shops and and try out a couple and pick the one that feels most comfortable to you. Make sure you get the guitar you play, not a new one out of the box. A lot shops will actally get a guitar tech to give a decent set up to their demo models which would normally cost around £50.

Next piece of advice, if you are only going to be bedroom playing, and assuming you have a stereo, rather than get an amp, get a V-amp. This will cost around £70 new, so about the same as a practice amp. You'll be able to use headphones, play/record through both your stereo and PC and learn about all the different effects that pedals make. They also include a really good tuner, and can model many different kinds of amplifiers, rather than just be stuck with one sound

 

[Locrian]

1) Don't buy into the idea that guitars are fashion items, they are not. Purchase your guitar because of how it sounds and how its built, not how it looks.

2) A guitar will always sound like a guitar, an amp will never sound like another amp. Spend less on the guitar and more on the amp will provide you with nicer sounds.

3) Dont bother with multi-fx pedals. While they might seem like fun and can produce some space age effects or killer high gain drive the novelty wears of with 5 types of reverb, a bucket of flange and 23 types of wah. Stomp boxes are much better. The first one you buy should be a compressor.

I will write up my Lone Star thread soon but im having too much fun with it

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Agree with everything Locrian has said

BUT

if money is very tight then a decent guitar and multi FX amp or multi FX and an amp are the way to go. This way you should get a great sound straight out of the box and it may make you play better. Once you know where you're going then listen to Locrian again.

 

[SidewinderINC]

The first one you buy should be a compressor.

ive never used a compressor, but i know i probably should - i asked my friend to show me whats so good about them and he demoed (sp) his Keeley compressor and i couldnt see what difference it made.

*shrug* can anyone explain with sound clips what difference a compressor will make?

 

[peteruk]

Next piece of advice, if you are only going to be bedroom playing, and assuming you have a stereo, rather than get an amp, get a V-amp. This will cost around £70 new, so about the same as a practice amp. You'll be able to use headphones, play/record through both your stereo and PC and learn about all the different effects that pedals make. They also include a really good tuner, and can model many different kinds of amplifiers, rather than just be stuck with one sound

That sounds like a very good idea. So that V-amp has both ampped (straight to speakers) and 'un-amped' (to pc, then own amp, then speakers) outputs. Interesting. But I'm guessing there's software that does a lesser version of what the V-amp does that I could start off with? £70 could be quite a lot to spend to start off with...

Back to guitar...
I just thought to look on the Yamaha site: http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_...ars/index.html

So from what I can tell:
112 - Rosewood fingerboard
112m - Maple fingerboard
112L - Rosewood fingerboard, Left handed
112X - Rosewood fingerboard, Black Scratchplate + co. , only available in natural satin.
112mx - Maple fingerboard, Black Scratchplate + co. , only available in natural satin.

I'm guessing some retailers substitute in a 'J' for the Rosewood models.

I guess the only choice here is Rosewood or Maple, as the colours and finishes are purely aesthetic (though someone did say the natural satin was easier to play - smoother I guess?). From what I can gather, the Maple is more popular, and gives a brighter tone. Without knowing what sort of tone I'm after, I think I'll just take my chances and go for a 112MX/112M, there can't be too much difference in them anyway.

1) Don't buy into the idea that guitars are fashion items, they are not. Purchase your guitar because of how it sounds and how its built, not how it looks.

Yep, of course. That's how I've been thinking from the start.

 

[Locrian]

ive never used a compressor, but i know i probably should - i asked my friend to show me whats so good about them and he demoed (sp) his Keeley compressor and i couldnt see what difference it made.

*shrug* can anyone explain with sound clips what difference a compressor will make?

A compressor basically makes the softer notes louder, and the louder notes softer, up to a pre-setable level. This reduces the range of dynamics but is usefull in some styles for instance funk when you dont care about the range to ensure all parts are even. I will record some clips, im jsut looking for my mic atm.

It also gives you great sustain, and brings the picking action much more foward to give you thta lovely chugging sound

 

[SidewinderINC]

thanks

i just listened to the clips of the Boss "Compression Sustainer" and the Keeley Compressor from the websites and i dont think i can justify spending the money from those clips

i think its because the clips dont show the difference the compression is making by showing you what it sounds like without compression so it could just be a good amp

what i'd like to hear is something being played and then the same thing with compession, or somebody playing something and turning on compession half way through.