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#16
01-24-2017, 05:10 PM
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The good thing about an amp like the V5 is that it's a plug-&-play proposition, and if you can change a light bulb you can change the tubes
 . Although preamp tubes (in modern amps those are the little ones, whose alphanumeric names begin with the number 12) can be swapped with no hassles, in most larger amps the power tubes need to be biased - in simplest terms, electronically matched to the respective circuitry, and most emphatically not a job for an amateur (most players don't realize that even small practice-type amps operate with lethal voltages - well into the mid-hundreds); such is not the case with single-ended amps, and you can just plug in any power tube of the same type without the need for a visit to your friendly (and expensive) local electronics tech. The tubes I suggested - a high-gain preamp tube (distorts quickly, pushes the power tube harder) and low-headroom power tube (easy to drive into the highly-desirable power-tube distortion) - should work well for the type of music you're going to be playing; if not, many tone-savvy players put together a skunkbox of preamp/power tubes that they mix-and-match to get different tones - cheap enough ($10-20 each) for an amp of this type, and well worth considering in the future if you're going to be doing any serious recording...Welcome to the dark side... 
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) Last edited by Steve DeRosa; 01-24-2017 at 07:19 PM. Reason: typo 
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#17
01-24-2017, 06:39 PM
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You can get a lot of electric guitar for $500 or so, especially used. I personally have several in that range that I would gladly recommend: Epiphone Les Paul Florentine PRO, Epiphone Casino, PRS EG SE, G&L Tribute ASAT Junior. There are many more I could recommend.
If I had to pick one I would pick the Epiphone Les Paul Florentine because of its coil-splitting options you get the choice of either single-coil or humbucking sounds from both the neck or bridge pickup - lots of versatility. You are going to have to spend some time deciding what type of guitar you want: solid body, semi-hollow, full hollow? Do you prefer single coil or humbucker pickups. You somehow have to narrow your options down. Go out and play a bunch and hang-fire until you have a decent idea what you like.
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#19
01-25-2017, 08:52 AM
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It's like any guitar - first it has to feel good, then it has to sound good. I personally think the Telecaster is the best guitar for feeling good ever made, but I also have a Gibson/Epiphone SG and a real early Melodymaker. For decades I only considered full size humbuckers, anything else was just wrong, but only yesterday I was playing my Melodymaker with it's hot little single coil pickup and it was just THE sound for me on that day. So try different things.
Neck feel is important. PRS is usually a 25" scale, slightly wider nut. Gibson is usually a 24 5/8" scale (they call it 24 3/4" but it usually isn't) and a 1 11/16" nut. Fender is usually a 25.5" scale and a 1 5/8" nut. So try them all, find out what fits you best. The quality of guitars in your price range is phenomenal compared to the "good old days". Amps are off the chart these days, there is so much good that it's hard to make a wrong choice. I picked up a Traynor Quarterhorse the other day for $99. It's a foot pedal sized box, with a decent model of reverb, delay, tremelo, tube sound over-drive, direct out and headphones, and 25 watts RMS to a speaker. There are Fender amps for around $150 that have every amp known to man inside their solid state guts, and sound great in a bedroom.
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Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia.
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#20
01-28-2017, 05:39 PM
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Strat vs. Les Paul
Here is decent comparison video that just came out. It covers Fender, Gibson, Squier, and Epiphone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq5wc_8iOjo I bought my first electric guitar used last year and is an Epiphone Les Paul and then got a modeling amp to go with it. I still want to get a Strat one day. Two years after that purchase here is my advice to the OP: You can get a nice Squier brand new for around $199 and get a 20-25 watt practice amp that has only a few buttons on it. Have someone go over all the switches on the guitar and how to operate the gain and volume switches on the amp. This by itself will go a long way. Learn drop D tuning and set a little distortion and you are literally rocking in 5 minutes. Good luck.
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2006 Yamaha F200TXR 4 stroke. My Guitars - Yamaha FG700S Sandburst; Epiphone Les Paul Standard; 2018 Yamaha LL-16D Natural; Ibanez Talman Bass; Fender Standard Telecaster; Yamaha FG820-12 Natural; Yamaha FS830 Tobacco Brown Sunburst; ....A beginner practicing almost everyday since 12/15/14....{:::]==={=O=I} Last edited by polarred21; 01-28-2017 at 05:46 PM.
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#21
01-28-2017, 07:29 PM
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Quote:
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He's more into high-gain tones... Unless you're a straight-up clean-tone kinda guy - as I am (I routinely practice with a '65 Super RI or Frontman 212R at manageable levels, strictly for the tone/headroom you can get only from a big amp) - you don't need a 20+ watt amp for home use... Excellent points about minimalist controls and learning to work the gain/volume to dial in your tone - my thoughts exactly... Bugera V5: four dials (gain/volume/tone/reverb), 5/1/.1W + headphone out if that's too loud, no-menu/real-deal straight-ahead old-school tube tone - all for the price of a first-class dinner/drinks for you and your S.O. ...   Sounds (literally) like a better deal all around IMO...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#22
01-28-2017, 07:44 PM
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I've been searching my local craigslist and have seen quite a few Les Paul studios down in the $600 range. Would this be a better guitar than the PRS SE line? I'd be willing to spend around $1,000 for the guitar and amp.
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#23
01-28-2017, 08:21 PM
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Reverend bolt on neck models are worth looking at. I have one, the Flat Roc, and I have played 4 or 5 other models. I like their neck profiles and every one I have played has been set up nicely from the factory. You can get them new for $679.00, so less than $500.00 used should be no problem.
If you can find a used Vox SSC 33 or SSC 55, they are pretty cool. They have Coaxe pickups that combine single coil and dual blade humbucker style into one pickup and you can switch between them. I picked a 33 up used for about $350.00. The tuners aren't the best. I intended to replace them but got interested in building Telecaster type guitars from parts and never did. The G & L import models are a great deal, too. You can get them new for under $500 all the time, and sometimes MF will put one on the Stupid Deal Of The Day for a ridiculous price. I don't think they can be beat for a new guitar at their regular new price, and the SDOTD is a steal. Here is one that is open box for $307.00. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl
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#24
01-28-2017, 08:25 PM
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Reverend for $679.00 and Vox AC10 for $449 and you are rockin out in a serious way for $ 1128. Go for the G & L and you are under 1K. For more metal like tones, I would be looking for a Reverend myself.
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#25
01-28-2017, 09:38 PM
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Quote:
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#27
01-28-2017, 09:47 PM
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high gain, low volume....many ways to skin the cat
git with hot pu amp that distorts in the pre amp section little boxes moi... git with low k single coils...git was $89 with $250 mods...mia peavey predator amp...old 1949 monoblock pp6v6 $65....with an assortment of cabs...smallest being an 2-5" alnico intercom spkr $4, plus a weber zmatcher $50 that works great in the basement mole hole....with out the deafening vol little analog boxes...$2000...  but you could get a modeller for much less...recently picked up a vox tonelab $25 BUT...my 2 cents...it is easier to dirty up a clean rig...than to clean up a dirty rig
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#28
01-28-2017, 10:16 PM
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Think I need to go check out that gold top LP. That's a pretty good deal. Looks like it has a weight relieved body, if I was reading the specs on the correct guitar. Not a deal breaker.
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#29
02-12-2017, 01:03 PM
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You should really check out a Yamaha THR10X amp.
It's compact, sounds amazing and is great for hi gain stuff and is also great for jamming along to songs as you can plug your phone in to it. https://youtu.be/VRBqxqbY8vE The guy in this video is a pro guitarist who plays in Asia. He's got tons of gear and amps but uses his THR10X to record his youtube vids because it's so easy to use and setup and sounds great. I bought one on the basis of his videos and some others that are available on Youtube. The amp is unbelievable value for money and the sound speaks for itself. Recordings sound great on it too as you can use it as a recording interface (you get free recording software with it, Cubase AI). You can even run it on batteries, move it round the house easily, due to it's size but it still gets more than loud enough to annoy your neighbours if you want to. The amp sounds like it's cranked even when it's played at low volumes, which you wouldn't be able to do with a tube amp without turning up the volume. Can't recommend the amp strongly enough for home use, recording. I actually practice more than I used to because the amp sounds so good and is so much fun to use. Last edited by whiteshadow; 02-12-2017 at 01:13 PM.
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#30
02-15-2017, 04:08 PM
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However, I would recommend that the OP consider an inexpensive first guitar. In my experience his tastes and preferences are going to evolve as time goes along and it makes sense to invest as little as necessary to get a good guitar. A used Epiphone G-400 (SG clone) or G&L Legacy (Strat) or ASAT (Tele) can be found for under $300 and are very fine instruments.
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