The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #16  
Old 02-09-2021, 10:11 AM
raysachs's Avatar
raysachs raysachs is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Eugene, OR & Wilmington, NC
Posts: 4,706
Default

For $500 you're really gonna be limited in either the guitar or amp. Stretch to $600-$700 and you can a Classic Vibe tele or strat (as others have recommended - I strongly endorse one of these, probably a tele for a beginner since it's a simpler guitar, fewer ways to get into trouble) or an Epiphone SG or Les Paul, which are also great values in that $400 neighborhood. But I wouldn't settle for a Blackstar Fly. It's a good little practice amp but any teenage kid worth his hormones is gonna want more kick that that amp has in it. For around $200-$250 you can get a used Katana 50 or a new Bugera V5 or some kind of Fencer Mustang, or a host of other pretty decent little amps that will pack a LOT more punch than the Fly. You may get lucky and come in around $600, it may be closer to $700, depending on what you find. But at that price you'll find good enough gear that it won't discourage him from playing and it'll be a while before he outgrows it. At $500, you're either gonna get a crap guitar or amp or both. You can do a LOT better for a little more $$.

-Ray
__________________
"It's just honest human stuff that hadn't been near a dang metronome in its life" - Benmont Tench
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 02-09-2021, 11:47 AM
captain_jack captain_jack is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 278
Default

Is it really true that you can't get a decent amp for under $200 for a beginner to play at home? The Orange crush 20 and Fender Champ 20 are both around $140 new (can be found for less on facebook/craiglist). That still leave $300-$400 for a guitar to keep it under $500 total.

For those recommending 50W amps, isn't that a bit of overkill?

I'm not trying to argue but genuinely curious, mostly because I'm a beginner with a Fender Champ 20 and it's been great for me.
__________________
2021 Fender Telecaster (Player Series)
2014 Yamaha FS700
2020 Rouge RD80 - sold
2014 Epiphone Les Paul Junior - sold
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 02-09-2021, 09:01 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by captain_jack View Post
Is it really true that you can't get a decent amp for under $200 for a beginner to play at home? The Orange Crush 20 and Fender Champ 20 are both around $140 new (can be found for less on Facebook/Craigslist). That still leave $300-$400 for a guitar to keep it under $500 total.

For those recommending 50W amps, isn't that a bit of overkill?

I'm not trying to argue but genuinely curious, mostly because I'm a beginner with a Fender Champ 20 and it's been great for me.
In order:
  • IME a low-powered solid-state 1x8" combo sounds rather thin, especially with Fender-style (Tele/Strat) single-coil pickups - run your guitar through a 1x12" combo (a Champ 40 might be a good starting point since the controls are similar/familiar) and you'll hear a distinct difference in fullness and depth - and the de facto entry point in today's market is around the $200 mark; similarly (and for a variety of complex reasons I won't get into here) a tube amp with less advertised power will typically put out as much perceived volume as a higher-powered solid-state rig - FYI low-wattage tube combos are a favorite among tone-savvy players, and I've played many coffeehouse gigs with my 5W Bugera V5 (don't try that with even a 20W SS amp if your style runs toward cleaner tones). As far as guitars are concerned, things can be iffy in the under-$400 bracket - while there are indeed good ones to be had (I own/have owned a few), corners need to be cut when you're building to a price - and unless you're prepared to kiss a few dozen frogs before you find your one-and-only, overall quality improves significantly once you cross into the "step-up/intermediate" range...which leads me to:
  • When the first "high-powered" tube-driven guitar amps (40W and up) were developed in the mid/late 1950's, their main purpose was to provide sufficient headroom and dynamic range for jazz/pop/country guitarists playing in larger halls - not massive amounts of gain and distortion at OSHA-hazard levels - and when used within these parameters there's no reason they can't routinely serve for home practice. FWIW I generally use nothing smaller than my main gigging amp - a mildly-modified Bugera V22 that'll handle a 600-700 seat hall with no problem - and regularly rotate between that and a Fender '65 Super Reverb reissue (45W tube), Fender Frontman 212R (100W solid-state), and Randall RB-120 1x15" combo (120W solid-state); FYI I did this for years while living in NYC apartments (always at a reasonable hour) without PO'ing my neighbors/landlord/the NYPD or destroying my hearing, and as a retired teacher it's something I'd strongly recommend to any would-be guitar hero - any deficiencies in right-/left-hand technique will become glaringly obvious, and making the necessary adjustments will improve your control/phrasing/dynamics regardless of style...
  • Although a small practice guitar/amp package can get you through your first steps, it's always good to think ahead. If you're serious about the electric thing you will be playing out sooner or later - count on it (even if it's a neighborhood social, house of worship, etc.) - and since in my six decades of experience good first impressions lead to full wallets , it pays not to show up undergunned; by the same token, if you find it's not for you (yes, some folks are just acoustic players at heart - and that's OK) gigworthy gear will always have a higher resale value - money that can be channeled into that Martin/Gibson/Taylor/Guild you've wanted since you were a kid...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 02-17-2021, 10:05 AM
nightchef nightchef is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Boston
Posts: 589
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by geetaruke View Post
One of the first electric’s I had was a Yamaha Pacifica 112. It’s still the best guitar in terms of ergonomics and ease to play that I’ve ever owned. I do suggest also trying the Squier CV’s (even affinity’s, which I prefer over the CV’s only because of neck finish) and Epiphone’s, but I’d add the Pacifica to the list as well.
Pacificas are famous for punching way above their price tag; you could almost call them the FG-800 of the electric world.

For indie rock, another thing to consider would be a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster -- it has a little more of that "pawnshop vibe" than most guitars in this price range. (I've never played one, FWIW.)
__________________
Martin HD-28
Eastman E10OM
Guild D50
Martin D12X1AE
LaPatrie CW Concert
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 02-17-2021, 12:05 PM
guitararmy guitararmy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 4,202
Default

MusiciansFriend has a small solid state amp for $99 as today's Stupid Deal of the Day.
Nothing earth shattering but good to start on. I have the earlier version, nice stereo chorus.
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 03-25-2021, 09:19 PM
The Blood The Blood is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Healdsburg, CA
Posts: 60
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian111 View Post
Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster and Boss Katana 50. Yeah a little over $500 but worth it.

Make sure the guitar gets a good setup of course.
I have both of these and endorse this recommendation. You could actually gig with this outfit.
__________________
2002 SCGC OM/PW
2002 Takamine EF341-SC
2008 Collings MT2
2014 Republic Resolian 800
1985 Al Rice Cedar/Braz archtop dreadnought
1964 Framus Dreadnought
3 Telecasters MIM/Squier/Partscaster
1980 Gibson SG
2005 Ibanez AS83
1974 Princeton Reverb
1990 DRRI
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 04-06-2021, 12:56 PM
kookaburra kookaburra is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3
Default

Another vote for a Squier Classic Vibe Strat or Tele.

For a Gibson style, Epiphone does it nicely, although I am not at all familiar with the models at the bottom of the line. The mid and upper level models are decent.

I haven't played any amps in the price range lately, so I'll refrain from trying to answer that!
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 04-06-2021, 05:10 PM
dnf777's Avatar
dnf777 dnf777 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 3,655
Default

Does he have a guitar hero? Favorite genre? Id let that guide me to any of the great, affordable suggestions above.
__________________
Dave F
*************
Martins
Guilds
Gibsons
A few others
2020 macbook pro i5 8GB
Scarlett 18i20
Reaper 7
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 04-06-2021, 05:47 PM
jdag jdag is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 44
Default

My suggestion is above budget but would be a heck of a kit...

Adorama often sells the Fender MIM strats and teles in Pacific Blue at $519.

Add the new Fender Mustang Micro amp for $100.
__________________
Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s, Gibson Les Paul Junior, Martin 000-15m
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 04-07-2021, 07:21 PM
CoryB CoryB is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: East of Richmond Virginia
Posts: 335
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by nightchef View Post
For indie rock, another thing to consider would be a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster -- it has a little more of that "pawnshop vibe" than most guitars in this price range. (I've never played one, FWIW.)
Agreed. That, or a Squier Jaguar depending on whether he wants a whammy bar.

Check Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc for a used one as new is pretty much going to blow the $500 budget.

FWIW, I saw a gen 1 Fender Mustang amp today on Craigslist for $80. It’s a decent amp that will be plenty loud to make his parents miserable and it has a headphone jack for silent practice. It also has an aux input to practice with an iPhone/iPad/etc. Check the Mustang carefully if you find one as the input jack breaks away from the PCB if you aren’t careful.
__________________
Coupla Martins, coupla Gibsons, a few Taylors, and an Alvarez.

"Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind." Twelfth Doctor
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 04-08-2021, 05:17 AM
martinedwards martinedwards is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Jordanstown, Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,471
Default

squier are great.

I've always loved Encore strats...... I have had one for 30 years which has had a LOT of butchering (sorry, modification) and another that I got a year ago and routed out, topped with maple and fitted an acoustic bridge and preamp to.... SOUNDS like an acoustic, plays like a strat.......

as to amp.....

any cheap 15w practice amp and a multi FX unit to allow him to experiment.

Zoom on ebay for £20.

I have 2 POD Live XT multiFX units that I absolutely love.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Turner
Pay attention to what Martin said
I LOVE that guy!!!!!!
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 04-08-2021, 07:47 AM
perttime perttime is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,101
Default



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6ew_y6vdx4
__________________
Breedlove,
Landola,
a couple of electrics,
and a guitar-shaped-object
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=