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Old 10-24-2011, 01:32 PM
Kyle76 Kyle76 is offline
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Default Thinking of getting an electric ...

I love playing acoustic, but I'm thinking of branching out into the electric world. Any good websites you can recommend to try to learn more about what I want and where to get it? I don't mind buying used, but I'm not sure I know enough to go the eBay or Craigslist route.
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Old 10-24-2011, 01:39 PM
Hambone Hambone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle76 View Post
I love playing acoustic, but I'm thinking of branching out into the electric world. Any good websites you can recommend to try to learn more about what I want and where to get it? I don't mind buying used, but I'm not sure I know enough to go the eBay or Craigslist route.
I would look for a website that has lots of guitarists on it and ask them.


Ok, I'll help.

What kind of music do you want to play? Blues, jazz, rock, hard rock, pop? Do you want to strum or play leads? Any guitarist's tone that you'd like to nail? What's your budget?

Of course we also have to decide on what amp you need....
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Old 10-24-2011, 01:43 PM
lcs101 lcs101 is offline
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I'd recommend spending some time on the gear page forum...

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?
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Old 10-24-2011, 01:43 PM
Kyle76 Kyle76 is offline
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I'm playing mostly blues right now -- 12-bar rhythms, but I'd like to get into some leads. Budget is about $500 or less. I probably only need a practice amp right now. I think I might like something along the lines of a Les Paul or maybe a Strat. I don't know much about the differences between American or Mexican, the Squier line, etc.
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Old 10-24-2011, 01:50 PM
mechanic1908 mechanic1908 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle76 View Post
I'm playing mostly blues right now -- 12-bar rhythms, but I'd like to get into some leads. Budget is about $500 or less. I probably only need a practice amp right now. I think I might like something along the lines of a Les Paul or maybe a Strat. I don't know much about the differences between American or Mexican, the Squier line, etc.
Agile and Epiphone LP's are a good deal and very satisfactory instruments.
Mexican strats are good, American are better but alot more money.
The Squier CV strats and tele's get rave reviews but I've never owned any so I can't comment on them from personal experience.
As far as forums goes I frequent TDPRI, the Agile guitar forum and Strat talk regularly. All those sites are full of generally friendly, helpfull people.
HTH
Eric
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Old 10-24-2011, 01:55 PM
wezzywest wezzywest is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle76 View Post
I love playing acoustic, but I'm thinking of branching out into the electric world. Any good websites you can recommend to try to learn more about what I want and where to get it? I don't mind buying used, but I'm not sure I know enough to go the eBay or Craigslist route.
JUDAS`
Only joking, Yamaha pacifa range are great value. Good luck.
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Old 10-24-2011, 02:08 PM
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I have a made in Mexico (MIM) strat that I think is just nifty...and you can't beat a strat for blues. I suggest you check out the Squire strats. One of my students has a Squire that is really nice for the money and would be a good fit for what you are looking for. They even have package deals bundled with a practice amp.
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Old 10-24-2011, 02:26 PM
alexevans917 alexevans917 is offline
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My vote would go to spending your budget about equally on a used guitar and a used amp, so about $250 for the guitar, and $250 for the amp.

In terms of the guitar, sounds and feel vary a lot, so you should probably try a few out. The normal, inexpensive but good guitars are probably Mexican Fenders, Squiers, and Epiphones as others have said. That being said, don't limit yourself, and look around for something that YOU like. My guitar is "cheap" by most people's standards ($500), and is beat up, but it suits me and works well for me. Look for a guitar you're comfortable with.

In terms of an amp, I recommend a small tube amp, as you aren't gigging and are playing mainly blues. I play through a Fender Blues Junior, which could probably be had for around $300 used. The Pro Jr. is another good option and is probably $200-250 used. The Champion 600 is good and very small and $200 new. If you aren't a Fender amp person, then look at the Marshall Class 5 or the Vox AC4 (I think that's the one...). Blackstar also make a very small tube amp. These amps won't offer the gallizions of features of a comparably priced solid state amp, but they will have much better tone and will hold their value better, which could be important if you decide to trade up to a bigger amp for gigging (the Blues Jr. could handle gigs easily, but a better contender may be the Hot Rod Deluxe).

Hope this helps.

Alex
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Old 10-25-2011, 04:28 AM
Hambone Hambone is offline
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I own 15 or so electric guitars and a like number of amps (Vintage Fenders, Marshall, Vox, Bogners etc.)... also a big box full of pedals and effects. For your situation I'd recommend this amp (I just bought the 80 watt model to have an easy to carry workhorse and I can't believe how good it is)



http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...68598000001000

It's a modeler and will allow you to play around with different takes on classic blues tone.

For a guitar I think this is one of the best bangs for your buck out there.



http://www.rondomusic.com/as820wh.html

A semi hollow is a really versatile guitar and is especially sweet for the blues.
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Old 10-25-2011, 05:17 AM
guitararmy guitararmy is online now
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A semi-hollow clone of the Gibson ES335 might be good for you since you are used to playing acoustic guitar. My favorite bedroom amp is my Roland Cube 30. I think it's hard to get a tube amp to sound good unless it's too loud for my wife to listen to....
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Old 10-25-2011, 05:45 AM
EvanPC EvanPC is offline
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If you're splitting the 500 for both a guitar and amp, I think the VoxAC4TV is a great value. You can find one used for around 160, and new, they're about 250. Great little tube amp which features 1/4, 1, and 4 watt settings.
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Old 10-25-2011, 05:52 AM
imwjl imwjl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle76 View Post
I love playing acoustic, but I'm thinking of branching out into the electric world. Any good websites you can recommend to try to learn more about what I want and where to get it? I don't mind buying used, but I'm not sure I know enough to go the eBay or Craigslist route.
www.tdpri.com is as nice as it gets for a guitar site and community. Don't let the Telecaster name let you think it's only about Telecasters. It's a particularly good place to learn about amps, technique and most there love more than Telecasters.
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Old 10-25-2011, 06:23 AM
tammuz7000 tammuz7000 is offline
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I would go to a guitar store and play them all and focus on the guitar first. There are lots of choices such as a Mexican Strat, a G& L Tribute legacy or a Epiphone 335..pick your guitar and then worry about an amp..

Once you figure out which guitar you want, check all the forums and the local craigslist. However if you find what you want in a store, dont hessitate to buy it even if your paying a bit more. Each guitar is different. I would even play the American Strat and compare them and compare the ones that cost more money just to know what your dealing with.
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  #14  
Old 10-25-2011, 07:25 AM
sachi sachi is offline
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I have an Epiphone and a Squier Strat. Both are nice guitars, and I don't miss anything over the more expensive Gibson or Fender names. I run 'em through a Roland amp too.

Lots of good choices out there for inexpensive electrics. Try a bunch and see what you think!
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  #15  
Old 10-27-2011, 12:57 PM
Kyle76 Kyle76 is offline
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OK, I found an Epiphone Les Paul Standard in honeyburst on Craigslist for what I thought was a pretty good price ($300). It's in excellent shape (seems close to mint), with a hardshell case and a Roland 30W Cube Monitor amp. The seller also threw in a distortion pedal. Now, the bad news: this will be a Christmas present from my wife, so it'll be a couple of months before I can enjoy it. Of course, that gives me two months to get better before I can hold this baby.
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