First electric guitar rig

[harpspitfire]

here's my take, an opinion is just that and nothing more- you need to decide on on a tele or a strat, both are different guitars- i think squiers are junky for the cost of them, get a used one for $50 off craiglist if you get one, G&L's are nice, but i dont care for humbuckers in the neck position, i do have a squier though, but its a modified 51 no longer made, its actually an amazing guitar if you find a used one, its about the only squier i would ever own, i currently have 2 small electric guitar amps i really like, fender super champ XD and a vox AD30VT- both have plenty of power for home use with a 10" speaker, if you need for ooomp for gigging or whatever, id suggest a used fender all tube with a 12" speaker

[rwmct]

I have seen some Squier teles that were very good. The local music store (which mostly focuses on lessons) had a basic $220 model that one of the employees really set up well, and it was the best playing guitar in the store. The hardware might not have been as nice, but it for playability it was easily as nice as the MIM Fenders they had (the most expensive guitars there). If one of the instructors had a problem with his own gear during a lesson, they always grabbed that Tele.

The thing about hardware is, you can always replace that stuff with nicer versions once you get into it and know what you want. There are people who buy Squiers and then replace the hardware and pickups with higher end stuff and end up with customized guitars that are equivalent of more expensive models.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by perttime

My preamp is the Blackstar HT-Dual tube preamp - but there are many options with prices from way less than $100 to several hundred.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, so before I do, I'll weigh in. The Classic Vibe stuff is really amazing for the money, whether strat or tele. As for strat or tele, the strat is more versatile, the tele is simpler. I might recommend starting with a tele for it's simplicity, but I started with a strat and it didn't hurt me any, so get whichever one appeals to you for whatever reasons you'll probably never understand.

As for an amp, you can get a used Fender Mustang or Vox Valvetronix for well under $200. That should be more than enough to get started with. Those amps have multiple amp models and decent starter effects built in. Eventually you'll probably develop a taste for pedals and a better single purpose amp, but you don't need to do that yet. These amps have a variety of good sounds that can help you figure out what you like or confuse the hell out of you...

Now for the hijack - I'm interested in what else may be comparable to the Blackstar HT-Dual. I have a Blackstar HT1R that I like well enough, but mostly only use when we're away at a tiny rental place in the winter. At home I much prefer my Blues Cube Hot. BUT, the emulated speaker out on the Blackstar is WAAAAAY better sounding than the headphone out on the Blues Cube. I use these for my DIY recording, going straight from the emulated output into my Spire Studio recorder. The Blackstar sounds great in this mode, the Blues Cube doesn't sound close to great. I don't want to keep them both setup in my very limited space, so I was thinking about a preamp that I could put at the end of my pedal chain with an emulated out that I could run straight into my recorder. That would sound better than the Blues Cube and hopefully as good as the Blackstar.

The HT-Dual sounds like it could do the job pretty much exactly as the HT1R does, but they don't make 'em anymore. Do you have any other recommendations for relatively inexpensive (maybe $150 or hopefully less) preamp pedals like this that could serve that purpose?

Thanks,

-Ray

[Rukulele]

Thank you so much for all the responses!

A question about separate amps and cabs: do the watts have to be the same on both?

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Rukulele

Thank you so much for all the responses!

A question about separate amps and cabs: do the watts have to be the same on both?

No, you want the cab to be capable of handling higher wattage than the head can deliver. If it's the other way around you risk blowing a speaker. Very common for folks to run 5 or 10 watt heads through 30-200 watt speaker cabs. Also, larger cabs and larger speakers tend to deliver more bass than something small like and 8 inch speaker. Larger speakers sound bigger and fuller, same w/larger cabs. A 4 x 10" cab will sound louder and bigger than a single 12" or 10".

Correct ohm input is another factor. Some heads work okay with 4,8 or 16 ohm cabs. Make sure that the head will work with whatever ohm cabinet you buy.

[perttime]

Originally Posted by raysachs

...
Now for the hijack - I'm interested in what else may be comparable to the Blackstar HT-Dual. I have a Blackstar HT1R that I like well enough, but mostly only use when we're away at a tiny rental place in the winter. At home I much prefer my Blues Cube Hot. BUT, the emulated speaker out on the Blackstar is WAAAAAY better sounding than the headphone out on the Blues Cube. I use these for my DIY recording, going straight from the emulated output into my Spire Studio recorder. The Blackstar sounds great in this mode, the Blues Cube doesn't sound close to great. I don't want to keep them both setup in my very limited space, so I was thinking about a preamp that I could put at the end of my pedal chain with an emulated out that I could run straight into my recorder. That would sound better than the Blues Cube and hopefully as good as the Blackstar.

The HT-Dual sounds like it could do the job pretty much exactly as the HT1R does, but they don't make 'em anymore. Do you have any other recommendations for relatively inexpensive (maybe $150 or hopefully less) preamp pedals like this that could serve that purpose?

...

I have not played through many different preamps myself. I use the HT-Dual sort of backwards: the brighter low gain channel turned up for "edge of distortion" and some crunch - and the darker high gain channel turned down for cleaner sounds.

The first other tube preamps that come to my mind are the Two Notes series with 2 channels: Le Clean, Le Crunch, and Le Lead. Lots of features, including MIDI. They will be over the $150 budget. Laney's Ironheart IRT Pulse would be closer to budget. Not as many knobs but it has additionally some wizardry for connecting it to a computer and "reamping"

Not sure how much Tech 21's Sansamp derivatives are going for. There's a bit of variety available there. Then there's lots of low cost Sansamp knockoffs: Joyo American Tone for a Fender flavor, etc. I hear positive comments on the cheap ones too.

At the high end of solid state pedal format preamps/amps, there's the Ethos Overdrive and Ethos Clean from http://www.customtonesinc.com/ .

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by perttime

I have not played through many different preamps myself. I use the HT-Dual sort of backwards: the brighter low gain channel turned up for "edge of distortion" and some crunch - and the darker high gain channel turned down for cleaner sounds.

The first other tube preamps that come to my mind are the Two Notes series with 2 channels: Le Clean, Le Crunch, and Le Lead. Lots of features, including MIDI. They will be over the $150 budget. Laney's Ironheart IRT Pulse would be closer to budget. Not as many knobs but it has additionally some wizardry for connecting it to a computer and "reamping"

Not sure how much Tech 21's Sansamp derivatives are going for. There's a bit of variety available there. Then there's lots of low cost Sansamp knockoffs: Joyo American Tone for a Fender flavor, etc. I hear positive comments on the cheap ones too.

At the high end of solid state pedal format preamps/amps, there's the Ethos Overdrive and Ethos Clean from http://www.customtonesinc.com/ .

Thanks! I'd actually heard really positive comments about these particular Joyo pedals, the American Sound, British Sound, California Sound, etc. I guess I didn't realize this is what they were, but the price is definitely right so I may try one of them and see how they sound running them direct into the recorder... Probably the British sound, which is more of a Marshall voicing, which is what my Blues Cube is voiced on and which I tend to adjust my Blackstar towards also...

-Ray

[Beakybird]

I'd get the brand new Vox Adio Air. That thing can do anything and gets really loud.
I have heard amazing things about the Squier Classic Vibe '50's Telecaster. I would get that and have fun upgrading it as necessary in the years ahead.

[paulp1960]

If you are considering a Squier I would definitely recommend a Classic Vibe over the lesser models.

They are built to the same dimensions as USA Fenders so if you wanted a replacement bridge or neck it should be no problem finding one that fits.

The new 2019 classic vibe strats look very nice.

[Dru Edwards]

Like others have said, Classic Vibe are great guitars and better than Squier Bullets or Standards, although that's why they cost more. Same with MIM (nice guitars).

Buying used is a great way to go.

[Paleolith54]

Just a couple of sightly different thoughts.

1. There's nothing wrong with the conventional wisdom that says your speaker's wattage rating needs to be greater than that of your amp, that's a safe way to go. It's only really needed, though, if you're likely to crank your amp so high that you're pumping full power to the speakers. Since few of us ever get to do that, the fact is that in most cases you'll be quite safe with a speaker that's about the same watt rating as your amp. The Mesa Mark V is like this: It's a 90 watt amp paired (in the 1x12 combo) with a 90-watt speaker. Unlike Marshalls, Mesas do not sound best with everything on 11, and the speaker is matched to the amp with the presumption that the user understands that.

2. The advice to buy Mex or Classic Vibe, used, is excellent IMO. Keep in mind that a classic vibe gives you that: classic specs. Like 21 frets instead of 22, 7.25" or 9.5" fretboard radius instead of 12", and so forth. If that's what you want, great. If not, FYI I bought a Squier Contemporary Series Tele as a gig backup to my Tom Anderson Cobra, and was very, very pleasantly surprised. Great satin finish neck, excellent pickups (two humbuckers), 12" fretboard radius, comfort cut in the body, tight-fitting neck pocket, good solid tuners, good solid bridge, a nut that needed no filing and doesn't bind, well-leveled frets: there is absolutely no need to spend money upgrading this thing. Locking tuners would be nice, but needed? Not IMO.

Now, to be fair, I did spend a couple of hours rounding off sharp frets. I then spent another couple of hours tightening every nut, bolt, and screw on it then setting the neck relief; setting string height, and setting intonation. But, I've had to do most of those thing to guitars costing a lot more, so that shouldn't be held against the Contemporary Squiers.