Need help getting a new electric guitar

[Lucas]

Here's an amp on eBay

 

At $400, that is actually a little bit more than they usually go for - but this amp sounds better than amp 3x the price

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-LANEY-Pro-Tube-AOR-30-Series-Combo-Amp-Amplifier-Works-Great-/161797949470?hash=item25abe8c81e

[LedRush]

Thanks for the recommendations. Right now I am looking at some of the Epiphone Les Pauls, and it looks like they have some ok ones at around $200. I was prepared to pay up to about $800 or so, but I'm not really sure what the difference between these models http://www.guitarcen...ctric-Guitar.gc or http://www.guitarcen...uitar-Outfit.gc (at around $200) or these models http://www.guitarcen...ctric-Guitar.gc or http://www.guitarcen...ctric-Guitar.gc (about $500) would be. Would the extra $300 spent really matter for a beginner?

 

I would recommend this one:

 

http://www.guitarcen...ctric-Guitar.gc

 

And I see they have used models like this for about $100 less

 

LedRush, what sound do you like , or, what can you envision being "your sound" ? ... Something chunky like "What You're Doing" - like early Alex, or Slash, Schenker, etc ??

 

With your Fender amp and the Tele, you are going to get a very clean sound - no balls .. So unless you want to play straight country or Elvis, I would say trade the Tele in, trade the amp in and look for that Laney combo - they are always on eBay - but I can only recommend a vintage Laney

 

If you get the three things in my other post, I guarantee you will feel completely inspired and be playing things like Black Dog and Finding My Way in no time .....

 

PM me if you ever want any more info

 

I play a lot of Led Zep and Rush, obviously, and otherwise generally stick with classic rock from the 1968-74 time, early 90s alt rock, blues based music (Allman Bros, simple SRV stuff) and any pop-oriented guitar stuff (GN'R, Green Day, etc). With everything, I play simple versions of the simple songs, and I've never really tried to replicate the sound on the records.

[EagleMoon]

You really need to go to a music store and play some guitars. You need to see what fits you. It will save you a lot of heartache down the line. Necks vary a lot in width and thickness, plus how they feel when you sit down compared to standing up, sound through different amps and effects ... Etc. It's OK to get ideas for things to look at but don't make a choice solely on what someone over the Internet tells you.

[Lucas]

You really need to go to a music store and play some guitars. You need to see what fits you. It will save you a lot of heartache down the line. Necks vary a lot in width and thickness, plus how they feel when you sit down compared to standing up, sound through different amps and effects ... Etc. It's OK to get ideas for things to look at but don't make a choice solely on what someone over the Internet tells you.

 

This is all very good advice, and true

 

However, with the amps, it is hard because guitar stores usually have new amps, which are either complicated midi modeling garbage, or boutique amps that can cost thousands of dollars ..

 

The problem with most guitar players who are searching for their sound is that they get bogged down in equipment - pedals and distortion boxes everywhere ... The tone and really good overdrive comes from a good amp, and you don't need anything else, other than maybe an EQ ..

 

Modern amps - the ones they sell in mass quantities in guitar stores - are awful

[EagleMoon]

You really need to go to a music store and play some guitars. You need to see what fits you. It will save you a lot of heartache down the line. Necks vary a lot in width and thickness, plus how they feel when you sit down compared to standing up, sound through different amps and effects ... Etc. It's OK to get ideas for things to look at but don't make a choice solely on what someone over the Internet tells you.

 

This is all very good advice, and true

 

However, with the amps, it is hard because guitar stores usually have new amps, which are either complicated midi modeling garbage, or boutique amps that can cost thousands of dollars ..

 

The problem with most guitar players who are searching for their sound is that they get bogged down in equipment - pedals and distortion boxes everywhere ... The tone and really good overdrive comes from a good amp, and you don't need anything else, other than maybe an EQ ..

 

Modern amps - the ones they sell in mass quantities in guitar stores - are awful

 

That's true but we're talking about something that needs to be on the inexpensive side. Music stores always have some used amps as well. You don't know what you like, or what things sound like unless you try them out yourself.

[LedRush]

I tried out three different Epiphones (Special II Plus (under $200), Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro ($520), and and a Les Paul Pro ($430). They all felt fine enough, though I liked the tonal options on the latter two. I also tried PRS something for $600, but the frets felt too wide for me, and with my arthritis I couldn't reach notes that I can on the Epiphones (and on my Tele). I tried everything from a modern version of the amp I have. I will go back and see if they have a Fender HSS Plus Top ($550), and try out the two more expensive Les Pauls I already tried. I feel there are just too many options out there and I can't tell the difference between most in terms of quality...I just know if it feels ok and looks good and if it sounds better than my Tele (yes, they do). I will paralyze myself with options if I don't just concentrate on a few.

[hunter]

Pick up a guitar. Sit with it. Play it. Stand with it strapped on. Play it. Is there anything uncomfortable about it? Is it poking you in ribs, digging into your forearm? Are the upper frets easy to reach? In short, does it "feel" good? Don't get bogged down in Fender v. Gibson or other nonesense. Get "your" guitar. All are going to have similar features. Get the one that is comfortable and has a sound you dig.

[Rush-O-Matic]

Epiphone LP Standard or Epiphone ES-335. Both are available in "pro" models, meaning you can pull the knobs out for a single coil sound, if you want. With either of those, a simple modeling amp or modeling stomp box, will let you get most any sound you want. You can buy something like a Line 6 pod or a Behringer's V-amp used on eBay at used at Guitar Center.

 

I bought an Epiphone ES-335 Pro (vintage burst) last Fall used from Guitarcenter.com, with hard case for $299. You can get a used LP Standard for around $225 at GC. If you see one you like online, call that store and ask them the condition. If you're satisfied, ask them for additional discount or free set up & restring, etc.

[LedRush]

Epiphone LP Standard or Epiphone ES-335. Both are available in "pro" models, meaning you can pull the knobs out for a single coil sound, if you want. With either of those, a simple modeling amp or modeling stomp box, will let you get most any sound you want. You can buy something like a Line 6 pod or a Behringer's V-amp used on eBay at used at Guitar Center.

 

I bought an Epiphone ES-335 Pro (vintage burst) last Fall used from Guitarcenter.com, with hard case for $299. You can get a used LP Standard for around $225 at GC. If you see one you like online, call that store and ask them the condition. If you're satisfied, ask them for additional discount or free set up & restring, etc.

 

What's the difference between the traditional and the standard models? I like the Pro options and the variety of sounds that it can produce, but the traditional Pro is a little more expensive than the Standard, and the Standard Pro is $100+ more than the Traditional Pro.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :) Edited August 25, 2015 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[LedRush]

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :)

 

I only understand about three words in your post.

[EagleMoon]

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :)

 

I only understand about three words in your post.

 

I don't blame you.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :)

 

I only understand about three words in your post.

Referrng to this about modeled amps:

With either of those, a simple modeling amp or modeling stomp box, will let you get most any sound you want. You can buy something like a Line 6 pod or a Behringer's V-amp used on eBay at used at Guitar Center.

 

I have been through a bunch of amp modelers. The good ones have models based on actual amps with corresponding interface controls that resemble the real amp the model is based upon. Say an amp model based upon a Vox AC-15 will have controls that function and look like a real Vox AC-15. Likewise a Marshall JCM model looks and behaves like a Marshall JCM. On bad or cheap amp modelers they do not.

 

Certain company's products have strengths and weaknesses. Line 6 stuff gets mushy when a lot of FX are used but their amp models are very good. IK stuff (Amplitube) have good sounding FX but some of their amps are a little scratchy sounding, but they have a really good user interface.

 

As for amps that have modeling built in it's a total crap shoot. Fender makes some good sounding modelers but their software user interface used to access the modeling and FX functions externally from computer is less than intuitive and a little clunky. They have a Champ series that has some really decent sounding amp models though. I think it has a tube in it's power stage though. Still it's fairly inexpensive.

 

You can learn a lot by using these things but in the end they are not as exact as they claim. I own an actual vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb but have yet to hear a software model (much less the stomp box version) that sounds and responds like the real deal. There is a punch from a tube powered amp pushing air through a speaker in a room that software cannot quite emulate.

Edited August 26, 2015 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[boofie]

 

 

-Vintage 1980s Laney Pro Tube 30 Watt Combo - killer amp

 

 

 

I loved those Laney AORs for what they were. and they were great for heavy metal. I didnt find them that great for anything else but if it was 80s metal...... perfect. They still pop up here and there every once in a while and are realativly cheap.

JB

[boofie]

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :)

 

I only understand about three words in your post.

Referrng to this about modeled amps:

With either of those, a simple modeling amp or modeling stomp box, will let you get most any sound you want. You can buy something like a Line 6 pod or a Behringer's V-amp used on eBay at used at Guitar Center.

 

I have been through a bunch of amp modelers. The good ones have models based on actual amps with corresponding interface controls that resemble the real amp the model is based upon. Say an amp model based upon a Vox AC-15 will have controls that function and look like a real Vox AC-15. Likewise a Marshall JCM model looks and behaves like a Marshall JCM. On bad or cheap amp modelers they do not.

 

Certain company's products have strengths and weaknesses. Line 6 stuff gets mushy when a lot of FX are used but their amp models are very good. IK stuff (Amplitube) have good sounding FX but some of their amps are a little scratchy sounding, but they have a really good user interface.

 

As for amps that have modeling built in it's a total crap shoot. Fender makes some good sounding modelers but their software user interface used to access the modeling and FX functions externally from computer is less than intuitive and a little clunky. They have a Champ series that has some really decent sounding amp models though. I think it has a tube in it's power stage though. Still it's fairly inexpensive.

 

You can learn a lot by using these things but in the end they are not as exact as they claim. I own an actual vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb but have yet to hear a software model (much less the stomp box version) that sounds and responds like the real deal. There is a punch from a tube powered amp pushing air through a speaker in a room that software cannot quite emulate.

 

Just my 2 cents but I use an axe fx II for all recording but... I still havent felt I should put my tube amps up on the aution block yet.

[Rush-O-Matic]

What's the difference between the traditional and the standard models? I like the Pro options and the variety of sounds that it can produce, but the traditional Pro is a little more expensive than the Standard, and the Standard Pro is $100+ more than the Traditional Pro.

 

I think they change the specs from time to time, but I believe this is correct for Epiphone:

Standard

- slim taper neck

 

Traditional

- 50's profile neck (D shape)

 

I think the easiest thing to do, is to look at Guitarcenter.com or Sweetwater.com or Samash.com, and look at the specs pages to compare.

 

(For a Gibson, there are bigger differences, like the LP Standard has weight relief and the Traditional is solid mahogany, and there are tuner, and pickup differences, and with or without pickguard.)

 

Amp models are not the same as real amps but they offer lots of tones and FX models. Some sound good, some sound ok and some are terrible but none are great. Good ones correspond to controls of real world amps so one can learn amp copntrols with them. I used to use a POD, then Amplitube and I have the current Waves GTR and NI Guitar Rig as well as Amp Farm and PODFarm but I have gotten away from using them in the recent past because tube amps in a room have a sound that cannot be replecated by 1s and 0s within digital audio. :)

 

Of course not. Why would anybody think I was implying amp modelers are the same as real amps? Based on the OP, I was just giving an idea for other ways to get different sounds.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

I know. I was just adding on. :)

[LedRush]

I went with the Standard Pro...it has a ton of options on sound, it sounded great, and the neck was a little easier to use than the Traditional Pro, despite the lacquered finish.

 

I hope to get it by this weekend so I can play with a friend who is visiting.

 

http://image.rakuten.co.jp/guitarplanet/cabinet/epiphone/lp_plus_pro_hc_all.jpg?_ex=60x60

[The Analog Cub]

I went with the Standard Pro...it has a ton of options on sound, it sounded great, and the neck was a little easier to use than the Traditional Pro, despite the lacquered finish.

 

I hope to get it by this weekend so I can play with a friend who is visiting.

 

http://image.rakuten.co.jp/guitarplanet/cabinet/epiphone/lp_plus_pro_hc_all.jpg?_ex=60x60

 

Very nice!

[ghostworks]

and good luck keeping it in tune :D

[ghostworks]

Pick up a guitar. Sit with it. Play it. Stand with it strapped on. Play it. Is there anything uncomfortable about it? Is it poking you in ribs, digging into your forearm? Are the upper frets easy to reach? In short, does it "feel" good? Don't get bogged down in Fender v. Gibson or other nonesense. Get "your" guitar. All are going to have similar features. Get the one that is comfortable and has a sound you dig.

QFT

 

even when money was no relative object, I have passed on $1,000 guitars because they irked me in some particular way, only to find the guitar I truly bonded with had been marked down to $125, yet felt and sounded right in every respect

 

I hope your Epi doesn't let you down like they have countless others (myself included)

 

good luck!

[EagleMoon]

I went with the Standard Pro...it has a ton of options on sound, it sounded great, and the neck was a little easier to use than the Traditional Pro, despite the lacquered finish.

 

I hope to get it by this weekend so I can play with a friend who is visiting.

 

http://image.rakuten.co.jp/guitarplanet/cabinet/epiphone/lp_plus_pro_hc_all.jpg?_ex=60x60

 

You got a clownburst! :D

 

Congrats on the guitar. Play the heck out of it when you get it.

[LedRush]

I went with the Standard Pro...it has a ton of options on sound, it sounded great, and the neck was a little easier to use than the Traditional Pro, despite the lacquered finish.

 

I hope to get it by this weekend so I can play with a friend who is visiting.

 

http://image.rakuten.co.jp/guitarplanet/cabinet/epiphone/lp_plus_pro_hc_all.jpg?_ex=60x60

 

You got a clownburst! :D

 

Congrats on the guitar. Play the heck out of it when you get it.

 

I did! After 20 years playing my plain black guitar, I wanted to see some color. I'd noticed that the bursts get more attractive in design (meaning more subtle and less red) at the more expensive levels, but I didn't see it as an issue worth paying 4 figures for. The vintage burst was too black, the honey burst oddly colored, and the other colors are flashy in their own way. I am self conscious enough that if I intended to gig with a guitar, I might not have gotten this color. But at my age, it's not worth me caring about what others think about the aesthetics. I like the look and I'll be doing most of the looking.

[LedRush]

Pick up a guitar. Sit with it. Play it. Stand with it strapped on. Play it. Is there anything uncomfortable about it? Is it poking you in ribs, digging into your forearm? Are the upper frets easy to reach? In short, does it "feel" good? Don't get bogged down in Fender v. Gibson or other nonesense. Get "your" guitar. All are going to have similar features. Get the one that is comfortable and has a sound you dig.

QFT

 

even when money was no relative object, I have passed on $1,000 guitars because they irked me in some particular way, only to find the guitar I truly bonded with had been marked down to $125, yet felt and sounded right in every respect

 

I hope your Epi doesn't let you down like they have countless others (myself included)

 

good luck!

 

Everything I've read about this guitar has indicated that that shouldn't be a problem. I'll let you know.

[LedRush]

So, I love the new guitar, but it buzzes a bit on a couple of frets. I don't want to raise the action (it is already higher than on my Tele) and I was told that it is buzzing because my technique sucks balls. However, I never got buzzing on my Tele or my acoustic, so it seems weird. On a related note, the same person who set it up set up my Tele, and now I get buzzing on that. There's room to raise the action on that one, though, which was obviously lowered in the setup. Also, I got .10 strings instead of .09, so maybe that's it? Any thoughts on this?

 

It's annoying because I love the sound of the Epiphone, I love the looks, it feels great, and I'm playing more than I have since 1998. But if I want to strum aggressively or hit the D string on the third fret, that darn buzzing!!!

 

Oh, and the red is still red, but it blends much better in real life than in the picture above.