Guitar and amp purchase - Page 3

use them to check out guitars and amps, they usually have a great selection on hand. They'll be glad to hand you a Stuido and then a Standard or a Goldtop or a Custom. Play around with them, try out some amps. Take note of what you like and don't like, then head to a locally owned store.

GC often has some great used amps, check around for a full tube Marshall. That $750ish Marshall I posted looks like the successor to the AVT line, but will a full tube pre-amp (the AVT had solid state). I used to have an AVT 50 (or maybe 30) for travel (my main amps were ridiculously heavy) and frankly it was excellent. Still had great tone and while it wasn't like a Plexi or a DSL, the economical and transportation factors still make it a winner. I wouldn't get an MG, but that other line looks very promising.

Pio - I guitars but know nothing about them and cannot play a lick. A local NY guy who's semi-well known in certain circles has a webste and blog that I love reading, even though I often don't understand a word of what he's talking about: http://ericambel.com/gear/guitardesign/

I still don't understand why he doesn't go full mid-life crisis with this purchase.

LP Standard or '59 Historic series and half-stack perhaps?


me = 60's Strat or Tele with an A/B leading into a JTM45 and DSL100

I would recommend you buy used -- lots of good equipment around.

No love for tube Vox amps? AC30, man. Though I like Fender amps as well, the Hot Rod Deluxe is a good suggestion, as is the Twin Reverb.

As for the LP, you can probably get a used Standard for the price of a new Studio, so that is what I'd try to do. Look at craigslist in your area, see if anyone is selling guitars around you and will let you come and try them out. I bought my Strat that way (though I'm going to sell it and buy another 335, love those things).

Just my two cents.

Oh, +1 on the Tubescreamer. Great pedal. Once i get back to the states I'll have mine Keeley modded.

Has anyone tried a ZVex Super Hard On, by the way? I'm thinking of getting one, would like to hear opinions.

I'm a Gibson man, so I applaud your choice. That said, I'm not a tech geek. I buy a stock guitar and just play it as is. The guitar you listed has the 490/498 pickups, so it'll be hot. I like the '57 humbuckers myself. Not quite as hot. I have a couple of LPs ('80 Standard and a '91 Studio). Really love them. But a few years back, I went semi-hollow with a couple of Gibson ES-135s. One has the '57s and the other, P-100s. Love, love, love them. Semi-hollows add a really nice, warm mid-tone that I don't get with my LPs. Having moved away from the gained-out, full-on punk rock of my old band to a post-punk, mid-tempo deal with the new band, I've found less-hot pickups to be what I'm after. I still use the ES-135 with the P100s, but added (and now play as my main guitar) a new Hagstrom Viking Deluxe semi hollow. They can be found on eBay for $500 new. Fit and finish are top-notch. Playability is on par with my Gibsons. And the pickups are spectacular. Just food for thought. Here's the Hagstrom in action (I know, I know thinly veiled self-promotion): http://www.myspace.com/cova Sorry I can't comment on the amp. I have a Fender Twin Reverb reissue at home that I rarely play. My band rig is a 4x12 Mesa cab with V30s, and a Marshall JCM900 100w head. Had a 50w JCM900 that I sold to a friend. Bad move. I think the 50w blows the 100w away. Oh well, live and learn. cheers. EDIT: Just saw your other post about having large hands. If that's the case, I think you'll like the rounder profile of a Gibson LP neck than, say, the flatter profile of a Fender Strat.

I love the AC30s myself. AC15, too.

Just bought an AC15 CC1 (found it super cheap on eBay), I don't mind the Wharfedale either, though I may change it out later. The only problem is the reverb buzzes as soon as you turn it on, so I'm trying to fix that.

I would recommend that you buy high quality used equipment. Used is a great way to get a lot more for your money. And, if you decide you don't like it, you can always resell it and recover your investment.

You can't go wrong with a Les Paul for a guitar and a Fender or Marshall amp.

Here is one of my babies.......

^ Gorgeous, PSG!

this thread is breaking my goddamn brain. go to a store, find a guitar you like and buy the fucking thing. do the same with the amp. get a tube amp and stay in the 30 watt or under range unless you're gonna be somewhere you can crank the fucker. a twin reverb is a great amp but it's loud and heavy. look into a deluxe reverb. pedals are a whole different story. yeah, you like rock, but what kind? whose tone do you like and want to emulate?