New Guitar or New Amp?

[Strat_Copy]

Well i made the huge mistake of buying a rubbish strat copy starter pack (hence my name on here which is a bit of a laugh) and now i've realised after about 6 months of playing how good other guitars sound compared to mine i'm really regretting the waste of money... problem is as a beginner who didn't go to music shops to test guitars, or knew what a good one sounded like who knows what to go for? I play for at least an hour everyday so the whole commitment thing isn't a worry.

Anyway, within the next couple of months i'm thinking of getting either a new guitar or a new amp. I currently have a 15w amp- the pack i bought can be viewed here:-
http://www.gear4music.com/Electric_Guitars/G4M_Electric_Guitars/Electric-ST_Guitar_plus_Amp_Pack_BLACK11.html

So as i can't afford to get both should i get a new amp and stick with the bad guitar for a while... or vise versa?
(I have about £150 to spend... or $300 depending where you are, and i'm not really bothered if it's secondhand- like a recommendation to get something off ebay)
Thanks in advance

[daiakuji]

In my opinion, I'd say stick with the guitar for now and get the better amp. The reason for this is, it's better to practice on a below entry level guitar and get used to the sound so when you do decide to get a better guitar, you'll definitely notice the tone difference and find a guitar that suits your style and pleases your ear.

An amp is something that you probably wouldn't replace, unless you wanted to upgrade to something for a band (say, from a 15w to a 60w) but with guitars, you can build up a nice collection and have friends come over to jam.

If you're not planning to play in a band, I'd recommend the Roland Microcube amp. That would be cheap and the money you have left could save towards a better guitar in the £500-800 range in the future.

But that's just my 2 cents.

[Strat_Copy]

Thanks mate, yeah i think it will be a new amp i go for i was looking at the Rolands. After reading through some of the posts on the forum it sounds quite amazing the amount of stuff (guitars amps effects) people own and hoard... so yeah i'll work on a collection.

I have a problem with huge amounts of static when i turn up the drive on the amp... could it be anything to do with having the guitar on my bed? Or will getting a half decent amp solve this?

[Axeman]

Are you near a computer when that static occurs? That will cause a lot of static in an amp no matter how good it is. Probably the better the amp the more the static if near a computer.

Axe

[daiakuji]

Gain/Drive amplifies the volume a bit and tends to make the sound grainer or distorted..I'm thinking that the static's coming from the single coil or humbucker (not sure if your guitar has it, but I'll bet it's that).
But there is a slight chance that something could be affecting the amp.

[james]

if its a cheaper guitar, using only one pickup at a time will cause some fuzz. a new amp wont help that but then again a crappy amp will just make the noise too. new amp first in my opinion.

[disobedience]

Gotta voice my opinion on this one.
I would suggest upgrading to a better guitar first. I've generally found cheaper guitars are more difficult to play on and make learning that much harder. Plus a decent guitar will sound better through your existing amp, and amps are available just about everywhere (new and used) for a song, but a decent guitar will set you back a couple hundred usually.

Also...in the 300 dollar range you should be able to pick up a really decent guitar (not top of the line) and a decent practice amp. Check your local shops...and talk to the salespeople...let them know what you're looking for and how much you have to work with. Most shops will do their best to get you into higher quality gear that you can afford.

[ez-one]

I agree with Dis, I would get a better guitar first, then worry about a new amp down the road, A higher end guitar will play better, sound better, stay in tune better, and make it easier to improve your playing ablities. An amp is just going to make what oyu are doing louder and maybe a little clearer.

[Nimbus_UK]

Well i made the huge mistake of buying a rubbish strat copy starter pack (hence my name on here which is a bit of a laugh) and now i've realised after about 6 months of playing how good other guitars sound compared to mine i'm really regretting the waste of money... problem is as a beginner who didn't go to music shops to test guitars, or knew what a good one sounded like who knows what to go for? I play for at least an hour everyday so the whole commitment thing isn't a worry.

Anyway, within the next couple of months i'm thinking of getting either a new guitar or a new amp. I currently have a 15w amp- the pack i bought can be viewed here:-
http://www.gear4music.com/Electric_Guitars/G4M_Electric_Guitars/Electric-ST_Guitar_plus_Amp_Pack_BLACK11.html

So as i can't afford to get both should i get a new amp and stick with the bad guitar for a while... or vise versa?
(I have about £150 to spend... or $300 depending where you are, and i'm not really bothered if it's secondhand- like a recommendation to get something off ebay)
Thanks in advance

That is a very cheap setup ! £75 all in..

You dont say how the guitar actually plays, which I think should be the major factor in your decision.

So, how does it play ? A crappy, hard to play guitar is never going to sound good, whatever amp you put it thro.
On the other hand, a decent guitar might not sound much better on your current amp, but it will be far more fun to play, and you'll enjoy it more.

I'd go for the guitar first, as you are in the UK, try looking here,

Regent Guitars (http://tinyurl.com/2naqhk)

and if you live anywhere near, then get down there and have a chat with them.

Alternatively, have a look out for a Yamaha Pacifica 112, great guitars and really good value. New or off fleabay.. (http://tinyurl.com/2flahy)

I paid £75 for mine, when I was still trying to decide between a new american strat or telecaster, it was like new and I like it so much I never bought the 'new' guitar :)

Another 'cheap' alternative to getting a new amp just yet, is to buy a multi effects pedal, like a , Zoom GFX707 (http://tinyurl.com/2x7h9v) ,606 or similiar, and stick a pair of cordless headphones in it.
The sound will be at least as good as a £100 amp, you'll have a drum machine and a load of effects to play with, tho of course its never quite like blasting the neighbours out ;)

The other thing I'd suggest you do before making a purchase, is to take your guitar and amp into a decent music shop on a quiet afternoon, (most of them are very friendly/helpful if you go in the week, they are on the whole enthusiasts themselves afterall ),try it out on yours and a few of the amps your considering, then get one of their guitars and do the same thing again. That should give you a good idea which bit you want to upgrade first.

Oh, while we are mentioning 'cheap' practice amps, my vote is for a Kustom 16DFX :)

hth :)

Nimbus

[Da3m0n]

I agree with dis on this too.......that starter pack you bought looks exactly like the one my son got for X-Mas this past year(he is only 9 so a cheap one is easier to digest the way kids take care of things ya know!)....the action is so bad on the cheaper ones and usually the scaled down necks throw me off...and i personally, with my fat fingers, have a hard time accurately fretting a note....I have a Ibanez RG5EX1 which is night and day as compared to the starter guitar....I wish you luck in your quest my friend!

[Chet Ubetcha]

I agree...guitar. You'd be amazed at how different guitars can influence your playing. If you are unhappy with your guitar this soon, the best bet is to replace it. I'd also recommend replacing your amp as soon as you can afterward.

[Strat_Copy]

Cheers for the replies guys. It seems i'll look into both options before deciding- plus i found a great shop in my local area- www.thelivemusicshop.com who literally stock hundreds of top make guitars and amps, plus they don't mind you going in there and trying some out, which is really cool and i suppose is a unique thing to buying instruments.

How this guitar plays? hmm, kind of tough to comment, the strings are kind of grainy and nasty on your fingers- but that's not the guitar. The neck is smooth enough- but in time i can feel it going rough. Strange enough between getting it 5 or so months ago it seems like the fretboard has faded and there's a few abrasions on the board from what i assume is pressing the strings down ?!? The E strings (bottom and top) buzz quite a lot when playing chords. The neck and bridge(bottom) pick ups sound good but the rest of the positions sound really muddy and echoey. The two tone knobs don't make a lot of difference unless they are on zero, basically from zero to 1 there is a huge change but then nothing after. Happily it stays in tune really well and i only have to tune it once a month and only minimally. Seems i'm being harsh but for £75 a kit it's a good first electric guitar, just i want to start wearing into a guitar i'll have a while- if that makes sense?

Worryingly i've seen some small cracks around the neck and the bridge, on the plastic, from the tremelo bending i guess, then again it could be the fact i lean up up against a wall when i go to bed- like \ that... in retrospect i think i'll stop that- anyway i'm going to nip down that shop within a week so i'll let you all know how i get on. Cheers for the help :D

[Da3m0n]

Good luck! I think you will see night and day differences!

[Nimbus_UK]

yepp, that looks like a decent shop.

See if you can get down there during the week, or even try and arrange an appointment with their guitar guy for some personal attention rather than just on the off chance..

but most of all, have fun trying their guitars, you're bound to find one or ten that you want :)

[wavelog]

Jus a question... i dont have a guitar stand and i put my guitar against the wall as well.. is that goin to hurt my guitar ?

[Nimbus_UK]

well... it wont until it falls over one day and you stand on it as you try to catch it ;)

guitar stands are pretty cheap and well worth it. Particularly as it gives you an excuse to show your axe off :)

[ez-one]

it will cause extra pressure on the neck and could over time cause a Problem I would think. I do not like the company but Musicians Friend has one that is "their brand" a low A-frame that they sell really cheap. I like the low A-frame ones becasue they do all of their support on the body of the guitar. Its a cheap investment, having your guitar slide down the wall nad hitting something could be way more expensive that a stand

[disobedience]

I swear by the A frame stands...no pressure on the neck and they are stable as heck. Got 2 of them now and they seem to last almost forever. My first one was purchased almost 10 years ago...still works like a new one :D

[jcboomer]

I think you should get a new guitar. If you have $300 that is a lot of money to spend on an amp and you can get a really good guitar for that money. If you buy a guitar you should buy an Ibanez I just bought one for $300,they are the best guitars playability wise, I got the rg2ex1 and my teacher really loves it he said it is a better guitar than any of his other students have and its not the most expensive. So you know my opinion but thats just me cuz i have no idea what your guitar and amp is like, ultimately it's your decision.

[mrpepper]

If you were to get a guitar, i'd highly recommend an ibanez. i recently bought one. they are really quite easy to play and the tremolo's on them are great.
When you have made your descision to whether you want to get an amp or guitar, check this website out.....its pretty good

www.guitar.co.uk

[redb]

If I were you I would honestly save up another 50 pounds and get a mexican strat, mostly because I dont like the super duper fast neck on ibanez's and they just dont look right to me. I would go in and suggest playing an epiphone standard, a mexican strat, and whatever ibanez is in your range and deciding from those.

An amp will do more to improve your sound but a new guitar will do a lot more to let you play better. Besides the pickups will be worlds better and that can have a pretty dramatic effect on your sound.

Honestly I think all solid state amps are kind of icky sounding, and anything in your range will either be solid state or be tiny, so I would get that later. Oh, and a strat will sound better through your amp than your guitar through a vox ac30 (which happens to be a combo amp) or a palamino class a tube.