Jeffytune Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Good day all. I am not trying to start a fight here so please, do give opinions but lets keep it civil. I see some players that will go and buy a high end guitar while playing it through a lesser amp, while others will get a nice high end amp while still playing an mid-range or entry level guitar. Now, the obvious answer would be to have a Gibson R series Les Paul and Boutique amp, but for those of us who live in real world and have to make house payments that is not really an options we can afford at the drop of a hat. As for me, I have gone the route of better amps then the guitars I own. I have a good selection of tube amps, and as to guitars, I have maybe two that would be called high end, a Gibson Acoustic and a SRV stratocaster. My others are mid-level guitars that play good. I am not a big pedal guy, tho I have a few of them, I hardly use them, and I do not gig, so it just for me and I like the tone I get from a good tube amp. Anyhoo I was wondering what the group here thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I think they are both important; equally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I would have thought it almost inevitable that the guitar route would win. I voted "Cheese" myself because it all depends on what you want. Money no object I'd get a genuine 1959 Les Paul + a hand built top of the range Benedetto jazz box. For amps I'd get a bespoke triple rectifier wood cabinet jobby in the Fender tweed tradition with built in attenuator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 It was neck-and-neck between 'Guitar' and 'I Like Cheese'. I tossed a coin and 'Guitar' won. Clearly both are important and it's possible to make decent noises with anything but I think a top-flight amp can be had for a lesser outlay. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Amps were always a secondary consideration for me, I guess because I used to borrow a lot of other people's amps at either venues or in practise rooms. I didn't own a tube amp for years as I was quite happy with my 90's Marshall Valvestate 8280 combo (I bought it second hand in 2001 if I remember correctly) and a couple of practise amps - a Valvestate VS30R and an old Park G10R. The Park was my first amp. Around seven years ago I bought a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and that was the first tube amp I've ever owned, then a couple of weeks ago I bought a Marshall 2555x Silver Jubilee Reissue (in black tolex) with a 1936 cab. At 34 years old this is the first head and cab I have had. I still love my old 8280 Valvestate and won't be getting rid of it or the other 2 practise amps I've always owned either. Guitar wise I've had high and low end instruments for years. I got my Gibson LP Studio when I was 15 and then a Les Paul Classic 1960 when I was 19. I never really had a view that a cheap guitar is not good enough either, unless it is a bad one in terms of playability. I played a Squier Strat all through my Uni days and my first guitar I still own too - an Epi LP 100. If you like a guitar or amp who cares if it's perceived by others as good or bad? If you connect with it then play it. My most expensive guitar is my Gibson L5CES and my cheapest and Epiphone LP Special ii. I love both for different reasons. Is the L5 better in terms of materials, quality and tone? Yes, but the Epi I enjoy a whole lot too (except for its bad tuners!) and it sounds pretty great to my ears, so I love that guitar also. Obviously they are quite different instruments 1 being hollow and the other solid, so not a good comparison really, but just pointing out how a guitar you like shouldn't be solely based on it's price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 I spend more on a guitar because I can't build a guitar...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Well this is a classic economics conundrum. But for some reason I want to say it depends. I've got some good amps already and what I would consider some fine guitars. If we're talking purchasing something along the lines of a Custom Shop Model, most of those guitars far exceed the cost of a new amplifier, let alone a good classic amp. If it's a classic amp I'm looking for, say a JMP Super Bass or Lead, I'm still going to put down a chunk of cash for it. I mean it ain't like any of us are running around playing Dumble Amplifiers. A classic guitar of any kind, talking vintage here, still sells more than any amp out there. And I want to point out that if I have a luthier like John Bolin or Randy Parsons build me a guitar, I'm still going to pay more than any amp you'll ever need. I asked John last summer what a Custom Made Fender Robben Ford style guitar would run me, one with an alder back, carved spruce top, nice neck and top-notch pickups and he told me $8,000.00. So it's guitar all the way as far as price goes. My most expensive amp, the Fender Custom Shop "The '57" I have, is one of only 300 made for the world. I paid $1,300.00 for an amplifier that is unlike many others. 5E3 deluxe circuit that is 12 watts, black piano lacquered maple enclosure, with a blue alnico Celestion speaker. It's a great little amp. I wanted it and that's what I was willing to pay for it. There was one for sale for over $2,500.00 recently. Not going to sell it, but it's nice to know it went up in value. But it's the guitar as far as price goes, every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Don't know why I bother responding to this. If you're talking about individual items, guitar or amp, I think everyone needs at least one expensive guitar and one expensive amp. But since most people own more guitars than amps, I'm going with guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 some of the amps available on a budget that sound great and have all kinds of available goodies??? no brainer. Spend the money on the guitar....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 What kind of cheese are we talkin' about here? Expensive cheese or cheap cheese? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Amps are definitely important but the guitar is something more of a personal relationship because you are in contact with it and it needs to fit you better than anything else. You can find a cheap guitar that suits you actually but in my perception cheap guitars do not hold as well with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Well, in my experience, a Great amp, is a bit (maybe quite a bit) more important. A wonderful guitar, into a crap amp, will sound like....Crap! A modest, but totally playable guitar, into a Great amp, will sound...Much better, to even Great! This, to me, isn't so much about "Price" or even "brand!" It's more about decent quality, overall! So, if someone needs to go down a model, in a particular guitar line, to afford a much better amp, that would be the way to go, IMHO. Example: Les Paul Studio, instead of a Les Paul Standard, and use the savings for a much better amp! Neither has to be a "Boutique" model, or in that price range. Just well made, good sounding, and good playing, gear! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megafrog Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 A great sounding amp is more important to me than the guitar but the amp should cost less than a great guitar in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 It is my experience that once you get past 1500 bucks for an amp you don't get anything more. Amplifier technology prides itself on still being what Leo made it 75 years ago, so how much more gooder can you get than what's already great? It is also my experience that once you get past 1500 bucks for a guitar it's just starting to get good! rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffytune Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 What kind of cheese are we talkin' about here? Expensive cheese or cheap cheese? Only the best cheese ever.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Had lunch at Tillamook out there in Oregon. It was awesome. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Had lunch at Tillamook out there in Oregon. It was awesome. rct Drove through Tillamook listening to Black Sabbath keeping the windows up and the AC recirculating. Smells funky there but now I wish I stopped for lunch haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 I like mild cheddar cheese on a saltine cracker for a snack 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 I had to vote cheese. Both the Guitars & the Amps are equally as important but don't necessarily have to cost equal. A great Guitar thru a crap Amp = Most likely Crap. A crap Guitar thru a great Amp = Most likely Crap A great Guitar thru a great Amp = Most likely Great Sound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 I had to vote cheese. Both the Guitars & the Amps are equally as important but don't necessarily have to cost equal. A great Guitar thru a crap Amp = Most likely Crap. A crap Guitar thru a great Amp = Most likely Crap A great Guitar thru a great Amp = Most likely Great Sound Define a crap guitar though. These days a lot of budget guitars can be very good instruments. Obviously Squier and Epiphone make some great instruments in the lower price range and then you have companies like Revelation, Vintage, Danelectro and I guess Encore (I tried a few Encore Strats in the past which were awful - actually barely playable, but maybe their quality has improved). The only truly crap guitars I imagine are the ones that you can get off Amazon for £50 which probably won't intonate properly, have warped necks and fall apart pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 A good amp is more important to your sound but they're less important to most guitar players. A cheap amp (All the major manufacturers make them) can be a dead end. They might sound pretty maybe o.k. good when they're new but you probably have to throw it away when it breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Well, my guitar cost $110 but that was about 30 years ago so let's triple that and say $330. My amp head was $210 and the Quadbox $120 so that's $330 for the amp - so it looks like I am about 50/50 split. Probably suggests why I haven't had to make payments on the houses for many years too at those prices. I'm with you Cory - crap guitars are way less prevalent than crap attitudes toward others' instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 There is always a good case for this though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerad12 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 It is my experience that once you get past 1500 bucks for an amp you don't get anything more. Amplifier technology prides itself on still being what Leo made it 75 years ago, so how much more gooder can you get than what's already great? It is also my experience that once you get past 1500 bucks for a guitar it's just starting to get good! rct Don't know if it could be said any better. RCT speakith the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Round here we smoke eat Nimbin Natural Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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