Buying a guitar (electric)

[DCJ311]

I'm looking to spend like $500-700 on the guitar and $300-400 on an amp. Maybe some accessories too, any suggestions?

[soon2b]

Pay an extra 100 or so and pick up a fender strat(american made, could find one used too for cheap), and a fender blues junior. really nice simple setup, great tone. Thats if youre into a very clean sound. If youre into metal [censored], doesnt matter what you get, just grab a distortion pedal, cheap amp, cheap guitar. the shittier it is, the better it is for metal.

[dizong]

[ QUOTE ]
Pay an extra 100 or so and pick up a fender strat(american made, could find one used too for cheap), and a fender blues junior. really nice simple setup, great tone. Thats if youre into a very clean sound. If youre into metal [censored], doesnt matter what you get, just grab a distortion pedal, cheap amp, cheap guitar. the shittier it is, the better it is for metal.

[/ QUOTE ]

what he said...
blues junior is a great value for a bedroom amp, also get an ibanez tube screamer pedal if you have extra cash

[mrcoughman]

Ya go for the american strat...or as a side option and as a matter of taste you could get an epiphone. In that price range you could get a nice les paul, or for a tad more you could get a sweet hollow body E-series

[nath]

I just get a friend of mine who knows his [censored] inside and out to look on ebay and tell me when something is a good deal

I've bought 3 guitars in the last 6 months like this

[Chicago]

I recently bought a Schecter Electric/Accoustic guitar with a custom fit hard case and an amp. Then I realized that I have absolutely no music talent at all. So if anyone is looking for a guitar I paid $600 for all of it and the amp is still in original package. Anyways its beautiful I just don't have the time for it that I thought and well.... I suck. Holla

Chicago

Any offers? I'm in Chicago burbs as well

[ICallHimGamblor]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking to spend like $500-700 on the guitar and $300-400 on an amp. Maybe some accessories too, any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone who gives you an answer without asking what kind of music you want to play is an idiot. Guitars for blues are different than guitars for rock are different than guitars for country.

Sooooo... what kind of music are you trying to play.

[DCJ311]

rock mainly. I'd prefer something with a hard, driving sound similar to Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains for example.

[ICallHimGamblor]

[ QUOTE ]
rock mainly. I'd prefer something with a hard, driving sound similar to Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains for example.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jerry used G&L guitars and Marshall amps on the first album. Both might be a little out of your price range.

Personally, I would buy a higher-level Ibanez or Schecter that is in your price range (make sure they have a humbucker pickup in the bridge position). Any good Gibson would be well beyond it. Do NOT buy a Strat for your musical style.

For an amp, I would find a used 5150 amp. You can probably find one in that range, and they have a surprisingly good tone. Otherwise, I would get the largest Line 6 combo amp you can afford. They have decent amp-modeling capabilities and decent speakers. Then you won't need any other effects or pedals.

Good luck. If you have specific questions, you can PM me.

[sdunsmb]

omg please dont get an american strat - terrible adivce....do you guys even play guitar?

OP - how long have you been playing? are you a serous player? what styles do you play, and remember to consider what styles you may start to play in the future?....this is what you should consider.

Given that you don't really know what guitar you want, I will assume. you are a relative beginner. my advice, after years of buying guitars and playing in tons of different styles/bands is:

- spend less on a guitar, and more on an amp.(in your situation maybe just swap the price ranges). low budget guitar through good amp will offer way more versatility and sound TONS better than vice-versa....

- the most important thing I have found when buying a guitar is versatility.

..the basic way I would put it is "single coil guitars like strats are great for blues/clean rock, but you will not get a good tone of hard rock/metal. Whereas, an Ibanez RG for example, will play all rock/metal tones fine, and will play clean/blues tones far better than a strat can play rock/metal"

..thats why I think all players who are pretty new should get something like an Ibanez or an ESP, because they are really versatile, and you dont know what styles you will be playing a few years down the line....but these types of guitars are adequate for pretty much any style.

...bit of an essay but ive wasted loads of money in the past. for example buyinga telecaster, when Id been playing about a year...then a few years later I got into heavier music and had to but another guitar..!

anyway, its up to you obv - BUT if you're just a beginner 700 dollars on a guitar is insane - you can get perfectly good ones for 200-300!