Ratio of Guitar : Amp budget . What's your priority ?

Roland

There are too many variable for this question to have a single answer, particularly since the OP excludes pedals which are a major part of some people’s sound. If you’re starting out then you probably want to spend more on your first guitar, knowing that you’ll get a larger amp when you start playing with other people. A home player might have several guitars worth between £1,000 and £2,000 each, a £500 amp, and £400 worth of pedals. Someone who gigs a lot could have several guitars, each worth £300 to £500, and amps and cabinets to match.

merlin said:

I think of the electric guitar and amp together as the instrument. 

Certainly pedals, amp and cabinet must class as one instrument. You can’t ask an organist to split his key boards, pedals, pipes, reeds, and bellows.

I run an AxeFX, MFC controller, two Mission pedals, and a Matrix Q12. They are my version of an organ. Bought second hand over several years they add up to more than £2,000. New you’d be talking £4,000. Whereas my gigging guitars are all homemade at around £250 each, with another £75 each in straps and cases.

paulnb57

p90fool said:

I have no relevant opinion on this since I discovered Jet City, my £1600 guitar through my £270 amp is the best gigging rig I've ever had. 

Although not gigging, I agree, there are some "budget" amps that punch well above their weight, I also have a Jet City, the 20w vintage head, bloody epic! A £2650 guitar through a £230 head and a £30 Marshall 1x12, its a keeper for me......

markv

merlin said:

I think of the electric guitar and amp together as the instrument. 

I saw a quote from Pete Townshend somewhere to the effect that he chose his guitars to suit his amps, not the other way round. Seems like a good idea but I've never tried it because, as people have said, my emotional connection has always been with the guitar.

sgosden

are cabs included in the amp pricing?
cabs are important too m'kay

ESBlonde

A great amp really does give you the sound. I've played my old Aria (clean) through my 60s marshall in a number of recordings and still get compliments to this day from musicians and engineers alike. The Aria is the least charactureful sounding guitar I own! It's all about the amp. I don't pretend to be a great guitarist by any stretch of the imagination.
Nice guitars will impart thier own character through a amp so I do have nice guitars too, but as long as a guitar is comfortably playable, thats all you need.

Lebarque

markv said:

merlin said:

I think of the electric guitar and amp together as the instrument. 

I saw a quote from Pete Townshend somewhere to the effect that he chose his guitars to suit his amps, not the other way round. Seems like a good idea but I've never tried it because, as people have said, my emotional connection has always been with the guitar.

Yeh, that's a great point. I think I've said it on here before, but I like a 'balanced' sound for versatility: single coils into a fat-sounding amp (Tweed/Marshall) or humbuckers into a thinner-sounding amp (Blackface/Vox). I think they compliment each other really well. Of course, if you want a more extreme (less versatile) sound, go for humbuckers into a fat amp to bring the rock, or single coils into a thin amp to start surfing.

Cols

I’ve just bought a ‘59 burst.  What are my amp options?

TheMarlin

I played with a terrible Carlesbro Cobra for years.  Spending more on guitars, but not thinking to change the amp.  

Only when I started playing reallly nice guitars did I buy really nice amps. 

My favourite at the moment is a relative cheaply. Gibson GA15. Bit Voxy, bit Fender, sounds fab by itself, awesome through my 2x12 cab. Friendly to pedals, Love it.  No plans to change. 

webrthomson

Cols said:

I’ve just bought a ‘59 burst.  What are my amp options?

Dumble

My guitars tend to be slightly more than my amp setup so maybe 60:40 guitar:amp ratio - does depend on where I'm gigging TBH - smaller venues tend not to merit large amp heads and 4x12's

And, as stated above, there are some amps like Jet City that punch well above their weight!

roberty

You're quickly into diminishing returns with guitars these days. Bang the right pickup in and you're good to go.

p90fool

roberty said: 

You're quickly into diminishing returns with guitars these days. Bang the right pickup in and you're good to go.

It depends on the guitar. It's quite easy and cheap to throw together a Tele which sounds as good as anything out there, but I've yet to find a really cheap LP or hollowbody which really nails it.

I'm not talking about Custom Shop nitpicking, but you need around a grand in my experience. 

paulnb57

roberty said:

You're quickly into diminishing returns with guitars these days. Bang the right pickup in and you're good to go.

There is an element of truth in this.....

ICBM

Guitar - 100%

You can play a guitar into the PA (assuming you have some sort of pedal/preamp) but you can't play air guitar into an amp.












OK, I'm exaggerating slightly, but I don't consider the amp anywhere near as important as some people do. I'm currently using a £2K+ bass into a £24 pedal into whatever amp the venue has, and it's fine. The only bass amp I own is about £400 new I think, and it's really a practice amp - although it would work as a stage monitor as well. So that would still be at least 80:20 to the instrument.

I'm not really playing guitar at the moment, but if I do I have a £4K guitar, a £400 guitar and a £100 amp, which would be fine for small gigs. (I admit I upgraded the speaker, but the new one only cost £25.)

robgilmo

Its more important for a guitar to play and feel good, not sound good, A decent amp will make a shite guitar sound better bur it wont make it play better or feel better, also it depends on how specific you want the sound to be, my amp cost a one'r, my guitar is worth 5 times that, a 500 quid amp wont get me the sound I want but a 1k guitar will get me even closer. 

JezWynd

Cols said:

I’ve just bought a ‘59 burst.  What are my amp options?

No brainer

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/128356/fs-vox-pathfinder-15-pathfinder-15r-sold

wellsyboy

Amps all the way - but I'm Biased - Biased - get it!!! AS long as the guitar is comfortable reliable well built and sounds good it will serve you well. Amps are instruments in their own right. A good amp can make an average guitar. A shit amp just sounds shit whatever you put through it. I would bias towards the amps. 

ICBM

JezWynd said:

Cols said:

I’ve just bought a ‘59 burst.  What are my amp options?

No brainer

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/128356/fs-vox-pathfinder-15-pathfinder-15r-sold

Close. Actually a Mini5 Rhythm...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4uFdipHtaso/U86hOjZ8WLI/AAAAAAAADZ8/oT1RDoRVvXQ/s1600/Greeny+with+Kirk+Hammet.jpg

(Look at the box on the floor .)

wellsyboy said:

A shit amp just sounds shit whatever you put through it.

I'm able to demonstrate this is not true almost every week at the shop. Given a decent guitar, even most sub-£50 solid-state amps can be made to sound at least acceptable, and some of them really quite good. Not at a volume you could gig with without mic'ing it, of course.

Rowby1

merlin said:

I think of the electric guitar and amp together as the instrument. 

Yes, and the pedals (if you use them) and the speakers...all part of the instrument to me. 

I find it surprising how many guitar players don’t see it that way though. 

Just worked out my split on pedals, amp and guitar (based on my most expensive guitar and amp and the current population of my pedal board) comes out at almost exactly 1/3rd on each. 

SimpleSimon

Cols said:

I’ve just bought a ‘59 burst.  What are my amp options?

A decent valve amp like a Lazy J20 etc

SimpleSimon

Close. Actually a Mini5 Rhythm...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4uFdipHtaso/U86hOjZ8WLI/AAAAAAAADZ8/oT1RDoRVvXQ/s1600/Greeny+with+Kirk+Hammet.jpg

(Look at the box on the floor

Jeez Brian May looks rough these days..............