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

ICBM

SimpleSimon said:

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

If you want real heresy, he actually looks somewhat like what you would imagine an older Peter Green might do if Green hadn't unfortunately suffered from drug and health problems as much as he has.

HAL9000

ICBM said:

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.

Indeed. I know a few people that gig 'cheap' amps such as Roland Cubes, Fender Champions, etc, and get perfectly acceptable sounds from them. Admittedly the Cubes can get a bit fizzy on the more extreme settings but as long as they're not pushed too hard they'll do the job. And the Champion really does surprisingly well at those Fendery shimmery cleans. Ok, they're never going to satisfy those who want real valvey goodness, but for a gig at The Dog and Duck they're more than up to the job. 

wellsyboy

My point was - if an amp sounds shit nothing will make it sound better - the amps that you are referring to obviously don't sound like shit to you. Of course, it is subjective. 

slacker

Imho when you first start playing you need as good a guitar as you can afford and the least possible outlay on an amp. When you star rehearsing gigging etc, keep the guitar and get a decent amp.

I had a couple of decent guitars and compromised on the amp. After years of unreliability,speaker and valve swaps I spent a lot on an amp and never looked backed. I even bought a second one.

ICBM

wellsyboy said:

My point was - if an amp sounds shit nothing will make it sound better - the amps that you are referring to obviously don't sound like shit to you. Of course, it is subjective. 

Yes, but it's surprising how few amps sound shit if you put a decent guitar through them and dial them in right - not just to me, to people listening as well. They do exist, but are very much in the minority, regardless of price. But it's much harder to get one to sound good with a really poor guitar, ie the guitar does matter as well.

Ironically a few of the ones that I really can't get a tolerable sound out of, some people here like! Which does indicate a certain variance in taste, it's true .

martin8708

Cols said:

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

This is precisely what the initial question is about . If you have a top-dollar guitar , do you have the amp to match it ?   Just out of curiosity , what amp do you use ? 

Conversely , for the less financially endowed , or the beginner ,do you blow the budget on the guitar with little thought to the amp ?
When I say amps , I mean either combo's or head / cab combinations .

ICBM

martin8708 said:

This is precisely what the initial question is about . If you have a top-dollar guitar , do you have the amp to match it ?   Just out of curiosity , what amp do you use ? 

Conversely , for the less financially endowed , or the beginner ,do you blow the budget on the guitar with little thought to the amp ?

Certainly not little thought - but you don’t need to spend that much to get a good amp. If you’re on a very limited budget I would tilt it more to the guitar than the amp.

Cabicular

ICBM said:

wellsyboy said:

My point was - if an amp sounds shit nothing will make it sound better - the amps that you are referring to obviously don't sound like shit to you. Of course, it is subjective. 

Yes, but it's surprising how few amps sound shit if you put a decent guitar through them and dial them in right - not just to me, to people listening as well. They do exist, but are very much in the minority, regardless of price. But it's much harder to get one to sound good with a really poor guitar, ie the guitar does matter as well.

Ironically a few of the ones that I really can't get a tolerable sound out of, some people here like! Which does indicate a certain variance in taste, it's true .

I’ll come in and pick the micro terror against my Matchless
have at it!

ICBM

Cabicular said:

I’ll come in and pick the micro terror against my Matchless  

have at it!

Ok, you win that one .

But I choose the guitar. R9 through the Orange, 70s Satellite Les Paul through the Matchless.

Closer than you would think, I’ll bet . 

richardhomer

The emphasis is always on the guitar for me - as long as an amp is broadly in the right tonal ballpark, I can work with it.

I’ve posted this before - it was played on a 1964 Gibson 335 into a Blackstar HT1R combo through its stock 8” speaker:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mxDr2jPrYgA

baldy

As a home player I have spent more on the guitar than the amp.
If I was gigging I would probably still use my main guitar but would buy a more expensive amp.
Present guitar & amp were both bought used but the new price ratio would still be about the same with the guitar being roughly 3 times the cost of my amp, so 75% - 25% in favour of the guitar.
I also have a multi effects pedal, again bought used, which cost about the same as the amp so 50% guitar, 25% amp 25% pedals if you include pedals.
My stepson gigs regularly in a couple of bands & his split would be roughly 50/50 between guitar & amp or 33% - 33% - 33% if you include pedals.

ICBM

richardhomer said:

I’ve posted this before - it was played on a 1964 Gibson 335 into a Blackstar HT1R combo through its stock 8” speaker:

It’s clear there that the quality of the guitar shines through even a small, fairly cheap - though certainly not poor quality - amp.

But that the player’s touch and phrasing trumps both, if the basic tone is at least good...

Flanging_Fred

Tonight’s gig will be fun/interestng

£15 guitar
£1500 pedalboard
£600 amps

I’ll try and get evidence... 

DaevidJ

40:60 in favour of the amp for me, however I have played gigs with other amps (when abroad) and got on fine. Even in a fairly bad venue is just gives that extra level of confidence to have a responsive amplifier, something I have yet to find in a cheaper amp...

hywelg

Sod the guitar OR  the amp. I wish I could blow a few grand on a new set of fingers.

Roysterdoyster

82% Guitar 18% Amp. Of course,all these ratios look skewed somewhat if I use actual cost. I could buy a very good amp second hand but a new guitar or vice versa. The new price of each would be a better gauge. My ratio looks like I play through a crappy amp,which I don't 

Dominic

Having seen Tommy Emmanuel last night ;
Guitar 40%
Amp    Zero
The other 60% will have to go on Lessons !!!!!!!!!!

57Deluxe

Best amps I can afford against lower-to-mid-range guitars as these days, the level of guitar manufacturing competency is greatly improved over even as few as 15+ years ago.

HAL9000

Flanging_Fred said:

£15 guitar

SpongeBob?

Flanging_Fred

HAL9000 said:

Flanging_Fred said:

£15 guitar

SpongeBob?

Make your way to the Holmbush inn at Faygate and you'll see! Be there or be a goofy goober!

P.s. Hawaiian shirt may be required.