guitar help needed....now i need amp help

[wingedfeetxc]

I plan on getting an electric guitar soon but I don't really have any idea what I'm looking for so can anybody here recommend anything? I have a cheap accoustic guitar that I've been playing for about a year though I'm certainly still a beginner. I'm starting to get a little bit of a handle on it but I still really have no idea what I'm doing. At some point in the future I'd like to start a band, but not until I get a better handle on playing; this guitar would mainly be to learn on. I love the way Jeff's guitar looks and I think it would be cool to have something like that or similar. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend, I would say under $250. Can anybody here help me out and give me some recommendations?

[Edited on 11-21-2005 by wingedfeetxc]

[charrrddddd]

Old archtop guitars (what jeff's is) are pretty rad. You could find one for under 250 if you got really lucky, though obviously it wouldn't be a gibson. i would check out local guitar shops, i don't know how far poughkeepsie (i'm slightly geographically retarded) is from manhattan, but i went to a few shops in manhattan this summer that had a grip of them for fairly cheap.

just look for old harmony, kay, or silvertone archtops. there are plenty of them around.
you'd probably have some luck on craigslist, too.

[YK]

http://www.music123.com/Hollowbody-Guitars-d763.music?o=5&pf=5&x=8&y=7

[YK]

but getting both an amp and a good archtop (one that plays decent) for under 250 would be quite an accomplishment

music123 has some nice starter sets from ibanez and squier with a strat copy and a 10-15 watt amp for under 250

[YK]

i'm not a guitar god myself, i've started taking lessons about a year ago, but you should take care that your guitar plays well in the first place. You don't want any crappy necks etc. So go look around in your local shops, ask people about the quality of certain budget guitars, maybe try some yourself to feel the difference.

Of course you don't want to end up with something that looks like crap in your opinion, but with a budget, starter guitar i'd put the way it plays above looks.
My first guitar was a yamaha EG112 strat copy. Cheap thing (169 i think), i'm not really a strat fanatic, but plays lovely. I just bought a fender jaguar :D

[charrrddddd]

i would look for a used guitar before you go and buy a new one. there are some way good deals to be had. my first guitar was an epiphone les paul that i got for 250, which is about 250-350 less than what they go for new. i'm sure those new guitars on that website are great, but you could probably find a better one used for the same price.

[wingedfeetxc]

Thanks alot for everybody's help so far; the stuff you've showed me is actually really helpful.

I do have a few more questions, if anybody could help me.

In looking at the guitar's like Jeff's, I see that they are hollow body guitars. What's the difference between them and a solid body guitar (besides, obviously, one has a solid body and the other doesn't). How will that sound different?

What is a jazz box guitar and how is it different then a "normal" electric guitar?

What are some other good electric guitars for beginners?? They don't have to nessesarily look like Jeff's.

I found one of the one's that YK listed on that site (that got really good reviews) on e-bay for a lot cheaper (it's a factory second). Would it be a smart or stupid to buy a guitar like that, off e-bay? Here is the link, btw: link (http://cgi.ebay.com/Washburn-HB-15-Hollowbody-Tobacco-Burst-Electric-Guitar_W0QQitemZ7366847443QQcategoryZ33048QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting)

Thanks a lot for your help again. Obviously, I don't really have any clue what I'm doing here so anything you can tell me really helps. Thanks. :)

[auxiliaryoctopus]

That washburn is sweet. I've been eyeing those for a while. You might have some competition;)

Anyway, it's difficult to say exactly how they sound different. Language for musical sound is pretty inaccurate. Many say they sound "warmer." There is a sound difference, but most people couldn't distinguish between the two from a recording.

A "jazz box" is a nickname for the old f-hole archtop guitars that jazz players used to use. Jeffs guitar would be a "jazz box" while a stratocaster or telecaster would not be.

I've had some good luck with ebay, purchasing my good mandolin and 4-track on there for great prices. It's not stupid, but you should deff. do research on what you want and ask the seller questions.

The important thing for a beginning guitar is that 1.) It has a strait neck with good low action (the height of the strings from the fretboard) 2.) it stays in tune and 3.) you like the way it looks and sounds.

[the hurdy gurdy man]

those starter pack guitars are crap. they play like crap, and stay in tune about as well as crap. go used, and find a decent guitar.

on a different note, I was this close *holds up thumb and index finger about one inch apart* to buying a Rickenbacker 330 today, but I didn't have the $900 they were asking. :(

[YK]

Originally posted by the hurdy gurdy man
on a different note, I was this close *holds up thumb and index finger about one inch apart* to buying a Rickenbacker 330 today, but I didn't have the $900 they were asking. :(

oh man, that's a bummer, 900$ for a 330 is a pretty good deal if you'd ask me. Fireglow?

[charrrddddd]

for solid body vs hollow body, compare the new zealand show, in which jeff played a really twangy solid body, to the april 1998 show from san francisco, where he played his gibson. it should be noted though that not all solid body guitars sound that trebley (and gross, in my opinion).

but that is something you can use to hear the same songs played on different guitars. also i think the amp had a lot to do with the tone jeff got back in the day, though i'm not sure what it is.

i almost bought an american standard strat in olympic white for 350 the other day, but then i realized that i shouold probably learn to play the two guitars i already own before buying another, even though it was such a good deal.

[wingedfeetxc]

Originally posted by charrrddddd
for solid body vs hollow body, compare the new zealand show, in which jeff played a really twangy solid body, to the april 1998 show from san francisco, where he played his gibson. it should be noted though that not all solid body guitars sound that trebley (and gross, in my opinion).



Actually, I think at the NZ show Jeff might have actually played his Gibson. If you look at these pictures here (http://hip.net.nz/music_in_nz/Jeff_Mangum/Pics.html) you can see Jeff at least has his Gibson with him, though he's not always shown playing it.

[charrrddddd]

i was talking about the guitar that he's playing in this photo:
http://hip.net.nz/music_in_nz/Jeff_Mangum/JM_LC.jpg

i'm 90% positive he played the white one on in the aeroplane over the sea (the song) because i've never heard a gibson sound like that before. also, that is not the guitar he had on the tour. that's an es-335, which is a hollowbody as well, but thinner and has two pickups. he played an es-125 which is thicker (deeper?) and has only a neck pickup. so i guess he could've been playing the gibson, but had it on the treble pickup that the 125 didn't have, but again, i've never heard any hollowbody guitar, gibson or not, especially of the 335 style, sound like that. i'll listen to it right now with that in mind though, because i always assumed he was playing that white one the whole time.

[auxiliaryoctopus]

The white guitar is an Ovation Breadwinner, if anyone wanted to know that.

[JohnRHaupert]

Ibanez sucks, dont get one.

[JoeJustJoe]

I beg to differ. Ibanez does not suck. I own a Jet King and a Jet King 2 and both play and sound great, not to mention they look cool. Both were under $250 delivered. A friend has one of the Artcore hollow bodies, the AK85 witch also plays and sounds good. I would definitely recommend Ibanez, you get good bang for your buck.

Or get a Danelectro

[Edited on 11-18-2005 by JoeJustJoe]

[JohnRHaupert]

I like Danelectro.

[wingedfeetxc]

So I got the Washburn HB15 for $111 on ebay......

Can anybody recomend me a good beginner amp now that's not to expensive? I know even less about amps then I do about guitars......

[auxiliaryoctopus]

Crap! I forgot the auction was up today! Well, you got a great deal. Congratulations!

Anyway, amp-wise, I would look for an old silver-tone tube amp on ebay. They're usually pretty cheap and would probably complement the sound of your guitar nicely. Most player who don't play metal strongly prefere Tube amps to solid state.

Here's one:
amp (http://cgi.ebay.com/1960s-Silvertone-1482-tube-amp_W0QQitemZ7367979820QQcategoryZ10171QQtcZphotoQ QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

another amp (http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-SUPRO-TUBE-AMP-COMBO-valco-gretsch_W0QQitemZ7368155902QQcategoryZ10171QQtcZph otoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

This is the only amp I've ever used. I'm very happy with it, and never really think about upgrading. I think they're a steal:

Gibson Falcon (http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-RVT-19-Falcon-Amplifier_W0QQitemZ7368336141QQcategoryZ10171QQtcZ photoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Let us know how that guitar works. Happy playing!



[Edited on 11-21-2005 by auxiliaryoctopus]

[everythingfallstogether]

If you were looking for something new I would look at Vox Pathfinders. They're great beginners amps and don't cost all that much.

Here's a link (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_id/113956)

[charrrddddd]

here's what i have: link (http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-68-Fender-Bandmaster-Tube-Guitar-Amp-AB763_W0QQitemZ7367801767QQcategoryZ38074QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting)

it sounds real purdy, though i wish it had reverb. get an amp with reverb if you can.

i kindof wish i had gotten one of those little silvertone combos instead though, because mine is too loud to really use to its full potential. i can't get good tone out of it until it's up to about four at which point the neighbors come knocking on my door. so actually don't get one. get that silvertone auxiliaryoctopus linked you to.