[JoshK]

I decided to start taking lessons, as there is a relatively cheap local teacher in my neighborhood advertising and he has really good credentials.   I decided to start lessons to keep me doing something somewhat productive rather than just watch TV all the time.   I have an acoustic that is a nice beginner guitar and am playing to buy an electric** very soon.   I need an amp.

The budget isn't a major constraint (the sky isn't the limit however).  I want something I can use for a very long time and that I will enjoy using.   I live in an apartment, so I won't be jammin out at ear bleeding levels.  I am mostly interested in versatility, sound quality and whatever unforeseen stuff the future will bring if I can hooked playing.   What do I need to know about buying an amp, and what are some good recommendations?

**  I am thinking of buying a particular guitar, a Mayones Setius Pro 6 in "Transparent Dirty Green".   No real objective reasoning other than I fell in love with the look of it when watching Reality Dream III by Riverside.   I also love the tone and playing of Riverside's Piotr G.   A bunch of musicians I love and follow use Mayones guitars.   They are mahogany bodies and beautiful.   I did a little browsing of prices for various guitars and I think their prices are very reasonable for hand made guitars.   And I can say I own the guitar that one of my favorite musicians uses.   

[Devil Doc]

I'll give you the same advice I give every budding musician. Buy the best instrument you can afford. It'll hold it's resale value, just in case and it'll be a whole lot easier to play.

Doc

[JoshK]

Do you have any opinion on amps?  What features, etc?

[SteveFord]

I've always loved Marshall tube amps and they make some small ones suitable for apartments.
Be sure to check out the country of origin on the back of whatever you wind up with as their outsourced ones aren't so hot.
My second choice would be a Mesa Boogie.
For features I'd only want reverb, maybe tremolo, clean channel, overdrive channel, master volume, bass, treble, midrange. 
Some people like a gazillion effects but not me - keep it simple, they make pedals if you really want effects.

Go to a guitar store and give a listen and see which sound appeals to you.

[Quiet Earth]

Congratulations Josh, I hope you have fun learning the guitar. It is great fun to play guitar and it will make you enjoy the hobby you love even more. (Listening to music.)


I won't tell you what amplifier to buy but I'll tell you a few things to consider on your journey:

1. If you are practicing at home by yourself you will never need more than a watt. I have a Laney Lionheart (5W) and it is way too loud for home practice. I took it out to the garage so my neighbor doesn't have to lug his big amp over when we get together for band practice. (I play bass in our band and we have a drum kit out there too. 5W can keep up with bass and drums in a garage.)

2. If you are playing in a band with a live drummer in a small space you will not need more than 5 to 15 watts. I only mention these first 2 points to give you some perspective on loudness while narrowing down your choices.

3. Choices. There are so many. There is no replacement for going to your local music store and trying them all out for yourself. Some of the things that matter in home audio don't really matter so much in pro audio. You are creating sound, not recreating it. Sometimes you have to take the engineering hat off and just listen while you play. You will know your sound when you hear it. You probably already know this but it is worth repeating. It is a different mentality - choosing an amp for guitar or bass. Be a musician when you choose, not a technician. (This was a hard one for me.)

4. Be patient. Take your time. Spend more of your time practicing your guitar and less time playing with gear. You will probably go through a couple of amps anyway, so don't worry too much about your first one. Get something decent just to get you going. As you get better you will choose differently than you do as a beginner because you will have a different perspective. I would buy the best guitar I can afford (for now) and any cheap guitar amp for the first couple of years.

5. There are a whole bunch of guitar amp kits you can build. This could be a lot of fun for you but it will totally mess with number 4 above. Or maybe not.....

Have fun Josh!

[Odal3]

Josh - I'm curious as well for similar reasons. So please keep posting what you find. This will be my third or forth attempt to get beyond the beginner's stage. 

Nice guitar btw.

[Bob2]

...

[JoshK]

So I put my deposit down for the guitar today.  Roughly 6 month waiting list though, so I'll see if I can't pick up a dirt cheap axe on kijiji or the like, or just play my acoustic till then. 

http://www.mayones.com/en/katalog/setius/setius_pro 

I did some browsing and reading yesterday.  Two choices I put on the list are:
Hughes & Kettner - TubeMeister 36W 3 Channel Combo   (~$1600 CAD)
Features:
• Channels: 3 Channels
• Power: 36 Watts
• Reverb: Switchable Reverb
• Effects Loop: Switchable Serial FX Loop
• MIDI: Yes
• Tubes: 3x 12AX7, 4x EL84
• Speakers: 1 x 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker
• Output Balanced XLR output for recording
Dovetailed birch ply cabinet, so not cheaply cheap construction. 

Traynor - GuitarMate 15 Watt All-Tube Guitar Combo Amp (~$700 CAD)
• 15 Watts
• Cathode Bias Circuit Design
• Hand Selected 12AX7 (x2) and EL84 (x2) Tubes
• Celestion 12-inch Greenback Speaker
• Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume and Reverb Controls
• Ultra-Smooth Belton Digi-Log Reverb
• Three Stage USA / Brit / Pure Mode Switch
• Accepts Optional Two Button foot switch:
o Switch 1 = 6dB Gain Boost
o Switch 2 = Reverb Defeat
• Series Effects loop
• External Speaker Jack Output
• Solid Plywood Cabinet Construction
• Two Year Unlimited North American Warranty


Marshall - DSL 2 Channel 40w Combo 1x12  (made in China, not the UK at this price point) ~900 CAD
Wattage 40W
Inputs 1
Controls VOLUME x 2, GAIN x 2, PRESENCE, RESONANCE, BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE, REVERB x 2, TONESHIFT, Clean/Crunch, OD1/OD2, Pentode/Triode
Speakers 1 x 12" CELESTION SEVENTY 80
Pre amp Valves 3 x ECC83
Power amp Valves 1 x ECC83, 2 x EL34
Footswitch YES

[JoshK]

The first one is twice the price but has a lot more features like 36, 18, and 5 watts, 1 watt modes, preamp outputs, and a bunch of other stuff that makes it cool if I really get into it.   I think they are made in Taiwan but have German QC.  They have an 18 watt version which is around $999 and doesn't have all the features and has a different speaker.

The Traynors are made in Canada. 

[Quiet Earth]

That's a nice looking guitar Josh. But have you played one yet? I'm sure it is a very nice guitar, but I really believe it is important to play one a few times before you buy one. The one that feels the best in your hands may not be the one that looks the best to your eyes (or your brain). It's really weird.....  sometimes a cheaper, less popular guitar is the one that just feels right to you. It's really a personal decision.

I remember it took me forever to pick out my bass. I was borrowing my friends bass for a couple of years (because he wanted me to be the bass player) and I swore that I would not buy a fender bass. But I'll be damned if a certain Fender Jazz wasn't the one that felt right to me. I kept comparing everything else I tried to that Fender,  and eventually I said screw it,,,,  that's the one I bought. (I really wanted to buy something exotic, non-mainstream.) Glad I got it. No regrets and still loving it.

At the very least, go try some other guitars out while you wait. Just a suggestion.

Also, electrics are very different animals than acoustics. They sure feel different to me anyway. They can respond much differently. (I am a big time amateur, so maybe it is just me.)

All of the amps you listed look great. Try to get to a store and try one out, or have someone play through one for you if you feel a little bit shy to do that. Check out the used gear too. Lots of people recycle amps just to try everything out. Why? Because it is hard to know exactly what you need until you try a few. There are some good deals out there if you are patient.

Just my 2 cents. It will all work itself out anyway. Keep on picking and strumming!


Hi Bob2,
I thought your original suggestion for the Fender Champ was a good one. You could have left it there. Guitar amps are kind of like a pair of shoes. Find the one that fits you best.

[JoshK]

I appreciate the advice.  Still I will be proud to own that particular guitar, even if only for show.  If it proves to not be a good one for me I'll buy a cheaper more suitable one for practice. 

[Odal3]

The Fender jazz is what I played many many moons ago too before I stopped completely.  Any suggestions for a good acoustic bass?