Priorities....

Guys, my equipment sucks. Only been playin for 8 months so I dont have anything good yet. But Im going to have to make a decission.....amp or guitar. Which should I get? As of right now Ive got a Strat and a 10w practice amp...as I said sucky.... Which should I get? ...and Im not talkin real expensive stuff here, but better than what Ive currently got.

Honestly that decision is up to you. But I just wanted to say something about gear. It really isnt the gear what makes u a better player...if u gave Kirk Hammett or Steve Vai your gear and told him to play i'm pretty sure they could coax some awesome sounds out of the same gear. It's really all about ur technique and how familiar u are with your gear. I read on a website a while back that Kirk Hammett started playing guitar and he played through a 2 watt amp with a 4 inch speaker for quite some time. The gear isnt always what makes u a better player. That comes from you. I myself have been playing for 3 years and still play through a crappy little amp and guitars less than $150 each and I love the way it sounds. Did I mention I'm even playin through a bass amp? It's not ur gear...its ur playing that makes u sound good.

With that said...if u dont think ur guitar or amp are cuttin it get a new one...it's all about what u like more, but don't think it'll make u a rock god right off the bat cause that just doesnt happen. Ur gonna need to spend a lot more time in the woodshed for that buddy. Hope that helps a bit. Rock on! :cool:

For all intents and purposes I still have a beginners rig, but plan on upgrading soon. I'd replace whichever one you're unhappiest with. As for amps, you don't need anything huge, as I've only got a 40 Watt amp but still never need the volume above 2.

Originally Posted by: InfectiousHonestly that decision is up to you. But I just wanted to say something about gear. It really isnt the gear what makes u a better player...if u gave Kirk Hammett or Steve Vai your gear and told him to play i'm pretty sure they could coax some awesome sounds out of the same gear. It's really all about ur technique and how familiar u are with your gear. I read on a website a while back that Kirk Hammett started playing guitar and he played through a 2 watt amp with a 4 inch speaker for quite some time. The gear isnt always what makes u a better player. That comes from you. I myself have been playing for 3 years and still play through a crappy little amp and guitars less than $150 each and I love the way it sounds. Did I mention I'm even playin through a bass amp? It's not ur gear...its ur playing that makes u sound good.

With that said...if u dont think ur guitar or amp are cuttin it get a new one...it's all about what u like more, but don't think it'll make u a rock god right off the bat cause that just doesnt happen. Ur gonna need to spend a lot more time in the woodshed for that buddy. Hope that helps a bit. Rock on! :cool:

This is true. Ill prolly go with an amp to get rid of all that nasty feedback I get from my amp.

Now Im not saying that if you can play well your gonna get a really great tone out of bad equipment, But alot of your sound really does come from you, I dont have the greatest amp in the world but when I play my strat on it I sound great, but when my friend tries and gets mad he doesnt have my sound all I can tell him is keep practicin! But as far as gear goes, I have a sweet american strat and a 30 watt fender amp w/ some pedals, sounds great.

If your like me and like great blues/rock tone, light/mild/to semi-heavy tone get a standard fender strat and some fender "hot noiseless pickups" and Marshall MG combo.

If you like a heavy sound get a Epiphone les paul and a marshall MG combo.

If your into shredding get and Ibanez rg or schecter c-1 artist and a high gain amp.

It all depends on what you want

I'd lean twords a new amp. Lots of pedals don't sound right through practice amps. I recommend any peavy amps.

Strats are Good - they deserve a good Amp

Peavey is good. Roland cubes (30) are also highly recommended by many for both their quality and value, but I've never had the pleasure of using one myself.

I would get a decent amp before a better guitar myself, but the only person here who can say what you'll enjoy more is yourself.

One advantage of getting a good guitar first is that you'll be better equipped to play a gig somewhere that already has a sound system (for example, at a chuch).

ok, so now, these people are saying that it's you that makes your tone, not your gear, well this is partially true... but of course, if you give steve vai a crappy guitar, he'll sound good still, but if you give him a great guitar then he'll sound better.

now, owning a JEM won't make you sound as good as steve vai, but it'll make you sound better then you do right now.

now that that's out of the way, I'd say go for a new amp first, I got a fender FM212R for $300 after playing for about 8-9 months, and I love it! perfect gig amp, amazing clean sound and the distortion really isn't as bad as most people will try to tell you. especially since there are two drive modes, one gain mode (more drive) one that I use on solos and just times when I need that edge. and a normal gain mode (drive) that is good for rythm work. unfortunately this amp is LOUD, much too loud for practicing at home in your room... I play gigs for around 40-50 people with the volume at 3!!! but I'm just saying, I think an amp gives better tone for the dollar then a guitar...

Hmmm...hard choice for sure. But I'm leaning towards new guitar. Upon arrival of my new upgrade axe, I was inspired to play more and was even able to pull some stuff off I couldn't do before. But then again, it's gotta get "electrified" to be worth much, so...
I'll echo the endorsement of Peavey, and the suggestion to keep it small unless you're playing gigs, should you decide the new amp route.