Hello friends I'm new to these forums -- what a great place you have all built! I plan to buy an electric guitar, a practice amp, and a multi-effects processor. I would like your advice as to what I should get for my budget. Background I've been playing guitar for a little over three years; it's a hobby of mine, I'm by no means an expert. I used to be in a garage band, and we played live a few times. Now I'm no longer a part of the band (everybody moved to different places). I used to own an Epiphone Les Paul in the past, but I gave that guitar to a friend when I moved a year ago. I got married, and since then haven't touched a guitar! I've now decided it's time for me to get a new axe and start rocking once again. This time, I'll be playing for myself, in my house with my wife as the only member of the audience. Music I always get confused by music genres. I'll list my favorite bands whose sound I would like to emulate: Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Red Hot Chili Peppers. I believe I would say I'm into soft, classical rock. And of course I would also like to rock some bollywood tunes for my wife. I was the rhythm guitarist in my band, but now that I'm all by myself, I would like to get into some soloing as well. Websites I live in the middle of nowhere. There are no guitar shops for hundreds of miles. The only option I have is to buy my gear online. Currently I'm looking at bajaao dot com (I can't post urls directly since I'm new). It seems to have a decent collection. Are there any other websites you would recommend? Googling hasn't helped me much; the only other website I could find was Raj Musicals, and it seems to have the same equipment as Bajaao. Another question I have is this: if I separately buy a guitar, an amp, and an effects processor from the website (as opposed to their combo packages), will accessories like instrument cables (one for the amp, and one for the processor), guitar strap, picks, etc. be included, or do I have to buy them separately? I mean who would buy an electric guitar without a cable/cord, so why not include it in the price of the guitar itself? Budget I'm willing to shell out Rs. 20,000 for the guitar, a practice amp, an effects processor, and shipping. I've no delusions about getting a killer axe for this price, but something half decent will be good. Like I mentioned before, I don't intend to do any live gigs with it. I'm considering spending my 20k as follows: Amp Marshall MG10CD 10W Guitar Amplifier. Price: Rs. 3,900/- Processor Zoom G2 Guitar Multi-Effect Processor and Drum Machine. Price: Rs. 5,900/- Cables, strings, bag Rs. 1,000/- Shipping Rs. 1000/- This leaves me with a measly Rs. 8,200/- for the guitar! Guitar Since my last guitar was a LP, I want to try out the strat body design for a change (single coil pickups). Another minor consideration is that I would love to get one with a maple fretboard. My last guitar had a rosewood fingerboard and I'm ready to move on to a faster and more "fresh" looking maple fretboard. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find an axe with a maple fretboard on the Bajaao website. Here's the one I'm considering at this moment, but I'm open to suggestions. Fender Squier California Series Fat Strat. Price: Rs. 8,900/- It has got two single-coil pickups and one humbucker pickup (best of both worlds), a rosewood fingerboard (do you think a maple fingerboard model can be gotten, if I ask), 5-position pickup switching, one volume, and two tone controls. So what do you think? Are these wise choices? Do you have better (same price/cheaper) recommendations for the guitar, amp, and processor? Can I get a vastly better gig by shelling out a little extra cash? Any thoughts/opinions will be very welcome. I'm really excited to be getting back into guitaring! Thank you for reading this rather long post. Rock on.
i think you better leave the processor for now and stretch your budget for the guitar...maybe you can buy an amp with built in effects like Roland cube 15X or Roland Micro Cube (2W amp).. Greg Bennett AV3 would have been good for you but since you want strat type guitar you can go for Ibanez or Cort or yamaha pacifica(donno if its there in bajaao).. Its difficult to get maple fretboard guitars at low prices so leave this option as well..Since you have knowledge bout guitars already ,so i leave it to yourself to figure out which one suits you better.. and you can refer to bajaao for prices and google for reviews..
Dear Rick, Thank you for your quick response. I'm a little reluctant to completely eliminate the effects processor. I like the versatility it provides in terms of the sounds I can produce. I know it's mostly a gimmick to make cool sounds with a processor, but it keeps things fresh, if my guitar playing itself becomes stale. Unfortunately, I'm not a good enough/versatile guitar player to make the guitar alone do all the talking. Besides, it also has a drum machine which will spice up my lonely jamming sessions. However, I've taken your advice seriously and reached a compromise. I'll cut down on the processor budget and probably go for the cheaper Digitech RP50 (Rs. 3,900/-). It's a run of the mill device, but has everything I will need. The Rs. 2,000/- I save can go into getting a better guitar. Man, the Greg Bennett AV3 looks awesome (Bajaao has it) but I definitely want to go for a strat (and with single coil pickups). Maybe it can be my next axe! The Ibanez and Cort guitars in my price range have humbucker pickups, so they are eliminated too. The Roland amps you mention look great, except I'm not very big on distortion, overdrive (which are the inbuilt effects they have). The Yamaha Pacifica looks great. It's got both single coil and humbucker pickups, though it's slightly expensive at Rs. 11,900/-, but if it's a decent axe then I may be better served by spending a little more cash now, than getting a crappy guitar that goes out of tune every five minutes. I'll definitely think about it before I make my final choice. Now that you've saved me a couple of grand on the effects processor, I'm also looking at the following (slightly more expensive) guitar options: Squier by Fender Bullet Electric Guitar with Tremolo Price: Rs. 9,200/- Three single coil pickups. This is a sweet looking strat, for my price range. Washburn X10 Electric Guitar Price: Rs. 10,000/- Two single coil pickups and one humbucker.
go for the washburn...it makes the best acoustic and descent electrics...dont think of another option...if yr still looking for better ones...then jack and danny is pretty good...they are very durable and and has ssh pick ups..dont go for the squire by any chance..every alternate pick up buzzes..so its worthless
Dear jhon, Thanks for the squire warning! I'll take it out of my short list, and focus more on the Washburn (along with the Yamaha Pacifica). Another question: I'm looking at the reviews of Line 6 GuitarPort XT Guitar Multi Effects Processor. It's an interface between the guitar and a computer. I've never seen one before, but from what I understand, this eliminates the need for an amp altogether. Since I'm not getting a killer amp anyway, do you guys think the Line 6 GuitarPort XT will be worth it? In terms of the money I'll have to spend: * Option 1 (amp + RP50): Rs. 3900/- + Rs. 3900/- = Rs. 7800/-. * Option 2 (GuitarPort XT): Rs. 5500/-. Option 2 will save me another Rs. 2,300/- which I can put in the guitar. Of course the con is that I'll have to connect my guitar to a computer every time I have to play. Thoughts?
quite honestly, dump the processor - compromising there isn't a better option. picking up something shitty there isn't really doing anything for you. always remember - the worse your tone is, the less fun it is playing, unless you're some sort of guitar genius who can make any setup sound awesome. your budget is extremely tight - i'd recommmend buying the yamaha pacifica and a roland cube 15 or something. the line6 guitarport is not a great idea for the reason you've already stated. squiers are crap guitars, having owned one and played a dozen. the yamaha PACs are the most consistent beginner guitars i've played to date, and fit the musical styles you mentioned perfectly.
never go for the port..dosent matter if you shell out some money...becuz an amp is worth it not a port...you dont get a clear sound wen u connect it to a computer lots of complaints about ports. scince yr going for a processor better buy a kustom sound 20 watt for rs 2700 only...very durable an good...and has 2 inputs...blindly go for the kustom sound..i hav a roland 15x cube and a kustom sound 20 watt ....nd personally i feel the kustom sound is better...it has no effects like distorion and overdrive though..u'll be saving rs 1200 to put in the gtr..so blindly go for it
let me know where do you exactly live.also chek out ebay..but bajaoo has everything so its not a big deal to find out..dont forget abt the kustom sound 20 w.. its availabe on bajaoo...........................................OH and by the way j and d make a few ssh guitars with a walnut fingerboard very rare..it has both the features of a maple (A SHARPER TONE) AND A ROSEWOOD..(GOOD TO SLIDE) so try tht..dont think is available on bajaoo rajmusicals.in/index.php?cPath=33_35 chek the ibanez GRX 40strat and the pacifica and also stranger cube 20 w..kuston sound is better though..ull hav tht on bajaoo...buy the gtr from raj nad amp any one from the 2 i told you...u cant get anything better in those prices...ull have much more to spend on strings and other stuff
Forget about that processor. A good amp will go a much longer way. Yamaha Pac+Roland Cube series is the only way I see it. Buy my RP300A later if you want. https://indianguitartabs.com/showthread.php?t=44477 And about drum machines, we have Guitar Pro, and tons of DAWs with drum VSTs for that purpose (actually, they pretty much OWN drum machines in any way possible.). Kustom Sound and Stranger are the shittiest amps on the market (though I've actually heard people say they have a working setup with a processor doing all the sound shaping going through a Stranger, I don't think that's what's needed here.). Only toss up - Pacifica 112 (~16k) will leave you with 4k for an amp. Pac 012 should easily leave around 8k, you could land a Pac 012+Cube 20x or something in 20k (from a real shop, not Bajaao). It probably doesn't make a rather big difference. Cables, strings, and bag should be FREE with your guitar. And always are. Yes, even in India. The shop guy shouldn't refuse, and if he does, take thy business elsewhere. Here's more help. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365675
No need for a processor, buy a roland amp insted. another kiler option is to go for a usb interface. That way you can get your drum machine on your pc.
there's this website which can be very helpful to everyone around.. www.jamstudio.com great for jamming when you got nobody else to jam with...
Hello friends, thanks for the valuable advice! Here's a little update on my situation: Jhon, I live about 60 km outside of Hyderabad. It's a very remote place, which is why I would like to get all my gear in one go. Also, I don't intend on upgrading or buying more equipment for a while at least. It's not like I'm going to get more money for purchasing gear in the near future. My budget is 20k for this one time purchase, no more after that. So, if I have to get an effects processor (and I believe I need one, if for nothing else then for the versatility it provides) then I need to get it now, and within the 20k limit. First, I'm going to place my order with Raj Musicals (Delhi based), not Bajaao. The former is much cheaper. After taking all your comments into account, and after putting some thought into it, I've decided to settle for the following: Guitar Yamaha Pacifica 012 Price: 9600 I wish I could get the 112, but it's beyond what I'm willing to spend (about 5k more than the 012). The 012 has excellent reviews, and though it's a beginner's guitar, it appears to have a decent tone and is very versatile (one humbucker and two single coils). I've read some very good things about the humbucker (which is usually a problem with low end strat copies). The guitar seems to stay in tune, even with whammy bar usage, which is great since I suck at tuning guitars. It doesn't have a maple fretboard, but I guess I'll have to live with that -- no other guitar in my range has it. Moreover, I've listened to some sound tests on youtube, and it does sound great (though that may also be because of the amps they were using). Another option I was thinking about for a couple of days was the Ibanez GRX40. It's about 1k more than the Pacifica, and had decent reviews. In the end, Pacifica won because of the suggestions in this thread and also the better reviews it had on the web. The other guitarist in my ex-band owned an Ibanez, so I've played it before, and though it's a good guitar, I would like to try the Yamaha this time. The third guitar on my list was the Washburn X10, but it had awful reviews, and that put me off. Amp Stranger Cube 20 Price: 2800 Now this is where you guys will probably shake your head in disbelief (or start throwing bricks at me). I'm going for the cheapest of the lot -- the Stranger Cube 20 (shudder!). I realize it's probably going to be crap, but I absolutely have to make way for an effects processor (however hard I try, I just can't seem to shake it off). Maybe I'm making a mistake, but I hope it's not completely shitty, and gives me a half decent performance. I've read a couple of good reviews. What gives me heart is that it doesn't have a character of its own, and hence will stand out of the way and let the effects processor shine through. Remember that I'm going to use this in my bedroom (not for jamming with a band, and definitely not for live gigs) -- in fact, most of the time I'll be using my headphones, so I don't see the amp as a key component of my gig at this stage. Maybe in the future if I do decide to upgrade, I'll go for a Roland or Marshall. Till then, this will have to do. Effects Processor RP70 Price: 5650 I know you guys are completely against this idea, but I think this will be a good addition to my setup. I've used the RP50 before, and I was happy with the little things it could do. Also, like I said before, this is a one time amount I'm willing to spend, so if I've to get a processor, I've to get it now. It's not like I can buy a more expensive guitar now, and save for the processor later. If I'm disappointed in the RP70, I'll be the first to come on here and acknowledge how silly my decision was! Shipping Price: 1560 I called up Raj Musicals yesterday, and they said they will ship to my area. Since courier companies don't service my area, it'll have to be speed post. Accessories like instrument cables, bag, strap, etc. are included, so that's good (probably shitty quality, but I'm going to be optimistic). The total cost for the entire thing is 19960. So, other than the amp, does this look fine for my price range? Also, any opinions about Raj Musicals?
Friends I finally placed my order with Raj Musicals. I did a complete 180 degree at the last moment and decided to skip on the effects processor. I got the Yamaha Pacifica 012 (as planned) and the Roland micro cube, which has a bunch of inbuilt amp models and efx.
good choice man . btw what place exactly are you located ? when i ordered my guitar from bajaao , they shipped for free .. you could have tried asking but anyway. congrats man
Dear gpt, I live near Shankerpalli (~10 km from Sangareddy, ~50 km from Hyderabad). Do you live in/near Hyderabad? I'm glad I listened to the advice in this thread. The link posted earlier reminded me that the amp was more important than even the guitar -- let alone an effects processor -- when it comes to the tone/sound. Since I don't have a drummer around, I went with the Roland Cube Micro which has unbelievable reviews. I didn't know that online stores negotiated! I paid Rs. 1350/- for shipping. It's too late now, the money has already been transferred but I'll negotiate the next time I buy something. Thanks for the tip.
I live in patancheru , ICRISAT .. relatively close by. online stores do negotiate .. use the best price form . when i got my ibanez i got it down from 23k to 18.5k with free shipping , gigbag , strap & cable & pick holder.
