Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to guitars and want to get started with an electric. Obviously, I want to start with some low cost but decent hardware. On researching various entry-level guitars I came across the Behringer iAxe 624 Centari USB. It has a USB interface which let you connect directly to a computer and use included software to do the amp's job. It's available for 14.4k at Bajaao.com. I am tempted to consider this as an option instead of a traditional guitar and amp set up. Here are some reasons... - I don't need an amp. The software amp claims to emulate the features of some high-end amps, so I may be getting much better results than a real, but cheap amp. - I have pretty good speakers with my computer, so again sound quality may be better than a cheap amp. - Recording and mixing can be done without any additional equipment. - It's probably the cheapest option, unless going for a really low-end combo. Well, those were the positives. There are also some reasons why I doubt if it would be a good buy. - As far as features, sound and built quality go, it's probably not a very good unit for it's price. For a few thousands more, I can get a pretty decent guitar and a not-so-bad 15W amp (thinking about the Marshall MG15CDR). - I don't know how "real" the software emulated sound is going to be. So this is where I need help from the experts out here. I did go through some beginner threads and found some good traditional electric recommendations, but didn't find any discussions on USB. Does anybody have any experience with the iAxe. Will the software amp perform significantly better than a cheap 15-watter? Or would a better traditional guitar perform better, even with a cheap amp? Remember that I'm a complete newbie will not be able to really exploits the benefits of a really good setup for quite some time. But I want to enjoy what I'm doing as that is my only motivation. Looking forward to your advice and many thanks!
So you are gonna lug your PC with multimedia speakers everywhere you plan to play your guitar? Unless and until recording is your only purpose, don't go in for USB plug. If there is any optional USB plug - then its fine, though.
