7/4 Posted October 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 I just picked up a cheap Washburn strat knock-off as my first electric. I have had a REAL cheap acoustic for years. I have been teaching myself some things over the years, and now with a respectable guitar, I will be getting formal lessons. My question is this -- what would be a good newbie amp? I am looking for something small-ish. My view has been colored by an amp that a friend loaned me, a Fender Champ 25 from the mid-70s. Nice warm tubes, full sound. I am lazy and haven't read through all of the pages here, so there may be a rec that someone can point me to within this thread. Used would be fine, especially since my budget is a max of $150 or so. Anything worth having in that price range? ← Ask your friend if he/she would sell said amp for 150.00! Otherwise, a solid state practice amp may be in your future. There are some good ones, for sure. This Looks Like A Good Option Have fun! g ← He bought that amp from a co-worker for $50. I just need to find one for that price... Until then, That Vox looks like the real deal! ← You're not interested in the Epiphone Galaxie 10??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 actually Tiny Grimes was a fine jazz guitarist, witness his recordings with Charlie Parker AND Art Tatum (the famous trio) - I heard him in NYC in the late 1970s and he was great - in a Charlie-Christian inspired style - even than - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 Volume swells. They can be accomplished via the volume knob on the guitar or via volume pedal. Hit the note when the volume is down, and then quickly turn the volume up. Some people get different volume pots in their guitar to allow for a more dramatic or easier technique. Oh also, the volume on the amp must be up a bit to get the nice sustain. Thanks Jim and Greg! It's a nice effect! I should've known this. As a youngster, I would use the same idea for recording certain piano sounds. I was trying to get those piano cloud sounds that you can hear on Weather Report's Milky Way from the first album. He must've been using a pedal? It would seem too difficult to do it any other way! Thanks again, Rod ← I think Billy used a pedal. I may have actually read something about his technique at some point in time, either in a mag article or liner notes of his LP's (which I've long since let go of). At any rate, it would be difficult (tedious) to do it as frequently as Butler did using the volume knob on the guitar. Some players like to use those knobs a lot, though (Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton come to mind, but I know there are many others). BTW, my reference to Tiny Grimes referred more to his R&B recordings, I think. Don't recall that he did it much (if at all) in jazz settings, although I could be forgetting. I had an LP called "Rockin' & Sockin", with R&B material from the early 50's where he was using his volume knob for volume swells (no pedals in those days, right? ). ← Allen, you misundersood me. I said: "(I) Don't recall that he did it much (if at all) in jazz settings...". "It" refers to volume swells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregN Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 actually Tiny Grimes was a fine jazz guitarist, witness his recordings with Charlie Parker AND Art Tatum (the famous trio) - I heard him in NYC in the late 1970s and he was great - in a Charlie-Christian inspired style - even than - ← Tiny Grimes is one of my favorites. There is a lot of 'life' in his playing. g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 actually Tiny Grimes was a fine jazz guitarist, witness his recordings with Charlie Parker AND Art Tatum (the famous trio) - I heard him in NYC in the late 1970s and he was great - in a Charlie-Christian inspired style - even than - ← Tiny Grimes is one of my favorites. There is a lot of 'life' in his playing. g ← Amen to that! He had to be good if he could go around wearing a kilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WD45 Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 You're not interested in the Epiphone Galaxie 10??? Oh, that looks even better. All tube. I might place an order this week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 sorry Jim - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted October 10, 2005 Report Share Posted October 10, 2005 (edited) You're not interested in the Epiphone Galaxie 10??? Oh, that looks even better. All tube. I might place an order this week! Whatever you do, be sure to first check out the reviews on Harmony Central: Vox AD15T Valvetronix Reviews Epiphone Galaxie 10 Reviews Edited October 10, 2005 by Ron S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted October 11, 2005 Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 I use a Fender Vibro-Champ from the mid-70s that would be the first thing after the cat to be saved from a fire. You see them used all the time, but they are getting stupidly expensive. The Blues Jr. is in the ballpark, but it is a bit louder (I couldn't play it in my apartment). It has the advantage of having reverb, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted October 11, 2005 Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 Any of you guys seen these guitars before: http://www.zacharyguitars.com/ These are the most playable guitars I've ever tried. Too expensive for me, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 No love for Zack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 No love for Zack? ← Local guitar player gone Wylde. Those double neck guitars look cool, but they sure are uncomfy to play. I think if someone played one a 100% of the time they would end up with some permanent left hand problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Any opinions on G&L guitars? Someone told me that their quality started declining in the mid-90s - is that true? Are the necks always super-thick? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Any opinions on G&L guitars? Someone told me that their quality started declining in the mid-90s - is that true? Are the necks always super-thick? Thanks. ← I have two S-500. I love them both. I think there different radius offered. The necks on mine are not huge. Check with these folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted November 10, 2005 Report Share Posted November 10, 2005 Any opinions on G&L guitars? Someone told me that their quality started declining in the mid-90s - is that true? Are the necks always super-thick? Thanks. ← I have two S-500. I love them both. I think there different radius offered. The necks on mine are not huge. Check with these folks. ← Thanks. Do you think it is worth it to track down an older model, or do you think the newer ones are of about the same quality? I'd love to have a handmade strat (legacy) and tele (asat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted November 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2005 Do you think it is worth it to track down an older model, or do you think the newer ones are of about the same quality? I'd love to have a handmade strat (legacy) and tele (asat). ← I think they're pretty much the same. They tend to be a real deal used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 I picked up a little DRIVE 20 watt amp with reverb for my niece who is interested in playing guitar. Right now she has one of my guitars and has been rehashing a couple things I tried to show her last time they were in town. I got a small scale guitar for her on ebay which SUCKED! Despite its claims of being a "real" guitar and not a toy, it was totally unplayable out of the box. I was able to salvage it to some extent but it required relocating the nut and the bridge! Anyway, back to the amp. I got this DRIVE amp from Musicians Friend for $59. I sprung the extra $10 to add reverb. I gotta say for the money, this is a good little amp. Clean sound is OK, better with the reverb and I was able to get a good variety of distortion as well. It's as good as the comparable Peavey, Squire and Fender models that I've played through and a lot cheaper! So if your looking, give it a chance. I'm thinking about getting one for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WD45 Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 Anyone have an opinion on The Rogue Classic Spider Resonator? At $129, that seems to be a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 (edited) I bought one of these used last week, except mine is made in Japan. Mine has a mahogany body with a natural finish. Looks like the back of a goldtop Les Paul. Dig the funky pickguard. Edited December 13, 2005 by 7/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 From Fender Scandanavia. Maybe the guitar is made of ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 BIlly Gibbons: Rock & Roll Gearhead I don't normally go for these kind of books but if you got a thing for vintage guitars and hot rods this is a must see. Seems likes Billy owns about 5 of every vintage guitar and amp under the sun. Check it out next time your in a book store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 BIlly Gibbons: Rock & Roll Gearhead I don't normally go for these kind of books but if you got a thing for vintage guitars and hot rods this is a must see. Seems likes Billy owns about 5 of every vintage guitar and amp under the sun. Check it out next time your in a book store. It's on my xmas wish list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 So lately I've been digging a Kay acoustic that I bought off a friend last Summer for $225. Funky guitar, the pickguard is missing and the top is a bit scratched up. The back and the sides have a nice flame and the neck is huge. So is the guitar, 17" across the lower bout. Perfect for funky blues and slide. I'd post a photo, but my digital camera is kaput. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregN Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 I bought one of these used last week, except mine is made in Japan. Mine has a mahogany body with a natural finish. Looks like the back of a goldtop Les Paul. Dig the funky pickguard. That pickguard is sweet!!! I am jealous. Nice axe!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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