New Guitar and Amp recommendations

I recently went to see ACDC so now I am starting to get back into electric guitar.

What Guitar and Amp do you guys recommend for playing stuff like ACDC, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix etc?

Budget I guess is around $2500 for both, though wouldn't mind it being less then that.

I have been looking at a Gibson SG Standard (~$1900) for the guitar.

Thanks

 

Eheh.

You probably can get a killer second hand something + a nice combo for $2500

 

Marshall + Gibson

DSL/TSL combo/heads are cheap as second hand and just about every music store stocks those two brands in bulk.

 

Check out the JCM800 Kerry King heads. That'll get you AC/DC with any guitar! They are cheaper than a JCM800 reissue, but offer nearly everything that a JCM800 has. The output valves are KT88s, which do sound different to EL34s. There is no effects loop and only a single input.

But combined with a 1960a cabinet, you can commit murder via SPL.

Here's a very rough demo I made the day I got mine:

 

When you say 'getting back' do you mean that you've started re-learning guitar?

If you are, then that's a VERY big budget for a beginner..i'd recommend something sub $1000 and you can get decent value out of it.

 

yeah, go for the SG if it feels right in your hands. Then a marshall amp of course. I'd recommend an older jcm800 or 900 if you can. They have very different gain characteristics than the newer tsl's and dsl's. More a classic rock vibe, whereas the newer ones are more a modern vibe..

2.5k will get you some pretty good 2nd hand gear, or some middle of the road new stuff..

 

I reckon those Kerry King 800s are terrible. Get a secondhand 800 or maybe a Ceriatone clone, they're pretty awesome as well for the price.

http://www.ceriatone.com/

Get a ceriatone plexi. YEAAAHHH.

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

If your re-learning then I'd go for something like a Marshall 50 watt MDFX amp with an entry level Epiphone Les Paul, which combined could be had around $1k brand new.

 

What I mean by getting back into, I still play acoustic guitar regularly, but only pick up my electric once every week or two.

My current electric guitar is a Cort strat copy (bought in like 2000). So I was thinking of getting some nice gear to both motivate me to really get good at electric guitar, and to produce a good sound.

I would like to get some second hand Marshall gear, how much do you think a JCM800 would go for? And what cabinet do you recommend?

 

Not sure what second hand 800s go for these days but I would definitely go for the matching Marshall 1960A cab.

 

From what I have been reading, in order for tube amps to give you "that" tone, you need to crank them up high.

With regards to the JCM800, wouldn't that mean it would be too loud for a bedroom type area?

If so what are some lower wattage amps/cabs that you would recommend?

 

you can get 50w versions of jcm800s and 900s. Some of them will also have a pentode/triode switch that effectively cuts the wattage in half for quieter playing, but i'd say a 50w would be fine, albeit loud in a small room.

If you're just playing in the bedroom you could probably hunt down a combo version, otherwise a marshall 1936 2x12 cab is really quite nice.

I own a jcm900sl/x 50w head and above cab, great peice of gear for both gigging and jamming at home, though it doesnt get cranked too high at home..
The sl/x model has an extra preamp tube which gives it more gain, this may be your thing, but you should try before you buy.

jcm800's that are any good are getting hard to get, and are getting old now, which means their components are old and more prone to fail.. This is fine if you are or know a good tech, but if you need reliable gig worthy gear be wary. The 900's are about 10 years younger but vary greatly in tone. The earlier ones sound more like 800's, the dual reverb models often sound like poo, and the sl/x models IMO sound real nice and creamy, with tonnes of gain on tap.

Spend time shopping and find what you like.

 

An 800 definitely needs to be cranked hard to get a good power amp sizzle going. You could get an attenuator but I'd probably just look at something lower power instead.

If you're just looking for a bedroom rig I'd look at the Orange Tiny Terror or the Egnater Rebel 20. Both killer little valve amps. The TT is 15W (switchable to 7W) and the Egnater is 20W (but IIRC it has a 10W mode too). The Egnater also has both an EL34 power tube and a 6L6 with a blend knob for mixing the sound of the two. Pretty cool.

They're both pretty fkn loud too, considering how small and low power they are. You could definitely gig with either.

 

I'd steer clear of a marshall myself because they sound horrible unless you have a nice old one cranked up. I agree with the guy above and go for something like the Tiny Terror. Maybe even a good modeling amp?

 

Yeah, I'm of the opinion that you probably want a modelling amp these days for bedroom jamming. They sound surprisingly good, and you have plenty of sounds available for fuckaroundery.

 

Marshall all the way baby! the bands you talk of dont have mega gain so even the cheapest marshall half stacks sound great now for the money.
the mg series even sound as good as a jcm series and have a few effects built im.
my tip is try to get a good sound just out of the amp because peadal boards sound rubbish, and also if you scoop you mids out, when you jam with a drummer and another guitarist you wont be able to hear who is playing what.
anyway (rant over) there is no substitute for the low end of a quad box even if you are only a bedroom jammer.
so mg100 w/quad say $1200
dont be afraid to use a fender guitar, because clean tone is important!
cheap strat- fender mexican strat HSS say $900
sweeeeeeet!

 

Check out the Squire classic vibe series, they come in 50's or 60's models, i've got 50's and i love it to bits, plays pink floyd and Hendrix really well.
I've got a black star HT-5 as well.

 

Umm, what?

 

Not everyone likes good tone?

 

Worst advice ever. MG's are garbage and $900 for a Mexi-Strat is not cheap.

As for the Marshall stack, are you playing concerts any time soon?