What is more important guitar an amp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BrentSSL
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Well I play a shittier guitar than probably anyone on the board (a POS first act from Walmart) and it sounds killer though a killer amp. It sounds good through a good amp and like shit though a shit amp. I get the exact same results with a really good guitar.
 
Thought this was a Poll. I'd say it depends on your musical goals.. But as most have prob said, a better amp with a crappy guitar would yield better tones I think.
 
You can play an acoustic without an amp.

As I see it, when it comes to electric instruments: the guitar, cable, pedals, rack gear, amp, cabs etc... are 1 instrument, and those who only concentrate on playing 'guitar' vs learning to use and play the whole signal chain, have a disadvantage, as it goes toward maximizing a great tonal result.

As it goes toward "What is more important", IF making music is the point-- and it is, the two (Guitar AND Amp) are 1 instrument, and are BOTH required, and therefore equally important. :yes: .
 
A cheap guitar that plays decent with a good pickup thru a great amp...for me,anyway.
 
the player ultimately ;)

I think its a happy medium between the two actually but it won't matter what one plays through they'll still sound like themselves.
 
I think the cabinet (wood, etc) and the speaker of the amp make the huge difference. So my vote is for the amp
 
I'd say in today's environment lower line guitar through good amp but you have to choose wisely. Now compared to 20/25/30 years ago it would probably be the other way around(to some degree)...The playability and sound of lower line guitars is way better than it used to be.....if you went cheap in on a guitar back in the day it was like plywood and action a mile high, poor intonation....just hurt to play it and it sounded like crap. Nowadays you can get a low model ibanez or strat slap some good pickups in it and get a pretty good sounding guitar that can be tweaked to play great....and there's the used online market.....prices for quality guitars have really come down a lot, or on the other hand the bar has been raised significantly for entry level instruments. Good amps have pretty much stayed the same in some regards(unless you're talking about practice amps which are much better)....if you're talking about an amp that delivers at band volumes and doesn't fall apart when cranked like the crappy ones do- the prices of those seems like it has been consistent.
 
It's like this....overall, a shitty guitar through a great amp is better for overall tone than a great guitar through a shitty amp. However, a great guitar through a 'decent' amp is even a better thing to me. Also, a great playing/sounding guitar might inspire you more so (it does for me), than a great amp. I've got some decent amps, but nothing known to be incredibly great, that work very well with what I consider to be very nice guitars. I'm definitely more picky with my guitars than my amps.
 
It depends on the price point. I think if we are talking over $500 you start to experience diminishing returns as far a guitars go tonally. At $500 investment on a guitar with a proper setup and decent pickups will become less discernible. Now for amps, we are just starting to see options at that point. If I have a $2000 budget. I would probably spend more on the amp. An experience player can with decent pickups can set up a serviceable guitar, but not necessarily do much to the amp to get more out of it.
 
squank":1r24ykm0 said:
A great amp can make a cheap guitar sound great. A crappy amp will sound bad no matter how good the guitar.
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Completely agree.
 
Most replies here have misread the OP question, it's not about the cost or quality!
 
supersonic":2ihhta8g said:
Most replies here have misread the OP question, it's not about the cost or quality!
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The title was a question.
 
Tone is a combination of all the parts involved. From your fingers to the guitar to the amp to the cab. Quality gear helps to better translate your technique. If your technique is shit you're fucked all the way around. Garbage in is garbage out.
 
I'll put it this way. If I had 2K to spend, I'd budget it like this...1200 for an amp, 500 for a guitar and 300 for a cab. I'd try to get all used items if possible, more bang for the buck. My 2008 Charvel USA was 549, Rivera V30 cab was 349 and the last JCM 800 I had was a 4104 combo for 699..throw a couple pedals in there and I'm still under 2K. A new Agile 3010 is a decent LP style guitar with nice sounding pickups, 330 shipped....there are nice deals on great playing/sounding gear out there if you are patient.
 
I think it is interesting how this subject keeps resurfacing every so often. Personally, I would take a great amp with a crappy guitar any day. I firmly believe a Soldano with a Squire sounds better than a Suhr with a Crate amp. The breath of life comes from the tubes!

Just my opinion anyways! My Pa always told me never to buy cheap tools, so just have a good guitar and a good amp :rock:
 
jcj":3uztjkbg said:
squank":3uztjkbg said:
A great amp can make a cheap guitar sound great. A crappy amp will sound bad no matter how good the guitar.
Click to expand...

Completely agree.
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I'm in this camp. I wouldn't want an extremely shitty guitar though.. It has to stay in tune!
 
i have to bond with a guitar too..some of them have literally taken over a year, and a lot of pickup and wiring changes to get there.

amps for me....once i find one i like, i stick with it. same with processors.
 
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