Chuck Hurley Music

Help on what to get, guitar or amp?

so i worked and i also got money for christmas and i am looking for either a new guitar, new amp or make the stuff i already have better. i will have like 400 bucks i think. right now i have a epi sg faded. i like it but pickups can get muddy and the guitar tips alot so you have to hold it. i have a marshall mg50fx. its not bad at all i like it but i kinda want a tube amp.haha
any guitar suggestions?
i was thinking of a epiphone les paul studio deluxe in alpine white. i play rock n roll. no metal at all!!!!(except sabbath of course)
i dont know of any tube amps for 400 bucks to.( no modeling amps)
i could put in some new pickups on the sg perhaps? duncans? and then save up for tube amp?
i have playing for 2 years now. electric and acoustic.

Hey Dylan;
You are a guitar player that has a $300 guitar and a $400 amp and are not happy. Well, I don’t blame you! The problem here is that a lot of the stuff that sounds great is really expensive. Now you are considering buying another guitar for $400. I agree with the first answerer that you should stay away from Epiphone, although I don’t think that Laguna makes a terrific guitar. They make entry level guitars and intermediate guitars at best.
Norm gave a great suggestion for the Jet City amp. If you are looking for a cheap tube amp, that is right on par. And with Tube amps, I would definitely suggest getting something with low watts. The Tube amps sound best when they are turned up all the way, and you don’t want something that is overpowering.
However, with $400, you will be stuck with getting gear that is similar quality to the gear that you have now that you are not 100% happy with. So, lets address the guitar first;
As you said in the end of your question, you are considering getting new pickups. You are right on the money with that. And the brand… I would suggest Duncans first. For what you are playing, I would definitely suggest the Duncan JB or you can even consider getting Gibson pickups, either the standard ones they put in stock Gibson Les Pauls/SG’s, or the Burstbuckers. Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates are great also. Most players use the bridge pickup about 90% of the time… so if you don’t use the neck pickup much, just swap out that bridge pickup, it should only cost around $100 for a new pickup and labor shouldn’t be much on it if you don’t do it yourself.
With guitars, you should never ever buy a guitar for the pickups it has in them. Whenever I purchase guitars, I look at the features that I cannot change such as bridge, neck, paint, neck joint, body style, etc. Other features such as electronics, pickups, tuners, etc; can all be swapped out for relatively little money. So if you are looking for a new guitar, you should consider those features. As for what guitars to take a look at, the Les Pauls are great guitars, and I would advise going with Gibson. Gibsons are very expensive, so you may want to consider looking at used models on Ebay. If you like the Les Paul, take a look at the Les Paul Studio or the Les Paul Studio Faded by Gibson. Both guitars sell for around $550-$800 used. But make your way down to a music store. You already have one Gibson guitar (Gibson design), so you should consider having some versatility. Take a look at Fender Strats, Ibanez SZ’s and Artcores, Jackson Dinkys, ESP/LTD EC-1000′s, and even some Yamaha models where you may get a much better bang for your buck. You can always find a guitar in the store and then buy it used on Ebay later on.
As for the amps, like I mentioned before, Norms suggestion of the Jet City amp is really a good choice for your budget. The B52 costs around $700-$800. But your current amp is fairly decent. If you are going to upgrade amps, you should really have at least $1,000 if not a little bit more for a spending budget. You should get an amp that you will be happy practicing with, gigging with, and transporting. If you don’t then you will start to have a collection of amps sitting around, some that you are happy with, some that you are not, some that are too big, or too small for whatever purpose you need them for. Marshall makes some great amps, as does Line 6 (they have tube amps), Fender, Orange, B52, Soldano, Vox, etc. But you are definitely going to pay for a good sounding tube amp.
So, in the short run, swap out that pickup. Just keep saving your money to get some high quality stuff. I know you probably want it NOW, but in the long run you will be much happier when you get the items you want and will keep forever.

Kiss – Rock & Roll All Nite

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