Ok guys. This is my budget to get everything I need starting from zero. I am thinking about the LTD EX 400. I am just wondering if it is a guitar that can also be played comfortably while sitting.

Besides this guitar, what amps with effects would you guys buy, or would you get an amp and some pedals or what for this prices.

I am a bass player that has been playing extreme metal for 10 years, but would like to form my own one man project. So that´s why I want my guitar.

So there it is, WHat would you get with this budget to get a fucking heavy yet clear tone. I am talking Death/Thrash.

In Metal,
Jacobo

Hmm ... 1400$.

Here's what I would do if I were you ( with my tastes in sound ) :

Ibanez RG or Schecter C-1 guitar in the 4-600$ range, six or seven string, does'nt matter, which leaves you with about 800-1,000$ in your budget left.

For a cab, I would go with an old Marshall 1960A from Ebay. They can be had for
around 3-400$ all day if it has torn tolex, ripped speaker grille cloth, BUT in perfect working condition. I've heard stories of people nabbing them for just 200$ for just such reasons.

If you don't really care about having four speakers, get a 2x12. Genz Benz, Vader, Marshall and Avatar make good 2x12's.

Now for your amplifier head : This is probably the diciest decision you'll make ... Now your budget is down to about 5-600$. I would go with a POD with a Peavey Classic 50/50, which will run you just under 500$ if you go E-bay. But that's of course because I'm a rack person. If I had to get a guitar head, I would go with the following :

Solid-state ( for a Pantera/Dying Fetus sound )

1. Randall Cyclone ( Anywhere from 300 to 600 dollars )
2. Ampeg Vh140 ( same price )
3. Crate Shockwave ( I would actually take this if you were'nt going to play live with it. If you're not going to at all, then its a good choice for recording. But there's a reason why people just don't gig this amplifier as opposed to the previous two, and its because it just plain sucks at high volumes. Around 450$ )

Tube ( Morbid Angel, Nile, Behemoth, Severed Savior )

1. Peavey 5150 ( around 500$. It has enough gain )
2. Yamaha T100. Ever heard of Soldano? Yamaha put out a few tube amps that were designed by Mike Soldano. Yeah. They're around 3-400$ all day.
3. Peavey Ultra. Like the XXX just cheaper. around 3-400$.


I can't be fucked to think of any more. Just wait until xdx gets here.

Thanks man, jejejeje. I am now doing research on all of this. So you wouldn´t get the ESP EX 400 right? why?

"jejeje"? You must be from Spain.

Dude, the ESP Ex400 is the guitar I was considering for my first but I decided not to go with it. I'm sure it's great but a little overpriced. It has EMG's, that's it's major selling point, but only 22 frets.

For a guitar, you can either get one that comes with excellent features stock or get a cheaper one and swap the pickups. For 1400$, I would spend 400-600$, 700$ max on a guitar, the rest on the amp. You need to try a lot of gear, if you have that much money to spend you sure as hell don't want to regret it.

Some guitars to try:
Ibanez RG's - anything 450$ and up: ie: RG550, 1570, etc.
Jackson - Dinky's that cost 500$ ish or more, KE-3.

Damn this is way too general, way too many guitars that you need to try. Just go to several shops and give a few some spins.

As for amps:
Peavey 5150, but if you want less generic tones:
Marshall JCM900 or 2000, Crate Blue Voodoo, Engl E530 preamp + poweramp. Lots of stuff man, just experiment with different axes and amps to make sure you won't regret spending all that much.

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I don't have any advice on what gear to buy..

other than get a decent beginner class guitar with a neck that doesn't feel like a big hinderance (take a guitar-playing friend with you when you shop for guitars).
Remember, don't go for looks.

Get a 20 watt practice combo and a metalzone pedal.

It's a pretty crappy set-up, but you can atleast develop a feel for playing and play some metalstuff on the guitar. You don't want to be stuck with $1400 worth of gear when you decide guitar playing is just not your thing. If you want to keep playing, go and spend the rest

EDIT: Shit, nevermind, I misred your post. Thought you were just wanting to start making music.

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I got my RG 570 in mint condition off ebay for $305 including a like-new case and shipping costs a few years ago.. watch ebay closely

Yeah man, I would go for an ibanez over an ESP, Ibanez's are more versatile with their stock pickups, unless you're just going for emgs's, and the LTD EX 400 isn't worth the money. But then again i'm an Ibanez player so my view may be a bit biased . I played on an high-end LTD, and don't get me wrong, but Ibanez are more veratile for the money and you can concentrate on getting an awesome amp + head+ EQ to completely shape your tone and have a fucking awesome sound. So I say go for an Ibanez, RG 570, RG321MHGN, SAS36FMTG, fuck, just basically $500 up. You can't go wrong with an ibanez, and you get the same quality from a $500 ibanez that you get from an $1000 Jackson or ESP.or a $2000 BC Rich... IBANEZ MAN!!

Sorry I can't help you much with the amps, my knowledge with amps is not high.

Good luck with your project.

Thanks guys. You are being very helpful. Also, what can you tell me about the Randall rm50. I have been watching it closely. Let me know.

In Metal,
Jacobo

Post questions about "gear" in the GEAR forum. All questions asking what guitar should I buy go in the sticky thread in this forum.

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