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Is this a good starter guitar and amp?

 
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psychomonkey62  





Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 1495

PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 12:34 am    Post subject: Is this a good starter guitar and amp? Reply with quote

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-HH-Electric-Guitar-?sku=511842
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-Micro-Cube-Combo-Amp?sku=481169

I really don't want to spend too much, and these both seemed pretty good. I've learned a bit (I can play all of Knights of Cydonia! w00t!) on my shitty $50 Wal-Mart POS acoustic, and really want to continue playing with a semi-decent guitar. Would these be alright? The amp seems really good for its price, as does the guitar.


Last edited by psychomonkey62 on Sat May 31, 2008 9:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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schism  





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PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 12:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Microcube is a great practice amp. Rogue isn't the best brand, you might want to consider a starter pack that comes with both an amp and a guitar. It's cheaper and you probably get a better guitar, or at least a cheap LP.
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TheCustodian  





Joined: 10 Mar 2007
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PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The micro-cube is about the sexiest amp you can buy in its price range. If you don't get a starter pack (guitar + amp) then absolutely get the Micro Cube. It's phenomenal.

As for a guitar, I've been learning on my Squire Strat for a while now, and it's fit my needs nicely. Some people don't really like the tone of the Squire and prefer the Epiphone Les Pauls; this is a matter of preference. Myself, I haven't reached the skill level yet where one becomes a tone nazi... It plays the note I want and sounds nice. I'm satisfied.

Look into starter packs if at all possible, though; if you buy the guitar and amp separately, you'll still need to buy things like cables.
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BenniWells  





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PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I personally find that the Fender Strat is the best guitar to start with, even better the Squire. It comes with an extremely practical amp to use, and best of all it gets the girls ^_^ but fantasies aside I'd say go for the Fender starter pack, but yeah if you have the money to buy each individually then GET THE MICROCUBE!
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samling  





Joined: 06 Mar 2007
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Location: Berlin, Germany

PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definitely get the MicroCube. I've heard nothing but good things.

The thing to consider when starting out is how determined you are to learn. If it's going to be a thing to do when you're bored, or you're not going to play every day, lower your budget and get a cheap but good guitar (the one you linked to seems fine, brand name isn't everything; or the alternative, go into your local guitar store(s) and try out a bunch of cheap ones, preferably on a MicroCube amp if they've got one in there, and pick that way) and go with the MicroCube.

On the flip side, if you're serious about guitar, you'll want to go with something that is of a little higher quality. It's not all about durability - guitars are all made from wood and metal, and will last as long as you take care of them. It's about quality, and not just sound quality either. You want a guitar that will be comfortable to learn on. Cheap guitars with uneven frets or outrageously high action or an awful tremolo knock-off that goes out of tune every time you use it will deter you from playing and ultimately make all that money spent a waste.

The rule of thumb is generally spend more of your budget on the amp than you do on the guitar. I can't say I followed this rule, my amp was $200 (second-hand, but the list price is $250) and my guitar was $650, so perhaps this rule of thumb applies better later on when your sound becomes limited only by your gear and not your playing ability. Still, something to consider.

As it stands, though, the selections you've made look like good choices for someone looking to move from acoustic to electric. If you can find a MicroCube (they've been discontinued, apparently, according to the links), by all means get one. The guitar is a toss-up; the reviews seem to praise it, and if you get it set up to your liking it'll feel as good as anything else, but do consider your own seriousness of playing.

Good luck!
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psychomonkey62  





Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 1495

PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2008 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

samling wrote:
Definitely get the MicroCube. I've heard nothing but good things.

The thing to consider when starting out is how determined you are to learn. If it's going to be a thing to do when you're bored, or you're not going to play every day, lower your budget and get a cheap but good guitar (the one you linked to seems fine, brand name isn't everything; or the alternative, go into your local guitar store(s) and try out a bunch of cheap ones, preferably on a MicroCube amp if they've got one in there, and pick that way) and go with the MicroCube.

On the flip side, if you're serious about guitar, you'll want to go with something that is of a little higher quality. It's not all about durability - guitars are all made from wood and metal, and will last as long as you take care of them. It's about quality, and not just sound quality either. You want a guitar that will be comfortable to learn on. Cheap guitars with uneven frets or outrageously high action or an awful tremolo knock-off that goes out of tune every time you use it will deter you from playing and ultimately make all that money spent a waste.

The rule of thumb is generally spend more of your budget on the amp than you do on the guitar. I can't say I followed this rule, my amp was $200 (second-hand, but the list price is $250) and my guitar was $650, so perhaps this rule of thumb applies better later on when your sound becomes limited only by your gear and not your playing ability. Still, something to consider.

As it stands, though, the selections you've made look like good choices for someone looking to move from acoustic to electric. If you can find a MicroCube (they've been discontinued, apparently, according to the links), by all means get one. The guitar is a toss-up; the reviews seem to praise it, and if you get it set up to your liking it'll feel as good as anything else, but do consider your own seriousness of playing.

Good luck!


It hasn't been discontinued. Just the "blem" version which was a little cheaper. I'll switch the link now.

And yeah, I'm pretty serious about learning. Me and my friend are seriously considering starting a band.
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voivod84  





Joined: 26 Jan 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Micro Cube goes for $125? Dang, I got the next size up for $116...
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Dante2006  





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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haven't used the Micro cube, so I wouldn't be able to comment on it. But, I found that the BC Rich Warlock+Incinerator pack works really well for me, and it's fairly cheap (Got mine for a little under $400). Definately look it up.
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Z7X  





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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you are really that serious about playing, you may want to shell out the exrta 20 dollars and get this. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-II-Electric-Guitar?sku=518334&src=3LEPWXX1
It's an Epiphone, so you don't have to worry about tunijng duracy, crappy pickups, etc. Plus, if you do star a band, great stage presence!!.
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mdizzy  





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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Z7X wrote:
If you are really that serious about playing, you may want to shell out the exrta 20 dollars and get this. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-II-Electric-Guitar?sku=518334&src=3LEPWXX1
It's an Epiphone, so you don't have to worry about tunijng duracy, crappy pickups, etc. Plus, if you do star a band, great stage presence!!.


My very first guitar was the Epiphone Special II. I've played many a guitar and this is the best beginner guitar on the planet! The fret is easy to maneuver around and it has a decent tone, much much better than Squire which I consider one of the worst. The only flaw with the Special II is that is is somewhat weighty. Another alternate is the Ibanez RX-series guitar. Decent beginner guitar and phenomenal tone and it comes with a tremolo (whammy bar for those who don't know). The only flaw with this guitar is that it doesn't stay in tune sometimes.

Now, the Rogue that you have up there, I can't say alot about except that it is a brand that is obscure and that is unfamiliar to me, which isn't a great start. It does seem to have decent pickups and grover tuners which are name brand custom tuners. That is really all I can tell you with that. Get what you know works, go to a guitar store and try some things out. you may discover something that fits your needs perfectly.
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BrianSpud33  





Joined: 17 Nov 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not really a guitarist, I just fool around with it for the purpose of writing songs... but I have an Epiphone Les Paul which I bought used off the guitarist in my old band, and the Roland MicroCube. I'd definitely recommend an Epiphone as a few people have below, as they're a step up from some of the beginning Squier and Fender guitars. Also, the MicroCube is great as a practice amp, and it would definitely work in a practice or low-key performance setting.
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psychomonkey62  





Joined: 18 Jun 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, the Epiphone seems decent. But if I were to get the Rogue, what's the difference between these two?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-HH-Ash-Electric-Guitar-?sku=511844X
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-HH-Electric-Guitar-?sku=511842

It seems like the only difference is the type of wood, so is having ash wood instead of mahogany really worth the extra $40?
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samling  





Joined: 06 Mar 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

psychomonkey62 wrote:
Well, the Epiphone seems decent. But if I were to get the Rogue, what's the difference between these two?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-HH-Ash-Electric-Guitar-?sku=511844X
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-HH-Electric-Guitar-?sku=511842

It seems like the only difference is the type of wood, so is having ash wood instead of mahogany really worth the extra $40?


I'd say no, unless you like the look better. Different woods will give different sounds, but since there are no reviews for the ash wood one (apparently), there's not much to base your choice on other than looks. I'd say either would be a fine choice, but definitely keep the Epi Special II in mind if you're looking at Les Paul-shaped bodies, which you appear to be. I agree that it's a good quality beginner guitar that looks as good as it sounds.

mdizzy wrote:
Decent beginner guitar and phenomenal tone and it comes with a tremolo (whammy bar for those who don't know). The only flaw with this guitar is that it doesn't stay in tune sometimes.


Actually, just a minor pet peeve of mine (we all have them @_@), a whammy bar is actually a vibrato arm. A tremolo effect is a swell in volume, while vibrato is a pitch change, which is what happens when you use the whammy bar. At any rate, no matter what you call it, it does what it does. :P Just thought I'd point that out for the sake of knowledge.

[Edit] Yes, I'm aware that everywhere you go it'll be called a tremolo system, but there's a bit more about it here. The names have been flipped around for so long that most manufacturers these days just go with it.
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psychomonkey62  





Joined: 18 Jun 2007
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I'm going to a Guitar Center tomorrow to try out some guitars. I'll definitely try out the Epiphone, but they don't have the Rogue HH at Guitar Center, apparently.
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