Just kidding...let's try not to have this evolve into a tube Vs. digital thread.... ping anyone who may be interested.
I've been playing seriously since '89, and while I haven't made a living playing guitar, I'm fairly good for an amateur who only has time to play a few hours a week. My axes include a Corinna acoustic-electric, an Aria Pro II Les Paul copy, and a Fender Precision bass. My amp is a Crate GX-80, and I purchased my first effects pedal (Zoom 505II) last Memorial Day.
Besides playing in my church every week (mostly), I've been working on figuring out Squeeze songs as of late, and love to jam along with Beatles, Queen, Clapton, and Floyd.
Paisley Telecaster reissue, Epiphone Firebird, 1962 Fender Princeton amp. Great for surf music!
I've been playing since the 7th grade (I'm 40 now).
Here's my current stack of stuff:
Guitars:
Fender MIJ Strat with EMG David Gilmour active pickup set
Ibanez RG7620 7 String
Jackson USA Kelley
Old Hohner acoustic
Amps:
Carvin Valve Master 1/2 Stack (W/Celestion G12T-75s)
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head (Loud enough to blow the balls off a charging rhino at 60 paces)
Peavey Renown 2x12
Various pedals:
Cry Baby
Tube Screamer
Rotovibe
Digitech Whammy
Boss Metal Zone
Boss GE-7 EQ
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Boss BF-2 Flanger
Boss MT-2 Metal Zone
Boss GE-5 Chorus Ensemble
E-Bow (Great toy BTW!)
Good to see a guitar thread here in FR! How long you been playing?
Someone told me once that the best way to discourage playing the guitar is to get them a crappy one to start out on. What would be a good starter electric guitar?
What price range is an entry level instrument in, if you disregard the cheap stuff that is crappy?
I've seen Fender "something"-casters for sale in places like circuit city or best buy for around $180. Would that be a good buy?
Modeling....been there, done that. Handy for cover bands and once your patches have been painstakingly dialed in you pray for a lack of power surges, spikes, static discharges, etc. It's nice to call up a Boston tone or a Buddy Holly tone without jumping around on a pedalboard or fooling with a rack system but......
As someone once pointed out, in the digital modeling world where does a held note go to die? It's either 1 or 0, on or off. A note decaying into feedback or kept alive by finger vibrato is a beautiful, delicate thing - similar to a burning ember. In Tubeland, the ember can be whipped back into a white-hot coal or it can be gently fanned and kept barely alive. In Modeling-land those dynamics can be approximated but never truly duplicated.
So...I'm not a tube snob but I have recognized that it's the best sound I can get, versatility notwithstanding (although my amp does a he11 of a job in that department).
My current gear:
1994 Fender Stratocaster 1957 reissue two tone sunburst, one piece maple neck, aftermarket Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups installed.
1998 Fender Swamp Ash Stratocaster - natural finish, maple neck/fretboard, white pickguard, feather light all stock and the sweetest player I've had.
1985 Carvin DC-150 - black. At least 10 pounds, heavier than a Les Paul, sustains for days with (too) hot M22 pickups, ebony 'board, brass nut. My first quality electric and has mostly kept me from loading up on expensive Gibson gear over the years.
1998 Rickenbacker 360/12 - Jetglo (black). Hi Gain (nailhead) pickups soon to be replaced with vintage toasters. 6-saddle bridge soon to be replaced with 12-saddle custom.
2000 Alvarez FD60AMB Thin Body Electric/Acoustic
Mesa/Boogie Trem-O-Verb combo
Peterson Strobostomp tuner (the best....period)
Boss equalizer, chorus & tremolo stompers
Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer
Boss BCB-60 pedal board
Possible additions....
http://privatereserveguitars.com/electric-guitar/2996/517061.035_060491.shtml
http://privatereserveguitars.com/electric-guitar/2996/517507.324_060552.shtml
http://rainsong.com/models/ws1000.asp
More of a pianist, but I strum a little on my Guild (Rhode Island) D-25. I'd like to pick up a hollow body electric as well, looking at the Epiphone line. I'm nowhere near a great guitarist.
Piano wise, shopping for an accoustic. I have a Yamaha P200 stage piano and a Korg synth. Have owned other Korg (S_Pro-X) and Yamaha (W2, DX7) keyboards. Will probably get a Yamaha or Kawaii (80s era) studio piano and one day will add a grand when I have room!
Found a Patriotic image guitar deal that may interest some,
Rogue USA Flag Acoustic Guitar, Today’s Stupid Price
$24.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid?src=3NL7MS&;