Opinions on best £300 guitar (NOW BOUGHT for £350) and £100 amp for beginner (NOW BOUGHT for £170)

Shrews

Well, thanks all for some really excellent advice.  It's going to take me a while to sift through and ponder all this information, but I'm getting the general vibe - better amp, lesser guitar but still a guitar that I'm going to be proud to play.

I suppose that because I'm a complete novice a new guitar and amp (with guarantee!) would give me peace of mind. It might cost more and ten years on from now I will probably say 'go used' but at this moment I'd be taking a risk.  However, as always money will dictate.

There is a Boss Katana - 50D Version 2 Amp going for £130 at Cash Converters.  Not sure whether they come around regularly or whether it's a rarity?  I would have no idea if it was good, bad or ugly even if I tried it out. New with guarantee would be less of a risk.

https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/product/boss-katana-50-d-version-2/269810?list=Product catalogue

One thing I've not seen above is when is the best time to buy?  Before Christmas, after Christmas, Black Friday, wait until a guitar show etc.  Or simply, should I wait until I have more experience and this would allow me more informed decision making?

Again, thanks for any responses. Much appreciated. 

Duppy03

Unfortunately i’ve never found there to be a consistent time period to buy discounted guitar gear. I’ve held out for sales, Black Fridays etc but it’s always a bit random what’s a “bargain” and never usually something your actually looking for when you have something specific in mind.

I find it best to know what you want then seek it out for the best price, never be afraid to ask your local guitar store to price match if you’ve seen what you want cheaper elsewhere.

joetele

Shrews said:

Well, thanks all for some really excellent advice.  It's going to take me a while to sift through and ponder all this information, but I'm getting the general vibe - better amp, lesser guitar but still a guitar that I'm going to be proud to play.

I suppose that because I'm a complete novice a new guitar and amp (with guarantee!) would give me peace of mind. It might cost more and ten years on from now I will probably say 'go used' but at this moment I'd be taking a risk.  However, as always money will dictate.

There is a Boss Katana - 50D Version 2 Amp going for £130 at Cash Converters.  Not sure whether they come around regularly or whether it's a rarity?  I would have no idea if it was good, bad or ugly even if I tried it out. New with guarantee would be less of a risk.

https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/product/boss-katana-50-d-version-2/269810?list=Product catalogue

One thing I've not seen above is when is the best time to buy?  Before Christmas, after Christmas, Black Friday, wait until a guitar show etc.  Or simply, should I wait until I have more experience and this would allow me more informed decision making?

Again, thanks for any responses. Much appreciated. 

With the Katana, I'd spend the extra £20 or so and just get new, for your peace of mind as you said. 

I'm not convinced the Katana will be reduced any time soon as they're selling like hotcakes, so I'd imagine shops are likely to sell stuff that's about to be phased out or isn't selling well rather than the Boss Katanas. So I'd say grab a Katana now and do some guitar window-shopping anyway. 

Buying used is a safer bet with guitars, especially on here as most people are decent, genuine folk who are actually interested in the items they're selling. 

Modellista

The amp is a piece of consumer electronics so can go wrong at any time. If you want peace of mind, buy from Gear4music - their 6 year warranty for the Katana 50 is £8.25. 

There's no need to buy the guitar new though. They don't fall to bits or suddenly stop working like electronics can. In fact a well looked after used guitar can often play better than a new one from a shop - not every shop bothers to set up their guitars properly, even if spending >£1k. Best bet is to buy from a trusted seller on here.

The only complicating factor is the lefty nature of your needs. It might be difficult to find something suitable used. The trouble with buying at a shop, if you don't know exactly what you want, if you subsequently decide to move it on, you're going to lose quite a chunk of cash. Definitely try to buy used if you can, for the guitar at least. 

I wouldn't touch a Cash Converters amp with a barge pole. 

Hattigol

An ex-butcher?
Have you thought about a Carvin'??

TTBZ

I have small hands and don't get on with Fenders most of the time, the scale length just makes things hard work and it's off putting. I reckon I'd go for a used Epiphone LP and a Katana.

yorkio

Get the amp new and the guitar second-hand. As a fellow lefty I've learnt the hard way over many years that unless you're extremely lucky, chances are your local shops will have no more than a tiny handful of left-handed guitars between them. You'd be much better off checking out Gumtree and local Facebook ads as well as the classifieds here if the seller is nearby. As said above, it's quite hard these days to buy a guitar that simply doesn’t work but even if you've only been playing for six months, you'll find some that suit you more than others.

builttospill

If you like F holes and If you can find one? get yourself a used Mexican Classic Series 69 or 72 Telecaster Thinline. Beautiful lightweight and resonant guitars with excellent playability. I had a black 69 telecaster Thinline and regret selling it. It was also on par with my old US made Candy Apple Red AVRI 72 Thinline. They released a few lovely 69'-72' american car colour thinlines in the early 2000's, these were very tasty, a bit like this sold one on Reverb. https://reverb.com/uk/item/6966642-fender-telecaster-69-reissue-thinline-lake-placid-blue

steer

Are you sure you cannot play a right handed guitar? Worked for Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler, who were both left handed. 

Erjimipey

Shrews said: 

One thing I've not seen above is when is the best time to buy?  Before Christmas, after Christmas, Black Friday, wait until a guitar show etc.  Or simply, should I wait until I have more experience and this would allow me more informed decision making?

Again, thanks for any responses. Much appreciated. 

I suggest you check out woodbrass.com

They're in France and are running right now a back-to-school  campaign that has awesome discounts, like a G&L Bluesboy for roughly 300 Euros, less than 300 £.

I bought my guitar there 2 years ago on a Christmas sale. An Epiphone Es 339 pro for 200 Euros! Just crazy...

And they are to be trusted, good delivery, etc.

ennspek

For the amp I would go for something digital/solid state. The Katana as mentioned many times before is excellent.
If you are looking to spend £300 on a guitar I would go to every guitar shop you can and play anything up to £800.
Pick your favourite, whatever speaks to you, there no right or wrong, then but one second hand.

Shrews

Many thanks for all the above, one thing I'm convinced of now is that I am going to invest in a new Boss Katana 50 for £160 or so. 

Now that leaves me with £240 to spend on the guitar

With regards to the guitar there are a few I've got in mind, but trying to find a used left-handed one is difficult. I am still favouring new over used and that's simply because of a lack of experience in determining what I would like i.e I'd hate to travel 50-100 miles to try out a guitar when I'm still only a beginner. I could end up buying something that I massively regret, like it's damaged in some way or needs an expensive upgrade or I'm blinded with science when I get to the seller and end up buying it because I don't want to travel all that way to come home empty-handed. In that £240 price bracket most used ones seem to be of a similar standard, whether used or new.

I still intend to get out to a few shops and try some out. I'm not sure how the shop approaches beginners like myself and whether there's an expectation I'll buy or whether they're happy for me to try a few out with no pressure at all. 

These are the ones I've spotted so far.

This is from GAK

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-g-400-pro-left-handed-cherry/63813

Pros -
I believe Epiphone is a good name and should 'last' 
It doesn't have a tremolo arm, which I think would just annoy me.

Cons  -
It's over budget and leaves no cash for any extras i.e a decent cable, case etc
Not convinced that shape will suit me

These from Thomann

I'd not considered Harley Benton before but you guys on here seemed to give them a good thumbs up, the reviews on the site are also excellent and elsewhere on the internet they seem to get good reports

Harley Benton SC-450PlusLH HB Vintage Series

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_sc_450pluslh_hb_vintage_series.htm

This is the one identified earlier in the thread and must admit I really took to the 'look' of this one and that price of just £150 leaves me well under budget

Pros
Looks great
Good reviews
Well under budget

Cons
It's Harley Benton, not Epiphone

Harley Benton SC-Custom LH Vintage Black

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_sc_custom_lh_vintage_black.htm

This one has the same pros and cons as the first one, although it costs a little more, and although the reviews are excellent there's only nine of them. But that black and brass colouring makes it very 'playable'. I can imagine being very pleased if I was to pull this one from the box.

Harley Benton SC-550 LH Paradise Amber Flame

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_sc_550lh_paradise_amber_flame.htm

Same pros and cons as above, but costs even more, although still borderline on budget (plus the Boss Katona amp). From what I can see throughout the internet, this one seems to get really excellent reviews and makes me wonder whether it's worth spending that little bit extra.

I have looked at the likes of Jackson Dinky, Ibanez, Yamaha Pacifica but they all seem to have tremolo arms and whilst the Pacifica seems to get the best reviews of all those (and is the best price) I'm not seeing it as a guitar I'd be wowed by.

I also went to the Woodbrass site and there was an Epiphone Les Paul Special II listed as left-handed in a pack for £175 with an ok amp (which I would've sold) and that seemed to get good reviews throughout the internet (albeit from a few years ago). However, I couldn't see any left-handed models reviewed or advertised anywhere so was wondering if this was a mistake?  Tonight it doesn't appear to be listed in the left-handed packs section any longer, so I assume this was just listed incorrectly.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated!

Musicman20

Boss Katana 50 for your amp..

Shrews

Yep, the amp situation has been resolved (see post above), but great to see another person endorsing it!  The issue is now finding the guitar in the £150-£250 zone, with suggestions in the post above.

Flametop

Have a trawl around for the Squier Classic Vibe Strats and Teles. Both available left handed and are excellent guitars for the money.

Should be well within budget used as well.

57Deluxe

Musicman20 said:

Boss Katana 50 for your amp..

do they do these for left handed players then??

Flametop

57Deluxe said:

Musicman20 said:

Boss Katana 50 for your amp..

do they do these for left handed players then??

Input jack is underneath.

mikeyrob73

@Shrews ;
you could do worse than this 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Left-Handed-Fender-Squier-Classic-Vibe-Stratocaster-60s-Final-Reduction-/323384790550?itemId=323384790550&du=1

Veganic

I may be trying to part with one of these soon:




I dunno if it fits your criteria though.
Looks like you are looking for a Les Paul shape and the neck is built for comfort.

I do get to Telford now and again so might be able to deliver.

Modellista

mikeyrob73 said:

@Shrews ;
you could do worse than this 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Left-Handed-Fender-Squier-Classic-Vibe-Stratocaster-60s-Final-Reduction-/323384790550?itemId=323384790550&du=1

^ This is it.  Look no further.