Am I mad to contemplate this - some common sense please..........

rlw

I've been learning now for a couple of months and I seem to be making slow but solid progress.  Being a bit older, things take a bit longer but I am happy with what I have achieved thus far, and I know that I have found a long term, extremely enjoyable hobby.  I have both a dot and a strat. The dot came first and I was just blown away by how much fun and pleasure it gave me.  Once I knew that I was in this for the long term, the strat was acquired from a chap on here at what I considered to be a very fair price and, let's face it, you have to own one at least once.

Amp wise, I started off with the tiny little Orange Crush, tried and returned a Vox Valvetronic thing and currently have a Blackstar ID Core 10.  The latter is a nice little amp, more than suited to my current needs and was very affordable .  BUT.  It does sound a bit boxy and it doesn't satisfy me listening to it.  I acknowledge that it could sound way better used by someone who can actually play......

Looking around, I see that there are number of amps with low output, switchable or otherwise, that would seem to be a big step up but still remain suitable for home use, all around the £300 - £500 mark, and I am in correspondence with a chap who has a Cornford Harlequin which interests me a great deal, again in the same price range. 

Then today I spotted the Tone King Falcon for sale on this very forum.  Way above what I had considered spending but, with a bit of man maths, affordable at the asking price.  Given that I'm looking for the one, the one which sounds great, can be played loud or quiet and still sound great, and that it can't be too noisy most of the time, the Falcon with the attenuator and the fantastic sounds would seem like a good, long term prospect.  Hell, it would even probably retain a lot it's value in the years to come and could be sold if need be.

But going back to the first paragraph, given my limited skill so far, but my long term aim of becoming a quietly competent player of 50's and 60's blues, am I mad to even think about the Falcon?

ICBM

You're not mad. Good-sounding gear will inspire you to play and justify itself sooner than you think, far more than 'adequate for beginner' gear will.

If you can afford it and you like the way it looks and sounds, go for it. And you're right, if you buy something good second hand it will almost always retain its value.

I still own the Martin 12-string I bought 25 years ago when I could barely play, let alone justify such a nice guitar.

koneguitarist

Totally agree, hate people saying good gear must be for serious players, if you like it and can afford it, no problem. Quality gear holds its value better than cheaper mass produced stuff generally.

Cacofonix

Except in very rare circumstances, gear is a depreciating asset.

That said, it's a good investment if it gives you more pleasure than its monetary value has cost you in work time.

Choose wisely and you should be ok.

Drew_TNBD

First off, it's great to see someone "a bit older" picking up the guitar and deciding to have a good, so kudos to you!

For a bluesy sound, you could try looking at a Marshall Class 5. I was quite impressed with it when I tried one. Smallish combo, but sounds big and not really all that boxy.

But yeah, generally agree with the guys here... if you can afford it and you want it, then get whatever it is you want. Don't listen to naysayers who think you don't deserve to have whatever amp or guitar.

Two things improved my playing immeasurably - joining a band and getting my Les Paul.

ICBM

Drew_fx said:

For a bluesy sound, you could try looking at a Marshall Class 5. I was quite impressed with it when I tried one. Smallish combo, but sounds big and not really all that boxy.

I genuinely can't believe that, coming from you! I thought you only liked good amps .

To me they sound small, congested and muddy. They also have well-known problems with rattling due to the generally poor build quality. Not a good amp.

NPP

I think that in the long run it is cheaper to buy quality gear, in particular if 2nd hand, rather than repeatedly buying and selling off lower-end stuff. Ideally, having a good amp will stop you from switching gear altogether, but even if you end up selling it you will lose less on it than on the type of gear usually bought, and then quickly sold, by beginners. 

When I got back into guitar after a 10-year break a few years ago I got a Blues jr. because I thought I shouldn't spend too much money but I would have been much better off spending a little more on a Princeton.

So, yeah, what they say above - nothing wrong with getting good amp if you can afford it and if you have learnt enough about the tone you really want to be able to make an informed decision. 

Drew_TNBD

ICBM said:

Drew_fx said:

For a bluesy sound, you could try looking at a Marshall Class 5. I was quite impressed with it when I tried one. Smallish combo, but sounds big and not really all that boxy.

I genuinely can't believe that, coming from you! I thought you only liked good amps .

To me they sound small, congested and muddy. They also have well-known problems with rattling due to the generally poor build quality. Not a good amp.

I thought it sounded decent!

p90fool

No you're not mad. As long as you buy appropriate gear for the music you want to play then go for it.

Great gear is an aid to learning in my opinion, inasmuch as it can give a better sense of perspective, especially within your chosen genre. If I have a sound I'm not totally happy with my playing tends to get too busy, but when I'm using good gear I can let great tones do the talking.

Even after 30-odd years and countless paid gigs I still occasionally play a simple three note phrase, turn around and smile at my amp like a loon, just revelling in the music it's helping me make.

You'll often hear people say about such-and-such great guitarist that they can make any cheap old gear sound good and they often can, but believe me, inside they're frantically compensating and have the sound and response of their usual rig in their head as a target.

JohnPerry

I am a player of quiet incompetence. But my gear sometimes fools the listener into over-rating me. This I love.

Definitely buy that Falcon

Dave_Mc

I agree that if you enjoy it and know (or at least genuinely think) you're going to stick with it and can afford it, get the nice gear, regardless of how new you are to playing.

Only thing I'd say is, depending on the type(s) of tones you want, the lower wattage tube amps don't always sound better than the higher wattage tube amps turned down at home practice volumes.

richardhomer

You can spend a fortune trading and upgrading stuff over the years. If you're sure the amp does what you want it to - in terms of sound/volume, etc - there are no down sides.

You will never lose money on correctly priced, high quality used gear.

rlw

Thanks chaps.  This reminds me of the Christmas lost/found SG thread.  By the time I responded, it was gone.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit:-)

Wazmeister

@rlw - my advice, and experience, is to spend as much as you are comfortable amp wise. Imho, you hear SOME of the boutique amps maybe, and they are light years ahead of some cheaper stuff...

asimmd

I'm 67 and I have been thinking about an amp for a long time. I do have a Blackstar ID30,but it does not do what I want. So after much debate and questions on this forum,I bought a Mesa Boogie Mark5/25,and it was delivered yesterday,Saturday. I think I have only had 2 hours with it over the 2 days I have had it but I can safely say it's the best purchase I have ever made. I am very impressed with the sound I get out of it at the moment and I don't know what I'm doing yet. Just think how much happier I will be when I do know how to use it. So get the best you can afford is good advice,but if you can go past the run of the mill amps and stretch to a more considered purchase,you will not regret it,guaranteed.

hywelg

I've been learning all my life but I never had to really learn to play until I got into a band about 8years ago. Then you start to understand what sort of sound you want to make. You also begin to understand dynamics. If you want a short lesson in this go see Matt Schofield live. Opened my ears.

When you are learning you tend to be a bit timid, as its often embarassing, so you want to play quietly lest people hear and think you're crap. This is not a good approach, I know a lot of teachers say you should practise your electric unplugged but I disagree, you should play it plugged in and loud, only then will you develop a clean technique and dynamics.

So, no matter how undeveloped you think you are, seek out similar (or ideally slightly better standard musicians) people, hire a rehearsal room and jam, learn songs, play, loud. Then the good amp that you buy will reward you 10 times over and the process of playing with others will make you learn much quicker, and it will make you learn things you dont know you dont know when practising. Things such as counting and playing at the same time, keeping time, working your volume knob, knowing when not to play (the pauses in an improvised solo). etc

At home just buy a decent pedal to change its character when played quietly, or get a POD XT or something digital so you can practise quietly.

photek

The Falcon is an immense amp. I plugged into one recently and 2 hours later after a text from my better half wondering where I was I had fallen for it. I know the one on here has sold but if you keep your eyes out they do show up. I think Coda have had a couple for sale in their second hand section.

samzadgan

do it...

 

end of the day, the sound you want to hear coming out of your amp is not based on a monitary value. Some people can get the sound with cheaper stuff some get it through more expensive stuff...so have to put up with a band sound because they cant afford and some can afford it.

the better your gear sounds and looks, the more you will play and be inspired by it...has nothing to do with how good you are or how long you have been playing for.

57Deluxe

Hell - who is it that is selling a Falcon??

Anyway - yes a Falcon or a Cornford Harlequin are excellent Handwired Valve amps that will give your ears orgasms every time you play an open chord and hear how brilliant even a common-or-garden open E can sound!

Strat_a_tat_tat

57Deluxe said:

... yes a Falcon or a Cornford Harlequin are excellent Handwired Valve amps

Are you sure a Falcon is handwired?  I thought they were PCB-based.

Strat_a_tat_tat

If you can afford a decent amp... I guess you just need to weigh up how much enjoyment you'll derive from it versus its cost. No one has the right to tell you that certain amps, guitars or pedals are only for time-served pros etc.  If it costs you £2,000 but you get £3,000 of fun out of it... that sounds like a good deal to me. But only you can decide how much fun you'll get out of any item.

Just to add... there are many purchases we 'treat ourselves' to every now and again - but few have anything like the residual value of a decent amp or guitar. Yes... if you buy new and then sell on... you'll probably lose a chunk of cash on that shiny amp... but it won't be anything like the percentage you'd lose if you sold your average DFS sofa or Hugo Boss leather jacket.