Choosing the right amp and guitar

Gear & Tools Talk
1

I play classical for a year and almost a half and i am planning on buying a fender squire.
I have a couple of questions:

i am into all music genres but i dream to play john mayer mostly. And a little rock

  1. Should i choose a Sss strat or an hss
  2. I heard that fender amps are great for clear tones which i am going to need for john mayer. But i also need a little distortion for rock. So i found an amp at one of my local music shops. It’s a cort Cm15R-Bk with built in reverb. Is it good for what i need or would like a fender 10 g make the cut.

Thanks in advance🤙

2

Now that you have decided on an electric and an amp, could you please give an indication of your overall total budget and where you are located?

Going for a Squier Stratocaster is fine, you could find a good instrument. There are other options available that do not have the same name on the guitar but are the same essential body style … a Strat type guitar … that you would do well to consider initially.

For versatility and rock an HSS configuration is always a good choice in a Strat style guitar.

Neither of the two amplifiers you mention are good options to be honest. There are better small amps with better effects and sound for similar prices.

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3

@Richard_close2u Looking at the price range of those amps… would something like a Boss Katana Mini be better?

4

I live in Romania, and as a budget i would somwhere around 1300 Ron which would be like 266 usd.

5

I saw the boss katana myself but i saw it doesn’t have reverb so i said no but if it’s a better choise i will definitely think about it thank you.

6

Pretty sure the Katana has reverb

7

the Katana mini doesn’t have reverb but you can achieve a reverb-like effect by setting the delay time to zero and increase the delay level.

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8

He’s probably talking about the Katana mini rather than full blown Katana. The mini only has a delay as far as I can see.

9

That is true.

10

Do you have online sites that advertsie used items for sale.
With that small budget my strong advice would be to look at the used market first.

There is very little that can go wrong with a used guitar and a used amplifier. It is not like buying a used car where the engine can break and the wheels can fall off.

Essentially, if a used guitar looks okay, if you can play chords well on it, if the notes play clear from fret 1 to fret 20, if the volume and ton knobs work without making a scratchy sound through the amp then it should be fine. It may need some adjustment and new strings etc but even new guitars need that.
Used amps are also fine. Just test the knobs work and the sound is clear without any unwanted noise.

Reverb is a great effect to have on an amp but is not the only one you will want.

For small second hand amps check out:
Orange Crush
Blackstar ID: Core 10 or 20
Roland Cube

For guitars check out:
Squier Affinity
Yamaha Pacifica

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11

It all comes down, afaik, to this: what sounds great and what can i afford.
If you’re hunting for an electric guitar and an amp, i highly suggest (i’m going through this too atm) you go to your local guitarshop, and try as many guitars and amps as you can.
There’s no straight answer. It will all come down to this: what do i like and what does it cost?
I’m looking at 2 guitars in my local shop, but before doing anything else, i’l go down there and try them.
See how they feel and play. Do they resonate with me? Is there a match? Next up: what amp should i buy/want/ can i afford?
Plug in and try. Play, listen and decide according to what you can afford.
Let your ears be the guide. (along with your wallet ofcourse)

Good luck hunting!

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12

Thanks everyone for the answers🤙

13

You could even go a headphone amp if budget is an issue. No speakers but they’re cheap and some have decent effects

14

Do you plan on moving where you’re playing? If not you don’t even need to get an amp, you could buy an audio interface and amp modeling software like ToneLib GFX | Amp simulation software with ultimate practice tools. for around the price of a katana 50. I just purchases tonelib and it’s incredible how versatile it is. I also have a katana 50 which I love as well. Both are good options.

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