$1000 budget - To sound like Slash, Hammet, or Gates.

[GearSolidMetal]

Got a nephew that's quite musicaly talented. He's been playing acoustic guitar for over a year and he's been showing off how good he is to friends and family.

His musical inspirations have been Slash, Kirk Hammet, and Synister Gates of AV7.

So a few us within the family are pitching in to buy him a nice rig to sound somewhat like one of his three idols, for $1000 with deals on Black Friday of this year.

Is this in anyway realistic, or are we WAY off in our guestimation of $1000?

 

[Simian Raticus]

It's doable. But I would put most of the budget towards the guitar, like 70-80%. Get a smaller amp of decent quality, and when he needs something more substantial you can cross that bridge then.

I think owning a really nice instrument that plays well and sounds good is huge advantage for new players. It inspires you to play and explore.
Based on dude's influences my first thought ESP loaded with EMG's, maybe an Eclipse. But you'd have some good options from Ibanez, Schecter and Jackson in the $700-$800 range.

As far as amps - if he really wants to sound like metal dudes then I would probably look at a small modelling combo, like a Line 6 or a Peavey Vypr.

 

[Bluesbreaker]

I'm not normally a gear head, though I'll try my best here. For an amp, perhaps a Boss Katana. I think they come in quite a few different sizes. A small one should leave money for a good guitar.

As for the guitar... I think isor is on the right track. Maybe a Schecter or LTD. I believe Schecter does a Synyster Gates model, but I don't know about pricing. Otherwise, maybe a Chapman or Charvel?

Some of the Sherdog gear heads will know more about price than me.

 

[CrimsonFan]

How old is he?

If your buying new, you can easily set him up with something for less than a grand.

Guitars the most important. You want to spend atlest 4 or 500 to get a reliable electric guitar. I wouldnt spend any more than that for now. Go to guitar center im sure theres dozens of epiphone les pauld in that price range. Thats what id suggest

Theyre powerful guitars and you can play any style on it. Slash plays a les paul and theyre pretty guitars.

I wouldnt spend more than 200 on an amp for him. Get him a little crate or marshall solid state. Something thats capable of getting loud enough to play with a drummer, but small enough that he can carry it around and practice quietly.

That leaves money for accessories. Load him up with a strap, cables, a good tuner, and a cheap multi effects board.

If you go used you can get all this for under 500.

Its his first rig, hes gonna mature as a musician and who knows what sound hes gonna be going after in a few years.. If he even is still playing.

Really you should just have a budget and let him pick his gear.

 

[Post 2 Decision]

I see people saying a Schecter and I must say my Schecter is fucking awesome. Came with EMG pickups that cost half the price of the whole guitar. Great value

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

If there's any money left, get him a cheap nylon string classical acoustic ($50-100), 3/4 size. They sound really good usually (try it out first just to make sure, but like 80-90% of the time they sound great.) Get a yamaha if you're not sure which brand you like better-- they're priced VERY reasonably and the quality is great even for their low end models

The reason to do this is so he can practice a lot more when things need to be quieter, and also so he can get to the guitar quicker if something pops in his mind (like a madeup song) and he wants to experiment quick without having to setup and turn things on (and go wherever the setup is). He can keep it anywhere (even the bathroom) if it's small and it will sound wonderful playing/practicing the normally "boring" stuff. Nylon strings sound mellow and resonant like a beautiful harp plus the strings are soft and easier to play so they will encourage more practice overall. It will also sound right if he decides to make any ballads or parts of for his songs (like Metallica has plenty of)

IMO

 

[Rvd Slmr]

If he plans on playing in a metal band, I'll go against everybody and say that the amp is more important. Stacks are usually the best option, but they can get a bit pricey or overkill. There are some relatively cheap combo tube amps that play loud enough for rehearsals. The BlackStar HT-5 is perfect to play in your room and to rehearse, he'll just have to check if the overdrive is good enough for his tastes or if he'd have to buy a pedal.

Gear Gods did a special about getting started in metal with 500 euros (they said dollars first, but they were in Thomann, the legendary German store). If you note all the stuff they hesitated on and then discarded because of the price, you'll probably end-up with a nice set-up under 1000 dollars.

 

[Barge]

The little yamaha thr10x and boss katana are great practice amps for home. Can't recommend them enough.

 

[Cantona7]

[QUOTE="Really you should just have a budget and let him pick his gear.[/QUOTE]

I’d strongly agree with this, take him to a decent guitar shop and let him play a few in the price range and pick what he falls in love with. The right shop will make a real difference, so if you know anyone local to you who plays I’d suggest sounding them out about where to go.

 

[Cantona7]

If he plans on playing in a metal band, I'll go against everybody and say that the amp is more important. Stacks are usually the best option, but they can get a bit pricey or overkill. There are some relatively cheap combo tube amps that play loud enough for rehearsals. The BlackStar HT-5 is perfect to play in your room and to rehearse, he'll just have to check if the overdrive is good enough for his tastes or if he'd have to buy a pedal.

Gear Gods did a special about getting started in metal with 500 euros (they said dollars first, but they were in Thomann, the legendary German store). If you note all the stuff they hesitated on and then discarded because of the price, you'll probably end-up with a nice set-up under 1000 dollars.

BlackStar HT series is a great recommendation, they are excellent amps for the money, and really flexible if he decides he wants to play stuff other than metal from time to time.

 

[91 seconds]

Everyone must pitch in a grand.

A line 6 Spider jam will improve his playing with the loop playback. Think they are 400. A Zakk Wylde Epiphone Les Paul comes stocked with EMG's to get that active Metal sound but Slash's sound is very different than the Hamsters..so having the LP with EMG's is kind of like a hybrid between the two but Slash has a way creamier sound. AV7 is after my time. Does he have a wah? Don't forget that if he loves Hammet.

 

[Seano]

Got a nephew that's quite musicaly talented. He's been playing acoustic guitar for over a year and he's been showing off how good he is to friends and family.

His musical inspirations have been Slash, Kirk Hammet, and Synister Gates of AV7.

So a few us within the family are pitching in to buy him a nice rig to sound somewhat like one of his three idols, for $1000 with deals on Black Friday of this year.

Is this in anyway realistic, or are we WAY off in our guestimation of $1000?

Doable? Absolutely. 1000 bucks for a guitar and amp? No problem.

I am pretty big into gear, if you have any questions, tag me or something.

I'll tell you what though, it'd be best to let him pick the stuff himself. Take him out with the cash, tell him he has a 1000 dollar shopping spree. I would have shit my pants when I was a kid if someone did that for me.

 

[bandicoot]

Ibanez makes good priced guitars with a Floyd rose and great pick ups, known quite a few people that loved to shred on those

 

[P0NYBOY]

The floyd rose thing may present a problem in that playing one requires a bit different right hand technique if it's a floating trem..........or it will go sharp when he palm mutes. Also, find out whether he leans toward tremolo histrionics or whether he just needs a little now and then. If he needs a lot, get nothing less than a floyd rose type double locking tremolo or his first dive bomb to hanging strings will come back up out of tune.

That kind of thing needs to be addressed before he buys.

Also, neck size and shape. He needs to hold a bunch of guitars in his hands to see what neck shape he prefers.

If he's gonna change tuning often, he surely won't want a floating tremolo guitar. Changing tuning often is much easier with a fixed bridge guitar.

Don't sleep on the yamaha guitars.



A "micro dark" amp into a 2x12 cab would be plenty loud and relatively inexpensive though there are some great combo amps.

With what you have left...............a maxon OD808 (yes, they still make the original tube screamer and always have).

Anderton's music has tons of videos of most any type of gear that they test and compare. It's worth watching.

 

[Drain Bamage]

I'd prob grab an Ibanez, LTD or Jackson in the $500 range and spend the other on the Katana 100 watt 1x12, should come in a little under a grand.

 

[Crimson Glory]

You won't sound exactly like any of them for a grand(these guys use alot of different types of effects outside of just the guitar and amp), but you can get him a decent starter electric guitar and little combo amp for under that price point that can come close.

I'd recommend getting him an Ibanez RG Standard.

http://www.ibanez.com/products/eg_series18.php?area_id=2&cat_id=1&year=2018&series_id=1&pre=0

You can find ones on eBay, Kijiji, or at a local store that are used aswell for even lower. If possible you might even be able to find a Premium or Pestige, which are their best guitars for a pretty low price. I personally have purchased a Premium Ibanez RG for 550, fantastic guitar for a very low price. I've seen Prestige guitars for 500-700 aswell, which is also a huge steal given they start at around 2K brand new.

As for the amp, he'll be wanting something with high gain given his influences. You can get just that while saving more money for the guitar or even staying under budget if you bought a 15 watt Line 6 Spider. They aren't a gigging amp by any means and he'll have to upgrade eventually, but they do the job when it comes to practicing at home.

 

[Crimson Glory]

I second having him go into a shop and trying out a bunch of gear aswell.

A big thing about buying a guitar, especially your first electric guitar is, thats the guitar that you get used to, you'll come to compare everything to that guitar down the line. He'll be spending alot of quality time with it, so it's best to get him something he likes and that feels right in his hands. If he's interested in getting a floating trem(which I think he will), Ibanez come with pretty decent trems, even their lowest models. Stear clear of the older Ibanez which come with an Edge III though, whatever you do.

 

[Bluesbreaker]

The floyd rose thing may present a problem in that playing one requires a bit different right hand technique if it's a floating trem..........or it will go sharp when he palm mutes. Also, find out whether he leans toward tremolo histrionics or whether he just needs a little now and then. If he needs a lot, get nothing less than a floyd rose type double locking tremolo or his first dive bomb to hanging strings will come back up out of tune.

That kind of thing needs to be addressed before he buys.

Also, neck size and shape. He needs to hold a bunch of guitars in his hands to see what neck shape he prefers.

If he's gonna change tuning often, he surely won't want a floating tremolo guitar. Changing tuning often is much easier with a fixed bridge guitar.

Don't sleep on the yamaha guitars.



A "micro dark" amp into a 2x12 cab would be plenty loud and relatively inexpensive though there are some great combo amps.

With what you have left...............a maxon OD808 (yes, they still make the original tube screamer and always have).

Anderton's music has tons of videos of most any type of gear that they test and compare. It's worth watching.

Yammy guy here. It's not cool to play one, but I've had many musos and engineers impressed with mine.

Now I'm just waiting on that endorsement...