what kind of amp should a beginner buy for his guitar? new or used? which type? does it matter?

Question

my guitar is a charvel cx 290...
i don't know if anyone knows what that means.

how do i know if i can trust people at music stores?
etc.......

Answer 1

BUY USED!!!!!!!!! A pawn shop or used music shop are your best bets. Take your guitar and try it out. Don't spend more than $150 for your first amp.... you may not pick up guitar as quickly as you think. It's very easy to get frustrated in the beginning.

A new music shop may/may not try and push a high end amp on you. Read the salesman like you would anywhere else. Do they seem genuine or are they trying to make a big commission?

You need to consider a few things when making your decision:

1. Where will you be playing? House? Apartment? Dorm? On stage at The Forum? These are all big factors. If you answered yes for one of the first three, then keep your "new" amp below 45 amps. 15-20 amps is plenty loud enough for practice. The 100+ amp amplifiers are for live shows primarily. So, keep the amps low... but not too low. Try it out for yourself.

2. What size? A single speaker amp around 10" is perfect for practicing. Anything more than that is overkill for a beginner.

3. What brand? I can tell you that Marshall, Line 6, Roland, Peavey, Ampeg, and Hughes and Kettner have great amplifiers. Mesa Boogie is another one you'll probably come across, but only recommended for advanced playing for live performances. I'd stick with Marshall and Line 6.

4. Digital, tube, or mono? Digital amps sound great and the prices have really come down. They have a lot more options when it comes to tweaking your sound. Tube amps are the classical medium. They have a great sound, but are more tempramental. Mono amps are the cheapest and offer solid performance for the money.

Here is a summary of what to get:

1. Marshall or Line 6 amp
2.15-20 amps
3. Digital, tube, or mono (doesn't matter)
4. Single 10" speaker

Your Charvel guitar is made by Jackson... a great guitar company. Have fun learning and I hope that I helped.

Answer 2

generally you can trust people at the music stores.
But you can always go to musiciansfriend.com or americanmusical.com and check out amps for yourself.

they have some pretty good deals on them.
Depending on what kind of sound you want, and many with free shipping. some of the better names would be Fender, Marshall, Peavey and Behringer are all good names.

There's plenty of amps there in a wide variety of prices and speaker sizes to choose from.

I'm not familiar with that guitar, but if it's a Bass guitar, make sure you get a Bass Guitar Amp. A normal amp for a 6 string elec will not be enough for a Bass and will blow the speakers.

Good luck.

Answer 3

ok i've been playin guitar for 4 years i no all about everything now im only 13 but i still not a lot about guitar and rock n roll u need to buy a new amp first of all u never no wut has happened to the used ones u need to buy a marshall amp NOT MARSHALL STACKS just a small nice $100 marshall its pretty cheap and good sounding

Answer 4

Used! You dont need much until you are ready to go out and perform. Watch out for the pawn shops... they very very often charge WAY more than the musical stuff is worth ....