turbomama

I am trying to choose between these two guitars for my 13 yr old son who mostly plays rock. he recently started playing with a christian rock band and wants to upgrade from his original fender starcaster. he has a line 6 spider III amp and wants a pedal too.
i want to spend around $400.
thanks.
here are two guitars. zzounds has both for sale from 349-399.

Schecter C-1 Plus

Ibanez RGA32

thanks so much

mr dave

stick with the Ibanez at this price.

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turbomama

since you have been so helpful...i have another question for you...
i am getting the feeling that maybe i need to spend more to get an adequate upgrade from his fender starcaster. do you think i need to spend more? maybe $500? do you think we would be waisting money to upgrade from his starcaster to a $350-$400 guitar? i would rather save more money than throw away $350 on an inadequate upgrade.
thanks so much!!!

mr dave

i wouldn't really bother spending more unless you want to spend a LOT more. the difference between a $350 and a $500 guitar isn't going to be as much as the difference between a $500 and an $800.

this is going to sound odd but if you really want to go for more then i'd get that VOX amp he mentionned and put the rest of the money in a fund towards a new guitar. it helps teach responsibility and money management while working towards a good goal.

also - a cheap guitar through a good amp will almost always sound better than a good guitar through a cheap amp.

so he might find that the Starcaster doesn't necessarily have to be tossed to the curb yet, as well as leaving the choice of what new guitar he wants in his hands (they are the ones that have to play it after all). i find it's always better to try a new instrument first before buying, plus you might have your heart set on something you've seen online or in magazines and then not really like the product when you finally get up close and personal, or there might be something you've never seen or considered in the past hanging up on the wall and just happens to be THE thing for you.

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turbomama

thanks again. the amp idea is a shift,but if you feel its the better move...then i will most likely go that direction. i think his guitar and his amp could stand an upgrade, so he will have to save. I was told his line 6 spider III amp was better than the $100 price when we got it, but im not sure. well, okay...thanks so much!

GuitarBizarre

The spider III isn't a BAD amp persay, but it is a cheap one, and that will show. Especially if its one of the smaller 15 Watt models, since those use smaller speakers and as such don't sound too brilliant compared to other models.

The Vox Valvetronix series of amps are surprisingly good for the money, and the great thing is they have an attenuator built in on the back, so you can run the amp section flat out, without shaking the house down. I have the 30 Watt Model, but to be honest, I regretted not getting the 50 Watt model, since the 30 can only barely be heard over drums, and has a 10" speaker as opposed to 12" (This makes a big difference in tone)

The letdowns on that particular series for me though, were that when it comes to recording things, it has noticable buzz. Also, the jack socket isn't particularly robust, and I've broken mine once or twice. (Luckily you can fix it yourself with nothing more than a screwdriver and the gumption to take the thing apart. Amplifiers are simple beasts and there really isn't anything to get wrong.)

As a note, thats the standard AD30VT I'm talking about there. There IS a version with 'XL' in the model name. I wouldn't recommend that one, its made for metalheads, and I didn't find it particularly great sounding.


Other than that, Dave is absolutely right. The ibanez is the better guitar out of those two, and changing the amp will likely make for a much better upgrade in the long run than the guitar will. I personally collect guitars like most people collect odd socks, there are always more to buy for different sounds/tones etc, but I've generally only ever used one amp at a time.

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turbomama

thanks you guys. its been hard shifting to the amp, because the guitar seems like a much more exciting gift, but i did shift! thanks. and...is there any reason not to look at used amps rather than new since it is not quite as personal?
happy thanksgiving!!!

GuitarBizarre

On those amps, I would say used is perfectly fine, as long as you have the opportunity to see it in person. All you need to check is that when turning the various knobs, they don't 'crackle' or 'pop', and check that the jack socket isn't damaged.

Other than that, you should be good to go!

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turbomama

cool, but i think i can get the vt50 from zzounds tomorrow for 15% off--fingers crossed!

LoathsomePete

I would highly recommend checking the Instrument sales on Craigslist in your area. With the recession where it's at, you have a lot of people selling their gear to make ends meet and it's not all scams, just honest people trying to make money. In my area I saw a 300 Watt Line 6 amp and a Schecter C-1 for $300 together or $150 a piece.

In terms of guitar I would go with the Ibanez just for what your son is doing.

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