Cheap Guitar/Expensive Amp OR Cheap Amp/Expensive Guitar?

Should you upgrade your guitar or your amplifier first?

[qwaazig]

I'm with the other people where I wouldn't count the Blackstar as a cheap amp really. I would have went Peavey Bandit or something like that. I'm definitely of the mind set that having a nicer amp will give you a nicer sound but a nicer guitar often gives a better feel when playing which often helps with creativity.

[davidlalremruata]

The most expensive guitar will sound like crap in a really cheap n low quality amp but a bad guitar will sound somehow good thru a great amp.
Always.

[davidlalremruata]

Always best to buy quality amp.
But then Keith Richards could sound great on a National Panasonic tape recorder used as a preamp.
So...

[dr.psycho]

I didn't see any cheap thing in this video

[misticformula]

I'd never spend over $1, 000 for any guitar new or used: just a personal thing for me unless I was a big time rockstar. The Mesa sounded really killer with the Petrucci. Seemed like that's when the tones finally opened up all the way if that makes sense. I wasn't feeling the tones much at all of the Jackson through either amp here. But I'm not there in the room with you listening to or playing your gear in person so I can't judge too harshly over youtube. Killer video man! Love your approach to these demos.

[nickpekarsky]

These comparisons are bloody useless... A line 6 spider will do the job if you are chugging generic crap by yourself. Maybe comparison of gear in a band dynamic with dynamic playing would be a good place to start.

[TheCheck]

Guitar for more than 1000$ is cheap? Serious?

[JeraEstudio]

Blackstar cheap?? man you definitly lives in the right corner of the World. .

[derekmok]

A cheap guitar with an expensive amp will almost always beat an expensive guitar with a cheap amp. Of course, it also depends on exactly how "expensive" the amp is. The fact is that cheap amps will flatten the sounds, nuances and character of an expensive guitar, but an expensive amp will bring out the best in a cheap guitar even if there's a limit to that "best". A crappy Squier practice amp will make your Gibson Les Paul sound as tinny and papery as a Squier Strat, but a nice Vox AC15 will make your Squier Strat seem like it's a lot better than it is.

[gordontubbs]

I think cheap guitars have a few weaknesses in particular - intonation, dead frets, and electronics. All of these things are fixable though. You can always replace the bridge, nut, and pickups, or get a pro setup done with a fret job, or strip the neck to get a new lacquer finish. The question is.... are these all things you're willing to do with an off-the-shelf cheap guitar? Most players are probably going to say no. Case in point - it's simply way easier to grab a decent Mexican Strat rather than deal with the hassle of upgrading a Squier. I think when it comes to amps, it comes down to what you need: bedroom or gigging. From there it comes down to "is it loud enough for a band?" which is the one question asked of every amp.

[davidlalremruata]

If expensive = good then expensive.
However, that's not always true.
For some lucky guts they have talented friends who can make great guitars for them very cheaply.
So, go figure.
But if expensive equals good then an expensive amps have the ability to make even the lowest cheapo guitar sound like a million bucks with a bit of mic placements, eqs etc but an expensive guitar cannot n will not make a bad amp sound like an expensive one - unlikely to ever happen.

[davidlalremruata]

But then the cheapest amp around can give you the kind of sound that you like but maybe not by many others.

[antonioj]

If you just want a good sound you need mainly a good amp. If you want "the sound ", you need both, a good amp and a good guitar. Once said that, the most important factor is the player. Anyway I think the terms of the comparison should be good/bad guitar/amp, and not cheap/expensive. There are some cheap stuff that can sound good, and this Blackstar is a good example. If you want to show wich of the two instruments (guitar and amp) is more decisive to get a good sound I think it would be more suitable to compare very different quality instruments better than compare very different priced instruments. That Mesa's price is far away from Blackstar's, but not its sound quality, so you are showing the sound of a "bad" guitar+excellent amp, but not the sound of excellent guitar +bad amp, wich I think should be the most interesting test. In this case I'll get cheap amp+expensive guitar. Nice test anyway ;-)

[waltzeh]

Good guitar with good amp played by a sloppy guitarist ?? Or Cheap guitar with cheap amp played by a guitar guru ??

[mooferoo]

I guess there's an alternate answer for different people and different music genres. But i'm a metal player and for me the tone i get is 75% or more of the enjoyment i get from playing guitar. Because of that i spent YEARS with my old amp hating the tone i got out of it, to the point i gave up playing guitar entirely for quite a few years.
Now when i got a new amp (an EVH 5150 III) it inspired me and i began loving to play my guitar (a cheapish Jackson) again. I'm now a better guitarist than the stage i'd got to years ago, solely because i've got a tone i love now.

So for metal players at least i'd really recommend a more expensive amp first if you've currently got say a 10 watt practice combo.

[thetonekingofficial]

Good vid man. In both cases - the Mesa made the rig sound good. The Blackstar, not so much. Maybe it has to do w the style of playing. That Mesa is a beast for those chugga riffs. The Blackstar (IMHO) is less about the chug and more about the straight up rock. Good vid. Bottom line - Mesa and either guitar.

[BillHesse]

In general I believe the amp is the key component for an electric guitarist. Without having a way to connect your instrument to the ears it doesn't really matter how nice the guitar is. Better instruments do improve sound, however unless its a real potato of a guitar it will probably sound fine to a listener's ear. They sound in our head is most often what we chase an not many others will notice the nuances unless they are a tone freak like we are. I write riffs with a PODxt and a mic'd amp and no one I have sent them to has said anything between them about the tone. They just don't notice in a mix. So often we chase things others don't notice.

[Dhani]

My god! The moment the Mesa and Musicman connected! I fell inlove. Beast of a tone. These instruments just match so well! No wonder JP uses this combo

[instrumentalist]

i would have used a line sux spyder or a pod as the cheapo...i actually like blackstar more than for guitar, my opinion is as long as the setup is perfect and pickups sound great, its great, no matter the cost..i have demoed expensive ibanez, musicman, schecter, etc guitars with a horrible set up and a cheap squire with a great setup and almost bought the squire..but ya i agree expensive guitar and cheap amp would be the way to go on a budget and buy a used ts or eq to smooth the loose saggy gain that solid state amps produce, it workes on my old behringer vamp modeler and my old 2000 crate 15 watter..of course i moved on to a randall tube amp for the comparison...whats ur view on expensive amp/ cheap cab or cheap amp/ expensive

[topfloorstudio]

I'm insulted, lol! I'm a Blackstar user, I have HT5METAL & HT20STUDIO heads that I use with "good cabs" and I feel they sound killer! Guitar-wise, I think JP Musicman is WAY overpriced! My $1300 Gibson sg or $1400 USA StratPlus will blow that thing away. But everybody has an opinion like an a$$hole.