Hi guys, I have decided to post couple of questions after using search function for 3 days (not a joke). Anyway, this looks like an amazing forum and the amount of information I got in these 3 days is better than anything I found elsewhere in 3 weeks. I apologize for wall of text, but I usually like to think aloud and make the answers as close to "Yes" / "No" as they possible. People usually don't like to write long answers.
So I've decided to start playing, or better said start learning how to play guitar. So I am complete a noob. No gigs now and I don't really have plans to have any in the future. However I can get pretty serious about my hobbies and I don't like cheapish stuff. I also don't know how fast I will learn, maybe I am complete anti-talent. Therefore I don't want to spend too much, it would be overkill for my level anyway. Some of the questions, I know, will be completely basic for you, but please bear in mind that I don't have a clue.
For now I would prefer to stay with my local shop and what they can offer. I want to have someone handy and I can probably get a bit better deal as well. My budget is supposed to be limited at 1500 EUR, preferably less. I have decided to buy an ESP LTD EC-1000 with EMGs. Why? I don't know, they just look ok and I like the sound I have heard from players playing online.
Based on my lifestyle and where I live I estimate that one third of my playing will be done with headphones. I was thinking about buying Shure for around 150 EUR, so playing with headphones is kind of important.
I wanted to get RP500 + small tube combo amp, but after I saw that the last guy insisting on it got banned, I started looking at other options. It seems to me that a lot of you prefer GPS1101. Can someone explain to me, what is the difference? I assume that the sound of emulated amp model, for example, is the same? I understand that GPS1101 is labeled as preamp and RP500/RP1000 is not, but I thought I read somewhere, that RP500/RP1000 is able to do the same? I guess I don't understand very well, what is the difference between these two setups:
- RP500 with only effects, no emulation --> Combo amp
- GPS1101 with only effects, no emulation --> Same Combo amp
The Combo amp has its own preamp part, so where does GPS1101 come in? If GPS1101 preamp just "takes over", does this mean that it is better than combo amp with tubes preamp section? Why would you want to use GPS1101 preamp over preamp that combo amp has? What exactly happens with such GPS1101 setup? I'm sure I am terribly misunderstanding something here.
I understand that one can buy only poweramp, so maybe that is the answer to my first question. Would that mean that GPS1101 as preamp only makes sense if I buy separate poweramp to go with it? If so, I don't have much choice, there is only Marshall EL84-20-20 available and I don't like sound of Marshall amps. I know, not a lot of choice, they could certainly order something else though, if that is what I need.
If I don't buy poweramp, what exactly are my options? What would you do? Here are the things available:
RP500/1000, GPS1101, Laney/Engl/Behringer combo amps, Engl/Laney heads, Laney/Engl/Behringer cabs.
Is there any combination here, that doesn't work? If they are all ok, what are disadvantages of them?
Damn this really is a wall of text. Sorry about that.
So I've decided to start playing, or better said start learning how to play guitar. So I am complete a noob. No gigs now and I don't really have plans to have any in the future. However I can get pretty serious about my hobbies and I don't like cheapish stuff. I also don't know how fast I will learn, maybe I am complete anti-talent. Therefore I don't want to spend too much, it would be overkill for my level anyway. Some of the questions, I know, will be completely basic for you, but please bear in mind that I don't have a clue.
For now I would prefer to stay with my local shop and what they can offer. I want to have someone handy and I can probably get a bit better deal as well. My budget is supposed to be limited at 1500 EUR, preferably less. I have decided to buy an ESP LTD EC-1000 with EMGs. Why? I don't know, they just look ok and I like the sound I have heard from players playing online.
Based on my lifestyle and where I live I estimate that one third of my playing will be done with headphones. I was thinking about buying Shure for around 150 EUR, so playing with headphones is kind of important.
I wanted to get RP500 + small tube combo amp, but after I saw that the last guy insisting on it got banned, I started looking at other options. It seems to me that a lot of you prefer GPS1101. Can someone explain to me, what is the difference? I assume that the sound of emulated amp model, for example, is the same? I understand that GPS1101 is labeled as preamp and RP500/RP1000 is not, but I thought I read somewhere, that RP500/RP1000 is able to do the same? I guess I don't understand very well, what is the difference between these two setups:
- RP500 with only effects, no emulation --> Combo amp
- GPS1101 with only effects, no emulation --> Same Combo amp
The Combo amp has its own preamp part, so where does GPS1101 come in? If GPS1101 preamp just "takes over", does this mean that it is better than combo amp with tubes preamp section? Why would you want to use GPS1101 preamp over preamp that combo amp has? What exactly happens with such GPS1101 setup? I'm sure I am terribly misunderstanding something here.
I understand that one can buy only poweramp, so maybe that is the answer to my first question. Would that mean that GPS1101 as preamp only makes sense if I buy separate poweramp to go with it? If so, I don't have much choice, there is only Marshall EL84-20-20 available and I don't like sound of Marshall amps. I know, not a lot of choice, they could certainly order something else though, if that is what I need.
If I don't buy poweramp, what exactly are my options? What would you do? Here are the things available:
RP500/1000, GPS1101, Laney/Engl/Behringer combo amps, Engl/Laney heads, Laney/Engl/Behringer cabs.
Is there any combination here, that doesn't work? If they are all ok, what are disadvantages of them?
Damn this really is a wall of text. Sorry about that.