Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

Hi, all. I've been singing for years, and I've played several instruments, but I never had anything electric. I was in a band last year, but still only as a singer (and sometimes as a tambourine player).

I've been taking guitar lessons for 3 months now with an acoustic guitar. I bought an electric guitar: Epiphone Les Paul Junior Electric Guitar, Cherry
I got a small one because I have a bad back (was giving me pain trying to reach around the big guitar) and also very small hands and fingers.

I'm doing this in part because my band fell apart and I want to be able to play and sing on my own if I can't find another band. If I do find another band, then hopefully, at some point, I can play guitar in it as well. Before that, I will probably play at some open mic nights.

So my question is, what is the smallest and cheapest amp I can get in order to hear my guitar at home and at open mic night (I can always get a better, louder one later if need be)? Or give me a ballpark price range and description of what I should get. I really don't know that much about the equipment at all. I have a good Shure mic and stand. Will it plug into the amp? I've mostly been using it at home to record onto a computer with singing, and sometimes singing and playing, on karaoke sites.

2nd Is it at all possible to plug the guitar into the computer, and if so, what kind of cable do I need for that? I'm currently using CoolEditPro for recording on an old laptop that has Windows Media Center. Unlike newer laptops, it has a place to plug in a mic and headphones separately, no built-in camera or recorder. That's pretty much why I use it for recording instead of my newer laptops... I like to record with my Shure. CoolEditPro was free; they made it now into Adobe Audition, which I've heard is very expensive.

3rd What else would I need besides an amp? And please, I'm a newbie, so don't use nicknames or abbreviations that I won't understand, and explain to me why I need this or that.

Lastly, if I go to an open mic night, will they have equipment or do I need to bring an amp and mic? I've never been to one before. I might go this Thursday, depending...


Thanks for any help!

I like Vox amps. They're cheap. They do a lot of stuff. The VT line has every size imaginable. They have amp modeling and fx. You can go from soft (AC 15) to super hard (US high gain) tone. Just make sure it has a direct out for your recording connection. If the "salesman" is a high school kid, try to work your way up to a manager or someone who has used this stuff in the real world.
You'll likely need a small assortment of adapters to get anything done at home.
Guitar cables are called "TS" (tip/ sleeve), but are mono (one channel). The same size (1/4") with stereo capability are called TRS (tip/ ring/ sleeve). If you want to record straight from an guitar amp to a laptop, you'll get the best results with a box that takes in 1/4" and/ or mic cables (2 channels recommended for guitar and vocal mic at the same time) and sends usb cables to the computer. Preferably with a knob for input level.
Here's mine.
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/audio-interfaces/komplete-audio-6-migrated/included-software/

As for the question about plugging the vocal mic into the guitar amp, don't. Guitar amps and vocal P.A.s are radically different and an amp that is marketed as doing both most likely won't do either worth a damn.
Good luck. Keep asking questions. I wish I had.

at a minimum, make sure you choose an amp that has a pre-amp IN and power amp OUT jack)s so if you ever decide to implement pedals, pedals or accessories in-line to Instrument input sometimes don't work as intended
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is the No. 1 selling amp in the world for a reason.. affordable is the reason and super good clean tones

Lots of good info from others already, but some of it might have gone too techie for you!

1) At an open mic, they will have mics, amps, cables. All you need is your voice and guitar. Note that plugging your (rather inexpensive) electric guitar into a PA system (or an amp made for acoustic guitars) will not sound all that great. Electric guitars need some distortion/gain to sound their best - this can be done with a dedicated guitar amp or with a pedal (stompbox). These might be called distortion or overdrive pedals. You don't need one starting out.

2) Practice at home - you can get away with a very small practice amp like the Fender Frontman 10G: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Fron ... -481602.gc It won't be any good for playing with others, and you cannot plug a mic into it either. There are many other options for cheap starter amps, visit your local music store and check your local craigslist.

3) If you want to plug a mic plus your guitar into an amp for practicing, that is something else. The only amps (besides PA systems) that allow this are really designed for acoustic guitar solo players, but you can plug your electric guitar into the guitar channel as well. The Fishman Loudbox Mini goes for $329, and Sweetwater offers it with a mic stand and mic and cable for no extra charge: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LoudBoxMiniPK

4) For recording, as Schmed pointed out, you need an audio interface - a device that takes the analog audio signal and converts it to digital and sends it to the computer via USB (or Firewire if you have a Mac). The Komplete that Schmed mentioned is a good one, but may be more than you need at this time. There are $100 AIs from Focusrite, Presonus and Steinberg that have two inputs (one mic preamp and one 1/4" instrument input) that will let you record mic and guitar at same time (or separately).

Thanks, everyone!! I'm sure after I look around a bit, I will have more questions...

Thanks for the previous answers! Now I guess I need a PA system to plug my Shure mic into. I don't want to spend much money. This is for small gigs. I have this amp: Fender Champion 20 - 20-Watt Electric Guitar Amplifier for my guitar.

Thanks!

There are a ton of options, depending on your budget and what you might want to move up to in the future.
The suitcase PAs from Fender or Yamaha or ok, but tend to get expensive and don't really put a lot of volume out until you get up to the price range where you could get a 'real' PA system.

For a super-cheap start, take a look at one of these Kustom units: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Kustom-PA/P ... erm=kustom pa $99 - and often on sale for another $20 off at GC.
This is the least expensive Fender 'suitcase' PA: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Pass ... -System.gc $400.
For around the same price, you can get a small mixer and a powered speaker, then expand with more powered speakers, or move up to a better mixer in the future.

Some people want high portability and are more concerned with that than cost. The Fishman SA220 (and there are now other manufacturer equals) is one choice, and for 2X the money, the Bose L1 system.

I don't want to spend much money. This is for small gigs.???


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I don't want to spend much money. This is for small gigs.???


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Ali

Are you asking an actual question? Are you looking for ____? What's your budget?

Theese are small, cheap and great for home playing.
https://gb.muzyczny.pl/156253_Fender-Mu ... combo.html
or small version
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Mustang-Mi ... B005N2E8A8
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mini5BK
I really like this mini mustang.

Theese are small, cheap and great for home playing.
https://gb.muzyczny.pl/156253_Fender-Mu ... combo.html
or small version
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Mustang-Mi ... B005N2E8A8
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mini5BK
I really like this mini mustang.

Old thread and the original questions were about a PA system, not a guitar amp.