General Music Chat

This is my question; I'm a vocalist who also plays guitar, for writing purposes only. Currently, I own a acoustic and am considering buying some electric equipment. I don't have a great deal of money and the items I'm thinking of are; a Dean Vendette XM 6 - string guitar ($99.99) and a Behringer V - Tone GMX212 2x60 watt stereo combo amp ($259.99). If anyone is familar with either of these pieces of equipment and if you are, can you give me some insight on them. Again, money is an issue and the only reason I'm buying them is for writing purpose, not performance. I would appreciate any information at all. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you...

for $350 you could go with used and maybe score a Yamaha guitar (acous/elec) and a small fender amp (I scored a Fender Bronco for $45)

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"It is what it is"

Don't know anything about the Dean, but everything I've seen by Behringer can be described in two words. Cheap plastic.

Do yourself a favor and check out some pawn shops, flea markets, resale shops and yard sales. I got my Fender Champ, all tube practice amp, at a flea market for $8. Down the walkway a few yards and another vendor had all 3 tubes for $1 each. A $12 Radio Shack speaker and I still had a practice amp for under $30 that no solid state practice rig has ever been able to match, at $100 and up retail. My favorite guitar, Fender Squire strat, I traded for another guitar that cost me $150. Cort CL 1500 - got it for $200, cheapest one I could find online at the time was $650.

Check around...Craigslist may be worth a look, and ebay. But make sure you can PLAY a guitar before you buy it. You want to see how it plays and sounds before you shell out any money, otherwise you may get one with shoddy pickups, a neck that's too fat, won't stay in tune...lots of variables, I always avoid a guitar I can't play first. And play it unplugged first, if it sounds dead and lifeless unplugged, no sustain, move on to the next one. If it sounds good unplugged, listen to it through an amp. Intonation and action can be easily reset, but a dull, lifeless guitar will always be dull and lifeless.

Ibanez makes a pretty decent electric I've seen at music stores for $99 retail, Fender makes a Squire that may be worth checking out at around $150 or so, and pawn shops usually have practice amps for $80 or less. Peavey and Gorilla make some good ones, and I have a RMS that does a decent job but since it's solid state and not tubes, it usually sits here gathering dust. Also a friend found a 70's Fender Princeton all tube amp at a yard sale recently for $30. Sold it on ebay for around $600...Now he's wishing he had known me then, I'd probably have it right now.

Shop around...deals are out there looking for you. Pawn shops, yard sales, flea markets, local auction houses...I passed on a nice Lotus Les Paul copy at the local auction house because I didn't want to pay more than $30 for it, then do the repairs, it went for $35. Missed a great buy on a Hammond M3 organ that worked, it sold for $85, I was waving at the auctioneer to bid 90 when he overlooked me and sold it...that thing is worth $2000 or more...I could have easily resold it for $1500 without trying hard.

The deals are out there, you just have to look around for them.

Deans will vary greatly from model year to model year, cuz they have had so many owners over the years. Some are great, but some just aren't. I use a Dean Artists Model acoustic, & I'm very happy with it, but I shopped around begore I bought it, & played a bunch of axes before settling on something in my price range.

I don't like Behringer, either, cuz they aren't stage worthy & they are plastic & cheap looking (although, when they are in top condition, they do sound good, I'll admit), & they tend to break easily.

Yeah, check out consignment music stores, pawn shops, yard sales & whatnot. Play before you buy if you can. The only exception to this rule for me would be buying stuff from Musicians Friend, & even then, you have an easy option for returning the merch if it fails to live up to your expectations.

Good luck.

If all you want is something to write with. They have those beginner guitar packs that have a guitar and little amp for less than $200. I think GC had some little Fender packs for $150 this past Christmas. Sure they arent Les Pauls but for your purposes what difference does it make. Playing on something is better than waiting around and doing nothing.

When I go into music stores and pick up guitars these days even the bottom dollar ones feel better than the crap I started on.

I personally dont like Behringer amps. If it breaks they are throw away amps. In my area the people that have bought them couldnt get them fixed anywhere. Plus most of them have so many effects built in that you tend to over use the effects. For songwriting I think a straight up amp would be best.

Hey Bundy. I've played a Dean Vendetta, and I didn't like it. The construction seemed ok, it more the tone that it produced. If its for songwriting purposes only, it will probably be ok. From my perspective though, why not get a better guitar that you can play live and have good tone if you decide to do so? Hayden brought up a good point with the Yamaha. A Yamaha Pacifica is a bolt-neck guitar with good pickups and decent tone. You can get one used for about the same price as the Vendetta.

I'm not a fan of Behringer either. I have a Bass V-Amp from them that was given to me by a guitar player that I know, and the thing is so noisy that its unusable for live or studio stuff. I may have gotten a bad one from the production line -- who knows... I know why he gave it to me for free though after trying it out...

Sorry bro, but I have to recommend checking out eBay, pawn shops, and other resources to find some good used gear. You can find really good stuff that will still be within your budget.

I hope this helps.

If all you want is something to write with. They have those beginner guitar packs that have a guitar and little amp for less than $200.

JW brought up a good point. Ibanez, Fender, and Epiphone all have pretty decent starter packs with a guitar, amp, strap, tuners, and everything you need.