Guitars & Gigging Equipment

Guitarists have a huge choice of not only guitars, but amplifiers, effects and other gadgets. It really is a case of personal preference and there is no substitute for actually trying out instruments and other equipment in dedicated music shops. Much of what a guitarist will buy depends largely on their chosen style(s) and budget. Here's a quick guide to get you started:

Electric Guitars – Where do we start?

If you are a Rock player then you might like the thicker, heavier sound that guitars loaded with Humbucking pickups give – Gibson’s Les Paul and SG, Paul Reed Smith’s Custom 24, and Ibanez’ RG Series are all popular professional choices.

Blues players might like the ‘honk’ that you can get from a Single Coil Pickup loaded guitar like Fender’s Stratocaster or Telecaster. Soap Bar Pickups are also a good choice for Blues as they are thicker than a Single Coil but stay cleaner than Humbuckers when cranked. These can often be found on semi-acoustic guitars such as a Gretsch or Gibson ES335.

A Pop Guitarist may like to choose an instrument that can play a clean rhythm part but switch to a more aggressive, higher gain setting for lead breaks.

Of course, a lot of musicians modify their guitars to achieve their desired tone and feel, and many (including myself) have many guitars that all do certain things very well.

My advice is always to purchase the best equipment you can afford but stay sensible if you are starting out. It is much better to buy a modest well set-up guitar and amplifier, learn to play it well, and then move on. Thousands of pounds worth of guitar might look great, but wont make you a better player!

Acoustic Guitars – Again a very personal choice

I prefer steel-strung acoustic guitars that have more ‘electric’ necks and a low action (height of strings from fretboard) as I change a guitars a lot during a performance so don’t want to have to adjust too much.

Slide players might like a higher action as might someone who plays a more percussive style.

Acoustic Guitars are tone-shaped in many different ways, the woods used, body size and shape, internal bracings etc all affect its sound and playability and you need to spend some time with an instrument before you know if its right.

Nylon strung guitars are primarily for Classical use and generally have wider necks and higher actions than their Steel strung cousins. They are great for finger-style playing.

Amplifiers – The pursuit of tone

Professional guitarists often have very expensive amps (because they can!) and rely heavily on their amps to produce their signature ‘tone’.

If you play, or plan to play, heavy rock or metal, you would probably look to Marshall, Mesa Boogie or Hughes & Kettner for a powerful distorted sound.

If it’s a clean tone that you need, Fender or Vox would be good choices.

Transistor amplifiers are relatively low cost so are a good option for a novice but most pro’s prefer Valve driven amps that are more responsive to a guitars volume and its players attack and dynamics.

Many amplifiers can produce clean and distorted (overdriven) sounds but I have found that very few do both really well, at least to my ears!

In a live performance, I generally favour a Bi-amp setup where a Fender  handles my clean tones and a Marshall takes care of the dirt!.

Effects – aka my ‘floordrobe’

A lot of guitarists supplement their sound with effects units, generally either rack-mounted or in a stomp-box on the floor.

Effects really are for getting a certain sound, or tone that can be switched on or off as desired. Many guitarists will have Delay (echo), Chorus (sweetens up and widens a sound), Distortion(overdrive), Wah(old school!) and a Stage Tuner in their arsenal as well as switching options for multi-channel amps. Many other effects are out there, as well as multi-effects units that do it all in one unit.

Effects are great tools for musicians that play a range of different styles but again, they only help change your sound, they will not substitute poor technique.

IF YOU ARE STARTING OUT, OR MOVING ON, AND ARE UNSURE WHAT EQUIPMENT WOULD MOST SUIT YOUR REQUIREMENTS, I’M HAPPY TO HELP YOU SOURCE THE APPROPRIATE  GEAR.