Guitar and Pickup Advice?
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Hi there. I’m returning to guitar after many, many years not playing. I’d consider myself a complete beginner.
I’ve got a Spark ordered as part of a birthday gift, and now need to get a guitar and am hoping to get some advice from those that have been using the amp for a while.
My musical taste is all over the board. I like, and expect to play around with, styles that typically align to different pickups. For example: Blues/Classic Rock (single), Hard Rock/Metal (humbucker).
How does the spark perform when using amps or effects not traditionally associated with the style of guitar pickups? Does it make any significant difference what the guitar pickup configuration is?
Any advice or feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
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I’m kinda in the same boat as you. I used to play guitar when at secondary school but work, family commitments and health have meant it’s gone by the wayside until recently.
Ideally I’d suggest getting yourself to your local guitar store. Take the amp with you and try a few different guitars out. I mean I had a chap bring his own practise amp with him when he came to buy the S series Ibanez I was selling recently. It gives you a good understanding albeit you won’t get the same surrounding noises or reverb unless you live in a retail sized building of how it’ll sound on the kit you are going to be using day in day out.
The spark is that small that I’ll be tempted if I ever buy another guitar to take it along with me to try my next purchase before buying.
I only got my spark yesterday but it plays nicely with the Harley Benton PRS lookalike or the Ibanez JS1 I’ve got in my collection.
I’d say if you are going back into it go try an S series Ibanez, thin and not to heavy and depending on whether you want a hardtail or floyd they have you covered on both counts. It just depends on what you are wanting to spend.
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@kain-harkins Great advice! I hadn't even considered taking the am with me. I prefer to support local music shops whenever I can, so I intend to get my hands on some options. I'm reserving judgement about cost because I realize comfort and utility outweigh budget. Thank you!
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@timbopdx exactly I mean the Harley Benton cst24t may not be exactly the same as the PRS it copies but the feel of it is brilliant and the Roswell bare pickups aren’t bad either. And that was cheap compared to the real thing.
Again as you say it’s what you feel most comfortable with and as for what you can play on it the latest Taylor Larson video on YouTube just proves that a particular style or make of guitar isn’t always needed to play the genre it’s known for. Like tele for country and western. Strat for blues etc.
I bought an Epiphone Les Paul plus top pro and I just couldn’t get away with playing it. It felt ok in the shop when I bought it but a few months down the line I traded it in for an Ibanez as I found the neck a lot easier to play. And to be honest I’ll never go back to a Les Paul style guitar now as it’s ruined my expectations of it just because it didn’t feel right when playing.