Thinking of taking up the guitar? Looking for reliable, great-sounding gear to get you through your first gigs? Here are my 10 recommendation to get you started, without breaking the bank!
Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s
Let’s cover electric guitars first, and if it’s LP-style solid body you’re after, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s is a lot of guitar for the money. Great looking, classic tones, sturdy build and slinky playability getting you 90% of the Gibson experience for 25% of the cost. A solid choice!
Epiphone ES-335
Although me beloved Epiphone ES-335 PRO is now discontinued, you can still experience the full roar and legendary versatility only a semi-acoustic ES-335 can deliver for a little over £500. What are you waiting for?
Squier Affinity Telecaster
My current guitar of choice, and what’s not to like? Classic looks, impeachable durability, timeless and function design, and tones punch through a dense mix/band like no other. Some say this is the only guitar you’ll ever need, but whatever your view, you simply need to have a Tele in your collection, and for £200, what’s stopping you?
Yamaha FG800
And now to acoustics. I currently own a Yamaha FG850, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You don’t need the bells and whistles, so I would plump for the stripped down Yamaha FG800 model. You won’t be dissapointed!
Boss Katana 50 Gen 3
This guitar amp (a mark 1) never let me down in over 5 years of solid gigging. Light, loud, built like a tank (like all BOSS products), as flexible as you need, inbuilt FX, and all for £250. This is a no-brainer and the Gen 3 is the best it’s ever been
Hotone Ampero Mini
My current guitar multi-fx. This tiny box does everything I need with minimal fuss, intuitive UI and great-sounding models. A do-it-all rig for less than £150 that fits in your gigbag. For gigs, the durability, simplicity and bright touch screen have meant I’d be lost without it.
Boss DS-1w Distortion
Probably the most fun I’ve had with a distortion/overdrive pedal. Classic, thick, cascading 80s gain and, with the custom mode, a welcome mid-push and volume boost. Legendary.
Electro Harmonix Soul Food
If organic, transparent, klon-style overdrive is more your bag, this is my pick, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg!
Electro Harmonix Canyon Delay & Looper
So much more than your run-of-the-mill delay pedal, the EHX Canyon can also function as a multi-fx in compact pedal format, including one of the most glorious Shimmer effects I’ve ever heard, making this amazing pedal the bargain of the century.
tc electronic PolyTune 3 Tuner/Buffer
The best tuner on the market, not least because Polyphonic mode allows you to tune all strings with one strum across the open strings! I would go for the full-size model over the mini version as it’s more stable on a pedal-board and more accurate in use.
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