Guitar World article

Regarding the eternal debate of “good guitar or shitty guitar with good amp?”, I’ve always had the same opinion as this guy.

“A great guitar and a cheap amp, any day of the week. You see a lot of this sort of thing floating around in discussion boards online as to where’s the best wishes place to spend your money – and you play the guitar at the end of the day, you don’t play the amp.”

“Well, I guess you do in the most literal sense, but if you have a guitar that is awkward to play or it’s uncomfortable or it doesn’t inspire you then it’s irrelevant how good the amp is. It’s only going to be amplifying noises that you’re not fussed about. So I would categorically say, spend your money on a good guitar first and foremost.”

Many will disagree, though. Interesting interview, worth reading:

https://www.guitarworld.com/features...ought-and-sold

I tend to agree. I'm on the precipice right now, as I've learned of a local place that has an open mic night every Tuesday. One just shows up, puts their name on a list, and then gets eight minutes on stage. I think even without a lot of public experience I can get through eight minutes. Two or three songs, that's it. The time includes setup. And that's where my agreement comes in.

Because I don't want to spend my precious time setting up an amp and tuning, etc., I'm working with my Line6 AMPLIFi 30 to get just the right sound dialed in so I can just flip the power switch, plug in my guitar and start playing.

I'm only even thinking of the amp because I'm sure I'll need some amplification (I plan on going at least one week in advance just to observe; my plans above may be way off). I chose the AMPLIFi because it's small (5.5 pounds), pushes out 30w, and is a modeling amp, which means I can preset up to four different settings, so I can add a touch of reverb, chorus, flange, or whatever the songs I choose might benefit from.

But it's the guitar that matters. It may be that I won't be able or allowed to use my own amp. In which case, I'd pretty well make sure the guitar I bring is the one I play the best, and produces the sound most aligned with the songs I play. Thus, the guitar takes priority over the amp.

Just my 02 shekels.

I'm not even sure you need a great guitar or a great amp. If you've got a playable guitar like the cheapest Squier, you can still make monster music with it and with a solid state box. Well, hell yes, I'm a purest, and I want my American guitars and a good tube amp. But that just shows I've hit the "get off my lawn" age. I'm glad to find out that Mike Rutherford likes the Squier Bullet Strats and is playing them live. $189. Dig that.