Guitar Nerds Anonymous

I also have an AC15 and it is large, heavy and loud! Sounds amazing though.

I've owned a SF Twin since the age of 18 so I thought my AC15 was tiny... It isn't of course, still miss it and I'll definitely get an AC10 (or AC4) at some point just to scratch that Vox itch... 🤣

The AC10 is quite a bit smaller by comparison, like a mini AC30... And congrats on the kid, @Colm89!!

I think you might regret spending more on the amp than the guitar.
Baby on the way, you say?How much space in your life will there be in the next 5 years for cranking it up to even a modest level?
And how soon before the guitar snob feels let down with a cheap-(ish) guitar?
And buying a second hand guitar is easily the best way to stretch your budget
Get a Yamaha THR5 (second hand if you can) and scour ebay for a squier with some decent upgrades, or even a cheap MIM Strat (or similar)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224692576121?hash=item3450b89f79:g:JOUAAOSwm5lhkPO7

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265413729501?epid=2255874135&hash=item3dcbe41cdd:g:YlwAAOSwtARhjx2z

A nice amp sound is one of the things that keeps me engaged and wanting to play more. Cheap solid-state amps can be a buzz-kill, and reduce the chance that you’ll keep at it.

Respectfully I have to disagree , and in fact you disagree with yourself, well, sort of!

I can see why - you open up a budget guitar and often the wiring is awful, bad soldering and wires hanging onto terminals by a thread. If I was buying something like a Squier Classic Vibe (only picking on these because I recently setup a friend’s one), the first thing I’d do would be to shield it properly, completely rewire it and upgrade all the electrics, including pickups.<

Crappy amps sound crappy compared to good amps, but you can still have fun with them, especially as a new player. But bad guitars stay bad - they don't feel right, they get rattles and buzzes, they go out of tune, the electrics fail. For me those are the things that would put me off playing more than a cheap amp

I have the 2x12 version which is particularly beefy!

The ac10 won’t be so loud that my ears will bleed when it’s cranked up in a smallish bedroom/office?

Unfortunately being based in Republic of Ireland, anything I buy from eBay in the uk will be hit with duty and tax etc, ruling out used purchases from the uk. There are of course used guitars for sale in Ireland, but the selection is smaller, most aren’t willing to post, and I’m living in a fairly rural location that is far from everything.

Just took delivery of a Super Fuzz SF300. This thing is amazing. £17 FFS!

I wouldn’t call the Squier Affinity a bad guitar though! In fact, I didn’t say anything about guitars. If it was me, I probably would be swapping out the electrics of the Affinity after a bit, as I said, but modern Squiers are really well built and a good platform for upgrades. And they work well even without the attentions of obsessive tinkerers like me.

Edit: Agree entirely that a THR-5 would be a great option, and light years better than the things that come with the Squier starter packs, which is what we were talking about.

Spent the entire working day ignoring work and agonising over what to get and in the end decided an ac10 is probably too nice and too loud for my current use, and Thomann had some b-stock items, so I went for those and kept the budget down, order confirmed just now. I’ll supplement it with an overdrive pedal in front with my savings, just need to spend tomorrow agonising over which one that will be.

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That’s a good haul for under €400.

Probably more than I need at this stage, but if I keep it up into next year I’ll consider some upgrades. It will do to get back into it!

That’s a good haul for under €400.

I agree! That Affinity butterscotch Tele is a heck of a lot of look for [googles] £162.52.

Thats a lot of twang for your buck .

You’ll probably want a strap (if that guitar doesn’t come with one).

That was added after that screenshot was taken

I’ve bought myself a silly guitar! Rad AF

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I love HM Strats, and I don’t remotely shred or play that style of music.

Is it one of the recent reissues or an O.G.?

A reissue, was torn between yellow, blue and pink but this one came up at a great price for MIJ.

I also don’t shred but there’s something very cool about the fender headstock on a flouro superstrat!

Incredible value for money, enjoy!

Wow!

Might be worth looking at a cheap reverb pedal as well - that was a game changer for me when I had a Peavey Classic 20, which had no integrated reverb like your Marshall.

Bonkers, and awesome. Love it. (Also not a shredder)

Yeah been looking at a few, will try to pick up a used one more locally if I can

I recommend the TC Electronic Hall Of Fame if you can find a cheap used one...

Nice one, will set up an alert