[CaseJ]

Hey guys,
Well i was at the local guitar store looking at buying an electric guitar and amp. When it hit, "I wonder if i could play on the couch and listen to my speakers as im playing" I know next to nothing about guitars and their amps, so is it possible at all? Or is it really bad for my speakers? Thanks

 

[pne]

yes, buy a PA amp instead of a guitar amp, or a mixer and run both your guitar and cd player through that. you will need to buy some kind of guitar effects pedal to get distortion or other effects though.

so your chain would end up being
guitar and pedal/ other source ->mixer->stereo amp(if mixer isnt powered)-> speakers

you probably don't need something this big but to give you an idea.. (you would really only need 1 channel and an aux input with volume control)
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHPMX2000

coupled with a pedal like this one if you want distortion or other effects
http://www.zzounds.com/item--DGTRP80

 

[jules650]

If you want decent tones I recommend a multieffects unit with a amp simulator. I think the cheapest one out there is the Korg Pandora, which I have to say didn't sound very good. You can move up to more expensive units from Boss, Line 6, Yamaha, Vox etc. When I jam to music with my guitar I play them through separate systems as my guitar amp is right next to my speaker setup.

I agree that getting a mixer is a good idea but electric guitar>effects>mixer>amp, etc.. isn't a good idea without a guitar amp/amp simulator which would make things sound a lot better. A good guitar tone inspires me to practice more so you could use that as an excuse to splash out on something decent.

Sorry about your wallet.

 

[Jahn]

it's a little complicated the way i do it but it's doable -

1) Guitar.

2) Direct In to a Mic Preamp/DI box

3) Out to the EMU Soundcard into my computer

4) Computer does its thing, sends a digital signal to my external DAC

5) DAC-ah sends analog signal to my preamp

6) Preamp sends a line signal to my receiver

7) receiver sends mojo to the speakers

And We're Done!

 

[Cooter]

More hassle than it's worth, IMHO.

Just buy a Roland Micro Cube or a Vox DA-5 for your practice amp. Both are ~$125, battery-powered for portability, have aux in's for your iPod or cd player and lots of usable amp models for variety.

If you want something smaller/cheaper, pick up a DigiTech RP50 or something similar for around $50 and use your headphones.

 

[D-EJ915]

Get a Line6 POD, they have tons of outputs and you can plug them right into your stereo.

 

[CaseJ]

Thanks guys! Yeah im going to look around a little more, kind of expensive to do all that. I never realized that you could play a cd and play the guitar at the same time or am i mistaken?

 

[musicmind]

Some effects units do have a "jam along" feature where you can hook up an external CD-player or mp3 player to give you accompaniment while you play

There are many great effects combo units availabe, and depending on your budget and your prefered sounds, interface and programmability, you can easily get one to do what you want.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaseJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks guys! Yeah im going to look around a little more, kind of expensive to do all that. I never realized that you could play a cd and play the guitar at the same time or am i mistaken?

my setup allows anything to play that plays on the desktop, and for me to jam on top of it. so yeah, if i think Warcraft needs a little acoustic death metal from yours truly in real time, i can pipe that in

 

[CaseJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn /img/forum/go_quote.gif my setup allows anything to play that plays on the desktop, and for me to jam on top of it. so yeah, if i think Warcraft needs a little acoustic death metal from yours truly in real time, i can pipe that in

LOL i know the feeling i used to play EQ2 and am thinking about playing Vanguard. Those pricks who come and steal mobs ugh! Gettin mad just thinking about all the time you spend down there for some one to make you wait all over again

 

[blinx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooter /img/forum/go_quote.gif More hassle than it's worth, IMHO. Just buy a Roland Micro Cube or a Vox DA-5 for your practice amp. Both are ~$125, battery-powered for portability, have aux in's for your iPod or cd player and lots of usable amp models for variety. If you want something smaller/cheaper, pick up a DigiTech RP50 or something similar for around $50 and use your headphones.

amen to the roland micro cube! i loved it so much i bought the cube 60! that thing has some HUGE volume.. i was playing a show and i got my volume then my friends 120 watt crate... sure it was a crate, but it was twice the wattage

 

[kyleisgreat]

What I did:

Guitar > PA2V2 > Headphones

 

[NightWoundsTime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaseJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL i know the feeling i used to play EQ2 and am thinking about playing Vanguard. Those pricks who come and steal mobs ugh! Gettin mad just thinking about all the time you spend down there for some one to make you wait all over again

I think Jahn's talking old school Warcraft, as in III. How would he have that post count if he was a WoW fiend?

 

[chadbang]

A friend of mine who was a recording engineer told me its a bad idea to use speakers as part of an instrument amplification set up. Yes, speakers are meant to relay transient attacks, but not to the extreme that a live instrument can produce them. That, coupled with dialing up a bit too much volume, and you have a very good shot of blowing your speakers.

 

[Ingo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadbang /img/forum/go_quote.gif A friend of mine who was a recording engineer told me its a bad idea to use speakers as part of an instrument amplification set up. Yes, speakers are meant to relay transient attacks, but not to the extreme that a live instrument can produce them. That, coupled with dialing up a bit too much volume, and you have a very good shot of blowing your speakers.

*Ding!* He was probably right when talking about cheap home stereo speakers. With powered studio monitors it's ok, though.