What guitar and amp should I get?

[heady mulch]

I want an electric guitar for my birthday, I'd probably mostly play metal/punk, we're not really rich so my budget for both the guitar and amp is around 350~ euros I live in Lithuania. Would love some recommendations, tyy!

(I found a Cort X100 for about 180 euros, not sure how good it is)

[zealous steppe]

cort's a good brand, they make a lot of the indonesian models for ibanez, yamaha, and squier

for an amp i'd recommend a fender mustang lt25

[heady mulch]

this amp does look pretty nice

[zealous steppe]

it's what most people here would recommend at minimum, has a fair amount of effects and amp models to play around with

[heady mulch]

Found these as well, I think I remember reading that the Cort KX100 is better than the Cort X100 but I don't remember the reason why

[zealous steppe]

i'd pick the cort g250 out of all those

i'd avoid lower end jacksons bc they're notorious for tuning issues and jet guitars usually aren't great out of the box unless you're getting a free setup with it, which i doubt

[heady mulch]

would it be okay for stuff like deftones/nirvana? And metal

[zealous steppe]

for sure, hss pickup config is the most versatile

[heady mulch]

might get this, just hard to find reviews for it on youtube for some reason

[wintry pollen]

Jackson js22 incredibly easy to play, I love the design, sounds good for nirvana, Deftones...
Amp : save money and get boss katana 50 , a huge gap between lt 25.

[heady mulch]

Yeah, I found a used boss katana 50 listed for a really good price a few months ago, but my friend already bought it 😭

at least he really likes it

[livid trail]

I’d get the kx100 for the ease of use

And do NOT I repeat DO NOT get a Jackson

[crystal plinth]

instead of an amp I would go for an interface + plugins ... guitar can be about anything with humbuckers .

[rustic cipher]

If he uses his computer alot then yes. But if you don't it's annoying having to power it on everytime u just want to jam something

[crystal plinth]

true ... but then again .. who does power-down his PC nowadays ?

[rustic cipher]

Most people do

[slow meadow]

As a person who got a lt25 as their first amp I think it would have been a better option to buy a slightly more expensive boss katana 50 instead, better on the long run imo

[slow meadow]

Who doesn't?

I guess Mac users or something

[rustic cipher]

Most people don't even have computers

Or at least where i live

[crystal plinth]

i have a separate system for music production and it's never off .. might be in sleep mode

[slow meadow]

Where do you live if you don't mind me asking

[crystal plinth]

i live in China .. but am Dutch

[rustic cipher]

Me?

[slow meadow]

Yeah

[rustic cipher]

Id say it's better to just get an amp to start

[slow meadow]

That's kind of seperate I think my PC would melt if I left it running for over a day

[rustic cipher]

Mexico

[slow meadow]

It pulls like 700 watts

[slow meadow]

Ohhh okay

Most people here in Finland have PCs that's why I asked

[crystal plinth]

mine pulls like 60W ... mini pc with laptop CPU

[rustic cipher]

The Katana 50 is prob the Best option

[slow meadow]

I should've got it

But the lt25 is nice too

[rustic cipher]

Yeah things are different. Prob should ask the OP if he has a good pc, then he should consider am infertace

[slow meadow]

I think a cheap practice amp is fine for a beginner and then if you ever wanna record id use amp sims

[rustic cipher]

I was thinking getting one, but i found a used Behringer 2x12

For cheaper too

[slow meadow]

Cool

[rustic cipher]

Hows the mustang?

Some people were saying its not too good for metal

[slow meadow]

Just fine I mean I can make good enough tones if I tweak it enough

Combined with a few pedals and it's great

Good for the price range I guess

[heady mulch]

i'm probably thinking of getting the lt25

I do have a decent PC but I feel like I'd prefer an amp

I can't find any used boss katanas rn

[rustic cipher]

New is like $75 more

If u can save up a little its def worth

The new gen has pretty much all u need

[wintry pollen]

Maybe u could think about Spark amp?

[keen hatch]

thats, power supply max rating. a 4090 idling is around 20-30w

[rustic cipher]

It's quite a bit more expensive, the Go is too little, the Mini you can get better ones for price and the 40 just isnt worth it

Maybe the new one is

[slow meadow]

It's the recommended safe amount that's what I meant

[west harbor]

@heady mulch Since you're just starting out and if you have a computer already, I'd highly suggest getting a NUX Mighty Plug Pro.

It's about 100 Euro (maybe even cheaper on sale), has all the effects, amp + Cab sims you could want, is super-easy to use, you can control it via your smartphone or computer, or can change patches just on the unit itself; it has interface capabilities, so you can use it just like a Focusrite interface for recording via USB easily, and it sounds great - especially with 3rd party IRs.

Plus it has a Tuner, a Metronome, and a drum machine, which are all essential practice tools to get better. And finally, you can stream and jam-along to your favourite tracks from your music library via bluetooth.

All you need is a pair of headphones to plug into the unit, plug the unit int your guitar, and that's it!
Yes, it's headphone based, but that's also a plus considering it will take a while to get better on guitar, and that way you also don't disturb those around you and can practice whenever, and wherever you like.

So, considering your budget, that would be the most logical choice.

[heady mulch]

It sounds really nice but I can't really find one where I live

[west harbor]

I'm sure this company will ship anywhere in Europe.
https://www.thomann.de/intl/nux_mighty_plug_pro.htm

[crystal plinth]

why ? being able to record yourself opens up a whole new world and will also be great for practice

if you want an amp you might look into the Hornet series from Mooer, it has built in effects and also is able to hook up to a computer for recording

or get something like the Prime P2 which is basically an headphone amp with recording capabilites

[crystal plinth]

i have this collecting dust in a drawer ... it's nice but the tones are not the greatest and I really like jamming to midi drums

[zealous steppe]

the lt25 comes with an interface to record with too

just gotta plug it into your pc

[vestal dove]

It’s 2025, our amps are in our computer and you won’t destroy your ears like I do with amps

[west harbor]

Then you need to tweak it a bit more... The presets out of the box aren't that great, but once you tweak them and/or use 3rd party IRs, it sounds great!
Dig it out of your drawer and give it another shot.

[crystal plinth]

would be nice for when I am at work , although I can just switch monitors and jam on my music rig ...

[gentle sentinel]

This is just my take, i feel like amps would be better since its more of a "plug and play" experience compared to using an amp sim since u have to pick which amp u wanna use, u have to wear headphones, u have to set it up on ur pc etc

im guessing OP is a beginner

so I think amp would be best

instead of the suggested PC option

[west harbor]

I would hazard to argue that it's pretty much the same with headphone amps, which are great for beginners (as well as seasoned players) for practice.
Plug it in, plug headphones in, turn it on, done.
And you have the ability to switch sounds much more easily than with an amp (unless it also has effect patches built in, which would make it the same then).

The big bonus with headphone amps and multi FX units is that you also get:

• A Tuner
• A Metronome
• (Possibly) A Drum Machine
• (Possibly) A Looper.

[gentle sentinel]

personally I feel like an amp feels more inspiring, and it gets u out of ur comfort zone since people you're living with can hear u play but if he wants quieter practice and those features then definitely go for the headphone amp

but i think its a matter of what u want

if u want the capabilities of a headphone amp then go for it but personally i feel like an amp would make me feel better

thats just me though I don't know if OP would feel the same way

[west harbor]

You're right... it's definitely easier to "play for others" - whether that's a good or not such a good thing, heheheh - when you have an amp.
Yes, definitley a personal decision.
The thing is, a lot of players and especially a lot of newer players don't realize the plethora of options they have nowadays for practice.
It's true that for 99% of bedroom players, a MultiFX unit, or a headphone amp actually makes more sense and gets them to try different sounds (since they're easier to dial in via presets either in the unit or downloaded from others), thus they're more versatile.

But, as you said, some people still prefer the traditional amp route, which is also a good way - IF you have the space for it and won't affect others around you too much when you practice.

Me, for instance... Wife and 2 kids at home.... there's no way I could practice guitar with an actual amp at night when the kids are in bed.

I used to have some very nice Amps and Cabs, but went digital MultiFX a while ago just for convenience and consistency.

A lot of beginners are in a similar boat... they may not be as old, or have families of their own (yet), but perhaps they have parents, siblings, or neighbours who may not always appreciate loud guitar music (Noise) at all hours of the day. So with an actual amp, you have to be much more courtous to others around you. That's a problem you don't have with headphone amps/multi FX units.

So there are benefits and detriments for both.

[gentle sentinel]

I agree, I feel like it depends on the situation and also what you want

[west harbor]

Exactly! Good to know the different choices/approaches, but at the end of the day, they have to make the decision what's best for them. 👍

[gentle sentinel]

Agreed

[late trout]

https://amzn.to/3PUkd9T

[left solstice]

we have #795553671773290536

[crystal plinth]

I still think for a beginner a 'in the box' solution with an interface and plugins makes the most sense since recording and playing to drum grooves makes practice more fun and is also good for practicing writing

Hearing back your playing is a good way to progress, same goes for double tracking

But that is probably only the better solution if your goal is to write music instead of just jamming along with your favorite tracks

It IS however the cheapest option by far I think

[west harbor]

I agree... for most people a good MultiFX setup has everything built in - so it's in the box - for playing, practicing, and recording. So logically, it would make more sense.
However, you do have to use headphones, or some other amp-less means.

But for practicing, there's a metronome, drum machine, looper, and tuner usually built in.
You have all the effects you need, you can record easily via USB straight to a computer, you can play /practice independent of a computer as well, etc, etc, etc. The benefits usually outweigh the cons of the multiFX route.

[crystal plinth]

Except a multifx will probably be a bit more pricey if you buy something nice