Are you a young guitarist looking to be able to learn? If you answered yes to that question then look no further because this  guide is for you. Many people don't know where to start out. Some questions you should ask yourself are - "What is my budget?" "What players do I want to sound like?" "What type of amp should get?" And if you have heard of these you are probably asking "What is the difference between tube and solid state amps ?" And "What is a stompbox?". First let me adress an important issue that many people overlook .It is much more important to buy a good amp than a $3000 guitar, and you dont need one of those fancy stacks yet. Those 10 foot high stacks may look cool but lets face it you wont be needing one for a while. Learn about playing because if you go deaf it won't help you much. I would reccomend a small combo amp no larger than an 8 inch speaker and about 15 watts, but if you really have your mind set on volume go for a 12 inch. Tip #1 - If an amp has wheels you dont want it yet. For a beginner you should start out with a solid state amp(my personal reccomendation is a roland micro cube, they are small, light weight, and model other amps to help you decide on what type you want when you upgrade and they are easy to find on ebay). About stompboxes, they are just pedals that change tone but you shouldn't have to worry about those yet, and if you ot the micro cube it has all that stuff built in. The guitar choice depends on the style you play. There are thousands of guitars on ebay. For a country twang-like sound definitely go with the telecaster, or tele for short. For other styles go with a fat strat for now because it has both types of pickups(humbucker and single-coil). I recommend leather straps because they are more comfortable and the cheap straps snap off when you least expect it(just think about what would have happened if that happened to someone like hendrix). For cables many people don't know what to choose as it is commonly overlooked in articles like these. Choose good grade cables like monster or pro-co. Cables are expensive but they last a lifetime. Just so you know you dont need wireless yet either, a 15 foot cable will be more than enough. If you have any more qustions don't hesitate to send me a message. All of the items listed here are numerous on ebay, and ebay is where you'll find the little things that guitar stores will charge you double the price for. But my last topic is one i can't stress enough. Get what you want, not what everybody uses or what looks cool. If it doesn't fell right you wont like it.

                                                                                                                      Brendan Ruane