Weekly Roundup: Play a gig for less than a grand

There are tons of videos, mot notably from the guys at Anderton's in the UK, that involve putting together a gig worthy rig for less than X. The problem is, they all rely on new gear, which means the buyer isn't getting near the value they could be. If you want shiny new stuff, and selection is super important, then go buy new. Also, you're an idiot. If you're like me though and know how to look for value, some pretty impressive stuff can be had. Here's an example of stuff I found this week. Sure, there's a bit of driving around to do, but I've kept this all within a reasonable drive. This week's focus? RAWK.

Guitar: LTD Eclipse ($400)

A respectable Les Paul copy, this one is the vintage worn version (who cares what the official name is). I don't have any experience with ESP/LTD, but I've heard nothing but good things. I'd be interested to open up the control cavity and see how their components compare to Epiphone.

AMP: Marshall DSL401 ($450)

Not to be comfused with the Made in Vietnam DSL series that is in stores now, this is an honest to goodness Made in the UK Marshall. 40 watts of tube power through a single 12 is more than enough for a gig - the sound man will tell you it is too much. I seem to recall some reliability issues being talked about on forums, but not enough to give me pause. I'm a big fan of the original DSL series, and this one is tempting.

Effects: Tubescreamer ($65) and Dunlop ZW Wah ($60)

Hard to argue with the prices there. The TS is for pushing those solos, and the wah is for... uhhhh.... well, wah. $125 bucks for the pair? That's a steal.

Forgetting Something?

Sure, you need a chord. A tuner is recommended too. Some picks, extra strings, etc. I'm not your mother. Figure it out. For $975 and some gas (maybe a touch more than the $25 I've got left in the budget), we just put together a pretty awesome rig. Keep that in mind the next time you're one of the major retailers and start considering dropping a grand on something that will lose half the value out the door. For the same money, you could have lots of cool toys instead of one. RAWK!

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