Yep beautiful guitars, and was about to say, before opening the page, sounds like you really really want a 335 style guitar, THE best ever humbucker blues machine. The humbuckers are usually lower output too, Alnicos rather than PAF, which are in Les Pauls, and which smash the windows out for all residential players.
Ooh a slight against tinny Strats 
Never use my strat clean anyway, mostly distorted and sounds freaking vulgar and thats why I love it!!!
That D@Angelico 335 style is a beaut.
I’m drawn to a hollow body / semi hollow I guess. There seems to be resonance to them but I’m still not a fan of those huge great bodies. Hence the mini version. It hasn’t escaped me that you can get a hollow bodied tele either. They just seem to be a really versatile instrument work well across a number of genre’s
So, about that amp… 
Let me start off by stating that I’m still a beginner in all of this, I wanted to learn to play bass like late Peter Steele but then started messing about with a cheap, no-name acoustic guitar and then made the decision to buy my first electric one. I have a Washburn PXL20B guitar that is an absolute dream for any beginner, I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise! It’s Indonesian-made and it needed a bit of tweaking but it has outstanding hardware and pickups and my luthier replaced the factory, plastic nut with one made from bone - even a layman like me could notice the difference in stability and intonation. I never took any formal lessons but I’ve found a few great tutorials on Internet, though I still can’t sit down properly and learn some music theory, memorise some scales and stuff, instead I try to pretend I’m Jerry Cantrell instead, James Hetfield sometimes.
My second guitar should actually arrive tomorrow, it’s a Schecter Solo-II Platinum. I have a thing for Les Paul shape and pickups that gravitate towards “vintage but not too vintage” and “great for not-modern metal” sound. I’ll tune one to E standard and the other to Eb standard, so that’s Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, old Metallica, Alice In Chains and Saint Vitus covered. Both of them are previously owned, bought in very good condition as I still don’t think my playing level deserves a new guitar. Same goes for amp, I’d like to get a cheaper tube amp like Bugera V22 or a used Blackstar HT-5R, there’s not much else in that bracket over here (it’s either cheap solid state or very expensive Marshalls, Fenders, Mesa Boogies, Voxes…). I’m open to suggestions from everyone here, though, otherwise I wouldn’t be asking!
Sounds like you know some good stuff already; yes Washburn make great guitars, and to boot, the nut and pick ups are most affective of tone, and usually where cheapness is present in more accessible models. Ive changed both on several instruments; although nowhere is a nut more crucial than on an acoustic.
yeah dont take formal lessons, and if you can, this will be hard, if you want to make music of your own, try and copy your heroes as little as possible, as you only end up sounding like them in an unattractive way.
New guitar sounds a rightr menace; Ive been given a pointer on a few underappreciated metal machines, and was told, to keep a look out for a Kramer Pacer, brutal and well built but quite cheap. If you ever see one or like me, start to acquire a collection.
So Amps, Im into amps more than guitars I think. You do have to get good gear, because if it doesnt sound good you put it down, and lets face it, bleeding fingers is enough! There are some great 90s Peaveys around, before the 5150 and 6505, Ultras, which are cheaper but of astounding quality, I have one of these, and you should be able get into one for under £300. The Blackstar HT5 is marker leader, still 10 years on, for smaller home amps. The only solid state amp of enough quality is the Roland JC40 or 120, but they are really not fashioned for metal. Then again a Peavey Bandit is solid state and I know that Killing Joke practice with one! Laney’s are good and cheap and will do you. Do not buy a Boogie, not ever, unreliable. I think you have to stay away from modelling amps as well, but there are some computer bases systems that are gaining a reputation, notably the Kemper.
From what you have posted I think you will need to augment your amp with some pedals on the floor. I know a bit about these too, but there is ample info on youtube.
My feeling is a Peavey would suit you at this time. Ultra or Bandit, as I am sure you will want hi-gain, and these are built to take it. Some amps cannot take that level of gain used in modern metal, the speakers fck up. Feel free to PM me if you have a deal in mind and I’ll tell you all I know. But its taken me 10 years to settle on an amp; have sold 2, 1 is for sale and have 3. But I still have that Peavey!
I know the guys at Killing Joke a bit and to overcome this problem, they just bought 2 brand new Marshall Vintage Moderns, I think one combo is around £600 but it will need some pedals to get the gain you like.
What amps are your heroes using? Diezel? Engl?
Personally think solid state amps and amp modelling have come a long way tbh, certainly suited for home practice imo. The Blackstars are great though.
And you can do all the tone shaping in the world with pedals these days.
@Barnestormer, I don’t intend to start a band or record anything, just to make it clear, I only want to learn to play for the sake of my own sanity and because I’ve always wanted that but couldn’t for various reasons. I’ll never forget the feeling when I first pulled off the solo from Metallica’s Unforgiven, I think I was actually levitating for a few seconds. 
It’s not perfect but it’s the best I can do and these feelings that music provides are something I honestly couldn’t live without.
As for my heroes… Well, most of the famous ones use JCM800, I guess. Glenn Tipton and Ritchie Faulkner use Engl, James Hetfield uses JML2203 and Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier, too. Jerry Cantrell used a lot of Bogners (I think he has a unique amp built only for him) but now has his own signature Friedman head that has the sound that I would die for if I was a professional musician (link). This is actually the sound I would like to get close at home - I have no idea what it sounds like clean but the overdriven sound is a dream. It’s probably too warm for Metallica and Slayer but I actually prefer the warmer, thicker sound of bands that took Black Sabbath worship too seriously.
Those lesser known favourites of mine, like Dave Chandler, Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Greg Mackintosh, Victor Griffin, Pepper Keenan or Greg Anderson (Goatsnake, not SunnO))) version), have a different type of sound that I’d like to emulate some day. Their music is not overly technical but the heaviness and articulation of their riffing is what got me into that world of slow metal. That said, a lot of them use expensive, boutique equipment but basically it all comes down to playing on a quality tube amp and using quality overdrive and fuzz pedals.
I want to go for a small, home amp that has an EQ and doesn’t include any effects (except maybe reverb) but I’m very disappointed by those that are on offer, both new and used. They are either low or high quality (with the according price), nothing in between… And 5W range seems to be unpopular with manufacturers and I really wouldn’t want to go louder than that.
@anon27364116, Blackstar amps are very expensive over here, even the used ones, so that’s why I wanted to go for that Bugera (22W is too loud for an apartment building but I don’t have many choices, it’s basically a clone of Peavey Classic and I think that I would be able to find a suitable tone at lower volume because my mates say it as customisable as it gets). I’ve found a used Blackstar HT-5R for half of its retail price, only it doesn’t include a footswitch, so I’m not really sure whether to go for it (not because I desperately need a footswitch but because the lack of it makes me suspect that amp might have some unwanted history).
As for pedals, I couldn’t agree more - I use a Zoom G7.1ut processor out of convenience but I have a Boss DS-1 (and CH-1) that I don’t use at the moment. After I hopefully get an amp, I’d really like to get an overdrive and a fuzz pedal to go with DS-1, not sure I’d need more than that. So, fire away with suggestions.
Big issue is volume. Most of us would love a marshal stack or a big tweed fender amp but we also like the neighbors maybe. Even worse if you’re learning and trying new stuff. You could attenuate i guess.
Then there’s room. I find you need a room where you can leave a basic set up and just pick it up and go. That’s what works for me but that just isn’t possible for a lot of people, nor me at the moment for that matter so I have to compromise significantly. I’m ok wth that given that I’ve no plans for gigging, not good enough anyway.
I’ve got a Line 6 Pod XT which is great but a pain to set up with a laptop etc. So I’m probably going to get a Powergrid Spark amp. Seems to have lots of options but great features for learning.
I guess my first question is - do you even absolutely need an amp atm (for practicing I mean), let alone a tube amp or would something you could use with headphones not be enough. Just asking because there’s fantastic stuff out there in that market. And then there’s the availabilty and price issue (you mostly live in Belgrade these days, right?) - I just don’t know what’s attainable for you, also for pedals.
Generally amps for home practice wouldn’t be the thing I’d personally be spending gazillions on though tbh. I’d save that money for getting a good amp when you join a band.
Again, give the Tech21 Fly Rigs a look. They are really convenient, very small, not complicated to use and sound fairly good imo.
Yes now I understand what @Nikola requires at the moment, its the Blackstar or a modern modelling unit, but they can even get pricey nowadays, £1500 for the Kemper which many guitarists are raving about, is prohibitive. So its seeming like the HT5; as well its proven quality will mean its a keeper, and then if later upgrade to a larger amp if required, its still useful for quieter practice or writing at home. It will also take pedals well and allow you to build up a chain that you like, and these will be interchangeable with a big amp. But a modeller would do as well as the HT5 Im just not sure a modeller around the price point of the HT5 is money well spent.
One of the main follies of buying guitar gear is buying the wrong stuff and having to sell it when you realise.
This has been well received but will require a cabinet so close to £500 overall.
Similarly, the Orange tiny terror or micro terror, are well rated.
I agree on the small Orange stuff. Even the smaller combos aren’t bad at all imo.
Or you could try and get an old Marshall Reverb (or Lead) 12 like yours truly has for playing at home. You can get them very cheap if you find them on ebay. Honestly, I think it’s the bees knees in terms of sound for the price, totally underrated.
Interesting. The fact that they run off a 9v battery is attractive, along with not having to connect to a laptop.
Down side is that it’s nothing more than an amp emulator and effects box. My Line 6 does more than that. When plugged into a laptop or PC I can play actual songs with that but also loop particular sections of the song, slow them down etc. great for figuring a part out or getting it just right. There’s also a massive catalogue of custom sounds that you can load into it. The down side is connecting everything up every time you want to play. I used to leave it set up but the boss wont allow that now.
For me personally I need a way of allowing me to build my musical knowledge and apply that to songs / jam tracks or whatever. This is where I find that little Spark amp attractive. Via bluetooth it can connect to my phone or laptop. It can then analyse my playing or any song I put on there and give me the chords. It can also build a jam track from me based on what I play into it. The chords and everything is basically shown on the screen for me. For me, trying to learn scales, soloing and improv. it sounds too good to be true. I can even use it as a general bluetooth speaker for playing music or whatever.
If that little box could do some of those things I’d be all over it.
Ok, you know what you want, that’s good - and you want it all! 
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Everyone has different needs. I’m more the type that just wants a good basic sound I like and that I can shape with pedals where needed.
Sorry, didn’t mean to come across confrontational or similar. I guess I’m looking at where I need help more than I’m actually thinking about sound. That’s kind of goes against everything I’ve said when I’m looking at new guitar but it’s where I see my biggest problems are. The difficulties of trying to teach yourself I guess.
I think I could live with a really basic amp with no effects or drive channel other than a touch of reverb and a headphone socket provided there was also a way I could access all of those learning tools.
Nah, it’s all good mate, didn’t come across confrontational at all. Everyone’s different, also in terms of learning/what works best for learning. And when I learned guitar none of these tools were available anyway.I think you’re probably on the right track for what you personally need right now.
Ta, that’s a relief.
To be fair I’m in a bit of a mess. I’ve been playing for years but I’m utterly hopeless from a music perspective. If someone shows me how to play something or tells me to play this chord, notes etc. I’ll generally pick it up quite quickly, no fuss, unless of course it’s stupid fast. Figuring it out myself or doing something on my own I’m years behind. This has a massive affect to be honest. It means that I cant really build my own voice or style. It is in there but it cant come out because it’s blocked by my inability to express yourself.
Named must your fear be before banish it you can.
It’s only Rock’n’Roll, mate
Livin the Blues… cant sing them though 
I’ve also grown this unhealthy fascination with guitar luthiery (is that a word?). There’s this little Youtube channel where the guy slowly but surely fixes all these amazing guitars including lot’s of vintage machines. For some mad reason I find it riveting.
I like dabbling in Luthiery too; did a nut on a solid top acoustic and that worked out. Moved on to soldering the electrics of my Strat, and that really did not. Blew a pot or two, and discovered, the quality in signal, is to a degree dependent on the quality of the electrics. It sounded shite, thin and pappy.
There is a much sought after Luthier in Bristol, Johnny Kincaid, and there are some videos of him doing repairs if you are interested. A joy to behold.
Not sure if I am on the same page as you when it comes to guitar playing… but this clip shows LC talking about finding his voice, the guitar chords and putting them together etc…
I might be biased when it comes to anything LC… but for the sake of a 10min clip, I hope it proves to be of interest to yourself non the less