Nowadays high gain is affordable!!!

[Kosthrash]

Let's highlight and collect here your recommendations for newcomers or someone in tight budget for affordable high gain stuff, instead of the starters' small amps. Of course there's always the used market, but this is not something available or stable always, morever a newcomer will usually hesitate to choose from.
I' ll make the start with a 7-string guitar & a high gain preamp pedal for $350:

AB4.7C – 7 String S by Solar – Carbon Black Matte

<p>The Type AB is the core standard model for the S by Solar brand. A reliable workhorse that can last your entire career. The vehicle to take you to new places on your musical journey, with great feel, playability and high output Solar pickups, the AB has the guts to achieve heavy metal glory.</p>

www.sbysolar.com

R-24 RIGEL PREAMP_JOYO

R-24 RIGEL PREAMP-JOYO

www.joyoaudio.com

 

[cindarkness]

🎸 Boss Katana 50 MKII

Combo for Electric Guitar Power: 50 W, Equipped with: 12" Custom speakers, 5 Amplifier types: Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown & Acoustic, 5 Independent effects: Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb - 3 of them can be used simultaneously, 2 Memory...

www.thomann.de

Yamaha Pacifica 112V OVS RL

Electric guitar Body: Alder, Neck: Maple, Fingerboard: Rosewood, Pickups: 1 Alnico humbucker and 2 Alnico single coils, Vintage tremolo, Neck with satin finish, Colour: Old Violin Sunburst, Incl. Remote lesson at the Yamaha music school

www.thomann.de

Behringer HM300 Heavy Metal Distortion

Effects Pedal for Electric Guitar Extreme hard rock / heavy metal distortion of the 80s, Controls: Level, Low, Mid, Distortion, LED: Effect on, Footswitch: Effect bypass, 6.3 mm jack input, 6.3 mm jack output, AC adapter connector: Hollow plug...

www.thomann.de

No, but really. Swap the Pacifica with any Ibanez/LTD or whatever and you're in town. Plus, the MKII katana has a power amp in, so you can use any preamp of your choice.

 

[Stiman]

EVH 5150 Iconic 15w or 40w

Truly awesome amps that sound so amazingly good at low volumes, have presence and resonance controls and more gain that you'll ever probably need. How I wish these existed when I was a teen starting out. The inflation adjusted price would be like $500 CAD in early 2000s.

 

[eaeolian]

EVH 5150 Iconic 15w or 40w

Truly awesome amps that sound so amazingly good at low volumes, have presence and resonance controls and more gain that you'll ever probably need. How I wish these existed when I was a teen starting out. The inflation adjusted price would be like $500 CAD in early 2000s.

Yeah, these really are impressive.

 

[ArtDecade]

Gorilla. King of Amps. Put a mic on that bad boy and play arenas.

 

[Moongrum]

I think I would push new guitarists to forgo an amp and buy an audio interface (assuming one has a decent computer). Most are fine: Scarlett Focusrite, Motu, etc. The sooner you become familiar with recording, the sooner you can make your own music. Don't be the kid with a half stack in your bedroom, going "I just need a drummer now and I can start a band!" I was that kid lol
As for guitar, whatever you think looks cool and inspires you to play.

 

[Kosthrash]

I think I would push new guitarists to forgo an amp and buy an audio interface (assuming one has a decent computer). Most are fine: Scarlett Focusrite, Motu, etc. The sooner you become familiar with recording, the sooner you can make your own music. Don't be the kid with a half stack in your bedroom, going "I just need a drummer now and I can start a band!" I was that kid lol
As for guitar, whatever you think looks cool and inspires you to play.

... Or a modeller / audio interface, like for example the inexpensive Hotone Ampero mini, which packs a ton of gain (multiple "flavors" too)

Products - Hotone Audio

The Hotone Audio company is highly invested in the development of its employees, is motivated by technological innovation, views excellence in quality as a competitive strength, stands on a foundation of outstanding service, and strives to provide every customer with a sensational experience.

www.hotoneaudio.com

 

[Matt08642]

I think I would push new guitarists to forgo an amp and buy an audio interface (assuming one has a decent computer). Most are fine: Scarlett Focusrite, Motu, etc. The sooner you become familiar with recording, the sooner you can make your own music. Don't be the kid with a half stack in your bedroom, going "I just need a drummer now and I can start a band!" I was that kid lol
As for guitar, whatever you think looks cool and inspires you to play.

The time per day I spend playing easily tripled when I got an interface and some plugins to jam with. Highly recommended.

 

[budda]

Between used market, behringer boss peavey moorer and joyo, i think its covered.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Gorilla. King of Amps. Put a mic on that bad boy and play arenas.

That exact Gorilla was my first amp. Sounded god awful. Then I got a Rocktek Metal Worker pedal and it sounded even worse.

I think that picture is giving me PTSD.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

[Funeralopolis Riff Playing]

 

[complex-barb.0t]

🎸 Boss Katana 50 MKII

Combo for Electric Guitar Power: 50 W, Equipped with: 12" Custom speakers, 5 Amplifier types: Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown & Acoustic, 5 Independent effects: Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb - 3 of them can be used simultaneously, 2 Memory...

www.thomann.de

Yamaha Pacifica 112V OVS RL

Electric guitar Body: Alder, Neck: Maple, Fingerboard: Rosewood, Pickups: 1 Alnico humbucker and 2 Alnico single coils, Vintage tremolo, Neck with satin finish, Colour: Old Violin Sunburst, Incl. Remote lesson at the Yamaha music school

www.thomann.de

Behringer HM300 Heavy Metal Distortion

Effects Pedal for Electric Guitar Extreme hard rock / heavy metal distortion of the 80s, Controls: Level, Low, Mid, Distortion, LED: Effect on, Footswitch: Effect bypass, 6.3 mm jack input, 6.3 mm jack output, AC adapter connector: Hollow plug...

www.thomann.de

No, but really. Swap the Pacifica with any Ibanez/LTD or whatever and you're in town. Plus, the MKII katana has a power amp in, so you can use any preamp of your choice.

My first setup was a Fender LT25, Pacifica 112v and one of the first pedals I bought was that Behringer. I didn’t know at the time how serviceable that stuff was and went down the gear rabbit hole.

 

[Estilo]

Those recommending interfaces, don't you have to pair those things with studio monitors? Those things cost more $$ too. Plus they are very directional and most cannot be against the wall so if space constraint is an issue, bear that in mind.

 

[Stiman]

don't you have to pair those things with studio monitors?

No. They don't. You can get away with just headphones. You can also use crappy computer speakers if it's all you have.

 

[Kosthrash]

There are also may tube high gain amps & preamps now, that are more affordable comparing to the past, i.e. Friedman IR-X, PRS MT-15, Marshall DSL20Hr etc...

 

[Estilo]

No. They don't. You can get away with just headphones. You can also use crappy computer speakers if it's all you have.

I'll take the computer speakers option. But those normally have a single male jack. Are there splitters/adaptors to connect into the LR outs of interfaces?

 

[Marked Man]

Gorilla. King of Amps. Put a mic on that bad boy and play arenas.

From the bedroom to the Arena.

Gorilla.

 

[Stiman]

I'll take the computer speakers option. But those normally have a single male jack. Are there splitters/adaptors to connect into the LR outs of interfaces?

Some interfaces have RCA out, which would work with a lot of computer speakers.

 

[owlexifry]

[Funeralopolis Riff Playing]

i just discovered octave fuzz the other day.
built a clone of the univox superfuzz, and omg i cannot believe how huge and wild this circuit from 1968 sounds.
i’ve never really gotten excited about fuzz much before, rat was ok, muff, eh, but this superfuzz octave thing is where it’s at for doom riffs, just something about it

 

[Kosthrash]

Cheapest analog modeler:

Behringer | Product | TM300

www.behringer.com

Also this in metal box:

Palmer POCKET AMP MK 2 | Guitar Amplifiers | Palmer

In its new incarnation, the Palmer Pocket Amp MK 2 delivers an extended range of authentic tube amplifier tones from high headroom ultra clean to maxed out high gain distortion. With 3-position selector switches for amplifier design,...

www.palmer-germany.com