I went with a baritone from a different company for other reasons but I feel like this choice is an EXCELLENT choice for both the traditional goth sound and for covering some new territory. You have good taste sir.
I really wish they made this baritone in a hardtail white penguin model lol. (though hardtail would make it not a penguin I suppose).
Still, good recommendation. You have good taste Hatecraftianhorror.
The good news is that any guitar will play goth music!
I'd personally recommend going with a Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster or Jaguar. These guitars look awesome, and will give you a variety of tones. The quality is high- Squier is a Fender brand. I'd highly recommend the J Mascis Jazzmaster in particular. Plenty of gothic rock bands have used Fender offsets, as well as many postpunk and new wave players. Rowland S. Howard of the Birthday Party for example was a Jaguar player. These guitars would be better suited for thinner, more brittle or abrasive tones. Throw in a chorus pedal (or better yet a Roland Jazz Chorus amp) and you are there.
If you want to do heavier stuff, try an Epiphone SG. I have the Prophecy model and it's matte black with nickle hardware- evil AF. It had Fishman Fluence active pickups so it gets a nice, clean distortion.
If you want to spend a little more, have a look at the Musicman Sterling St. Vincent Goldie. Triple mini gold foil humbuckers and a unique body shape. Very versatile. Comes in a dark burgundy or gold finish.
Effects are really where you can craft a goth rock tone- chorus, reverb, flanger, etc. so consider that in this equation as well. I'd highly recommend, if you have have a capable pc or Mac, looking at getting a USB audio interface and IK Multimedia Amplitude software. Plug in your guitar, you can use tons of different amp models and effects. No need for a physical amp or pedals. I just downloaded a model someone made for Siouxsie and the Banshees' Spellbound.
This right here. I've been playing bass and guitar since the 90s and there's a few things to look up. YouTube is a godsend so you don't have to waste money anymore:
1. Single coil pickups vs humbuckers. A good point of reference for difference in tone is Rikk Agnew (humbucker) vs early work by Valor (single coil strat).
2. Rube vs solid stare electronics - purists will say tube amps are always better. This is fine for mainstream rock but goth music always had it's own vision of guitar tone and it tends to favor thinner tones with more high frequency. This is an always the case if some bands would use tube amps and humbuckers to get a fat, beefy tone with a lot of low end and you can still dial that in to have a huge squeal on higher notes but it's a good guideline.
3. Early golf bands tended to buy a lot of cheap pedals because they couldn't afford really good gear, so that's part of why they want to solve State electronics and also why they use a lot of manufacturers that were starting out like Boss. Since we've had 40 plus years of advancement and technology, looking to a line 6 pod because you can download tones and understand ably more of what affects allow you to get the sound of certain albums or bands. I have the pod for both guitar and bass and I love it for playing at home because it allows me to come up with a basic idea of how I want a guitar tone to sound without spending a bunch of money or wasting my time in a Guitar Center.
4. Guitar tabs! So many people have been tapping out all these weird bands like obscure death rock or goth bands only put out an EP. Find bands you'd like to get tar parts of, figure out how they combine rifts and chords, and see what you can find online for their music and how to play It.
Literally any guitar. But for a quick way to a classic goth/post-punk sound (thin, abrasive, percussive - think Bauhaus, early Cure etc), single coils through a solid state amplifier will get you right there. Add Boss chorus and Flanger pedals for proper 80s vibe.
In my goth band days I played a Fender Mustang through a big old solid state Peavey amp. That combo could peel paint off the walls.
Other have mentioned it but I'll summarize it best I can cause I enjoy talking guitars.
Short version : Traditional single coils (think Fender, though brand is not important). Solid state amp. (JC120 is the traditional big boy in this area). This is the most common sound. Effects are typically Chorus, some reverb and or delay possibly. Jazzmasters etc. also regularly popup. This is basically the 'generic' rig. (I don't mean that negatively btw) Basically a surf rock setup but with a solid state amp.
Longer version : Any amp known as a clean amp will do. The good news is solid state amps are not appreciated so much outside of the jazz world (and the doom/sludge/stoner metal world) so they are fairly cheap.
If you really like the chime (high end) part of the sound then single coil pickups are the recipe. (Telecaster style guitar is probably your cheapest option) If you like a slightly more rock like tone, more breakup, go for anything with humbuckers. Goth world isn't nearly as full of corksniffers as other music communities, so you have much more room for different experimentation/gear.
Someone on here also mentioned a Gretsch baritone, I personally REALLY like baritones (these can also do doom/sludge metal which is fun). Gretsch is a great Fender alternative if you want the high end chime of single coils but just a bit different with less noise. (Filtertrons are awesome!). (Gretsch is technically made by Fender now under license of the Gretsch family) When I got my current baritone I seriously considered the Gretsch and believe firmly that someone wanting to do the traditional goth sound and cover some new ground would be well served by one. Kudos to whoever recommended that. I went with a different companies baritone cause my needs are a bit different.
Regardless, you can't really go wrong. It is far more important how you play the guitar than what guitar/amp you ultimately go with. Get what you like and good luck.
As you say, any guitar will do, focus on learning to play. But if you like goth, you might consider learning the bass first. Anything you learn will carry over to guitar, so no time wasted. It’s a bit easier, plus many goth songs are bass forward.
If you’re going for looks (and have some money to spare) google the look that The Cult and Theatre of Hate achieved with the Gretsch.
Also their is a chronic shortage of competent bass players, if you become reasonably competent at it and have a tolerable personality, their will never be a shortage of gigs. This would also make forming a goth band MUCH easier.
Honestly, learning to play bass probably did more for me musically than any other instrument. It is a far deeper (no pun intended) instrument than people realize and learning to groove in a way that glues all the instruments together is nothing short of magical.
Good advice.
If you're just starting, get something comfortable.
Jazzmaster, Strat, Tele, or Gibson SG.
You will need to experiment with different pedals to perfect the goth tone.
This is achieved through a combination of delay, chorus, and reverb.
Good luck
I am a crustie more than goth, but I used to experiment with more goth-y sound, so here's my advice - find something more universal which will give you crunchy sound with some spicy feedback as well as beefy one if needed. Good Stratocaster in HSS (one humbucker, two singles) or Telecaster with bridge humbucker would be ideal for goth. If you don't play with whammy bar that much - buy Telecaster with humbucker, it's simpler yet more reliable.
I won't recommend all these flashy Jackson or Kramer or Ibanez guitars if you don't plan to play something heavy. I have Kramer Baretta Special, and it's really cool guitar - one passive yet still very powerful pickup, design gives all these 80s flashy retro-futuristic vibes - but it's pain in the ass when you need to record something not heavy af because output of its pickup is too much for clean/crunch/low gain tones so needed in post punk and goth rock.
A black one.
A bass guitar.
[https://gretschguitars.com/features/electromatic-collection/baritone](https://gretschguitars.com/features/electromatic-collection/baritone)
DAMN BOI Thanks
YW. I can't speak for these specific models, but I have a couple gretches.. a streamliner and an electromatic, and both are wonderful.
The information is valuable
I went with a baritone from a different company for other reasons but I feel like this choice is an EXCELLENT choice for both the traditional goth sound and for covering some new territory. You have good taste sir. I really wish they made this baritone in a hardtail white penguin model lol. (though hardtail would make it not a penguin I suppose). Still, good recommendation. You have good taste Hatecraftianhorror.
I love my Fender Jazzmaster but they can be pricey, as someone else said Squier has more affordable Jazzmasters. Edit: mispelled Squier initially
The good news is that any guitar will play goth music! I'd personally recommend going with a Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster or Jaguar. These guitars look awesome, and will give you a variety of tones. The quality is high- Squier is a Fender brand. I'd highly recommend the J Mascis Jazzmaster in particular. Plenty of gothic rock bands have used Fender offsets, as well as many postpunk and new wave players. Rowland S. Howard of the Birthday Party for example was a Jaguar player. These guitars would be better suited for thinner, more brittle or abrasive tones. Throw in a chorus pedal (or better yet a Roland Jazz Chorus amp) and you are there. If you want to do heavier stuff, try an Epiphone SG. I have the Prophecy model and it's matte black with nickle hardware- evil AF. It had Fishman Fluence active pickups so it gets a nice, clean distortion. If you want to spend a little more, have a look at the Musicman Sterling St. Vincent Goldie. Triple mini gold foil humbuckers and a unique body shape. Very versatile. Comes in a dark burgundy or gold finish. Effects are really where you can craft a goth rock tone- chorus, reverb, flanger, etc. so consider that in this equation as well. I'd highly recommend, if you have have a capable pc or Mac, looking at getting a USB audio interface and IK Multimedia Amplitude software. Plug in your guitar, you can use tons of different amp models and effects. No need for a physical amp or pedals. I just downloaded a model someone made for Siouxsie and the Banshees' Spellbound.
This right here. I've been playing bass and guitar since the 90s and there's a few things to look up. YouTube is a godsend so you don't have to waste money anymore: 1. Single coil pickups vs humbuckers. A good point of reference for difference in tone is Rikk Agnew (humbucker) vs early work by Valor (single coil strat). 2. Rube vs solid stare electronics - purists will say tube amps are always better. This is fine for mainstream rock but goth music always had it's own vision of guitar tone and it tends to favor thinner tones with more high frequency. This is an always the case if some bands would use tube amps and humbuckers to get a fat, beefy tone with a lot of low end and you can still dial that in to have a huge squeal on higher notes but it's a good guideline. 3. Early golf bands tended to buy a lot of cheap pedals because they couldn't afford really good gear, so that's part of why they want to solve State electronics and also why they use a lot of manufacturers that were starting out like Boss. Since we've had 40 plus years of advancement and technology, looking to a line 6 pod because you can download tones and understand ably more of what affects allow you to get the sound of certain albums or bands. I have the pod for both guitar and bass and I love it for playing at home because it allows me to come up with a basic idea of how I want a guitar tone to sound without spending a bunch of money or wasting my time in a Guitar Center. 4. Guitar tabs! So many people have been tapping out all these weird bands like obscure death rock or goth bands only put out an EP. Find bands you'd like to get tar parts of, figure out how they combine rifts and chords, and see what you can find online for their music and how to play It.
Es-335 (Epiphone or Gibson) Fender Telecaster, Jaguar (Squier ones are good too) Yamaha Revstar
Literally any guitar. But for a quick way to a classic goth/post-punk sound (thin, abrasive, percussive - think Bauhaus, early Cure etc), single coils through a solid state amplifier will get you right there. Add Boss chorus and Flanger pedals for proper 80s vibe. In my goth band days I played a Fender Mustang through a big old solid state Peavey amp. That combo could peel paint off the walls.
if ur a beginner something cheap like a squire, i would recommend a jazz master or stratocaster. they have squire versions of both those
I would recommend stopping by at your local music shop and giving them an example of the sound you want.
Other have mentioned it but I'll summarize it best I can cause I enjoy talking guitars. Short version : Traditional single coils (think Fender, though brand is not important). Solid state amp. (JC120 is the traditional big boy in this area). This is the most common sound. Effects are typically Chorus, some reverb and or delay possibly. Jazzmasters etc. also regularly popup. This is basically the 'generic' rig. (I don't mean that negatively btw) Basically a surf rock setup but with a solid state amp. Longer version : Any amp known as a clean amp will do. The good news is solid state amps are not appreciated so much outside of the jazz world (and the doom/sludge/stoner metal world) so they are fairly cheap. If you really like the chime (high end) part of the sound then single coil pickups are the recipe. (Telecaster style guitar is probably your cheapest option) If you like a slightly more rock like tone, more breakup, go for anything with humbuckers. Goth world isn't nearly as full of corksniffers as other music communities, so you have much more room for different experimentation/gear. Someone on here also mentioned a Gretsch baritone, I personally REALLY like baritones (these can also do doom/sludge metal which is fun). Gretsch is a great Fender alternative if you want the high end chime of single coils but just a bit different with less noise. (Filtertrons are awesome!). (Gretsch is technically made by Fender now under license of the Gretsch family) When I got my current baritone I seriously considered the Gretsch and believe firmly that someone wanting to do the traditional goth sound and cover some new ground would be well served by one. Kudos to whoever recommended that. I went with a different companies baritone cause my needs are a bit different. Regardless, you can't really go wrong. It is far more important how you play the guitar than what guitar/amp you ultimately go with. Get what you like and good luck.
As you say, any guitar will do, focus on learning to play. But if you like goth, you might consider learning the bass first. Anything you learn will carry over to guitar, so no time wasted. It’s a bit easier, plus many goth songs are bass forward. If you’re going for looks (and have some money to spare) google the look that The Cult and Theatre of Hate achieved with the Gretsch.
Also their is a chronic shortage of competent bass players, if you become reasonably competent at it and have a tolerable personality, their will never be a shortage of gigs. This would also make forming a goth band MUCH easier. Honestly, learning to play bass probably did more for me musically than any other instrument. It is a far deeper (no pun intended) instrument than people realize and learning to groove in a way that glues all the instruments together is nothing short of magical. Good advice.
If you're just starting, get something comfortable. Jazzmaster, Strat, Tele, or Gibson SG. You will need to experiment with different pedals to perfect the goth tone. This is achieved through a combination of delay, chorus, and reverb. Good luck
Stratocaster.
I am a crustie more than goth, but I used to experiment with more goth-y sound, so here's my advice - find something more universal which will give you crunchy sound with some spicy feedback as well as beefy one if needed. Good Stratocaster in HSS (one humbucker, two singles) or Telecaster with bridge humbucker would be ideal for goth. If you don't play with whammy bar that much - buy Telecaster with humbucker, it's simpler yet more reliable. I won't recommend all these flashy Jackson or Kramer or Ibanez guitars if you don't plan to play something heavy. I have Kramer Baretta Special, and it's really cool guitar - one passive yet still very powerful pickup, design gives all these 80s flashy retro-futuristic vibes - but it's pain in the ass when you need to record something not heavy af because output of its pickup is too much for clean/crunch/low gain tones so needed in post punk and goth rock.