Generally speaking you can play any musical genre with most guitar rigs. No matter what sound you are hoping to achieve most setups will have a basic clean sound for pop and roots based music and some form of overdrive or distortion for punchier, “rockier” styles. Many entry level “bedroom” amplifiers offer so much more these days than just two basic channels with onboard effects and even connectivity to handy apps helping you to produce your desired sound.

As you develop your playing and move into more specific sounds and styles you may find you will want to personalise your rig to suit a particular genre of music. The good news is putting together a genre specific rig to suit a certain style does not have to mean spending major dollars and the advantage being not only will you get the sound you want, you will also start to feel you have invested in and connected to your chosen musical style. We assembled a panel of dedicated Musos Corner product demonstrators who are very serious about their respective musical styles and asked them to put together two rigs, one for under $1000 dollars to suit someone who is upgrading from their first basic all round set up the second is most or less a dream rig where money is no object just to see what is possible. The caveat here is we are not just spending money for the sake of it rather putting together a pro rig that will deliver the right sound, feel and aesthetics and stand up to the rigours of playing night after night.

All the pricing we are working from are the approximate street prices at time of publication. (July - 2022)

Budget Rig

For the “budget” set up we have tried to make this as close to your first upgrade to your rig as possible, with this in mind we are not really specifying a professional rig meant for stage use. We are concentrating on getting you a rig with the sound, playability and vibe of your chosen style. As upgrading all of your rig in one go is a rare thing due to budget we suggest you swap out your equipment as necessary to your requirements. You will find depending upon the style that amp wattage (volume) will vary considerably as required by each style.  

Dream Rig

For the “dream” set up we have specified no budget, however, as specified earlier we are not just looking to burn money here like a rockstar but just meet our favourite requirements based on sound, playability, reliability, durability and vibe, this can be often achieved without just going out and buying the most expensive equipment available. As we are “the people’s music store”, you won’t find any boutique or overly exotic gear on these lists, just easily readily available classics that have stood the test of time. 

What's in a rig?

Hypothetically included in each rig:

  • We have hypothetically included all the leads and patch cables you will need for each rig
  • We have hypothetically included a clip-on tuner for the budget rigs and a pedal tuner in the dream rig. We have also included a power supply or power brick for all pedal setups.
  • The other proviso we have is we are hypothetically supplying a road crew for the Dream Rigs so space and weight is not a factor in these decisions as you don’t have to lug it so you can knock yourself out.
  • All the pricing we are working from are the approximate street prices at time of publication.

Budget Classic Rock Rig

for under $1000 (spec’d by SS)

Guitar - Cort CR200 Gold Top LP Style Guitar ($595.00)

SS - Nothing says iconic classic rock like a Les Paul guitar, sure we can’t afford a Gibson, however, the Cort CR250 is one really solid axe with pro features way above its price point such as a graph tech nut and a mahogany body with a maple cap just like the original. The pickups are vintage voiced for that fat creamy tone that screams classic rock as does the gold-top finish.

Amplifier - Boss Katana 50 ($395.00)

SS - We feel like the Katana is going to end up a little too many times on this list, however, it is at such a good price point, it’s so versatile and is the most popular amplifier we sell. With a huge range of amp sims and effects it will easily cover classic rock and with 50 watts of power to play with as well. One drawback with the Katana is it is not exactly a Marshall or Vox in terms of a classic rock look and vibe. If this is a major thing you could swap out to a Marshall MG30GFX or a Vox VT40 for even less money and a really authentic aesthetic.

The Dream Classic Rock Rig

+$1000 (spec’d by SS)

Guitar - Goldtop Reissue ($8399.00) 

SS - Although the ‘59 is considered the holy grail here with its slimmer neck, hotter pickups, figured top and bigger frets, SS has gone with the ‘57 gold-top due to the sound and feel of the thicker neck. Any of the ‘56, ‘57, ‘58 and ‘59 models are considered classics so you cannot go wrong here and the ‘57 model was the first to sport humbuckers. Sling this one low and pout Jimmy Page style and you are good to go to the stadium or large outdoor arena.

Amplifier - Marshall JCM800 Reissue Head ($3499.00) 

SS - Again like the Les Paul this one is a no brainer, the JCM800 is possibly the most iconic rock amplifier of all time. Loads of volume with an unmistakable tone, this amplifier had been used by a multitude of rock, metal and blues icons. This was the first Marshall amp to feature a master volume for loads of gain straight from the amplifier. A tight punchy mid range and a presence switch to boost the upper mid frequencies ensure you can dial in the perfect amount of punch and bite to create your perfect classic rock tone.

Cabinet - Marshall 1960AX Slant ($1495.00) or 1960BX Straight Cabs ($1495.00) 

SS - We stipulated earlier we are throwing in a road crew which is highly recommended for this silliness. This is another iconic part of our classic rock picture, the holy grail, the Marshall stack. The straight cab sits on the bottom and has a warmer tone with more bottom end than the slant cab on top. The stack will give you more bottom end in general with massive amounts of presence on stage both sonically and visually. The only thing better than a Marshall stack is two of them and someone else to lug it.

Effect Pedals - Ibanez TS808 ($235.00) or Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal CB95 ($145.00)

SS - For a classic rock sound we need classic rock pedals and SS has chosen two of the most popular. It’s no surprise that many overdrive pedals are green even if they are represented as virtual effect plug ins, it symbolises the Ibanez tube screamer, which since the late 1970’s has been the go to for overdriven sounds for rock and blues. This is a true overdrive so do not expect mountains of gain here, however, paired with the JCM800 it will provide a great boost as well as tightening up the overall sound allowing you to dig in hard. 

The Cry Baby is another classic pedal featured on countless classic rock recordings and its frequency sweeping possibilities can really create some magic. One of the most interesting things about a wah pedal is you actually have to learn to play one. It's not just something you turn off and on and you can really put your own stamp on your sound with this pedal.