Guitar and Bass players

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Could anyone recommend some good sounding electric guitars, electric/acoustic guitars. And some bass guitars.

My playing style will vary from punk to folk, metal to country. I'll virtually try any style of music but would say punk/rock/metal are what usually happens.

I currently own an Ibanez GAX30 and a Fender CD-60.

Right now I'm not too sure on how much I want to spend so price isn't much of an issue. I just feel like getting some ideas of good sounding guitars. I would probably prefer Ibanez for electric but it doesn't have to be!!

I would also like to buy a new amp, both for guitar and for a bass. So if anyone could recommend some good amps too that'll be appreciated.

Personally, I like Gibsons, or anything that sports a set neck, and is made completely from Mahogany, with Humbucking or P90 style single coil pickups. The mahogany gives the guitar a really fat warm sound. Godin makes a fairly inexpensive guitar that comes close to the way a Gibson sounds, even though it has a bolt on neck. --You may be able to find an old 70's-80's Ibanez Artist, which back in the day was considered to be a Les Paul Killer due to the similar layout and method of construction with MUCH better quality than Gibsons from that era at a much cheaper price.

For Bass, I like Fender P-basses, or any decent copy thereof.

With amps, I'd suggest an old early 70's Ampeg V2 or V4. These are essentially the same preamp as an Ampeg SVT but with 50 watt power section (V2) or 100 watt Power Section (V4). Provided you keep the maintainance up and regularly change the power tubes, they are very solid versatile amplifiers. which are good for both guitar and bass. If you want distortion, for guitar, use decent pedal. -- I prefer a Chandler Real Tube, which uses a 12AX7 tube for distortion.

Combo Version of the above mentioned amps are VT22 (V4 head in a 2x12" open back cabinet, and VT40 (which is the V2 head in a 4x10" open back cabinet.

--FWIW, the 7027 output tubes these use are essentially the same as 6L6GC with a slightly differant pinout. --6L6GC is a drop in replacement for 7027 in Ampeg amps.

first thing id have to ask is "What are you willing to spend?"

If cost isn't an issue, gibsons are great for all around play/genre hopping. If its for metal, go with an ibanez, their wizard II necks are the best thing for shred-style playing (its a really flat and quick-playing neck made for speed and accuracy of fretting.) (The current iceman model is beautiful, and sounds extremely good with the right amp setup.). Fender really isnt as great as it used to be (as one big fender nut as said to me, they are still stuck in the past, they don't do nearly as much innovation anymore, but it makes their gear perfect if you want a more vintage sound) There are other brands out there as well. THe only way you are going to find what you like is by walking into a guitar shop and try out the guitars before a purchase. (Schecters have been becoming more and more prominent in the metal scene for example)

As for pickup, your going to want a SSH combo since you want to hop around genres a bit. Each pickup setup is good for different things though. I do prefer Dimarzio pickups unless I am playing something that needs a crap-ton of gain/distortion then its the EMGs

I am going to mention bodies and necks here again. The big thing, are you going to be using alternate tunings at any point? if so, do go with a set neck, you want access to the tortion rod if you need to make adjustments. they are just overall easier to set to how you want, but you do get the downside of having a decrease in the way the sound travels (yes neck does mater for it) which isn't a good thing if you want the full-bodied sound. The material the body is made from also matters. The best material really all depends on the sound you are going for. The best way to really check is to test the guitars out at a store, actually ask them what the instrument is made of.

Also think of what kind of bridge you want. Are you gonna be divebombing on the whammy or do you prefer something that stays in tune? If you want to stay in tune, go with a floyd rose bridge, but I will give fair warning, they can be much more annoying to deal with when changing strings or tunings. (You should also get locking tuner heads up top to go with it.)

As for amps, I won't even go there. Think guitars have a lot of variables in how they sound? Amp and Cab setups have a lot more. But regardless, if you are interested in emulation, the best out there at the moment are Amplitube 3 and Guitar Rig 4/5. If you do go the emulation route you are going to want to invest in a good audio interface (Pluging straight into the sound card isn't recommended at all, but I currently use this -> http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrack.html )

As for Bass/Drums you have me lost there.

I'm a keyboard player who sometimes doubles on bass as the situation might call for it. I finally broke down and bought a good bass. It's a G&L Tribute L2500. That sucker has more tone on it than the day is long, and if you're into funk/slap playing, it's the perfect bass. I'd compare it to Spector or Warwick in terms of sound, but it's such a versatile bass that you can get a great sound whether you want to sound like Flea or if you want a completely dead sound. Now, if all you want to do are Beatles covers, I wouldn't recommend it, but there isn't much otherwise you can't do. It has active/passive electronics, with an added treble boost, 3-position pu select, and is also switchable between serial and parallel pu's. And since mines the made in Indonesia "Tribute" model, I didn't break the bank when I bought it. Had I more money, I would not have regretted buying the American version. But still, it's a better-playing bass than most anything else I've ever tried.