Beginner Audio Interface to iMac for Guitar Learning - Tascam US-100??

[JoelMarcey]

After doing a bunch of research, it seems like for a beginner wanting to learn an electric guitar via GarageBand, the Lexicon Alpha or M-Audio Fast Track are decent enough interfaces to buy.

However, I did see another interface, cheaper on Amazon than the other two, that seemed to get good, but limited reviews. The Tascam US-100. I did not see many threads on this forum regarding this interface.

Is the Tascam US-100 comparable in quality to the Lexicon Alpha and M-Audio Fast Track, knowing I don't need anything fancy.

By the way, to learn the electric guitar on GarageBand, I don't need to buy a microphone for the interface, right? Just the audio interface and my electric guitar is all I really need, correct? (obviously assuming I just don't want to plug the guitar in directly to the iMac using a 1/4" - 1/8" cable -- which I read was just not very good at all).

 

[mkrishnan]

One more to consider might be the Line6 Tone Port UX1 or UX2... Here's a review of the UX 2.

http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/405439/review/toneport_ux2.html

I have the UX 2, which I got used via eBay for about $90 shipped. For basics, I don't think it makes much of a difference which one you get. The difference is mostly in the noise level / audio quality and in the perks you get (some of them, like the Line6 one, come with some cool effects processing toys, but GB has some of that stuff already).