Originally Posted by: snojonesI don't like the sound I get out of the electric guitar on any home use recorder, at all.[/quote]

What home use recorders have you previously used?

Originally Posted by: snojonesHowever if I want to get these songs recorded without paying for a studio and engineer, I am stuck.[/quote]

You'd be hard pressed these days to find a studio still using analog tape anyway. And if you did it would probably cost a small fortune. :)

Originally Posted by: snojonesI have never made a good electric recording, without an engineer and a studio.[/quote]

A great deal of a succesful recording is due to a good mic & outboard gear (preamp, compressor, EQ) combined with the knowledge of how to use them properly to capture an intended result. And that's true with analog tape or digital recorders.

I've had good & bad experiences with both analog & digital. Knowing how to use any given tool is essential.

[quote=snojones]I have mics (no condenser mics), a small mixing board, and a Bose Tower. (I think I may have a 4 track cassette recorder somewhere, but that does not produce files I can send in an email).

If you are comfortable with your 4-track you could always use it to record, then run a line out to a computer to record, capture & create a digital file (wave file or mp3) as a final product to send digitally.

[quote=snojones]Lastly, I want to record vocals, possibly after recording the guitar parts.

Good vocals almost always require a decent condensor mic with a large diaphragm. Are you going to use backing tracks for drums & bass?

[quote=snojones]Does anybody have any useful suggestions as to which digital recording setup are most accesable to analog dinosaurs?

Two things are important at this point.

1. A good computer interface to connect your output to a DAW.

2. Knowledge of how to record.

I don't think it matters much which DAW program you use. The simpler the better to help ease your learning curve. Audacity makes a free & easy to learn program.

https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Focusrite makes great entry level interfaces.

https://focusrite.com/en/usb-interfaces

That way you have some way to plug in your guitar, a mic or mixer to get a decent line signal into your computer.

After that is the hard part: gaining knowledge. :) I encourage you to start watching some YouTube videos on the basics of how to get a good home recording. Then start experimenting!

Hope that helps!