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Guitar recommendations needed
Posted on 7/11/20 at 3:08 pm
Posted on 7/11/20 at 3:08 pm
I'm in the market for a solid body, single cutaway, Les Paul style guitar. Looking to spend around 500 to give myself some room for upgrades and stuff. I like the LTD EC-256 models, but I'm really not too familiar with the brand other than they are produced by ESP. I also like a few Epiphone models, but have read a lot of bad reviews about horrible fret work. I'm really kind of stuck at this point. I went into a local shop today to try a few out. I quickly learned that the hand sanitizer they were making customers use before entering made playing and testing guitars a major bitch. Lacquered necks were just god awful.
Help me out guys. What are some hidden gems that I'm overlooking? Anything I should steer clear of?
Help me out guys. What are some hidden gems that I'm overlooking? Anything I should steer clear of?
Posted on 7/11/20 at 3:47 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
Used prs se models
Posted on 7/11/20 at 4:14 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
LTD/ESP guitars are really good bang for the buck.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 4:35 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
Take the money you were going to spend and don’t. Save for an extra year and get a new Les Paul Jr. or used LP for $1500 or so. You’ll wish you did in the first place and won’t always be looking for something better.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 4:48 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
Second vote for PRS SE............ I have a cheap PRS SE soapbar 2 That I like more than my strat, flying V, and Ibanez guitars. I bought it new for $250 when CC's went out of business in BR. It plays better than any Gibson I have ever played.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 5:14 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
I think The LTD is your best bet. Did the guy ever finish with your Dad's Guitar?
Posted on 7/11/20 at 5:41 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
I would recommend a PRS, specifically the Tremonti signature model, or an Agile, especially the 3100 series.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 7:09 pm to PillPusher
quote:
Take the money you were going to spend and don’t. Save for an extra year and get a new Les Paul Jr. or used LP for $1500 or so. You’ll wish you did in the first place and won’t always be looking for something better.
Well if it was for me, I’d be all about that. It’s actually a birthday gift. I’m upgrading my stepdaughter’s guitar from an entry level squier to a more mid ranged priced instrument. I want something with duel humbuckers that more fits with the style of music she enjoys. Nothing against Strats. The LTD is attractive because of the thinner neck profile. Just don’t know much about them.
This post was edited on 7/11/20 at 7:16 pm
Posted on 7/11/20 at 7:09 pm to auggie
quote:
Did the guy ever finish with your Dad's Guitar?
Yeah he finished about a month ago. I’ve just been too busy to run pick it up. Trying to get there next weekend
Posted on 7/11/20 at 7:24 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
Used Edwards or Burny les paul
Posted on 7/11/20 at 7:54 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
Is she/you not interested in an SG?
Posted on 7/11/20 at 8:23 pm to PillPusher
quote:
Is she/you not interested in an SG?
Honestly save a little more and keep watching eBay/reverb. A used sg special or even standard be had for a pretty good bargain if you keep watching. Then you can save up for the actual les Paul that you want and not settle.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 8:23 pm to Blizzard of Chizz
I know it's not exactly what you have in mind, but you should check out an Epiphone WildKat. I'm really loving the one that I bought, now that I've started playing it. It's technically a semi-hollow body, but the whole body is milled out of a solid mahogany block, and sounds more like a solid body when it's plugged in.
Posted on 7/11/20 at 9:28 pm to PillPusher
quote:
Take the money you were going to spend and don’t. Save for an extra year and get a new Les Paul Jr. or used LP for $1500 or so. You’ll wish you did in the first place and won’t always be looking for something better.
With all due respect, I don't dig this advice. New Gibson products (even Jr.) are terrible investments and the company has been poorly run for some time now.
If he continues to save his money, he can get an even better PRS. PRS has been, almost from inception, what Gibson wants to be and thinks they are. They haven't been, frankly, since the late 1950s.
Again, with all due respect.
Posted on 7/12/20 at 7:39 am to Blizzard of Chizz
Get a Yamaha Revstar.
Posted on 7/12/20 at 9:37 am to kingbob
quote:
or an Agile, especially the 3100 series.
Bob, you beat me to it.
Posted on 7/12/20 at 10:11 am to Ace Midnight
quote:
New Gibson products (even Jr.) are terrible investments and the company has been poorly run for some time now.
They were poorly run for reasons unrelated to their classic guitars. First they were trying to innovate for innovations sake, and secondly, they were trying to expand into the home entertainment market and spent accordingly. Their quality control took a hit between 2007 and the bankruptcy, but the guitar line they produced since the Chapter 11 filing has been great. The 2019 models have solid materials and electronics, with none of the intonation problems of some of their "innovative guitars" or their Les Paul Studio 70s Tribute. And even then, during that era, they produced some quality instruments. You can barely find a Gibson Midtown Bass from 2000 to 2018 on the secondary market, as they were one of the only hollow body basses with 34 inch scales.
My collab buddy bought a 2019 Les Paul Modern, and it was a superb instrument out of the box. I'm hoping they do a Ripper tribute again, as well as a L6-S reissue, and hopefully relaunch versions of the ES-335 Bass and Midtown Bass.
Posted on 7/12/20 at 10:39 am to Blizzard of Chizz
The $500 price point for a single cutaway style guitar is going to be difficult.
In the used market, this is a decent starting point.
The Supro revival brand produces some slick looking instruments. Here's one that is above your budget, but in the secondary market you could find it at your price point, and you wouldn't need that many upgrades, as the gold foil pickups are cool as hell.
Here's another Supro that also comes at a good price point for a used instrument.
If you want a project, this looks like a good starting point, but it is a lawsuit era Les Paul copy.
If you want to go to a hollow body, this is a good starting point I believe the famous TV Jones Broad'tron pickups come standard on this Gretsch, and those pickups are highly regarded.
Peavey used to make some super heavy instruments, made in the USA, but I don't think they do any longer. Regardless, if a project guitar is what you want, a Peavey like this isn't a terrible choice.
For your price point, I'd definitely go for a Supro though. They are fun instruments to play, have fairly cool retro designs, and the gold foil pickups sound great. Supro amps are also superb, as they are designed by Bruce Zinky, who did a lot of Fender's amp work. I'm definitely looking at getting a Supro Sahara as a cheap guitar to play around the house. I nearly pulled the trigger on a Supro Westbury Baritone a couple of years ago, and only stopped myself because I was moving with 11 other guitars. I'll get it eventually.
In the used market, this is a decent starting point.
The Supro revival brand produces some slick looking instruments. Here's one that is above your budget, but in the secondary market you could find it at your price point, and you wouldn't need that many upgrades, as the gold foil pickups are cool as hell.
Here's another Supro that also comes at a good price point for a used instrument.
If you want a project, this looks like a good starting point, but it is a lawsuit era Les Paul copy.
If you want to go to a hollow body, this is a good starting point I believe the famous TV Jones Broad'tron pickups come standard on this Gretsch, and those pickups are highly regarded.
Peavey used to make some super heavy instruments, made in the USA, but I don't think they do any longer. Regardless, if a project guitar is what you want, a Peavey like this isn't a terrible choice.
For your price point, I'd definitely go for a Supro though. They are fun instruments to play, have fairly cool retro designs, and the gold foil pickups sound great. Supro amps are also superb, as they are designed by Bruce Zinky, who did a lot of Fender's amp work. I'm definitely looking at getting a Supro Sahara as a cheap guitar to play around the house. I nearly pulled the trigger on a Supro Westbury Baritone a couple of years ago, and only stopped myself because I was moving with 11 other guitars. I'll get it eventually.
This post was edited on 7/12/20 at 10:43 am
Posted on 7/12/20 at 11:18 am to crazy4lsu
I like the LTD and PRS suggestions, and I'll add that anything else set-neck or neck thru that's also ghost-built by the World Music Instruments factory in Korea is really good for the money. Schecter and Dean offer set-neck singlecuts made in that factory so they too should be mentioned. The used market is also saturated for all these WMI-built brands, meaning a prime second-hand but very clean example can usually be scored for significantly less than a new one.
Posted on 7/12/20 at 11:33 am to TheFretShack
I really appreciate all of the feedback from everyone so far. The more I've thought about it, the more I'm beginning to realize my base budget is kind of useless if I'm planning to add some upgrades. Basically, I could spend 500 on a guitar and add 300 dollars worth of upgrades or I could just look for a guitar in the 800 dollar price range. Either way, I'm still spending the same amount. I'm sure there are some construction differences too, so it's either a lesser quality build to some extent, with some nice aftermarket upgrades, or a better quality guitar in general.
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