re: Guitar recommendations needed

So here's where I'm at.

Originally started off looking at the LTD EC 256. I loved the satin black, and it runs around $450 new at Sweetwater. I was thinking along the lines of adding a Tonepros bridge and tail piece and either upgrading the pickups or the tuners. Also came across a pretty stunning Lemon Drop version on Reverb for around the same price. Upon further deliberation, starting cheap and adding hardware upgrades just puts me in the next LTD price tier anyway.



I did some more looking and found this fantastic looking EC 1000 with all the hardware and pickups I wanted for $1000, but I just can't get past the abalone binding. To me it's overkill.


Finally, that brings me to the EC 1000T. It's about 100 bucks more than the EC 1000, has a beautiful flamed maple top with a satin finish. Also comes with Fishman Fluence Open Core Classic Humbuckers and not the Seymour Duncans I want. I'd be open on making this tradeoff, but there are multiple comments on the ESP website complaining about these pickups dying within days or weeks of the guitar purchase. So if I went this direction I might as well plan on spending a couple hundred bucks more for some Duncans. The toggle switch apparently craps out as well.


Just noticed the headstocks. The EC 1000's maple tops have a matching headstock, but the EC 1000 T's don't. That's actually kind of a bummer.

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wait until you get the guitar, get it set up properly by a pro for your playing style(s), and then turn laps with it for a few weeks before you start shopping upgrades.

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That’s good advice. Whether it’s guitars or other things non musical I have a bad habit of wanting to add and subtract things. Thankfully though I was also blessed with patience to usually talk myself out of it. I must admit that I’m a bit frustrated as well. No matter where I look, inventories have taken a beating because of the whole pandemic. Nothing I’ve been interested in is even in stock right now. I’ve got less than a month to find the right guitar, have it delivered and then set up in time.

I think I might have found exactly what I was looking for. I came across it while scanning through reverb. Even better is that the seller lives about a 30 minute drive from me. It's a very nice 2003 Epiphone Les Paul Custom in Cherry Sunburst finish with a Seymour Duncan Custom '59 in the neck position and a JB in the bridge position. Priced right in my original base price of around $500 too. Going to check it out tomorrow in person.

Custom SG Ivory White with triple humbuckers, baw.

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Sick...!

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When I read it initially, I thought you were a Steve Clark fan -



He was almost a 100% LP Custom player - had one in most configurations.

Gretsch G5220. I bought one on Reverb.com recently and love it. I normally play Les Paul's and this thing is pretty damn close for half the price.

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Let the guitar, not us, not your friends, and not the rest of the internet, tell your hands, ears and torso what IT needs to be its best. I'll bet you it won't "need" half the stuff you "want" for it.

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Amen to this - I've never upgraded a guitar despite intention to do it every time. Maintenance and set up? Yes. Never had to upgrade.

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As a result, no one has a tone like mine.

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Yeah, but you probably "play" guitars and not just collect them, right?

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I've never upgraded a guitar despite intention to do it every time. Maintenance and set up? Yes. Never had to upgrade.

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To me, upgrading doesn't make much sense on a higher end guitar, or really even a midrange one. If you have the money, you should just buy exactly what you want in the first place. It can damn sure pay off on a lower end guitar though, if it's just going to be a player.
This wasn't always the case, but thanxs to CNC machines and great quality control, a cheap guitar can be turned into a great player.