New Guitar for the Budding Guitarist

[craplah]

I've played the electric guitar for almost 3 years now, planning to get a new guitar sometime after..... 4 months? (Apparently my mum wasn't too happy with how I spend nearly all my paltry monthly NS pay on guitar gear, because I just bought a BOSS ME-25 yesterday to play around with....couldn't resist)

I've been playing Japanese alternative rock (think ONE OK ROCK, SPYAIR, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) with my Yamaha ERG 121C (yeah, the budget package type), to the point that I could actually tell the sound was starting to suck (or probably it's just me). I'm not those who like to play flashy solos (and I'm not good at it anyway), more of a rhythm guitarist here.

Was scouting around various guitar shops and researching online, decided to close in on the Epiphone series (man, the tone of the Les Paul 2010 tribute...). But so far still undecided on whether to get the SG, or splurge more on a Les Paul.

My budget is most likely around $1000 (I'm getting a pay rise in January ) and I'm currently using a VOX Valvetronix VT20+ as an amp.

Advices please!

 

[Ikko]

If you were to get a Les Paul Bro, my advice would be second hand Les Paul Japanese copies, with brand names such as Tokai, Burny, Orville and such. They made really damn good copies during the 80s haha!

 

[J.custom]

There are a few tokai Lps on sale at sound alchemy! Very good value for your money!

 

[Vax]

I've been playing Japanese alternative rock (think ONE OK ROCK, SPYAIR, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) with my Yamaha ERG 121C (yeah, the budget package type)

Haha I've owned a similar beginner Yamaha guitar before, and I can identify with that "noticing the tone sucks". Quite the epiphany huh!

Burny or Tokai Les Pauls are great. The details are down to the tee.

 

[bf0502tr]

an LP will get u a fatter tone than an SG by virtue of its thicker body. i personally dun really like the sound of an SG...but thats just me lol

 

[relinquish69]

hmm change to a better amp first. makes a bigger difference. if you have spare, you could go for a pickup change?

 

[omnomnomben]

$1000 is not budding guitarist kind of money, IMO. You can get a very decent guitar for that kind of dough.

From what you said (mostly rhythm), you should probably invest in a better amp and pickups. A crap guitar will still sound good through a good amp, but a great guitar will sound like crap through a cheap amp.

 

[RenoSG]

hey man,
i agree, 1k is not a small budget... for that kind of price, you should definitely check Sterling by Music Man (the AX series with 2 humbuckers or the Silo series with 2 single coils and 1 humbucker, depending on the sounds you're looking for). I think they're totally amazing value for money and great versatile guitars. brendon from bgwguitars sells them in his showroom.
cheers

 

[craplah]

Thanks for your advices! Was stuck outfield for the past few weeks...

Well, yeah, been saving up (and still saving up) too much, that's why the big budget (thought I could widen choices with a bit of spare cash). But honestly, I think I have found guitars with the tone I want (was hanging around in Pennisula Shopping Centre) that cost less.

So far, yeah, it's the Les Paul body for me, kind of like the thick, heavy sound it produces. And I seem to think the sound of sealed humbuckers are quite tight, no?

I don't think I would want to get a new amp now (mine's only 2 months old), but will definitely keep in check in the future!

By the way, anyone can recommend a good metronome? I'm currently using one used for PIANOS (it sounds like someone amplified a woodpecker's pecking to its maximum volume. Bloody torturous listening to it.)

 

[Ikko]

Er covered humbuckers are usually "double" potted to minimize squealing at high gain.
Dont think it affects how "tight" it goes.

A amp swap will definitely have a much more dramatic change to tone compared to guitars, but im a firm lover of japanese replicas after trying ( and now owning ) one.
Les paul look for Grecos, Burny, Tokais, Orvilles, or Epi elitist.
Unless you save even more for a gibby, thats a different story
but still, i prefer jap replicas over studios by gibson xD