Please recommend me a guitar!

[cool-beans]

I've been playing acoustic on and off for the past 2 years or so. However, I have recently decided that I should start playing seriously. I plan to get an electric guitar + amp and will be starting lessons.

I am very influenced by blues/rock artists like Arctic Monkeys, John Mayer, Slash, Kurt Cobain, Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Chemical Romance, The White Stripes and The Beatles.

As you can see from my list of influences, I like both twangy/vintage tones of Fenders (Arctic Monkeys, John Mayer) and warm/mellow tones of Gibsons/Epiphones (MCR's Ray Toro, Slash)

Hence, I am torn between getting a Fender Standard Strat or an Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

In addition, I do not have any idea of what Ibanez and Cort sound like. I know that Cort is quite a good choice for mid-range budgets but that's all I know. My impression of Ibanez is that it is more for metal. Correct me if I'm wrong, please!

That said, please recommend me any guitars that you think will be suitable to the music I play. I have a budget of about $800~$900 not inclusive of amp.

A guitar that can both produce the vintage/twangy tone of Strats and warm/mellow tone of Les Pauls would be awesome. Anyone knows of such a guitar?

 

[Phanto]

strat got twang? thought it was the teles. But for ur music taste u needa be abit versatile. A Lp cant give u that arctic monkeys tone indie rock type.
A strat can get u somewhere near there.

Therefore i recommend you to use a fender strat or a epiphone semi-hollow body could be a option. Casino/Dot?

 

[markedymark]

what you're looking for is really really hard to get in one guitar, fenders will be fenders, gibsons will be gibsons, the line's quite clear there.

But i think if you're able to find a HSS strat (mex) it might do the job, not very well, but decent.

 

[subversion]

that's kinda tough, something strat/ gibson like in a single offering...

one thing clear is that whatever fat humbucker you instal in a Strat, it doesn't stray into Gibson territory, likewise, whatever split electronics you have in a Gibson, it won't mimic a Strat convincingly. if you still insist on a hybrid make to at least emulate the aformentioned voicings, i have these to recommend:

Ibanez SA260

Fender Std Fat Strat

there is a review of the Ibanez SA260 in SOFT's database.

 

[gsonique]

go get it !!!

 

[BadgerS88]

...

Im an epiphone user myself, i use an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. But then again ive always said to myself, if i had the money i'd buy a stratocaster to. A black and white one like eric clapton. I could tell you that if you buy the strat, you'll save urself alot of weight lifting. I you buy the les paul you get a unique sound especially in conjunction with tube amps etc. but then again its the same with strats. Les paul looks so classic and classy while the strat looks more 70s rock. haha. oh yeah. mines black, ivory and gold and i love its looks. I use alot of tube amps and effects so i get a great bluesy sound with my les paul.

Why dont just try them both out and see which one u fancy?

 

[cool-beans]

@ subversion - Does the SA260 come in any other colours? It's secondary, but I don't really like yellow.. :lol: Nice review though, would consider this guitar.

I have considered Fat Strats too, but I am concerned that it might turn out to be a 'jack-of-all-tricks, but master of none' kinda thing.

I have to admit, I am leaning more towards a Strat right now.

And I forgot something else, I suffer from scoliosis, a back condition where my spine is crooked to the left. It is not really a big issue but I will not be able to play heavy guitars. This condition is why I stopped playing the bass.

@BadgerS88 - I agree with you, Les Paul looks damn classy, while Strats look retro-ish rock. Your LP sounds nice. If I get one, I'll get it in white tho

 

[markedymark]

well, the strat is a good guitar, and if you want to keep the twang and get a fat sound,you can always switch to stacked humbuckers. it wont get you a gib sound, but it'll be fatter.

 

[wyldeboon]

i want a tele too!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[napalm]

i own a epi lp, a squier strat and tele. they have their own distinct sound

the strat and tele have thinner, twangy sound

the lp has the fat, bluesy sound. it seems to sound like it has a bit of overdrive even when you dont have

if weight is an issue, you may have problems with a lp. i have slight scoliosis myself and playing a lp can be quite tiring.

but with your budget, you can get a epi lp and a squier strat... why not have them both?

 

[cool-beans]

Gee... My scoliosis is quite serious.. Sometimes I have to take Panadol just to stop grimacing :?

 

[edder]

goose where can I get that tele? :lol:

 

[markedymark]

ive seen that tele at sweelee before. i think.

 

[gsonique]

how many you want ??
50% down for min 5 pieces ...5 wks delivery How??

 

[edder]

what??? 300 per guitar i take 10!

 

[wyldeboon]

tat cheap ah?

 

[markedymark]

like that we can do a super mass order. :lol:

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

You guys forget already.. why there's a brand called PRS.

I've tried the SE range before and I do believe you can get something very close to what you have in mind in terms of that sound in your head (some fender twang + some gibson warmth). But bear in mind that range of guitars are like in-between fender and gibson... so it's kind of like not-her-not-there?

Go to Davis and try them out and see if you like them.

If all else fails, you can try the OLP music man copies which I have also tried... and amazingly I got a tele-esque twang out of those humbuckers.

 

[subversion]

1. That tele isn't available here (if it is, i would have bought it...), what you saw is its close sibling:

2. the SA260 is currently available in amber burst (not yellow) & Lavender burst, here:

if you like what the SA series has to offer, do consider the SAS model as well- set neck + lacquered.

the HSS Fender is really for players who wish for a fat bridge tone but can't live without the signature fender single coil voicing. here's the Highway1 version:

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

I think what u need is a PRS-scale guitar (its between a strat and a lespaul scale) made of alder (neutral sounding wood), maple neck (bright), rosewood (fat) fretboard and a HSS pickup config... Install a fat vintage-voiced humbucker like a paf and 2 vintage-voiced single coils like a virtual vintage and u're ready for battle!

hmm, if only guitars were that easily customisable...

haha that'll be ideal but for ur budget, i'd recommend a HSS alder body, rosewood fretboard strat 1st. get that first and then fix whats missing for u after u starrt learning.

don't splurge too much on trying to get what u want wihout getting hands on experince first though.