Help me choose a mid-priced electric guitar.

[NAD]

Well, the title sums it up. I want something with a warm tone with good playability.

Guitars I like that I've played:
Jackson Kelly (feel)
Ibanez Satriani (feel)
Gibson SG (TONE!!!)
Gibson Les Paul (both, but fuck me they're pricey)

Don't really want to get over $1,000, any suggestions? Otherwise I'm off to the pawn shop to find some beater.

(for those that don't know I've been playing bass for about 12 years so I'm not looking for a learner/intro guitar, cheers)

 

[Erik]

$1,000 is "mid-priced!?"

Well, I'm going by others advice since my guitar is more in the $300 range, but if you love the Gibson Les Paul but don't want to pay the price, you should probably take a real good look at the Epiphone Les Pauls. It's not like they're not quality instruments, far from it really...

 

[NAD]

Not the price argument again... I want to spend about $600, but will go up to a grand if worth it.

I've never played an Epiphone, but I take it they are not Gibson's Squier then? Do they retain that fat Gibson tone?

 

[Erik]

Don't ask me, I'm really not an expert on the subject, but I'd try them. They have slightly cheaper woods, probably not the same pickups, etc, but as far as feel goes they're Les Paul. Play one and see if you like it. I think the real Gibsons must be overpriced a fair bit for the name.

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

My guitar except its black. Jacksons are fantastic. This thing is durable as hell too. I could kill and Ogre with its edges and it would still play in tune.

 

[Erik]

Oh... Don't get an SG. They're ugly.

Now THIS is a BEAUTIFUL guitar which I would VERY MUCH purchase if I had money I didn't know what else to do with:

Epiphone '58 Explorer... Drool. It should be red though.

Or an early 80's Ibanez Destroyer...

Adrian Smith used to play one of these back in the Killers days if I'm not mistaken... A beautiful guitar. Of course, now I'm going by looks only

EDIT: the other Adrian Smith.

 

[NAD]

What kind is that En Vind? It looks like a Kelly but even more warped. How is sitting down to play with that? I'm leaning toward the Ibanez/Jackson route if I go new.

SG's look like the devil! How could you not like that!? My guitarist has one, I could probably just borrow his if I really wanted that tone

A real Les Paul is a sight to behold, I used to think they were just overpriced chunks until I played one. It's been probably 10 years and I remember the exact feel, they are exquisite instruments.

Explorers kick ass but I remember them being uncomfortably heavy, probably part of the charm though, heh.

 

[Black Winter Day]

Just say fuck it and buy a Peavey.

 

[NAD]

I'd rather fuck myself than buy a Peavey. :Spin:

 

[Erik]

Do buy the Peavey 5150 head, it kicks major amount of behind

 

[Black Winter Day]

Peaveys rule, I've been playing one for 10 years. It's much better than my 4 year old ESP POS.

 

[NAD]

Actually I've only used a Peavey bass amp and it BLEW. Never played one of their instruments.

I don't know about amps yet, I want something small and all-tube. I'll worry about that later.

 

[JayKeeley]

Adrian Smith played that guitar past the Killers era. I think he might even be playing it in the "Stranger in a Strange Land" video.

$1000 is mid-priced? You realize you can get a Fender Strat (Mexican) for about $300 these days? Put it this way, you can get a decent guitar for less than $600.

And what has you playing bass for that long got anything to do with playing a guitar?! Those who can't do, play bass. And those who can't play bass, play drums.

I'm just kidding, you unclean caucasian.

 

[Erik]

As far as I have heard, Peavey are really hit and miss, but the 5150 (Eddie Van Halen's signature amp) is fucking SPOT ON. No wonder about 100000 metal bands use it; it has fucking godly metal tone. I used to play one in Lethal's old rehearsal spot (it utterly pwned the other amp there, a Marshall JCM800) but as soon as I have the money and need for a proper amp I'll get one for myself.

 

[NAD]

And what has you playing bass for that long got anything to do with playing a guitar?! Those who can't do, play bass. And those who can't play bass, play drums.

You dirty bint...

I SAID I WANNA SPEND $600 SPAMMIT. $1,000 is my peak if I go crazy like this -->

 

[Erik]

$1000 is mid-priced? You realize you can get a Fender Strat (Mexican) for about $300 these days? Put it this way, you can get a decent guitar for less than $600.

Yes. Very much so. Low-end guitars are so good these days that I really don't understand people who shell out $1000+ unless they have some very special needs. I mean, buy whatever $300 guitar you can find, change the pickups for another $150 and bam, there's your $1000 guitar right there.

...but then again, some day in the future I'll probably play a Gibson Les Paul Heritage Sunburst Special Super Deluxe '59 Reissue for $2599 and decide that I positively need it. Sigh, oh well, at least now I'm perfectly happy with my generic RG.

unclean caucasian.

 

[JayKeeley]

I'm not sure how much this thing costs, and it might give someone who can only handle four strings a slight headache, but it looks cool! It's from the Ukraine too.

 

[JayKeeley]

www.oddmusic.com is a good site. It even contains samples of all the odd instruments in MP3 snippets.

 

[NAD]

and it might give someone who can only handle four strings a slight headache

That's it you bastard, I'm bringing my bass to NYC so I can show you what 4 strings set aflame looks like!

I love weird instruments like that, I'll bet that site has that one 3-string Russian bass thing that's played with a plectrum the size of a fist.

 

[JayKeeley]

This would be fun to play: