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[Kevtones]

I've been playing acoustic for three years and I realized that its time I go and buy an electric to feed my inner rockstar....

My price range is $200-500, preferrably cheaper, but I want something of good quality (for the $) and something reliable. I know next to nothing about decent brands and I'm trying to do this soon because it seems Guitar Center is having their big greentag sale. So yeah, any ideas?

 

[truffleshuffle83]

i like ibanez

 

[SpoonyBard]

I hate Epiphone.

 

[Teknopathetic]

Japanese made Fenders are *awesome*.

 

[iapetus]

Whatever you do, see if you can try before you buy (even if that means trying a guitar locally then buying it online). A few suggestions to try:

Yamaha Pacifica - used to be the clear best guitar on a budget, but the competition has caught up somewhat these days.
Epiphone Les Paul - It's the very definition of rock guitar.
Epiphone SG - Can't stand them myself, but they look good, and some people swear by them.
Fender Strat - It's the other definition of rock guitar.
PRS also do some quality guitars that might fit into your budget at the lower end of their range.

 

[karasu]

I have an Epiphone Les Paul (Black beauty) It feels wonderful.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

I loved my first electric (Fender Strat). Just about any guitar shop will let you demo guitars for hours until you find the sound you like best. That's really the only way to make a good decision.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

My first electric got the job done (ibanez), but it had some serious problems. Yamaha Pacificas are good, as are epiphones.

 

[Richiban]

I just bought a Fender Squire Gig pack and I've been loving it ever since.

I don't think you can really go wrong with name guitars like Fender, Ibanez and the like.

 

[terrene]

Kevtones: for a first guitar that'll last for awhile, it's really hard to beat a Fender Standard Stratocaster. Not a Squire or an Epiphone -- those are low-end. But a Standard Strat.

$369
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=510000

The Standard passes three important tests:

1) It stays in tune
2) It has a versatile sound and you can probably get what you want from it
3) Easy to play, easy to change strings, one of the oldest/reliable models of electric guitar.

Jimi Hendrix used them, for god sake (albeit the American standards):

 

[Kevtones]

Thanks for the input everyone...I'm actually caught between a Epiphone Les Paul and the Fender Standard Stratocaster...leaning towards the latter due to the fact I'm a lefty and I've actually played one before. I plan on hitting up Guitar Center either tomorrow or Saturday and make my wallet bleed. It seems Epiphone's have a hit or miss history with GAF folks. But its GC has a nice $200 package right now. Thanks again for the input folks Also, more input is welcome!

 

[Beezy]

Thanks for the input everyone...I'm actually caught between a Epiphone Les Paul and the Fender Standard Stratocaster...leaning towards the latter due to the fact I'm a lefty and I've actually played one before.

I'm a lefty too and I want to know does playing the guitar the lefty way feel better to you?

 

[blackwind]

strat ftw!!!!

You can try Musicians Friend
or Guitar Trader Both pretty good (MF preferred)

Good luck!

 

[MomoPufflet]

Second on the Fender Strat. It sounds really good for the price and will last you a long time. I prefer the Strat shape to the Les Paul-- I find it more comfortable. I wouldn't mess with Epiphone anyway.

 

[Kevtones]

I'm a lefty too and I want to know does playing the guitar the lefty way feel better to you?

The thing about that is that I played the first two years right-handed just because I was self-taught/too lazy to buy a lefty acoustic or restring otherwise (plus I drum). Even after those two years, I'd still, by reflex, play air guitar lefty style. I switched and know what, it added a lot to my abilites. I'd say I'm further now lefty then I ever was righty. Kind of weird how it worked out ~

 

[karasu]

I may be in the minority here, but strats are fugly. I was so happy when I found a picture of Hendrix playing a Les Paul.

 

[MomoPufflet]

LPs definitely look nicer-- I just find the strat more comfy.

 

[Teknopathetic]

Jaguars and Jazzmasters slap the pants off of both of them, but alas, none of them are really priced in the budget range :/.

 

[terrene]

I may be in the minority here, but strats are fugly. I was so happy when I found a picture of Hendrix playing a Les Paul.

Oh yeah, the Les Paul is sexier-looking, but way out of the budget -- unless you wanna talk Epiphone Les Paul copies, which I wouldn't reccomend.

 

[AlphaSnake]

Oh yeah, the Les Paul is sexier-looking, but way out of the budget -- unless you wanna talk Epiphone Les Paul copies, which I wouldn't reccomend.

Epiphone Les Paul copies?

Epiphone IS Gibson.

 

[terrene]

Epiphone Les Paul copies?

Epiphone IS Gibson.

Uh, no, they're a completely different company owned by Gibson that makes cheapo versions of Gibson's products.

 

[AlphaSnake]

Uh, no, they're a completely different company owned by Gibson that makes cheapo versions of Gibson's products.

Completely different company...owned by Gibson...

Does.
Not.
Compute.

 

[terrene]

Completely different company...owned by Gibson...

Does.
Not.
Compute.

...

 

[AlphaSnake]

The Les Paul's made by Epiphone are base versions of the Gibson Les Pauls. The differences lie in the pickups and the structure of the neck. Again, Epiphone is NOT a company on its own. It's just Gibson's lower division. The same way that Squier is Fender's lower-half. Or ESP is LTD's lower half.

Gibson does have an actual subsidiary brand, though -- which is a far more stand alone "company" than Epiphone. Let's see if you actually know what the brand is...

 

[MomoPufflet]

I'm pretty sure he meant they're budget copies of the real Gibson Les Paul, whether Gibson owns them or not. Squire (Fender), Epiphone (Gibson), LTD (ESP), etc are all copies of the original designs made with cheaper parts to satisfy the lower end buyer. They are still copies.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Telecasters FTFW.

 

[emomoonbase]

What problems have ppl had with the Epiphone Les Pauls? I too saw that $199 deal they have at GC and thought about picking one up as an extra guitar to thrash on. Obviously it's not as good as a real Strat or Les Paul but a guitar, practice amp, tuner and bag for under $200 seems like a stupidly cheap deal. Do they explode in your face or something?

 

[Teknopathetic]

I think the thing is that the cheaper guitars obviously have some cut backs in quality, sometimes resulting in poor/uneven fret jobs, loose neck joints, crap tuning keys, etc. Although, this isn't reserved to the budget lines, there's questionable QA even with the american made guitars. If it ain't made in a custom shop, I'd be hesitant to buy it without playing it, it's a bit of a gamble.

 

[terrene]

The Les Paul's made by Epiphone are base versions of the Gibson Les Pauls. The differences lie in the pickups and the structure of the neck. Again, Epiphone is NOT a company on its own. It's just Gibson's lower division. The same way that Squier is Fender's lower-half. Or ESP is LTD's lower half.

The differences don't stop there, they also use cheap-ass headstock and wood, the body is glued together in sections, the head is a completely different peice that's bolted on, the shapes of the head, neck, heel are all different, and the fucking things are Made in Korea, while Gibsons are made in the USA. They basically built a copy "close enough" design using cheap parts, and because Epiphone is owned by Gibson they can say "but it uses Gibson parts!" Horseshit. Those guitars weigh nothing and sound about as heavy.

Epiphone have their own manufacturing base in Korea, their own address in Tennessee, and guess what it says at the bottom of every page of their site:

© 2006, The Epiphone Company, A part of the Gibson family of brands.

Wow! They're a subsidiary! That must be why there's 152,000 hits for "epiphone gibson subsidiary" in Google today!

Gibson does have an actual subsidiary brand, though -- which is a far more stand alone "company" than Epiphone. Let's see if you actually know what the brand is...

They own a couple, Epiphone being one of them. They have susidiaries that make drums and band instruments too. Look them up at Gibson's website. Then, print out what you find and cram the paper up your ass.

Emomoonbase: if you're not going to gig with it or try to do anything serious with the Epiphone, go for it, that is a stupid-low price for a guitar that may not be pro, but is definitely good enough for just a spare axe to have around the house. The Fender Standard Strat, though, you can get away with playing that at gigs for sure. With a decent tube amp, they actually sound pretty damn hot!

 

[emomoonbase]

I've been playing acoustic for three years and I realized that its time I go and buy an electric to feed my inner rockstar....

My price range is $200-500, preferrably cheaper, but I want something of good quality (for the $) and something reliable. I know next to nothing about decent brands and I'm trying to do this soon because it seems Guitar Center is having their big greentag sale. So yeah, any ideas?

To actually answer the OP I rock a Godin Exit 22 and it's great. It was like $400, made by canadians and sounds fantastic. Has a great range to it. They make other good models too.

 

[AlphaSnake]

The differences don't stop there, they also use cheap-ass headstock and wood, the body is glued together in sections, the head is a completely different peice that's bolted on, the shapes of the head, neck, heel are all different, and the fucking things are Made in Korea, while Gibsons are made in the USA. They basically built a copy "close enough" design using cheap parts, and because Epiphone is owned by Gibson they can say "but it uses Gibson parts!" Horseshit. Those guitars weigh nothing and sound about as heavy.

Weigh nothing? Last time I held the most expensive Epi LP and then a regular Gibson LP...the Epiphone was heavier.

Epiphone have their own manufacturing base in Korea, their own address in Tennessee, and guess what it says at the bottom of every page of their site:
Wow! They're a subsidiary! That must be why there's 152,000 hits for "epiphone gibson subsidiary" in Google today!

That doesn't make them a completely different f-ing company. Epiphones are base Gibsons with a different name.

They own a couple, Epiphone being one of them. They have susidiaries that make drums and band instruments too. Look them up at Gibson's website. Then, print out what you find and cram the paper up your ass.

Bzzzzzzt. Kramer and Steinberger was the correct answer.

 

[terrene]

Weigh nothing? Last time I held the most expensive Epi LP and then a regular Gibson LP...the Epiphone was heavier.

Whatever, they're made out of particle wood.

http://www.masht.com/guitars/gibsonvepiphonehtm.htm

Educate yourself, my son.

That doesn't make them a completely different f-ing company. Epiphones are base Gibsons with a different name.

Bzzzzzzt. Kramer and Steinberger was the correct answer.

Do you even know what the word "subsidiary" means?

 

[AlphaSnake]

Whatever, they're made out of particle wood.

http://www.masht.com/guitars/gibsonvepiphonehtm.htm

Educate yourself, my son.


Do you even know what the word "subsidiary" means?

You said Epiphone was a "completely different company owned by Gibson." Which means they're not a completely different company. A completely different company would be Fender, because they have no relation to Gibson.

 

[terrene]

You said Epiphone was a "completely different company owned by Gibson." Which means they're not a completely different company. A completely different company would be Fender, because they have no relation to Gibson.

You're fucking pulling my leg or something, right?

 

[karasu]

The differences don't stop there, they also use cheap-ass headstock and wood, the body is glued together in sections, the head is a completely different peice that's bolted on, the shapes of the head, neck, heel are all different, and the fucking things are Made in Korea, while Gibsons are made in the USA. They basically built a copy "close enough" design using cheap parts, and because Epiphone is owned by Gibson they can say "but it uses Gibson parts!" Horseshit. Those guitars weigh nothing and sound about as heavy.

Weigh Nothing!?? I encourage you to read reviews of the black beauty. She is heavy as fuck and the sound is uber heavy. Sometimes a little too heavy.

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Epiphone/Les_Paul_Black_Beauty-01.html

 

[AlphaSnake]

You're fucking pulling my leg or something, right?

I just backed you into your own corner. The same way Mercury isn't a completely different company, because a Mercury is a Ford.

 

[Teknopathetic]

Stop playing semantics over the word "completely."

 

[Beezy]

Tekno, I've always wondered how did you get that tag?

 

[ronito]

Strat. It's all about the strat, any strat. Also keep up the acoustic stuff. Many players get lazy after going to electric.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"Tekno, I've always wondered how did you get that tag?"


It was supposed to be: "Don't trust dem new niggas over dere" from The Boondocks, but Bishop wasn't too keen on that.

 

[Beezy]

Lol nice.

 

[terrene]

I just backed you into your own corner.

Sure you did, champ.

I hardly want to derail the thread any further or waste the effort, because I've seen what a dumbass you are in other posts (you weren't just born with the red graphic next to your name, were you?)... but I'd be very interested to know what you think the word "subsidiary" means. You haven't answered, even though I've asked, but I'm not mentally daft enough to assume you're lack of an answer means I've "backed you into your own corner," whatever that means.

Weigh Nothing!?? I encourage you to read reviews of the black beauty. She is heavy as fuck and the sound is uber heavy. Sometimes a little too heavy.

Okay, Epi's high-brow Les Paul copies are more substantial guitars, but most of them really aren't. Never heard of the black beauty, but the Elitist is actually not bad. Of course, it's $1200, which I would never drop on a freakin' Epiphone, but it's at least got some of the power of the real deal.

 

[AlphaSnake]

Sure you did, champ.

I hardly want to derail the thread any further or waste the effort, because I've seen what a dumbass you are in other posts (you weren't just born with the red graphic next to your name, were you?)... but I'd be very interested to know what you think the word "subsidiary" means. You haven't answered, even though I've asked, but I'm not mentally daft enough to assume you're lack of an answer means I've "backed you into your own corner," whatever that means.

Subsidiary:

Serving to assist or supplement; auxiliary.
Secondary in importance; subordinate.

Epiphone is a subsidiary, not a "different company." Like I said, a different company would be one that has no affiliation to Gibson.

 

[terrene]

Epiphone is a subsidiary

Jesus christ, I ought to just beat the living fuck out of you.

Does this ring a bell:

Again, Epiphone is NOT a company on its own. It's just Gibson's lower division. The same way that Squier is Fender's lower-half. Or ESP is LTD's lower half.

Gibson does have an actual subsidiary brand, though -- which is a far more stand alone "company" than Epiphone. Let's see if you actually know what the brand is...

So, your summary of the situation is that Epiphone is a subsidiary, just not an actual subsidiary?

 

[MomoPufflet]

Good lord-- this argument is beyond retarded. You KNOW what he meant when he said it was a copy. You're just dragging this out because you don't want him to get the last word in-- seriously, just admit that this is a fucking stupid semantical argument.

 

[Teknopathetic]

BTW, Epiphone is NOT Gibson's lower division. Just like Kramer and Steinberger and the DOZENS of companies Gibson's swallowed up, it was a competitor that was bought out. Squier was created by Fender specifically for budget priced guitars, as was LTD.

 

[MomoPufflet]

The point of comparing Epiphone to LTD and Squire is because we were (at one point, before this thread was destroyed) talking about Epi Les Pauls essentially being cheaper copies of the real Gibson model. For that purpose, LTD and Squire are the same as Epiphone. These are all pointless word games.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"For that purpose, LTD and Squire are the same as Epiphone."

Which even then, isn't entirely true. The Epiphone Elitist line has a few that are equally or more expensive than actual Gibsons.

 

[MomoPufflet]

"For that purpose, LTD and Squire are the same as Epiphone."

Which even then, isn't entirely true. The Epiphone Elitist line has a few that are equally or more expensive than actual Gibsons.

Is that what we were talking about? No-- we were talking about $300 Epi Les Pauls. You're not roping me into another AlphaSnake style word battle. I seriously don't care.

People on GAF just do not know when to give up, I swear.

 

[monchi-kun]

american musical supply

www.americanmusical.com

EZ Pay for anything over $299

As for guitars I like a good old American Strat with a maple fingerboard and an ash body.