I've been playing for about 9 months and im finally going to buy an electrie (i play a cheap squier acoustic now) and i have about $600 to spend. I was thinking of going with the Fender standard MIM strat, then maybe upgrading the pickups with the leftover cash, but ive heard some bad things about these MIM strats so im not sure what else to do.
Im primarily interested in Rock/Blues (Hendrix, SRV, Zeppelin, and of course The WHO)
Any suggestions?
A MIM strat, would be perfect. And the pickup upgrades would be a bonus!
An alternative would an Epiphone Les Paul (in case you arent familiar with them, Epiphone are the best affordable substitute for Gibsons).
Either of those, you certainly couldnt go wrong with. Don't fret too much about what you should buy, I know you'd be more than happy with either of those, or any other suggestions from people on the forum :)
I'ed go with a Mexi Strat, Tele, or an Epi LP. And when shopping be sure to compare them to their more expensive cousins.
-Metaellihead
i don't know about US prices, but would £600 get you a USA strat? If not, it would be definately worth saving the little extra to get one.
If not, I believe you could probably get your hands on a Gibson SG special for about that much, they are great for blues and have a distinctive clean tone too.
Or, don't hesitate to look at makes like Yamaha and Ibanez, who make very high quality guitars in that sorta mid range. Look at the Yamaha SG2000 and the ibanez LP clones (which are well thought of guitars in their own right since the 70's). They strike me as far superior to their Epiphone counterparts.
Try out everything that you can afford, you might end up getting something you'd never considered before.
I dont think $600 in the US would get a USA strat or a Gibson
Do you have extra money for an amp, or does that come out of the $600 as well? You may need one of those. I'd probably go with the MIM and get a good amp, since an MIM which is plenty good paired with a good amp will sound a lot better than a more expensive guitar paired with a cheap amp.
I would go with the best strat or tele you can get for the money. I don't like the epi less paul as is , but if you up grade the pick-up on them they are good also 8) 8)
I would go with the best strat or tele you can get for the money. I don't like the epi less paul as is , but if you up grade the pick-up on them they are good also 8) 8)
After a little ferreting around, I've found you can probably get a Gibson SG Special Faded for about £650. Definately worth the extra 50.
hi. Uh 600 sterling is a whole lot more than 600 bucks.
there's all kinds of axes that are good for that price range,
but don't just grab a brand. Guitars in this range are mass produced and should be checked pretty good. Like the guy that enjoys his Mexi strat or whatever, that's fine but the guy that slapped together the one you got
might not have done such a good job. and I can't honestly recommend one brand over the other because of that reason.
I would suggest if you get a Korean guitar to consider scrapping whatever pickups that come with it though.
another thing, if you're right handed, that is. you might wanna read the classifieds for individuals selling guitars in your local paper.
A whole lot of Les Pauls get sold for a lot less than market price from
an angry ex-spouse lol.
I would stay away from pawnshops if I were you - unless you know enough about what to look for, but most pawn shop guitars I see
are over priced pieces of....
I seen an Explorer at one one time. they wanted 700 for it. it was shot, only one pick up worked it looked like beer or something was spilled on the rythym pick up and crap was missing and scratched BADLY, but it said "Gibson" so these bozos thought they had something.
Me? Personally? I'd get something with F holes in it :)
but at that price range....ESP, Schecter, Ibanez, Fender,
and the Mother of All Cheapie Guitars: Sammick
Everything I seen from those guys is pretty impressive, but
the pick ups...
I could bog the site down with good names to look at, but like I said, it depends on how the individual guitar type you want is made :)
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but when
you're a 22lb sledge, do you really have to be?
Great replies and honest advice.
The MIM Fender are very very good value if fender is what you are looking for ... Here in Europe the MIM are expensive. It really does boil down to your preference. A Les paul and the clones have a unique feel and so does a well made fender. It is such a personal decision. The amp does make a world of difference as well. Trust your instincts and try as many as you can get your hands on. If you end up liking the Les Paul style then look at all of your options.
I have both cause I really do like both!
And a fender tube amp even second hand will blow you away ... but maybe marshall is your style with the distortion always ON?
Again great advice ... and remember you can always buy another guitar on another day ... we all have!
Best of luck! :lol:
... that noise you hear is my Signature Sound ... lovely ain't it?
If you go for a strat, a MIM or Highway Fender would be a good choice. If you want an LP-like guitar, nothing will beat the Dean EVO special select (and no, Epi doesn't even remotely come close at all). If you aren't really anal about what model you're after, you could check the following brands:
Ibanez
Yamaha
Cort
Samick
PRS (korean lines)
They all make very nice guitars, offering great bang for your bucks.
8) 8) Arjen makes a good point, as does luvmytele. I got a samick strat copy in 1997 thas has held up well exept for the 5-way switch. I paid $350.00 for it. i still use it a lot, sounds good for hard rock, but my fender (1989 japan made standard) does sound warmer and has a better tone fore bluesy stuff. :?:
I totally agree on the samick. I have played other more expensive guitars since I got my samick Les-Paul copy(for $300 Cdn) and they really don't play that much better. The only thing I would do is maybe get some nice pickups and swap them in, but with my new Marshall the guitar sounds way better then the guitar should.
