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What Electric Guitar Should I Buy?


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What do you think of the EMG pickups?

 

Salesman at guitar store tried steering me away from them. Said they're just for maxed out shredding style. They're not versatile.

 

Although they sound pretty good on the link you posted!

 

He's wrong you'll love them ...

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What about this Jackson guitar?

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/pro...duct=2910515316

 

Seems to have pretty much everything I'm looking for ... although I'm not sold on the body shape yet.

 

What do you all think of Jackson guitars? Where would this one be made?

Seems like you're stuck on a Les Paul setup. Instead of substitutes, just try and find a deal on one. There's a reason they're famous. Even if you don't like it in a year you can sell it for not much more than you paid (or wait 20 years and it will be worth 3x as much!)

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Seems like you're stuck on a Les Paul setup. Instead of substitutes, just try and find a deal on one. There's a reason they're famous. Even if you don't like it in a year you can sell it for not much more than you paid (or wait 20 years and it will be worth 3x as much!)

well maybe, but some of the new stuff out there is pretty cool.

 

i'm not a "whammy bar" guy and the headless looks kind of spooks me, but i'd still be tempted to take a look at this Steinberger

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I used to play a lot in high school, and even gigged with a band for a few years. Spent a lot of time practicing and took plenty of lessons. Kind of jazz rock style. That was many moons ago and my beloved Strat is long since sold. I've recently decided to get back into it, at least at home.

 

Last week I went to a store thinking I'd get another Strat. Had my eye on the HSS America because I like the humbucker in the bridge position, but single coil for the others. Nice guitar but not maybe not enough sustain.

 

So I next tried a Les Paul Studio that had a maple top like a "real one." Terrific sound and much more playable versus the Strat for me as I have smallish hands (I later learned this is because it has a shorter scale neck ... something I'd never considered.) BUT $1,400 for a Les Paul Studio just seems steep to me.

 

So I next try a regular Studio, main difference is an all mahogany body (versus a maple top.) Just far too muddy and really not worth considering, even though it's around $800.

 

Now I'm at a point where I'll either suck it up and pay $2,000+ for a Les Paul Standard 2008 (which are incredibly sweet.) Or look for a far cheaper alternative.

 

Since I've been away from guitars for a while I'd really appreciate what others I should consider.

 

What I like is:

 

- great sustain

- solid body

- rosewood or ebony fingerboard

- humbucker at least in the bridge

- shorter scale (<25")

- not too crazy looking

- traditional "warm" sound

 

Thanks!!

 

A nice American made Strat should cost you around $1000. I think they just came out with some kind of American Strat for like $800, but I'd need to see the differences before I advised that.

 

A Les Paul Studio should come in at around $1400 like you said.

 

I would put these two pretty comparable price wise. So you would then need to decide off of sound. What sound are you looking for, and what style of music do you play?

 

The Les Paul will definitely have better distortion than the Strat and probably do a better job at giving you a rock sound(although the humbucker Strat will help a bit versus the all single coil).

 

I tend to prefer Strats over LP's for playing blues. But that's my preference in how I like Blues to sound.

 

I'm not sure what a traditional warm sound is to you.

 

I wouldn't go below the American Strat or LP Studio for quality in either brand though. But that's my opinion. If you have questions about a specific guitar's sound, talk to a tech at the store, and see which they would be able to set up better for you. They can make some minor modifications that could alter the sound of the guitar more to your liking. So if the Strat or LP is close, talk to a tech, and see if they could make some tweaks to get it where you like it. They might do it for free if you are going to buy it. Doesn't hurt to ask.

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What about this Jackson guitar?

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/pro...duct=2910515316

 

Seems to have pretty much everything I'm looking for ... although I'm not sold on the body shape yet.

 

What do you all think of Jackson guitars? Where would this one be made?

 

Jackson has the worst tone. Damn yankees played jacksons. Nickleback play Jacksons. jacksons suck. ugly, sound like **** and endorsed by boring wanky/useless players. Avoid man, avoid.

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$800 - $1,400

 

For that money you might want to consider ASAT. They kind of look like teles except the higher pickup is a humbucker instead of the lipstick pickup Fender uses.

 

If you want a project, a Danielectro tends to run $400. But for another $300 can be souped up into a bit of a monster. Ira Kaplan from Yo la Tengo plays one. Huge guitar sound on their huge guitar records. They also have these jazzy records that really show off the versatility of the Danielectro.

-problems: needs to be souped up and they tend to have shorter necks (21-22 frets)

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What about this Jackson guitar?

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/pro...duct=2910515316

 

Seems to have pretty much everything I'm looking for ... although I'm not sold on the body shape yet.

 

What do you all think of Jackson guitars? Where would this one be made?

better find out where that's made first.

 

if not america i wouldnt go near it for $1400

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$800 - $1,400

For that price, find out if there is a luthier nearby who can custom make you one.

 

I've built 2 guitars, one with a mahogany body and the other with a maple body. I like the warmth of the mahogany and the sustain of the maple. My third guitar will be composite of the two, with a 11/16" deep mahogany top glued to a 1' maple bottom (basically the opposite of a Les Paul). The idea being the neck is screwed to the maple and the pickup is screwed to the mahogany. I bough a maple neck with an ebony fingerboard about 15 years ago (wow time flies!) and have been looking for the wood and shop to do it all in.

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Not enough sustain with the SG. Just not very versatile ... and also fairly pricey as well. Telecaster not enough sustain and a bit too "bright."

I'll chip in for a minute....

 

I had a 71 Telecaster custom, single coil on the bottom, humbucker up top....Keith Richards style. The single coil was a little brassy for me, but the 2 mixed together or the bucker alone was really sweet. All blonde maple, fretboard & all. She would sing a note forever. Sigh.....gone.

 

Anyway....if you can get your hands on a used Tele with a bucker up top and play it, you might be surprised.

 

Otherwise, I really like Ibanez these days.

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For that price, find out if there is a luthier nearby who can custom make you one.

 

I've built 2 guitars, one with a mahogany body and the other with a maple body. I like the warmth of the mahogany and the sustain of the maple. My third guitar will be composite of the two, with a 11/16" deep mahogany top glued to a 1' maple bottom (basically the opposite of a Les Paul). The idea being the neck is screwed to the maple and the pickup is screwed to the mahogany. I bough a maple neck with an ebony fingerboard about 15 years ago (wow time flies!) and have been looking for the wood and shop to do it all in.

Les Paul's are great. Love the sound of the mahogany body with the maple top. Notes really jump off but at the same time they're sustained and compressed. Lester really hit on an unbeatable combination, imo.

 

That's one reason why I like what I read on the Jackson guitar.

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What do you think of the EMG pickups?

 

Salesman at guitar store tried steering me away from them. Said they're just for maxed out shredding style. They're not versatile.

 

Although they sound pretty good on the link you posted!

 

I have and 81 and 85 in the Les Paul in my photo. I can't wait to get rid of them. Don't get me wrong, they sound good, but I don't play metal anymore, and I find it difficult to get a really nice clean tone out of them. Based on what you wrote, why not invest in a really nice used Les Paul? You could get a great one for about 1k if you are willing to do the leg work and be patient...

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