Hi all,

I seem to remember from the past that there are several guitarists on here.

I'd be grateful if any could advise as to which (electric) guitar I should buy.

I've played now for around 20 yrs but almost exclusively on acoustics, but having recently been given a quite good Marshall valve amp I've decided to give the electric a real go.

I've had quite a basic Yamaha 'strat' type gathering dust for years now and after finally plugging it in I've decided it really is rubbish.

Ideally I'd get a Gibson 'Les Paul' but haven't got anything like that type of money so was gonna get an Epiphone until just about everyone I've talked to has given me horror stories about their quality since they moved to China.

So to summarise I want a guitar I could gig with for Rock/Blues for about £500.

Oh, and definately no tremelos
TIA

I've had a few Yamaha instruments and, in the £400-500 price bracket, I've always found them to be really good. I haven't had an electric one for a few years, but the last electric guitar I played professionally was a Yamaha.

Fender Statocaster or Ibanez RG250DX , both around £3/400

I wasn't saying Yamaha's are rubbish per se, just that the one I have is.

It's a Pacifica and a pretty bottom end one at that.

Having never really played an electric all I know about this one is the sustain is pretty poor (even cranking up the compressor) and the fact I like to play in different tunings occasionally means the tremelo thing makes this quite frustrating.

I put light gauge strings on it and adjusted the trem as much as I could to try to make the bridge sit on the body but it's still in the air by about 1/16".

I'll trade it in with you for a decent one if you've got owt

I know the strat copy I have is a bad example, but I really don't want a strat type.

I always associated Ibanez with shredders, Am I wrong and can you get a good 'clean' sound with them?

Go to stores and have a play. At the end of the day the best way to get a sound is to be comfortable with your gear. I genuinely get more enjoyment out of playing my £300 Danelectro then when I've used a fender jazz in the studio. So much do that I had to re-record with the Danny because the sound is better when you are happy with your kit.

A Strat at £3-400? Are they making them in Mexico now?

I was speaking to one of the staff in my local music shop the other day. He said he'd just bought an American Strat and a Mexican Tele (or maybe the other way around), and that, having examined both quite closely, he really couldn't see any difference in quality.

if you up your price limit by a bit you can get a decent PRS SE 245 for between £500-£600 - a good sounding and very playable guitar - sounds ideal for your needs

if you are near Selby, pop into Wildwire music shop which has a PRS stock and will give you some good advice IMO

or look on the selling sites for personal sellers of course

I have a fender strat which was made in Mexico and it's a nice guitar. Cost me around £350 quid a few years ago. I'd like a Gibson Les Paul eventually to but it's just not financially viable

Like other's have said though, popping into a shop would probably be the best way to choose then you can get a feel for what you prefer.

you definitely need to visit some shops to get 'the feel' - what feels great to me could have an opposite effect on someone else, a bit like a pair of shoes where the right pair feel great as soon as you put them on despite having tried twenty pairs previously...

If what you really want is a Les Paul, I'd just go and try some first hand and see what you think, there's nothing worse than spending that kind of money and ending up wishing you had something else. I did that when I traded an Epiphone Les Paul in on a Burns Brian May and I just ended up missing my Les Paul until I could afford a Gibson.

I've no idea what the quality of new Epiphones are like these days, but there's always the second hand market. As I said, I had an Epiphone custom years ago that cost me £375, and whilst there's no denying my Gibson is a superior instrument the build quality on the Epiphone was pretty good, it was only really the pickups that let it down and they are easily replaced/upgraded for a little more money.

As the last few posts have said, you just really can't beat trying for yourself, it's a very personal thing. If you're in Hull, go to Bad Dog Music on Savile Street.

As others have mentioned, get down to a couple of guitar shops that have a decent stock and try as many as possible. I've heard too many stories of people buying a guitar based on style to then find they don't like the neck, weight, or tone, to leave it just choosing by manufacturer or model alone.
I'm lucky enough to live close enough to a rlhttp://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/rl shop to be able to go into their and try out the large amount of kit they keep in stock.

I got an Epiphone LP Standard in Tabacco burst off the wife for xmas. The Gibson version has been my dream guitar for years and I've played various LP's in the past so knew I liked them, which meant she was pretty safe buying me one without me trying it first. We aren't in the financial position to blow a few grand on a Gibson so the Epi was a happy compromise. I saw your comments on the quality of the Epi's and I can only guess that the quality must vary. Mines cracking, is well built, has a good feel and sound, and looks gorgeous.

I've had a few guitars over the years and my current other electric is a Washburn N1 that I've had for about 17 years. It's a completely different guitar to the LP, but it has a fantastic neck and plays very easily. I bought it the day I tried it and I've never been tempted to get rid. It has a good mixture of tones as the pot is set to split the two double pickups to give a clean sound like a strat if you want it.

One thing to bear in mind when buying a guitar for around the £500 mark is that the guitar will probably need some after market setup. There are plenty of guides kicking around on the net that can talk you through doing this. But depending on how far you want to take it (I've seen some guys get their Epi's setup to close to a Gibson standard), it may be better to get a professional to do it. It's worth keeping that in mind when you decide whether to pay a bit more for the guitar in a shop and see if they'll throw in a setup with the purchase, or whether you'll buy online and probably make a saving on the guitar but maybe have to get it setup for a further cost afterwards.
From the sounds of the probs you've been having with your current guitar, getting someone to check the setup (especially the action and bridge settings) for the gauge of strings you are using might help.

A Telecaster would be my choice if you're afraid of getting an Epiphone Les Paul. I have an Epi Les Paul I bought maybe 10 years ago and it's about as good as the late 70's Les Paul my mate had. Try one first and you might be surprised. The problem is though you can get one mail order at a better price so I understand the temptation and it's not unheard of for people to end up with a lemon.

There are a dozen different Tele versions, they're widely stocked so you get a choice, and they are (IMO) the most playable guitar ever made - ideal for rock and blues. If you want a more heavy sound then you have a bewildering array of pickup options (hot rails can be added for very little money). However, you can buy one with humbuckers, you can buy them with P90's you can get them with almost anything, but the neck and the feel is usually awesome.
I have one of the early Highway 1's and it's beautiful. I prefer jumbo frets, so it suits me perfectly. I play through an old Marshall valve amp and it works a treat.

Also, as one other poster mentioned, the PRS is an option at around 500 quid as well. I personally think they look like childrens guitars and are as cool as driving a Lexus, but quality should be very high.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I sort of knew I was gonna have to spend an afternoon somewhere trying 'em out but was hoping there was a short cut.

Anyone have any experience of 'Indie' as a make? I was recomended that as a nice sounding LP type.

I'll probably get one this weekend and let you all know what it is, hoping I don't get a dozen replies along the lines of "What the fsk did ya get that for?"