Need help choosing a budget electric guitar

K

k81

Guest
whats up,

I've played guitar off and on for about 10-12 yrs and I'm looking to get back into playing again. I had a really nice Guild acoustic/electric that I loved, but had to sell recently. I don't have a lot to spend right now, so I was thinking of one of those budget models in the $150 range just to keep me busy for now. I'm obviously not expecting to get the same quality as my Guild was, but some of these I'm looking at got some good reviews, so I wanted to know some real ppls opinion (I always wonder if GC isn't writing those reviews, lol) The two I found are an
Epiphone LesPaul Junior Special Electric Guitar ($130) and a Fender Squier/Strat Special ($150). I've always heard poor things about the squier being a cheap sounding strat, so I'm kind of leaning towards the epiphone. My friend used to have a real Gibson LesPaul and I always loved playing it. Does anyone know how the Junior epiphone version sounds? Is it a full-sized, or mini? I'll probably buy a used one on ebay so if anyone can recommend something in the $150 range used, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks
 
I used to have a Junior Les at one time. I used to use it for slide playing only, and reset the neck and bridge to get some decent action/sustain. However, for a budget guitar its not bad at all. I learned to play on a squier strat, still have it, never did me wrong. Here's some other suggestions in approximately the same budget:

Ibanez GRX20
Squier Stratocaster Special (Fender Affinity Series)
Squier Telecaster Special (Fender Affinity Series)
Yamaha PAC012DLX Series
ESP-EC 50

There are tons of guitars in this price range, but I have played all of these at some point in time and think they are great choices for a 150-200 budget. Hope this helps!

SK
 
i recommened the squier series too. its the best bet in the pack that members only posted up there. it will give you the most options as far as tone goes with the single coils and the 5 point selector. although the build quality may give you some problems. almost every guitar that you pick up around this price range will have poorly shielded electronics and youll be able to notice it with the signal hum and whatnot. the other guitar that members mentioned was the ibanez. those guitars are great too its just that as far as getting USABLE tones its not so great. dont get me wrong lol its still a great guitar!

oh and the "cheap" sound that ur freind was talking about could be partly due to how the instrument is set up and the touch you have with the guitar. but if ur a good player which i can see that you might be, seeing as youve been playing for 12 years, it shouldnt be a problem!

hope this helps!
 
my son had that fender and the tone are broke and somthin else cant remember the name but he only had the guitar for abt 3 or 4 months before it strtd messing up ...i ended up buying him ales paul epiphone standard and now he is taking the fender apart learning how they are made .......
 
i would recommend ibanez for budget guitars. ive had two, both electric and acoustic and have been very happy with them.

btw "Junior" just means it has one pickup instead of two.
 
Second hand. You won't get anything new for that price that's really worthwhile. I'd stay away from the Yammy Pacifica series. Some rate them, but to my ears they sound invariably thin and 'orrible.

Look out for second hand guitars by Vintage, Westbury, etc. You will find that they are a bit hit and miss, and you'll have to shop around, but you'll find a better guitar than something 10 times the price for a little effort and legwork.

Incidentally, I just dropped lucky on an old Westbury that is in need of a little TLC. It cost me £25 ($50) and will stand me at about another £7.50 to get back to good working order. Mahogany through-neck construction and vintage DiMarzio Humbuckers (the pickups alone are probably worth twice what I paid for the guitar.
 
Check garage sales. I found a vintage japan Les Paul copy for $15 and I love the sound of it. It's so dirty and old sounding.
 
i have the epiphone special II that costs like 150 and its still great. alot of really talented people have said they like my guitar better than some of the gibson les pauls. the neck feels great and it has a really warm sound to it. i would definetely reccomend this guitar
 
i had the ephiphone les paul 100, great guitar, sold it tho bought a midi keyboard instead.
 
i think that the best budget guitars are always the ones you have to look for ... like at guitar center you can get a really good deal if you just look ...... ibanez and p.r.s are dope guitars .... if you need brigthness then i would consider a single coil pick up like a strat .... a real fender guitar can be found for about 200 300 if you look ....
personally the squiers that i have came across dont do to well on the road theyr always needin some kind of work ..... and rogue ? na bro a guitar is all about sound and the ish aint gonna cut it it goes crazy once you hit the upper frets .... for a beginer hell yea but for someone who wants to record hell no ... quality is quality no matter how you put it
 
Rogue is mde by the same fender factory in mexico as the mexican fenders.

Oh and that is coming from a person who hs owned ove 30+ guitars and gibson, fender, baker, prs and quicksilver guitars...the rogue is decent after a profesional set up. After some new pick ups it is my road guitar....
 
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A pawnshop/thriftsore model to look for is the Yamaha SG series. They are a double cut-away body with two double coil pick-ups.

They are very solid and can be had for a good price because they don't seem to have as much "retro/cool" value as other models.

I got a 1984 SG-200 for about $140 and all I had to do was put a new set of strings on it and go!
 
Second hand is the go in that price range... Don't jump into buying it, look around and more importantly play the instrument... Playing guitars are like kissing girls, you can kiss a 1oo girls and the prettiest girl in the bunch might be the worst of the lot...
 
Cosign on the Squier. At 150 your really not gonna getting anything great no matter where you look. But I always recommend the Squier at that entry entry pricing point. Fender comes with a solid reputation, solid products, and you can get the entire package with the amp cables and everything.
 
The only thing bad about the squier is they lose tuning quickly. Other than that I still use mine for some tracks when I want that strat sound. Honestly, if you get a modeling amp any guitar will sound good. There is so much you can do to shape the sound of a guitar into something pleasing to the ears.
 
Digital modeling amps are great but theres nothing like an american strat over a vintage tube amp with a great compressor and the vox crybaby wah.
 
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