Got A Few Guitar Options.. Lp!, Going to buy a new one Options

[Skewlbuzz]

Hey yo!

I've started practicing more seriously on my own and with my band, which means we are going to get some gigging going once our setlist is finished and practiced through..
And because of that I feel the need of replacing my current beginner crap Squier with a decent new weapon :]

What I'm asking you here at GMC for is merely inspiration to guide me to a guitar choice

We're playing a mix of our own songs and covers. Not into too metal/heavy stuff (heaviest stuff played yet is Rage Against the Machine, not exceeding that). I find it kinda hard to describe our style, we like a more "intertaining" atmosphere (in lack of better word ) playing jazzy/bluesy rock.. Ye I know, not a very "on spot" description! But what the heck ;]

The below are the guitars I've been looking at.. I'm not really considering Ibanez guitars, they just seem too metal-minded... At the moment I can get option 1+2 for the same price, but usually the Studio costs 25% more.

Option 1: Gibson Les Paul Studio
- This is really my current main option.. I see Gabriel has one, anyone else? And anything to say about it? Worth the money etc.? ;p

Option 2: Gibson Les Paul BFG
- I really like the look of this one. And the killswitch will make Morello riffs/solos and stuff like that much more fun to play. But I'm worried it will sound too heavy, far from a Les Paul, and not fit my style. It has no fingerboard inlays too (Can you buy some nice ones seperately and attach? A fingerboard looks so much better with inlays!). Anyone tried this guitar yet?

Option 3: Fender anything? Well, I'm mainly looking for humbucker sound (or at least room to fit some EMG's in), so I guess Fender isn't really an option for me? I really like playing Strats, but the sound of a Les Paul fits me so much better.

High-price option: Gibson Les Paul GT (unlikely due to more than double the cost of the others..)
This one's so damn hot..! But it costs like 25% more than a JEM7V, uses same pick-ups as the Studio, so I'm not sure it's worth it? It has coil-taps though!


Ofc I'm gonna try out every option at the store before making my final descision
Anyone have any comments, help or suggestions?

Everything is appreciated ;]

Cheers!

[Magnum]

Hi ,

If you really like playing a Strat, and need a bit more sound than
a standard, please consider this one.

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0111760306

Great sound ! Nice price aswell.....

[MickeM]

If you like the feel of a Fender there's Stratocasters with Humbuckers, a HSS setup is not that uncommon.
And with a push/pull volume you can get various different pickup combinations.

[Skewlbuzz]

Thank you for the answers regarding Fenders :]

Gonna try some HSS setups out, but I still feel like choosing one of the Les Pauls

[dogman]

Hmm,

Just my 2 cents, but I am sure anyone else here who plays a Les Paul as there main axe is like me. A Les Paul guy forever. You either love'm or they're ok

I do have a strat and some strat styles charvels with humbuckers that I use for different things, But mostly trying to pin down an exact tone I am looking for or of a cover song we're doing.

I always end up with the Les Pauls

If money is an issue, you'll be surprised at what a $100.00 MIM Fender Strat plays & sounds like with a set of Seymour Duncan pickups in it and a professional fret dress & set up. For under $400.00 including the price of the ebay guitar you can have a MIM strat that may play as well if not better than any USA strat out there and sounder better..

I have several guitars that are not top of the line USA made guitars and 2 of them are my main axes.
I play my Burny 80 Les Paul custom more than my real 74 Gibson

[Maximus]

I am also looking to buy a new LP in the next month or so. I have spent the better part of the past 3 months trying just about every modern made LP out there. I am leaning toward the standard myself but the Studio is a great sounding and playing guitar. Just check our Gabriel's lessons for a sample of the sound. I think his tone is achieved through a Marshall Valvestate with very little added effects. Anyway, the GT sounds and plays great also but I didn't like the flamed finish but this is purely cosmetic. I believe the GT also has a double truss rod for added strength. Gibson touts this guitar as specifically made for the hard gigging musician. The coil tapping is also a nice feature. The BFG is just to rough. I feel Gibson went to far to try to make a "BadAss" guitar. The fret ends are a little unfinished and the one I played had some sharp edges. They also left the truss rod cover off to build on the rugged image. Of the guitars you mentioned I would go for the Studio. Good luck and let us know what you pick.

This post has been edited by Maximus: Oct 30 2007, 01:05 AM

[Goliath]

If you want to equip EMG's into an LP, why not get an ESP Eclipse II, already comes with an EMG 81 in bridge and EMG 60 in neck. I played one saturday and I'm not a big fan of the LP body style, but this guitar was really nice. The price is comparable to a studio LP, has cool flag inlays, it's not as heavy and the neck isn't quite as baseball bat like.

[blindwillie]

There is a Gibson LP model that comes with EMGs from teh factory. I think it's EMG 81/85.

[Goliath]

There is a Gibson LP model that comes with EMGs from teh factory. I think it's EMG 81/85.

Yeah you an get the Epi Zakk Wylde for 800$ or you can get the signature Zakk wylde for either 4k US or 8k US (I think there's two, I've only ever seen the 4k one in person though).

The Eclipse was a better value in my opinion, I really liked the 60 in the neck, wasn't quite as aggressive as the 85 so you could get mellower tones out of it.

Plus the XJ frets are fantastic, same Tune-o-matic bridge but has Gotoh locking tuners. The cut away is deeper


plus if you're like me and have to have 24 frets, on the LTD EC-500 model, you can have 24 XJ frets, which is my biggest complaint about LPs

[Skewlbuzz]

Okei, so I've been out trying some different guitars at the shop.. I now feel like there's 2 options left for me:

#1: Gibson Les Paul Studio..
Nice tone and great sustain. Also tried some more expensive Standards and alike, but couldn't feel nor hear the difference between them and the Studio on the amp I used. The only disadvantage is the few "possibilities" in the Les Paul guitar. I would like a guitar that I can experiment with, but for example the Les Paul is not really a guitar to mod, it doesn't have a whammy bar etc..

#2: Fender Stratocaster
This is what I'm hooked at at the moment. The feeling of an american strat is just excellent. I want a guitar I can personalize. The cons however are I don't know what kind of model will be best for my purpose. I will probably want to install a Floyd Rose, new pick-ups, new pickguard and a killswitch. I don't have any real mod'ing experience yet, so I'm afraid making room for a killswitch and new pick-ups (maybe coil-tap two humbuckers at neck and bridge and keep the middle one) will ruin the body and the sustain+sound of the guitar..

[MickeM]

Okei, so I've been out trying some different guitars at the shop.. I now feel like there's 2 options left for me:

#1: Gibson Les Paul Studio..
Nice tone and great sustain. Also tried some more expensive Standards and alike, but couldn't feel nor hear the difference between them and the Studio on the amp I used. The only disadvantage is the few "possibilities" in the Les Paul guitar. I would like a guitar that I can experiment with, but for example the Les Paul is not really a guitar to mod, it doesn't have a whammy bar etc..

#2: Fender Stratocaster
This is what I'm hooked at at the moment. The feeling of an american strat is just excellent. I want a guitar I can personalize. The cons however are I don't know what kind of model will be best for my purpose. I will probably want to install a Floyd Rose, new pick-ups, new pickguard and a killswitch. I don't have any real mod'ing experience yet, so I'm afraid making room for a killswitch and new pick-ups (maybe coil-tap two humbuckers at neck and bridge and keep the middle one) will ruin the body and the sustain+sound of the guitar..

A Charvel is an already hot rodded Strat, with a Floyd Rose and hotter pickups.

[Skewlbuzz]

A Charvel is an already hot rodded Strat, with a Floyd Rose and hotter pickups.

I can't get Charvels where I live :/

[shredmandan]

I can't get Charvels where I live :/

Too bad cause they are some really awesome guitars.But if your not going fo the Ibanez thing i really don't think you would be into the Charvel thing either.Seems like you just need to stick with some make of Les Paul but i would consider Epiphone over Gibson for a big saving and then just replace the humbucker's with something you really like

[Chris Evans]

I always played charvel/Jacksons, then some years ago bought an Ibanez and switched for good, a bit later on (on a whim) I bought another Jackson and found it suited my playing style much better, felt more at home with it, but this has turned into my main "metal" guitar, it just suits that style so well IMO

I`ve always wanted a Strat but had the same issue in my head that you mentioned, possibly a bit "thin" sounding, eventually I saved a bit a cash and bought a Strat, a Mexican one granted but it plays superb, its virtually become my main guitar now, I`ve thrown in the bridge a hotrails seymour Duncan, and added a coil tap switch myself to give some extra versatility, with effects etc it sounds great!

Saving up for a USA Fender at the moment as I love it so much.

If your not happy with adding in pickups yourself then def try a HSS setup.

[fkalich]

Thank you for the answers regarding Fenders :]

Gonna try some HSS setups out, but I still feel like choosing one of the Les Pauls

that is how I would look at it. but check out the hss, that is a nice guitar.

[fkalich]

Yeah you an get the Epi Zakk Wylde for 800$ or you can get the signature Zakk wylde for either 4k US or 8k US (I think there's two, I've only ever seen the 4k one in person though).

The Eclipse was a better value in my opinion, I really liked the 60 in the neck, wasn't quite as aggressive as the 85 so you could get mellower tones out of it.

Plus the XJ frets are fantastic, same Tune-o-matic bridge but has Gotoh locking tuners. The cut away is deeper
plus if you're like me and have to have 24 frets, on the LTD EC-500 model, you can have 24 XJ frets, which is my biggest complaint about LPs

thats fine, and I am sure they are nice. it depends on the person. a lot of us want the "name" brand on certain items. nothing wrong with that. for most things I don't care. my dvd player, walmart special. but for other things, I want the "name" brand. I have an obscene amount of cookware. imagine the most any person might have for personal use, I have much more. all real nice stuff. sure you can say "oh you could have bought this at walmart much cheaper and it would cook just as well". Maybe, but I don't care, it is my identity, I want the fancy name brand cookware. Sunglasses, I don't care. I get them from Nashbar or Performance Bike, great and maybe $25 for a good pair. Others want the $100 name brand sunglasses. Maybe mine are just as good, maybe not. But no matter, it is their identity.

Some people happy with the knock off, and that is fine, that is their personality. some not, that is fine too. nothing wrong with either.

[Goliath]

Yeah, i get your point, but brand loyalty like that makes lazy vendors with overpriced guitars, which (my personal theory) is why the more recent LP's quality began slipping.

Plus if he was going to swap for EMG's, it made sense to me to already get an EMG equipped guitar than drop another 300$ on top of the guitar to put EMGs in that could have come that way out of the box.

[Skewlbuzz]

I think I've made my choice now.. I won't be going for a Les Paul anyway.
Gonna find myself a not too expensive strat and mod it.. I will try and see if I can get a H/S/H set up, but Fender might not be doing those kid of set ups

[Chris-triff]

hey

im in the exaclty same thought i have a squier beginer an im thinking about a les paul studio and a bfg
i think i cant give you any advice because i havent tried them both only the studio and i think its awesome
i like how the alpine white looks
here is my topic about that if you want too see it

here

ok the link doesnt work just go to my page and there it is the first topic

This post has been edited by Chris-triff: Jul 6 2008, 09:46 PM

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Also, Telecaster with Humbuckers is a great guitar if you're into humbuckers.