Guitars: New, used, or vintage

[kingquasar]

Asking strangers what kind of guitar you should get is like asking where you left that thing you have to mail (see OT). But let me throw out something that nobody has mentioned. If you want a guitar that fits you perfectly, build it yourself. There are so many place (Warmoth, Stu-mac, etc) that will get you basic, decent cuts of wood that are on par or better then anything that is mass-manufactured by the guitar companies. So, go out and buy some books on guitar building (and repair), look at cool pictures of your guitar heroes and their instruments, and get to it. With just a little common sense, you can figure out the best electronics, wood type, finish, hardware combination that will get you the sound you're looking for. It's really not that hard, especially with pre-cut wood. I own about ten or so guitars (a couple over the 2K mark), and by far the best sounding and most played ones are the ones I made myself from scratch. Granted, I was building guitars (basses) for a living at the time in a custom shop, but really the only advantage to having a shop at my disposal was for the major cuts. Everything else, I could've just as easily done at home. Now, you won't get to brag to your friends that you have a $3000 Name Brand something-or-other, but you will have something that in the long-run you will just be absolutely in love with. Think about it.

Oh, and the other advantage to this is you don't have to have all your money at once. Buy the wood first, work on it, finish it. Then buy the hardware, install it, set it up. Then put the electronics in. Etc, Etc.

-kQ

[soundguy]

Asking strangers what kind of guitar you should get is like asking where you left that thing you have to mail (see OT).

this statement can be applied to %95 of the questions asked about recording on the internet.

dave

[uk03878]

I was 13 when I dreamt of a Les Paul
Finally got a new Les Paul Standard Honeyburst in 1991

My opinions based on a couple of years gigging with it (until I got too fat and old to gig any more)...
Heavy - get a padded strap (with strap locks) 'cos after 2 hours on stage it weighs a ton
Binding - Studios are nice, but I can't play a guitar without binding on the neck - always seems to make the neck too wide... optical illusion I guess

.. nowadays I play a 335 - got a new one cheap as chips by mail order (I know - but it worked out fine in the end)..
more verastile than the Les Paul... holds it's value a lot more...
easier to play... less heavy... just as classic...
and it's a lot bigger so it hides my fat stomach...

[rydberg]

Guitars are like women - everyone's got their "type" and will extoll the virtues of what they prefer. The whole argument of what's "better" is just a difference of opinions. Like the last few pages of this thread, f'rinstance. Would you buy a Korean lawsuit guitar just because somebody said it was "awesome?" I wouldn't. So if you want a LP, go look for one. Find the one that feels good and sounds good and if you still decide that's the guitar for you, buy it. If not, keep looking.

That being said, I myself have been on the LP hunt for a couple of years. I was out in LA over the holidays and went to every damn music store in town looking for a black LP Standard or Custom - didn't matter whether it was new or used....whatever. I found that every LP that I played that was older than 2001 (!) was totally beat. Pickups sounded dead, neck didn't feel right, no sustain, bad setup, etc. Obviously you can fix all of those issues, but you gotta spend some more loot. Just trying to show that it's all dependent on what feels right in your hands.

So I came back home, went to a local music store (not a Banjo Mart!), found a couple of nice playing LPs and ordered exactly what I wanted direct from Gibson.(I can hear the eyes rolling now, guys.....) If you have a relationship with the people who work at those types of stores, you're bound to get a better deal. And if you're gonna drop a hunk of cash like that, they damn well better give you a good deal!

Good luck.

P.

[Catoogie]

New Gibsons blow!

Actually you couldn't be more wrong! Gibson is making the best guitars they've in years! If I were looking to buy a new Gibson and didn't want to spend a ton of cash I would look into the Faded Series. Those are some very cool guitars. Personally, I would go with a Les Paul Faded DC in Yellow which is essentially a TV Yellow Double Cutaway Les Paul Special. For you I would suggest a Les Paul Special Faded with Humbuckers. Check them out!

[StivBatorsWreckedMyCar]

Granted I have not played a new Gibson for a year or so but the ones I played most recently were underwhelming, especially for $1200+. The SG I actually purchased new 7 years ago was a piece of crap. Unfortunately, I was blinded by the look and knew too little at the time.

Truth be told, everyone's after a different sound. For playability, I like old LP's & Tele's (which are astronomical in price). Someone else may feel more comfortable on a Strat. For sound, old Supro's rock my world. They have the nastiest, dirtiest bite. You probably wouldn't look twice at them . That's cool. The key remains, play everything you can get your hands on and truly decide what you like! Don't buy the hype, don't buy the look. Buy the thing that lets you make the sounds you like the easiest. It may be some old beat-up National, it may be a PRS...

[SKEETER]

I have had a ton of guitars , some vintage stuff, and I gotta say, the best guitars ever made were the Japanese guitars of the late seventies and early-mid 80s. I think the Korean guitars being made now are a close second. I have quite a few of them, they are very well crafted, have good electronics ( I like some of their pickups better than most of the expensive replacements out there), and they intonate fantastic, they have great fret work. AND the price is right.
Vintage guitars are a crap shoot. You may get a good one or you may get a nightmare. The chances of getting a good one is slim, the good ones were far and few between. People generally don't let go of the real gems. You could spend years and thousands buying and selling vintage guitars trying to find the gem. Been there done that, found a few gems along the way, very few.

[ryangobie]

personally, i waited and waited and scoured the newspaper and online classifieds and this summer managed to score a 69 or 74 (serial numbers on these guys are sketchy i guess) SG...it was at a garage sale and it just feels so right in my hands...i guess my only piece of advice is to be patient, when you find something that's right, you'll know it...i got antsy...playing a low end ibanez for 9 or 10 years got to me...sure, but i think my patience paid off in the end

[gandhabba]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

Now this may not be the best odds auction considering the guy only has 3 feedback, but these guitars can be had for a lot less than a comparable Gibson.

[SKEETER]

Whatever you do don't let price tags fool you. We live in a market where price has nothing to do with quality/usefullness. Some of the best gear I have ever had is also the cheapest I have found. I have a Squire strat that I got at a yard sale for 20 bucks. I cleaned the thing up and did little tweaking on it, and I like it as good as any of the vintage guitars I have had or played. when it comes down to sound, setup, and usefullnes.

[pk]

I agree, which is why that $400 off-the-shelf Epiphone Dot totally took me by surprise, I wasn't expecting it to sound and feel so good.