Need an electric gtr for the studio. Ideas?

[lyman]

I have a 1994 American Strat, an Ibanez semi-hollowbody, and a Gibson Blueshawk. The Ibanez has a woody tone that I just love, but for versatility, the Bluehawk is my favorite. It has P-90 pickups and a 5 way selector dial, along with the 3 way pickup switch... So each spot on the dial has three different sounds to choose from - plus the tone knobs!

With tweaking, I can go from a Tele kind of sound all the way to a Les Paul... very versatile.

I used to have a blueshawk as well. It was a semi-hollow/P-90 version of the Nighthawk. The scale length was 25 1/2" like a Fender, which set it even further apart from the rest of their product line. An excellent studio guitar, for the reasons CedarSound mentioned. And it had a dummy coil in it to cancel the hum.

[agrpap]

Anything in the Yamaha SG or SBG line. The model numbers go from the 200 (low-end) to the 3000 (top of the line). Models 600 and up (maybe 700) feature push-taps which allow you to select single-coil or humbucker, which allows for great flexibility. All guitars across the range are of supreme quality. I have an SG1000 and I got rid of my LP after I got it. You could probably get a 1000 for less than a grand. They're getting hard to find, but they are out there.

[agrpap]

Here comes one now!

http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-SG-700-Made- ... 45f20fb3ca

[KennyLusk]

Here comes one now!

http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-SG-700-Made- ... 45f20fb3ca

Juicy!

[Nick Sevilla]

Hey guys,

I am looking to purchase a guitar to have at the studio, and also to learn guitar myself when there is some spare time. My budget definitely CANNOT exceed 1k. I personally love the way Telecasters look (and sound), but don't love the price tag associated with these guitars as much. Are there ANY Tele clones for under 1k that sound somewhat similar, or are just as versatile? I've been reading a lot about these Squier Classic Vibe Tele's, but the name Squier is often associated with donkey turd, so that makes me a little uneasy.

Aside from Tele clones, what guitar(s) do you own in your studio? which one do you find to be the most versatile to play a variety of different genres? I'm sure this is gonna spark a bunch of different answers, and that's fine. I personally don't play guitar, so obviously I have no idea what to look for in a guitar for studio use. Obviously versatility and low noise come to mind.

Thanks!

A Squier with better pickups can be a very good thing. But also, for that price you can get this one below :

If you're only going to have ONE guitar, then get this one:

http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0144602332

Standard Stratocaster. Most sounds out of one guitar without getting into cheesy multi button custom made frakenbeasts.

Just listen to JEFF BECK. STRATOCASTER. Enough said...

Cheers

[jaguarsg]

guitars are such personal things; one man's meat is another man's snare drum.

the best advice i can give is try it before you buy it. try as many as you can until you find THE ONE.

[metanoiastudios]

I ended up purchasing a Reverend Buckshot, new, for $700! stoked!

[casey campbell]

it's hard to beat a strat.

[cgarges]

You know, as far as having a studio guitar (of course it all depends on your clientelle), we have an American-made Strat that gets less use than ANY of the ten other guitars we have with the exception of the Steinberger (yep, I said Steinberger!). I'm glad we've got it, but most "Strat guys" have ones that they like and otherwise, the people I record just aren't looking for that sort of thing, I guess. Given that experience, if I were starting from scratch with a collection for studio use, a Strat would be pretty far down on the list of stuff I'd feel like I'd really need.

Don't get me wrong, they're GREAT guitars and I love them and I'm totally a fan of the classic "Strat guys," but ours just never gets used.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[casey campbell]

I ended up purchasing a Reverend Buckshot, new, for $700! stoked!

sweet! i spoke too late!

[vvv]

One thing about Strats is that most guitar players who don't hate 'em (and I was a hater for a long time) have one or something similar.

Was I equipping a studio, I'd look for something likely to be used but mebbe just a little less likely to be possessed, ex., a Tele, a semi or full hollowbody, something with a Bigsby, something with a Sustainer circuit, etc.

I mean, I guess you could look for utility but most guitar players prob'ly have that fairly covered; I'd look for something mebbe more inspirational to them what ain't got one.

[rty5150]

One thing about Strats is that most guitar players who don't hate 'em (and I was a hater for a long time) have one or something similar.

Was I equipping a studio, I'd look for something likely to be used but mebbe just a little less likely to be possessed, ex., a Tele, a semi or full hollowbody, something with a Bigsby, something with a Sustainer circuit, etc.

I mean, I guess you could look for utility but most guitar players prob'ly have that fairly covered; I'd look for something mebbe more inspirational to them what ain't got one.

i half agree with this, but for more utilitarian recording, having a NICE strat in the studio is worth its weight in gold. keep in mind that most bands on a budget have a similar budget in their gear. tons of squiers and ceramic pickup'd mexi's out there. even if it sounds ok, how does it play? more than likely, like shit.
whenever i have sessions here, i almost always insist on using the guitars from my personal arsenal because i know them and all of their strengths and weaknesses. i usually will play their guitars to get an idea of what they are used to playing(instrument wise) and accommodate accordingly. most of my guitars are loaded with nice aftermarket pickups, upgraded hardware, better electronics and shielding and setup for ease of play. my strats especially. having a weird guitar for inspiration is cool, but for just one axe to cover bases in a studio a hopped up strat is the way to go, imo.


rich

[vvv]

That makes a lotta sense, I'm sure, for some bands.

Gotta say, tho', I would resist using your guitars as my main instrument - whatever mine is at the time, I consider it my sound, and prob'ly feel most comfortable playing.

But then, I always insist on my personal guitars being good, too.

[rty5150]

That makes a lotta sense, I'm sure, for some bands.

Gotta say, tho', I would resist using your guitars as my main instrument - whatever mine is at the time, I consider it my sound, and prob'ly feel most comfortable playing.

But then, I always insist on my personal guitars being good, too.

sure, i agree with that. the whole "my sound" thing is catch 22, though. i'd rather them use the best tool for the job and if it doesn't turn out the way they like, then swap over. can't hurt, right? all of my axes kill, too. problem is that you can't guarantee that most musicians are going to have great gear. as long as you do, that is a step in the right direction. i can't tell you how many players i have met with crappy equipment. they is a very small minority of quality equipment out there. even slimmer is quality player with quality equipment. if i get a solid player with a shitty axe, he will definitely play better on one of my guitars that is well setup and sounds great. if they like to fight with their guitar, then my guitars are not for them. now if they are intentionally going for a raucous sound, then by all means. i know my guitars aren't for them...well, i do have an ibanez talman with kent armstrongs and some semi hollows for that! but in the case of sheer versatility and playability, the studio should be able to provide a shop axe that is on par with the recording equipment as well. i wouldn't expect to see a squier bullet strat in a studio with racks of api and neves. my studio has decent upper level pres(chameleon labs, ssl, sytek, focusrite isa), a ton of dbx 166's and 160x's, a couple of solid consoles and outboard effects. my guitars are roughly in the same league(although being a guitar player primarily, i have a bit of guitar based bias). i play high end ibanez, upper level mexican fenders, seagull acoustics, and even own a prs custom 22. so i guess in essence, i just feel that a house guitar should reflect the quality and level of where the studio lies.

rich

[vvv]