Guitar.

Strat

Personally, I don't like Epiphone electrics. I LOVE their acoustics (One of my guitars is a 1973 Epiphone acoustic). If you're looking to spend under 350, what I would do is find an old Fender Strat (Mexican). They are solid guitars, and IMO the most comfortable to play. Look for one with a light colored neck (they are a little bit wider, and more beginner friendly). Awesome guitars tho man, I've had three. Try to get away with getting the guitar for like 200-250... you might have to do some work to it, but they are really easy to work on, or you can get someone to. Then take the remaining money to buy a starter amp. Once you get used to playing a strat, you won't really want to play anything else. I absolutely love them. And if you can get a drive pedal, and a gain pedal.

 

both of those used les pauls are about exactly what you should be looking for

 

It also depends on what style of music you're looking to play. Look at what most of the guys or gals in the bands you like are playing and kind of go in that direction. Very big difference in sound when it comes to a les vs. a strat vs. vox (hehe) Strats have a great sound for certain styles of music and les's have the niche too. Point in case, you don't see many, if any, punk bands rockin a strat. Just doesn't work. You need that double coil sound to really get that distorted but "clean" sound. Strats just don't work with a lot of distortion, imo. When you do, you get a nirvana style sound, and 'ick. Buuuut, if you like a reverb sound along the lines of reggae, folky', bluesy stuff, strats the ticket.

Or go balls to the wall and get a Gretsch Duo Jet. Best of both worlds. My baby. Got one of the last ones made by Grestch before fender bought 'em and sent production over seas.

 

Oh, and if you wanna play in drop "D" or "C", you gotta go with a double coil. Drop "D" on a mexi strat sounds like a turd being put through a strainer. Very little low end on those mexi strats and strats in general.

 

SICK guitar

 

and if you plan on going drop D or C a lot, get thicker strings

 

10 gauge strings for drop C, D. That's what I use. Also, make sure you have a decent guitar.....heavier strings can put extra stress on the neck and it could warp after time.

Buy my Ibanez.....it's ridic

 

Have never had a problem with this site. Always fast, good stuff, and I love to drule over the catalogs they send every so often.

 

I reccomend goinf to a pawn shop to get one, That is where i bought my first squire strat, and actuallty i just bought a boss os 2 distortion pedal there, they have great prices and have a decent begginer guitar collection

 

...this is the way to go! I scored a vintage 61' pearl inlay Epiphone with a case in great condition at the local pawn shop for $160.00. Love it! Ended up stumbling across a Fender Stratacoustic I keep on my sailboat to jam on. It's got the pickups but, good to strum unplugged. Be sure to shop around and bring cash in hand to negotiate. You'll find the best deals and bring something someone use to love back to life to enjoy. ...ps... cheap sheet music that's free online and about a dozen learned chords will have you jamming until your fingers hurt in no time.

 

two sides, same coin

how things have changed. it used to be that one could go into guitar center (or sam ash) and haggle prices. i got a gibson es336 for half list about 20 years ago. now, you can't. one reason is that the biggest thorn in their side, a discount warehouse mail order unit called musicians friend, was purchased by guitar center to stop the undercutting of price, so what they show on MF is also in GC catalogue...look at either website carefully and you'll see the crossover. to get deals now you need a printout of a deal, usually online, from some reputable site, and they look for shipping charges as well. they will call a manager to ok any deal you work out ...
do your homework and you can still work a deal, but they are there to sell product...it's how the sales staff (not managers) make their money. btw..you east coasters, sam ash is similar to gc, yet they claim they don't work on commission...good luck ...

91 gibson sg custom
82 gibson es 336
91 G&l legacy
82 martin d35
02 tacoma chief
05 la patrie presentation
73 peavey t-40
82 peavey fury (american)
1965 fender twin reverb
1966 fender vibrolux
1996 marshall a50
1999 fender deville 410
2010 hartke a25

 

nice find. before gibson bought epiphone and made it its asian mistress in 1957 to get rid of its strongest american rival (epiphone then rebranded itself as guild..notice headstock similarities) epiphone was the crown prince of especially jazz guitars (hollow bodies with single pickup...ahhhhhh)...early epi's from gibson still had gibson quality, which back then meant a lot.



91 gibson sg custom
82 gibson es 336
91 G&l legacy
82 martin d35
02 tacoma chief
05 la patrie presentation
73 peavey t-40
82 peavey fury (american)
1965 fender twin reverb
1966 fender vibrolux
1996 marshall a50
1999 fender deville 410
2010 hartke a25

 

Not all guitars made in Asia are low quality. Look up the FujiGen factory in Japan. They have produced some high quality guitars for Ibanez, Epiphone, and Fender among others. Also, the Yairi family in Japan hand-makes guitars for Alvarez and I have a handmade (in China) Eastman 335-style guitar that blows away any Gibson. I got my music degree playing only Epiphone archtops.

Most of the real cheap guitars around today are made in Indonesia or Thailand.

 

good point

there are some good instruments, and certainly some of the best effects are japanese (esp early boss effects). some of the workmanship is quite good, especially for the price, and they are using some very nice woods. one must be careful the materials are up to snuff, especially fretwire, tuning machines and the like.

gibson is, more and more, pricing itself right out of competition. shame, really.


91 gibson sg custom
82 gibson es 336
91 G&l legacy
82 martin d35
02 tacoma chief
05 la patrie presentation
73 peavey t-40
82 peavey fury (american)
1965 fender twin reverb
1966 fender vibrolux
1996 marshall a50
1999 fender deville 410
2010 hartke a25

 

Acoustic

You really need to start out with an acoustic if you want to be any good. Go straight to an electric and you'll think you can rock when in fact you suck total balls. With an acoustic your playing style is naked and your mistakes will be more noticeable. Once you sound good on it you can expand to an electric. Plus nobody wants to hear a beginner trying to jam on a 200 Watt amp. Not even your girlfriend.