Electric Guitars Opinions r like .......

[v80z]

I want to get another guitar. I currently play a 1986 washburn g-3v. It was a budget guitar in the day and still is. Still is fun to play but still entry level.

 

Of course I dont want to spend the money for a Gibson S3 or a Fender.

 

What is the best used guitar value out there. Not looking for investment quality just a step up something I can steal in the $300 - $500 range. Yeah I want to find something that is worth more but only pay a little for it.

 

Mainly I want an improvement in construction, tuning and the electric components; pickups,switches kobs and jacks.

 

I posted here cause you have never steered me wrong.

 

OH BTW car is still running strong and for sale. I just entertained my 57 year old cousing from OK in it. God I love smokin tires.

 

Joe

[veritech-z]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1965-Fender-Mustang-Guitar-Refinished-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ260163541060QQihZ016QQcategoryZ118989QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've got a newer version of this, it's still my favorite guitar that I've ever played. It's kind of a "surf" guitar, but you can get a lot of cool sounds out of it because both the bridge and neck pickup have a rythm/treble/off selector switch which makes for a lot of fun sound customizability. I've also got a soft spot for SG shaped guitars, like the ESP Viper

http://cgi.ebay.com/ESP-LTD-VIPER-1000-NO-RESERVE-SPERZELS-STRAPLOCK-SY_W0QQitemZ150163719832QQihZ005QQcategoryZ33038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[v80z]

Kewl

 

I have been looking at the DEAN Vendetta series.

 

The XM model is very reasonable and seems to be on clearance at most online shops.

 

Any opinion?

 

 

http://www.deanguitars.com/vendetta.htm

[sweetleaf]

It all depends on what sound and style of music you like playing. If you're looking for a guitar that has great tweaking and glides like ice, I'd grab a Ibanez.

[geezer]

I crossed over from a Gibson SG to my Fender Ultra. Plays low & fast. It never leaves the house anymore so I matched it up with a Vox AD30VT and that's all I need. You can get a well kept Ultra cheap enough if you keep an eye out. Just make the rounds at a few shops and try some different models out.

[BWRex]

I have a '92 Charvel Fusion Deluxe,and I'll never get rid of it.24 frets on a maple neck,Jackson pickups,Floyd Rose locking trem.It's sweet if you've got small fingers since the neck is rather slim.the body is a little beat,but the neck is straight as an arrow,and the action is incredibly low with no buzz,making it extremely easy to play.I'd recommend a Charvel,but are getting rare.I've been eyeballing a Gibson Studio at my local shop though...Whatever brand you get however,make sure the neck is straight and true,and have the shop 'set it up' for you(raising/lowering the action,checking/adjusting intonation,that type of thing.

[Guest Z32Force]

Grab yourself a Jackson RR3

 

Used is in the $300-$600 range

[Z-TARD]

For the money, the OLP MM1 is hard to beat. The standard tremolo versions can be found for $200 and less on Ebay. They also make a version that comes with a genuine Floyd Rose locking tremolo (As opposed to a licensed version made from questionable materials). I think this is probably the best deal going for a factory guitar. The pickups in these things are awesome, and the guitar itself is actually made very well despite the price. Here's a link to one of the Floyd Rose version on Evilbay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/OLP-MM1F-ernie-ball-music-man-Lisc-Guitar-w-floyd-rose_W0QQitemZ150165007022QQihZ005QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Another option, and one more in the spirit of HybridZ, is to get a kit from this place: http://www.axcessories.com/products.asp?cat=140 They sell complete kits for the Mean Street "Exile" guitar, which is a replica of the Peavy Wolfgang, the Van Halen signature model a few years back. I have both a real Wolfgang, which cost me around $1300, and the Exile, which cost me around $300. The Wolfgang is arguably one of the best production guitars ever made, quality control on them was very stringent. I wont lie and tell you that the Exile is every bit as good, but I will say that it's so close to the Wolgang in terms of fit and finish that it's pretty much impossible to find any faults with it. Heres a pic of mine:

 

Yet another option from the wonderful world of Ebay, is this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-WENSEN-Electric-Guitar-SET-NECK-WSPK-520_W0QQitemZ220155803810QQihZ012QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's a semi close copy of a Parker Fly guitar, one of my favorite guitars ever just for the visual aspect of them. Getting a new Parker wasn't in the budget for me however, being that I'm kind of a cheap skate and have too many hobbies. Here's the one I got:

The feel is very much like a Les Paul, except it's lighter and has a few more frets. The neck is very slick, and quality on them is pretty good for an overseas guitar. I was able to set the action on mine extremely low after correcting a few minor problems with the factory tremolo installation. The electronics are very good, the pots dont scratch or hiss when changing volume or tone, and the smaller toggle switches are for coil tapping. With this you can effectively make the humbucker pickups sound like a single coil pickup from a strat or telecaster guitar. There are a lot of different guitars this one is capable of sounding like due to this ability.

 

The stock pickups in it are okay. I'm kind of picky about pickups, so most people would be fine with the stock ones in this guitar I swapped mine out for some GFS Loudmouth pickups, but will probably end trying something else as they don't seem to agree with a mahogany body, tone-wise. Anyway, I hope this helps out a little.

 

Mike

[Z-TARD]

Kewl

 

I have been looking at the DEAN Vendetta series.

 

The XM model is very reasonable and seems to be on clearance at most online shops.

 

Any opinion?

 

 

http://www.deanguitars.com/vendetta.htm

 

 

Seems like a pretty decent axe. A buddy of mine, who is a semi professional musician bought one of the Dean EVO guitars. He would not shut up about how much he liked it, so I guess that has to say something for the quality of Dean Guitars (He thought my Wolfgang was "Okay").

 

Are you looking for a Floyd Rose equipped guitar, or a fixed bridge?

[Z-TARD]

Just thought of another one, just in case you win the lottery or suddenly come down with a case of "Money out the wazoo".... Should you happen to have $25,000 petty cash handy:

http://www.evhgear.com/frankenstein/#Home

 

Or you could just spend about $350 getting parts off of the internet to make one just like it.....

[BusterZ]

Bought a Hagstrom Swede in 1975 and have loved it since then (owned Fenders and Gibsons too). They are re-making them now - supposed to be good quality for the money (I havent looked at them yet but my boy has and says they're pretty nice).

[cygnusx1]

Testing out the search feature of the new forum software. I dug up this old thread...which reminded me to dig out my old AXE. Gibson Sonex 180 Standard. VIntage early 80's. Originally satin black, I repainted the body in Corvette yellow.

 

Tone of a Les Paul without the $$$.

 

Not me:

Edited February 23, 2010 by cygnusx1

[T-Bone028]

$300-$500 budget can get you a lot of guitar on the used market. I suppose it all depends on what you like to play...there is no denying the versatility of a Fender Strat. You wont be able to afford an American made strat for your budget, but I would look at the Made in Japan strats that were being produced in the 90's. Great craftsmanship and quality materials. Other people have had good things to say about the made in mexico strats...but I havent had experience with those.

 

If you were more on the Gibson side of the house, I would look at the epiphone's (new) or a Gibson Les Paul studio (used)...again decent quality guitars for a reasonable price.

 

Here is what I would personally look for if I wore to buy a new electric:

 

1) No laminates or veneer tops. You want sustain!!!

2) Set-neck if you can afford it...but for the price range, it might be pretty difficult.

3) Be weary of anything made in China or Korea...their quality control isnt that good in my opinion. Its all about production volume for those factories, not quality construction. Hagstrom's mentioned below were great quality guitars in the 70's. New production has been shifted to lower labor markets and quality of production has gone down along with material selection.

4) Look for alder, mahogany, or swamp ash bodies. There is a reason why those woods have been used for +50 years. Great tonewoods.

5) I personally like ebony on the fretboard, but it all depends on your style. If I were to buy another Fender for example, I would get a rosewood fretboard..they rarely make Fenders with ebony fretboards.

6) If you dont care about the name of the headstock...look for a "lawsuit" guitar. These guitars were produced in Japan in the 70's and were usually knock-off's of Gibson Les Pauls. I use the word knock-off in a very loose sense. The guitars being produced in Japan during that era put new guitars to shame due to the quality of craftsmanship and materials. The attention these Japanese made guitars have received in the past few years though have driven the price up tremendously and people are more and more reluctant to sell.

 

I've been playing for about 17 years and have about 10 guitars in my stable right now. The one thing I've learned about buying guitars is, buying something that sounds good and feels good is what matters...not the brand.

[cygnusx1]

Other than the weight of the body on my Sonex, it's a great sounding instrument. Easy to play too. I am a beginner, playing (fooling around) for 20 years lol.

Good info. My brother just picked up a "lawsuit" Penco. Sunburst knockoff.

Edited February 23, 2010 by cygnusx1

[T-Bone028]

I like that Gibson Cygnusx1, is it a bolt on or set-neck? Never heard of that model. Looks funky cool, kinda like a Les Paul Jr with 80's digital vibe all over it.

 

Over the past couple of years, I've become more of an acoustic person. I had a custom acoustic dreadnought commissioned that I took delivery of in August of 09. Its pretty sweet and plays like a dream. Very balanced and articulate. My theory is, if you can make an acoustic sing, you can make an electric scream.

 

Regarding the original posting though, what about maybe put the money towards an all-tube amp (if you dont already have one)? The Fender Blues Jr is an AWESOME amp. 15 watts of warm all-tube tone. Delicious.

[cygnusx1]

I do play a Yamaha acoustic a lot more than the Gibson.  The Sonex has a bolt on neck.  A cost saving measure.  It still sounds great though.  It has a wood core body with some sort of high density, plastic(epoxy?) shell over the core.  They are available with solid and laminated necks.  There were four versions made. Thanks for the amp advice,  I will check out that amp.  I really need a decent amp.  Thanks.