Classic tones for less
May 29, 2013 3:39 PM Subscribe
I've been wanting a Strat for years. More recently, I have been enjoying Les Paul sounds as well. I'm trying to decide if I should take the plunge and buy a Fender Strat made in America. What seems more appealing is to buy two cheaper guitars. Many people like the Yamaha Pacifica and the Squire classic vibe 60's as alternatives to the Strat. I don't see many alternatives to the LP, other than Gibson's cheaper lines. In any case, I'm looking for recommendations for both. I know people will say just play a bunch of guitars to see what you like, but it takes me 6-12 months to know if I like an instrument.
My good sir, Gordon Smith of the UK will handcraft you a guitar for half the price of a strat that will make you cry with joy.
http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/
posted by BenPens at 4:03 PM on May 29, 2013
http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/
posted by BenPens at 4:03 PM on May 29, 2013
If you can find them, mid-eighties Japanese Fenders have generally better build quality that those built in the US at the time. Plus, it'll already be broken in. My $250 Mid-eighties Tele is the nicest six-string electric I've ever owned, and I currently have a 70s Les Paul, a 90s repro Danelectro, and 87 USA Strat and have owned a Washburn ES-335 replica, a 70s Hagstrom Viking and probably a few others. That is has an excellent fret job and probably new pickups probably helps.
posted by stet at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by stet at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, tastes and styles are different so YMMV. Good luck.
posted by stet at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2013
posted by stet at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2013
It's Squier, not Squire, but I wouldn't buy one with either spelling. A used Fender is a better guitar and holds its value.
Gibson make Epiphone branded versions of a lot of their LP line, not sure about the quality of those.
posted by w0mbat at 4:59 PM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Gibson make Epiphone branded versions of a lot of their LP line, not sure about the quality of those.
posted by w0mbat at 4:59 PM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Buy used, since that will allow you to get your money back (or at least most of it) if you don't bond with the guitar. Les Paul studio guitars have the same quality wood and electronics as the standard ones, with a simpler finish, so they are a lot cheaper. No matter what you buy, make sure you can play it in person beforehand, since even 2 of the exact same model guitar can be quite different in how they play and sound, and you want to make sure you don't get a lemon.
posted by markblasco at 6:13 PM on May 29, 2013
posted by markblasco at 6:13 PM on May 29, 2013
Bass player here, but the Squier Vintage Modified line are fantastic for the money. When I first started learning the bass 10 years ago, I took lessons at a Fender/Squier dealer and even as a beginner I hated the sound and build quality of the Squiers I played. These days, I think the VM series instruments beat any of the MIM instruments being made even 6 or 7 years ago. Hell, my guitarist plays a $3000 Les Paul Custom into a Dr Z amp and he loves the sound of my $400 Squier fretless and recorded half an album with a VM Tele.
Fender has made some huge strides with quality in their mid-range instruments. I'd still avoid the cheapest of Squiers, but past that I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
posted by Benjy at 7:24 PM on May 29, 2013
Fender has made some huge strides with quality in their mid-range instruments. I'd still avoid the cheapest of Squiers, but past that I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
posted by Benjy at 7:24 PM on May 29, 2013
w0mbat's right - Epiphone is to Gibson as Squier is to Fender.
And the Rondo Music guitars mentioned by kimdog have been getting rave reviews all over the place, although often as a base for DIY tinkering and/or upgrading various components. (Note: the specific guitar linked has a bolt-on neck, which is kinda shudder-inducing for Les Paul purists, but Rondo does offer quite a few set-neck LP copies. Also, the phrase "you can get Les Paul-like sounds from a Strat" is, erm, highly debatable, especially if you're talking about the "classic" Strat setup of 3 single-coil pickups.)
Epiphone, Squier, Rondo, whatever brand - IMO, we're in a sort of Golden Age of Asian-manufactured instruments. There's a lot of good cheap guitars being produced these days. However, I strongly suspect that one of the ways these guitars stay cheaper is more forgiving Quality Control standards. Which means that "try individual guitars before you buy" can be even more important for the cheaper versions of the classics, because one Epiphone LP will make you go "yuck," and the one right next to it (yes, literally right next to it) will make you go "wow."
but it takes me 6-12 months to know if I like an instrument.
2 things for you to think about:
1) How's your disposable income? American-made guitars will have a higher resale value if you don't bond with the guitar, but it could be a fairly significant chunk of dough tied up in an instrument for a while. Are you OK with that?
2) What sort of inclinations or interest do you have in tinkering & upgrading & replacing parts? Because a lot of the parts on cheaper guitars that help make them cheaper can be pretty easily replaced with better aftermarket parts, using only some screwdrivers, a crescent wrench and some basic soldering skills (tuning machines, pickups, bridges, potentiometers.) Even more advanced work - necks, nuts, frets - can be DIY'ed, or started by you and finished and fine-tuned by a pro guitar repair person. If you're into this sort of thing, cheaper guitars would be the way to go, since you can wind up with a monster guitar that's exactly how you want it and still spend less than a high-end guitar.
Nthing "used" as a great way to find guitar(s) you love for less.
For more (maybe too much more) info & opinions, try browsing/searching through the forums of Harmony Central, thegearpage.net, tdpri.com (ostensibly Tele-focused), strat-talk.com & mylespaul.com
posted by soundguy99 at 7:33 PM on May 29, 2013
And the Rondo Music guitars mentioned by kimdog have been getting rave reviews all over the place, although often as a base for DIY tinkering and/or upgrading various components. (Note: the specific guitar linked has a bolt-on neck, which is kinda shudder-inducing for Les Paul purists, but Rondo does offer quite a few set-neck LP copies. Also, the phrase "you can get Les Paul-like sounds from a Strat" is, erm, highly debatable, especially if you're talking about the "classic" Strat setup of 3 single-coil pickups.)
Epiphone, Squier, Rondo, whatever brand - IMO, we're in a sort of Golden Age of Asian-manufactured instruments. There's a lot of good cheap guitars being produced these days. However, I strongly suspect that one of the ways these guitars stay cheaper is more forgiving Quality Control standards. Which means that "try individual guitars before you buy" can be even more important for the cheaper versions of the classics, because one Epiphone LP will make you go "yuck," and the one right next to it (yes, literally right next to it) will make you go "wow."
but it takes me 6-12 months to know if I like an instrument.
2 things for you to think about:
1) How's your disposable income? American-made guitars will have a higher resale value if you don't bond with the guitar, but it could be a fairly significant chunk of dough tied up in an instrument for a while. Are you OK with that?
2) What sort of inclinations or interest do you have in tinkering & upgrading & replacing parts? Because a lot of the parts on cheaper guitars that help make them cheaper can be pretty easily replaced with better aftermarket parts, using only some screwdrivers, a crescent wrench and some basic soldering skills (tuning machines, pickups, bridges, potentiometers.) Even more advanced work - necks, nuts, frets - can be DIY'ed, or started by you and finished and fine-tuned by a pro guitar repair person. If you're into this sort of thing, cheaper guitars would be the way to go, since you can wind up with a monster guitar that's exactly how you want it and still spend less than a high-end guitar.
Nthing "used" as a great way to find guitar(s) you love for less.
For more (maybe too much more) info & opinions, try browsing/searching through the forums of Harmony Central, thegearpage.net, tdpri.com (ostensibly Tele-focused), strat-talk.com & mylespaul.com
posted by soundguy99 at 7:33 PM on May 29, 2013
Used. Try them all out and pick the one that feels best to you.
The mid-80's Japanese strats mentioned upstream are indeed fantastic instruments.
posted by nathanfhtagn at 8:02 PM on May 29, 2013
The mid-80's Japanese strats mentioned upstream are indeed fantastic instruments.
posted by nathanfhtagn at 8:02 PM on May 29, 2013
I'd also suggest Rondo's Agiles (I own an AL-3110 myself that I love). I'm not an expert by any means but the luthier at my local music store deffenitely is. He was REALLY impressed by the guitar, then I told him what I paid for and he nearly fainted. The strat copies should be pretty good too. You can check out a forum dedicated to Rondo Guitars here if you want advice about those specifically.
HOWEVER, you said, "...it takes me 6-12 months to know if I like an instrument." That makes me think you'll be better off buying used guitars with name brands (Squier, Epiphone, Yamaha, etc.) off Craigslist so that you'll be able to resell them for about what you paid for them if you decide you don't like it 6-12 months down the line?
On reading your question a little closer something isn't clear, do you play guitar now or do you play something else and are planning on learning guitar? If the former, what do you have now?
posted by VTX at 12:12 PM on May 30, 2013
HOWEVER, you said, "...it takes me 6-12 months to know if I like an instrument." That makes me think you'll be better off buying used guitars with name brands (Squier, Epiphone, Yamaha, etc.) off Craigslist so that you'll be able to resell them for about what you paid for them if you decide you don't like it 6-12 months down the line?
On reading your question a little closer something isn't clear, do you play guitar now or do you play something else and are planning on learning guitar? If the former, what do you have now?
posted by VTX at 12:12 PM on May 30, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses. My main instruments are keyboards and guitar.
VTX my current favorite guitar is an American Fender Telecaster. I also have an Ibanez Strat shape with a HSS setup, which sounds nothing like Strat or LP. It could also probably use some fretwork. I have a habit of lending guitars to friends and coworkers and then losing touch with them.
posted by DTHEASH1 at 12:51 PM on May 31, 2013
VTX my current favorite guitar is an American Fender Telecaster. I also have an Ibanez Strat shape with a HSS setup, which sounds nothing like Strat or LP. It could also probably use some fretwork. I have a habit of lending guitars to friends and coworkers and then losing touch with them.
posted by DTHEASH1 at 12:51 PM on May 31, 2013
LP - Seconding go with a Rondo - the AL-2000 line is nice and inexpensive. Strat - a nice Made in Mexico strat will treat you well, and can be had for a couple hundred bucks on the craigslist.
posted by stenseng at 4:23 PM on May 31, 2013
posted by stenseng at 4:23 PM on May 31, 2013
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posted by kimdog at 3:57 PM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]