Hey guys, I'm looking for some help in making a decision. I am planning on buying a new electric guitar with my birthday money soon this year and am wondering if anyone with experience has a preference in guitar brand or model. I have not been playing for very long and have so far only been using Rocksmith as a learning tool, with help from my dad, who can play anything. I might get a teacher soon but right now I am happy just learning the basics with the game. I am not looking to spend over 600 dollars. I know that in the guitar world the two main companies are Fender and Gibson, I am not familiar with any others. I have been using my dad's old Telecaster, which I enjoy, but don't know if it is my favourite because I don't know what else is out there.

Has anyone got an opinion on certain models made by these two brands (or others), which ones are better than which ones - that sort of thing? Please don't just say the brand, I am also looking for a model. (not a specific year or anything, though.)

I have http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-les-paul-special-ii-electric-guitar/518334000001000?src=http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1350832-getting-a-new-guitar-anyone-have-a-preference/3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0 guitar. It works fine for me. It's honestly a decent beginners guitar.

what kind of music are you playing? imho the type of music you play should heavily influence the type of guitar you get.

some other brands to consider: schecter, dean, PRS, and jackson. i play bass, so i can't comment on any particular model. of course you should go to your local shop and try some out. i usually try them out unplugged first to get a feel for the guitar. then select one or two and do a A/B with an amp.


edit:
add ibanez to the above list.

Get something pointy with active pickups.

Its all very subjective. Go to a guitar shop and just sample playing a few different guitars, and choose the one that fits you best in tone and comfort.

Me, I have http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0955053021, http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/, and http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/.

EDIT: Stupid Eastwood site not linking to the right page.

There's also Ibanez, Dean, and another one I'm forgetting. And a bunch of smaller companies.

I <3 Les Pauls. But like the guy above said, everyone prefers different types of guitars. Best thing to do is just try out several guitars and go with whichever you prefer.

i prefer that you purchase a fender. that way should i happen to stroll into your home i have a guitar i that i am comfortable playing with...

... i recomend buying from a pawn shop if its your first guitar, there is no reason to spend alot when you still learning.

Edited because i read the OP a bit closer.

you can still get nice looking used guitars at a pawn shop or where ever else they sell used guitars, i would say it doesn't matter which you get when your starting out but i could be wrong, i am not very good at playing the guitar.

I prefer guitars with four strings: six is too confusing, and they're too high-pitched.

Both Fender and Gibson are great, but with Fender in particular it'd be a really good idea to play the thing first and give it a thorough once-over since their quality control can be really iffy. I'd avoid buying one unseen.

I like http://www.ibanez.com/eg/ guitars, mine is an Ibanez. They are probably more sorted to a metal sound but my guitar has quite a versatile sound.

It really depends on what kind of music you enjoy playing, but Fender and Gibson are both good.

A good guitar can really speed up the learning process. Good luck!

Washburn Idol (I64)

I bought mine for about $450. Doesn't get much better than if you're thinking quality/price

http://nib2000.com/pics/Idol/washburn6.JPG

I was going to gethttp://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/quality,85/05_wi64bd-08dead4a576a6985dc79c960cc78a2dc.jpg but they were sold out at the time

I wouldn't recommend Fender, Gibson or Ibanez to someone who hasn't been playing very long. Playing guitar can be a very expensive hobby if you're a brand snob and when you're starting out it's highly unlikely that you can hear the difference between a mid-high end Washburn/Epiphone/Whatever and a Gibson / Fender.

It's also important to take into consideration that some "high-end" Epiphone's can be better than some "low-end" Gibson's. It's very easy to waste a couple hundreds bucks if you uncertain about these kinds of things. I've got several guitars and one of them is a G400 Epiphone. That's a SG guitar, and I think it's either just as, or even better than the "budget" Gibson SG version of it.

I'd also recommend getting a good teacher, someone who is patient and that you get along with, so that it doesn't feel like such a chore.

In my early teens I had some electric guitar lessons and my teacher was brilliant, I picked it up in no time because he made it fun to learn by giving me bits to practice that I recognised from songs I liked. I don't play any more but I still have my guitar, if I picked it up I bet I'd remember some of the riffs he taught me.

Dean Guitars are amazing, they are very great quality for a great price.

This is what I have.

http://www.samash.com/p/Dean_Dime%20Dean%20From%20Hell%20CFH%20Electric%20Guitar%20Lightning_-49983590?cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Solid%20Body%20Electric-_-Dime%20Dean%20From%20Hell%20CFH%20Electric%20Guitar%20Lightning-_-DDIMEDFHX

I notice they really dropped the price since I got it, it was 900 for me.

I have three, and my Jackson is still my go to (and it's in your price range), but it depends on what kind of music you're into. You will have to try them out unfortunately. The only thing I will say is I'm not a fan of Ibanez, they're not bad, but they just don't do it for me. I do have one, but I'm planning on selling it as soon as I can.


Brands I like; Jackson, Gibson, Fender, BC Rich, PRS, Washburn and Mayones (stupidly expensive).


I'm thinking if you like telecasters, you're probably going to enjoy other fenders. A quick search will tell you the difference between neck "scales", fender tend to be shorter, gibson longer, PRS in between and most other companies are subs of either Fender or Gibson

Keep in mind that an electric guitar is just a hunk of wood with electronics, strings and tuners. While the quality of the wood makes a difference in the sound, it's not nearly as audible as in an acoustic guitar. That being said...

http://www.guitarfetish.com/
http://www.rondomusic.com/

These two websites have some of the most incredible price/performance guitars on the market, specifically the Agile (from Rondo) and the Xaviere (from Guitar Fetish). They are more or less knock-offs of the more well-known brands like Gibson and Fender, but are far less expensive and sound absolutely phenomenal. I have the Agile AL-3000 (a Les Paul clone) in Silverburst and it is simply extraordinary. I've compared it to a number of Ephiphones, and there really is no comparison. You can spend some time Googling both how they stack up against the guitars that they are copied from (extraordinarily well) as well as how Agile and Xaviere stack up against each other (I've heard Agile tend to be a little bit better, in terms of the tuners and the filing of the frets). Rondo also offers a comparison of their different model numbers (such as the AL-2000, 3000, 3000M etc.), which is a great buying reference to see which features you want. Here's the link for that: http://www.rondomusic.com/alspec.html.

At the end of the day if you're looking for a kickass, affordable electric, you cannot go wrong with either of these. In most situations it's better to play the guitar before you buy it, but these are one of the few exceptions.

Looking through their inventory now, it seems like they're running a little thin on their stock, especially their higher end models. I know that Rondo gets shipments about 3 or 4 times a year, so I'd advise waiting it out until they get new stock. The guy in charge of Rondo (Kurt) is also a fantastic person; he's really dedicated to customer satisfaction.

EDIT: Actually, I take that back. The higher-end AL selection on Rondo seems to be pretty good right now.

The type of wood can make a big difference, just not in the same way; but it does have a significant impact on the amount of sustain, harmonics and all manner of other things, as does the overall construction.

I've seen a lot of people interested in any kind of metal get an Ibanez. And they're affordable.

I don't know how prices over here compare to yours, sorry. But there may be Jacksons that you can afford and that are worth it.

Other than that, the best, relatively cheap guitar I've played on is a '93 Ltd Ed Fernandes. I think you can get a Fernandes in that price range.

Good luck finding one. Don't be too swift in your decision. Try some and check out as many brands as you can.

If you avoid a trem (it's even named incorrectly, it's a vibrato arm, and early fender amps called their tremolo circuits vibrato, go figure), you get more guitar, more sustain, and better tuning stability for your money. A guitar is some bits of wood with metal bolted on, less metal widgets means more wood. Something like http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/48397_l.jpg looks basic, but works.

Can't beliebe nobody mentioned Epiphone. Essentially started out as budget Gibson, it kinda became great in it's own right, slightly lower quality at a fraction of the cost. If you go for a start copy, ignore Squire despite it being budget Fender. Unlike Epiphone, the Squire is genuinely poor quality. You're better off with something like an AXL - extremely cheap but better quality than what you paid for.

As for getting a teacher, if you don't fancy it there's no need. Many of the greats are self-taught. Me, for one

Just keep playing. Find a song you want to learn, a solo you wish you could play but don't think you can. Sit down and practice. Practice all night, bar-by-bar and riff-by-riff until you've got it, then do it again when you wake up. You'll get there

I realize that. My point is that it's different from an acoustic guitar, where the type and construction of wood is far more important than in an electric. That's why companies (like the ones I listed above) can make fantastic electric guitars for so cheap.

This thread makes me sad.

Why?

Because five feet behind me sits about four grand worth of guitar equipment that has barely been touched in years. I just picked up my trusty Taylor and could barely remember the chords for Under the Bridge.

It's been mentioned a few times.

The very first reply, (my reply) is a link to an Epiphone that I own.

Less than $600? If you liked the Telecaster, then you may want to look into a Fender Standard Stratocaster, for about $500 new. It will give you some of what you get with a Tele, plus a whole lot more. And if anyone tells you Standards are junk because they are made in Mexico, you can safely ignore them because they don't know what they are talking about. (what we call in the biz "gear snobs") I have one and it's an excellent guitar.

The only reason that things are made out of the country is because other countries do just as good of a job manufacturing them.

Regardless, however, Fender is still Fender. They make good stuff, but it's still expensive. There are a number of clones that function just as well as a Telecaster at a lower price point than the Standard (again, check the links I put up).

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