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best guitar for me?

|-Release-||-Release-| Posts: 90
edited June 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
hello, i play a strat copy and well, thats enough of that lol, i am looking for a good all round guitar. i'd play a host of different styles of rock/blues but i cant decide on a guitar. i love the clean sound of a strat, yet i dont think you can beat the smooth distortion of a les paul. i've been looking at strats/SG's/teles and everything else basically. so, to sum it up im looking for a good all round electric guitar for my needs. i play songs in the vein of :
smashing pumpkins, pearl jam, metallica (i do like to 'shred' at times lol), ben harper, sonic youth, soundgarden, stone temple pilots and neil young. quite a long list i know, and due to the diverse nature of the music i wish to play the guitar has to be quite diverse. now im not expecting to find some amazing guitar that can emulate all these band's sounds but i am hoping to find a guitar that with maybe some help from carefull EQ settings or a pedal or two, i can at least get close. im not after a 'name' guitar like fender, nor a recognisable body like a les paul, i just want a guitar that sounds sweet. any and all suggestions will be appreciated. :) , thanks very much.
seems that needlessly its getting harder
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Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    what's your ball park price range?

    I'd say you're going to need a SSH or HSH pickup configuration.

    If I were you I'd check out the excellent custom shop guitars from Carvin. They can pretty much build the style and configuration you want, excellent quality and the set up is beautiful.

    http://www.carvin.com


    or go shop around almost every manufacturer makes a guitar of your specific requirements.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • |-Release-||-Release-| Posts: 90
    well, im in england and my limit would probably be about £400 but in dollars *checks XE.com* $740 . obviously i'd rather get it for less (i like cheap things) but i'd maybe be able to go over that limit for the right guitar.
    seems that needlessly its getting harder
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by |-Release-|
    well, im in england and my limit would probably be about £400 but in dollars *checks XE.com* $740 . obviously i'd rather get it for less (i like cheap things) but i'd maybe be able to go over that limit for the right guitar.


    Given the tarriffs and taxes some might be a bit out of your price range. However an SG is probably right up your alley as is a Fat Strat (humbucker in the bridge)

    The SG is not as smooth as a Les Paul more biting but it also has more sustain and the clean is very nice.

    The Fat Strat, gives you more balls where you want it and the bell like clean tones as well.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • solsurfrsolsurfr Posts: 207
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    Given the tarriffs and taxes some might be a bit out of your price range. However an SG is probably right up your alley as is a Fat Strat (humbucker in the bridge)

    The SG is not as smooth as a Les Paul more biting but it also has more sustain and the clean is very nice.

    The Fat Strat, gives you more balls where you want it and the bell like clean tones as well.

    I don't think an SG has more sustain than a Paul. I have both and both sustain very well but the deeper, heavier wood of my Les Paul really makes my bends and single note picking growl.

    If your budget is around $800, an SG is a great choice if you are into a heavier, balsy sound like Les Paul without the price and weight. A fender telecaster is arguably one of the most versatile guitars out there. IMO, a strat sounds like a strat. You can make a tele sound like a lot of different things with the pickup configuration that it has.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    yeah I know the general consensus and physics says more wood equals more sustain. I own a Les Paul. To my ears the Pauls are smoother a bit darker and don't quite resonate as much as the SG's for what ever reason. Even though by nature Mahogany is a warmer wood and maple is brighter the Les Pauls Having that maple top and the SG's traditionally being solid mahogany. Everyones ears are different. I just think the SG as a whole vibrates (resonates) more than the heavier Les Paul not so much on individual notes but definately on chord work.

    good call on the tele too. That might work well. People seem to hate strats on this board for what ever reason. Depends on the sound you like I guess. Ash strats and Teles are a bit brighter than the alder models as well since ash is a particularly hard wood.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • solsurfrsolsurfr Posts: 207
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    yeah I know the general consensus and physics says more wood equals more sustain. I own a Les Paul. To my ears the Pauls are smoother a bit darker and don't quite resonate as much as the SG's for what ever reason. Even though by nature Mahogany is a warmer wood and maple is brighter the Les Pauls Having that maple top and the SG's traditionally being solid mahogany. Everyones ears are different. I just think the SG as a whole vibrates (resonates) more than the heavier Les Paul not so much on individual notes but definately on chord work.

    good call on the tele too. That might work well. People seem to hate strats on this board for what ever reason. Depends on the sound you like I guess. Ash strats and Teles are a bit brighter than the alder models as well since ash is a particularly hard wood.

    Yah, the argument is pretty old but I think there is some validity to the weight of a guitar. I think the pickups are more influentual too. I have an 04 LP Standard with the burstbuckers and they don't seem to have the bite of the 490/498's on my SG standard. They are similar but I think the waxed pots may kill (tone-wise) some of the bite. The sustain is awesome for my Gibbie's and it's barely noticeable. Strats are cool but most strats sound the same no matter what you are playing thru. I think you can get a tele to sound like anything. I also have a strat and a tele (on it's way) and in my experience, I can get that balsy, heavy tone from a tele as well as the brighter, jazz tone. Strat's tend to sound the same no matter how dirty or clean the tone is. Just my opinion.
  • PearlJamaholicPearlJamaholic Posts: 2,019
    i have a fender double humbucker and i liked though its been on vaction for awhile. when i did play it it was my favorite. it gave humbucker, single coil, for both neck and bridge. by far my favorite guitar ever. thats the closest i know of of getting a fender and a les paul. i havent seen a les paul with 3 single coils.
    http://db.etree.org/PearlJamaholic
  • Gus_3218Gus_3218 Posts: 59
    Get a Les Paul something.... Epiphone or cheap Gibbo... whatever is ur price range, cos as you say, that clean distorion, but it makes such a warm sound, both clean and distored......
    ‘‘If somebody said to me, in twelve years you’ll be in a band with your brother and two carrot munching geezers who don’t like football I would have said fuck off, I’m not joining the Bee Gees.’’

    Noel Gallagher
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    I'd recommend a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge and two single-coils (HSS). It might even be worth upgrading the stock humbucker to a Seymour Duncan, maybe a JB?
    http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=1106500
    http://www.seymourduncan.com/website/products/humbuckers.shtml

    Your other option, if you can swallow an ounce of pride, is the Line 6 Variax:
    http://www.line6.com/variax/US/home.asp
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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