Help me pick out a new geetar for around $1000

[cvd]

I'm looking to make the jump to a geetar that can last me a lifetime, or at leat for quite a while. My budget is around 1000. I really have no idea what to look for. I'm a lot more into rythme playing, and like bands like fugazi, sunny day real estate, jawbreaker, and all that jazz. I definetly know that I don't need a tremolo system. I will be playing through a Crate GX-80 amp and a zoom 505 pedal. I know this is a very subjective question, I'm just looking for ideas. I did see a nice Ibanez semi-hollow body, and I've heard that Ibanez is right up there in quality with the Les Pauls and such for a lot less monies. Is this true? Thanks for any and all help.

Chris

[Jon X]

Strat, strat, strat, strat, strat. For around $1000 you could get a great American made model like the Deluxe that would last forever. There's nothing else I would even look at. Ask a subjective question, get a subjective answer.

I'm not so sure about Ibanez quality, but I do think most Les Pauls are overpriced. Really though, play whatever you are thinking about buying before you decide and let that make up your mind for you.

[jrlemonz]

I tend to disagree with the "Strat" way of thinking. Sure they are classics for blues and other such things but throw some heavy distortion (like the ones Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate use) and they make a LOT of noise and don't sound too great for the sound you want. Unless you go through getting non-standard pickups installed you get that 60 cycle hum, and a weak tone. A fat strat or something of that sort is better (Double fat strats are pretty nice, just played one with a Floyd Rose, very cool stuff), but I highly suggest a Les Paul. It's all preference, but Les Pauls have that classic sound, and they are so meaty and full. I have a Les Paul that I got for $700, and it plays just as good as the ones I've tried for $1200. It's a Gibson classic. Epiphone's are a lot better then most people give them credit for in my opinion. It'll last as long as you want it to, just depends on how you care for it. Going used is also another option if you don't want t spend the money. Ibanez's are great, although the only models I've played are equpped with trems. I love the S-series. They make some without the trem, and they are incredibly thin and still have a huge tone. I suggest staying away from the Gio's and RG's. RG's don't give a sound like the one you described and in my opinion are quite ugly (although thats just my oipinion). The Gio's are very entry level. Before you buy an Ibanez I suggest checking behind the 3rd fret on the neck. The lower end and even some higher end Ibanez's have 2 piece necks with the glue joint right there. My S470, which I love to death, but has that glue joint, is in the shop for the 2nd time because that joint is not as strong as I could have hoped. First time my dog knocked it over and it cracked (where most guitars wouldn't have) and this time the glue delaminated. The high end Ibanez's have one piece necks. Even if you go for a strat, just buy what you think sounds good for your music. There are a lot of nice instruments out there, pick one you like. $1000 is a good amount of money, you'll be sure to get something quality for that. Trust your salesman unless you have good reason not to, they usually aren't assholes and do know what they are talking about.
Jake

[virtual.ray]

Some guitars offer some of the best of both worlds.The Ernie Ball/MM "Luke" for example has a big humbucker in the bridge pos.and 2 very nice single coils in middle and neck and a very nice trem system and fast playing V neck $1049 retail.

[bvaleria]

Originally posted by jrlemonz
I tend to disagree with the "Strat" way of thinking. Sure they are classics for blues and other such things but throw some heavy distortion (like the ones Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate use) and they make a LOT of noise and don't sound too great for the sound you want.

Subjective topic - true, but at least get the facts right - the American Deluxe is equipped with stacked (looks like singles but they're mounted one over the other) humbuckers having an absolutely amazing tone (clean OR crunched) with very little noise problems.

Anyways - my advice -- Try a whack of them out at your local shop and get a feel for the differences, THEN decide.
I've said it before (it should be my SIG!) -- what matters are your ears (and in this case your fingers too), not someone else's opinion...

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

[cvd]

Thanks for the responses. Another problem that I have is that I really don't know what kind of direction I want to take my music. I'm just learning to properly play the guitar(theory and all that stuff), and I guess I'm just looking for something that can evolve with me. Too much to ask, I spose.
Jake, what kind of Les Paul were you able to get for $700?I did see a Les Paul Special for $600 I think, I wonder if they are the same thing. Also, how will my amp come into play? I know that I'm gonna take it to the store with me whenever I play all these guitars, but is there any specific things that I should be aware of with crates and various guitars? Thanks again for the imput

Chris

[reco]

Hmmm, les paul specials are diferent they have p-90 single coils in them dean Deleo of Stone temple pilots plays one he gets a tough meat tone.
My vote if ya wanna pay a bit less(paul)would be the epiphone lespaul.

[Buck62]

It seems that you are looking for a guitar that "has it all" at a reasonable price... smooth playability, great sounds, versatility, and is well-constructed.
Here's a few "can't miss" choices....

G&L ASAT: Tele-style body, fast neck, killer tones. (Approx. $650-$750)

Fender '72 Telecaster Thinline(re-issue): Sweet maple neck, extremely versatile pick-ups that go from "twang" to "screamer". (Approx. $650)

Fender American Vintage '57 Strat: Smoooooth, like butta baby! (Approx. $1,000)

Did you know that Jimmy Page played a Tele throughout the 60's? It was his signature guitar while he played with the Yardbirds, and he also played that same Tele on the first Led Zeppelin album. It's true!!!

If you prefer the sound of a Les Paul, I suggest you put a rope through a cynder-block and then let it hang from your neck for about 3 hours... that's what it's like when you play a gig with one!

[HFFritz]

I swear by my strat, but I recently got a Parker NiteFly that I really like. First, it plays beautifully. Second, it has a wide variety of sounds, so that it is very versatile. Third, my studio is in the basement and because of the liberal use of composites, I can leave it out on a stand and not worry about the guitar being affected by constant thermal or humidity changes.

[Gargamel]

Music Man Steve Morse Model.....$1000.00. This guitar is totally versatile and has 4 pickups.

[Wallycleaver]

I agree with some of them
The Ernie ball/musicmate luke model
G&L
The '72 thinline tele

also have you tried heritage? They are based in Kalamzoo MI in the old gibson factory. They have the same models as Gibson but a bit cheaper

[JC Lives]

If I had a thousand to spend on a geetar, I would save a little longer and get a Paul Reed Smith.

[foo]

At the risk of appearing to be confrontational, my 2 cents:

If you're going through a Crate amp it doesn't matter what you buy, it's going to sound like shit anyway.

So get something cheap and spend the rest of your money on loose women.

Seriously, though, I have never heard a great tone come out of a Crate amp - so sell the amp, get something decent and a good guitar.

For versatility, you can't beat a good strat. But the G&L version of the strat is a great guitar, too.

Lots of rhythm work - Telecaster never hurt the Boss, or a certain K. Richards, come to think of it.

Rock = Les Paul

... but my final choice in the bluesy/rocky choice would be a Gibson 335/345.

Basically, you can't go wrong with a well-known name. Buy it used from a reputable dealer (or better yet from the paper if you're comfortable doing that) and you'll always be able to get (most of) your money back when you want something different.

foo

[Jon X]

I agree with the part about that Crate amp. Changing that might improve your guitar sound more than changing the actual guitar.

[cvd]

Damn, are Crates really that bad? I did get the amp many years ago, before I really knew anything about guitars or amps, not that I know much about either now anyhow Since I'm asking about guitars, what amps can you recommend at a decent price.I was gonna get a pod to do my recording, can those things get hooked directly into a PA system? Guess that's a different thread.
But anyhow, as far as the guitar goes, I'm leaning toward the Route 101 Solimar thingie. I read quite a few reviews about their geetars at harmony central, and only one had anything bad to say. And it's got a 30 day money back dealie, so it just might be the way to go.
Now I guess you can bring on the amp picks too. Maybe one of the line 6 models? It looks like my crate is gonna get dogged to death anyway thanks for the suggestions

Chris

[happy hour]

Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha!! I can't stress that enough. For about $1000 you can get an absolutely amazing Yamaha that will last forever.

My main guitar is a 4 year old Yamaha, the fit and finish is absolutely amazing for a guitar its price and Yamaha has some of the best woods I've ever heard. The only mod I have done is replace the bridge pickup (Hey, it is a $400 guitar, what do you expect!) and then i put that pickup in another guitar, now that guitar sounds WAY better!

Yamaha's are often neglected but I really can't say enough about em, all my guitar playing friends love my guitar too!

[pchorman]

a brand new Les Paul Studio runs for under 1K. Mine was only $0.7K five years ago. It has the same hardware, wood, and ridiculous weight as the the expensive models but without the cosmetic bindings and such.

Avoid the gold colored hardware which tarnishes and scratches off too easily.

[jimini2001]

strat,check em out.dozens of different pick-up set ups.easy to work on.i had my humbucker(an add on)wired into a push pull pod that controls my tone,and cuts out one coil on the humbucker.way versitileguitar given to easy inovation.

[DHN]

It would be hard to go wrong with either a high end Strat or Les Paul. Both are very versatile. Most other brands have at least a few models that try to copy the Strat or Les Paul so why not get the real deal?

Ibanez quality is dependent on which model you buy. They make cheap, low quality guitars and they make expensive, decent quality guitars. For that matter, so does Fender i.e. $199 import Strat vs. $999 US Strat. I have a Ibanez George Benson model and the quality is better (in my opinion) than the Gibson ES-175. I know many will disagree with me there. Still, if I had $1000 to spend on just one guitar, I'd go with the real deal--either an authentic Fender USA Strat or a Gibson Les Paul.

By the way, I'm not an expert on either, but I think Les Paul guitars tend to be more expensive than the Strat. In other words, $1000 may get you a high end Strat vs. a mid range Les Paul. That's a guess though.

[jrlemonz]

Sorry for the late reply, but I just checked back on this thread. I have a les paul classic flame top, which i got used off a friend in immaculate condition for $700. I have not touched a thing on it in the 6 years I've had it, and my friend had it for 10 without one thing fixed/replaced. I play out of a Line 6 Flextone Duo, and I can get any sound I damn well please. I play blues, I play metal, and I play twangy country at times. I love my Les Paul, as I have already said, but you're the one buying the guitar. I highly reccomend the line 6 spiders (not the flextones) cheaper, and sound better in my opinion (I got the flextone off a different friend for $300). Another amp to check out is the Johnson Milleniums. INCREDIBLE, thats all it takes to describe them. They'll just blow you away. And don't buy a POD, get the J-Station. SO MUCH better, and you can actually run it out of an amp n clean and it sounds good. The POD's only work out of a PA, and are quite noisy. All of it depends on what you like, and not what I say. Go and try out a lot of different guitars and different amps. SInce you seem to be undecisive on what music you want to play, a modeling amp might be a smart choice. I won't pick on your Crate amp, lots of my buds have GFX's, and they don't sound THAT bad.
Jake

[jrlemonz]

One more thing. Les Pauls don't weigh THAT much. And you get used to it a lot faster then you think.
Jake

[Viking]

Get a Les Paul Studio Lite. Half the weight and all the tone. Can be found used for $600-$800. Check eBay. Epiphones are shit...atleast the electronics, anyway.

Amp thingy: Modeling amps are nice and would suit for recording, but if you plan to play with a band the don't cut through, have crappy bass response, and sure as hell don't work with another guitar player in the band. I have a SLO which is not an option for you, but the Marshall Valvestate is the best amp for the money. There's a used 100W combo (2X12) with chorus and footswitch (3ch) for only $279 here. And it has Celestion Speakers!!!

Good Luck.

Ditch the Crate.

[jrlemonz]

Modeling amps cut through any mix for band performance! I do't know what the hell you're talking about. The only reason some don't have good bass response is that they only have 10's or 8's in them. Get the Flextone XL, Spider 212, or Johnson JM150. All of them have 2 12"s. They sound AWESOME, and all have at least 100 watts of power (Johnson has 150). If you had the $$ you could even get the Flextone HD head and make yourself a 300 watt stack. They are good for recording, but they rock on stage. I play with another guitarist who has a Marshall Valvestate with a Marshall cab, and he wants to trade me for my 2 10's Flextone. My amp sounds exactly like his when I put it on the JCM900 model. Not that this message had anything to do with what guitar this guy should buy, just the defense of something I bet you've never tried to play out with.
Jake

[Viking]

Well... I suppose they do cut through, if you're playing Simon&Garfunkel covers or something.
PROVEN FACT: You cannot have two guitars and one of them playing in stereo. Sounds like shit, phase cancellation, out of phase, delay problems, general mud sound...
I have practiced with modeling amps and it sucked. I own a Digitech 2112 pre-amp that used to be my main rig. It is also what Johnson uses for a preamp. It's all Digitech.
I would never play out with one because I would chew the speakers out about halfway through the gig. Well, If I gave a Damn about my tone anyway. And thanks for another point, your amp on the 'JCM 900' setting sounded like a solid-state amp...HMMM...... Hmm......
Digital amps lack touch, response, warmth, and tone of a real tube amp. And they have that damn noise gate thingy, which sucks the life outa any solo that's laid back, but which is required cause they are so damn noisy!

BTW: The Simon and Garfunkel thing was a bit much...

Ditch the Crate.

[jrlemonz]

Well, its just too bad that you're proven facts are wrong. Our sound is noting even close to muddy. My amp has no sort of noise gate, it's controllable, and I leave it off. The Johnson amp comes with Celestions, so I doubt you'll be chewing out anything. And yes my amp on JCM900 does sound like a solid state amp. Some of Line 6's models aren't perfect. Some of them do sound like tube amps, but some don't. The Johnsons are incredible. You would never know the difference. They have a tube inside them to add tot heir incredible sound modeling. And once again, you don't own one of these, and you've never played out with one, so how the hell would you know? I have gone to a lot of shows lately where peop=le are running the Flextone HD or the Johnson Millenium and was very impressed with their sound. The Flextone HD doesn't have to be run in stereo, depends on what cab you use.
Jake