Looking for a nice electric guitar

miroslav said:
Get a Hagstrom Swede....you'll never look back. :)

View attachment 75833
Click to expand...
had one of the originals .......... it was meh.
Of course my tastes were different back then so I might feel differently nowadays but I traded it off after around 6 months for a ..... hmmmmm, don't remember.
I do remember I didn't care for the pickups much. Found them kinda mushy sounding.

Had an Original Artist too ........ wish I had that back. That would be an Ibanez teh gerg would love but it's totally different in everyway from their pointy shred gits.
 
Last edited:
If you have the time, check the pawn shops. I picked up a 1981 Hagstrom Swede for $100.00 a few years back. I had to replace the knobs and one pickup (missing) and this guitar is beautiful. I use it as one of my main guitars. I also have picked up other nice instruments for other people that I would have bought for myself. You do have to be a bit careful. There's still lots of junk out there but if you are patient, you can find gems.
 
No one can tell you what you are going to like in a guitar, it's a very personal thing
Figure out how much you have to spend. Go to a bunch of guitar stores and play as many in that range as possible
buy the one that screams "take me home" at you
that will be a nice electric guitar for you
 
you're going to have to play a few and tell us what kind of music you like or are going to use it for.

A lot of people dis the MIM fenders, but since around 2006 (and pre-1993) their MIM stuff is great. A lot of years it's the same as the MIA stuff just with crappy pickups (which you can always upgrade in the future...it's harder to upgrade a bad neck or the ibanez logo on the headstock). So for most anything except metal, the MIM strats and teles are a great bang for the buck. I've gotten a couple on CL for $175-250 and I guarantee you won't find a nicer new electric for under $650.

DISCLAIMER: I hate Ibanez, Jackson, BC Rich, and EMG pickups. I love fender. I have no opinion on gibson...good for some, not my thing.
 
Lt. Bob said:
had one of the originals .......... it was meh.
Of course my tastes were different back then so I might feel differently nowadays but I traded it off after around 6 months for a ..... hmmmmm, don't remember.
I do remember I didn't care for the pickups much. Found them kinda mushy sounding.
Click to expand...

I have a few original Swedes and reissues...and while they have a lot in common, they certainly are not the same.
The original PUs have a brighter sound, though not *bright/thin"....while the RI ones are more typical HB tones one might find on an LP-style guitar.
I can't say the original PUs are "mushy" sounding, and I've been playing Hags since the mid-70's, so I'm use to them and think they are pretty articulate tone-wise, but then, it's always a personal taste thing and not everyone will like them.
I find the original PUs are much easier to combine with most amps, and they tend to cut through without the need for excessive treble boosters, as there is a touch of high-end content to them even when playing lower notes.
The thing that is the real selling point is the neck. Smooth and fast...though I also love the Swede body style which is not quite the same as an LP, not to mentoin the headstock.

One thing that is much better on the originals are the 2nd toggle switch options. On the original Swedes you get a nice low or high cut with it, but on the RI Swedes it just goes from dark to mud, and I rarely use it....though I do like the PUs on the RI Swedes in the flat/center position quite a lot. You only find the second tone toggle on the classic Swede RI models...the Super and others don't have it, and instead most provide a mini-toggle by the knobs for coil splitting.
The "Select Swedes" don't even offer the coil split option, just the single N/B toggle...but on my two RI Select Swedes I added a mini-toggle that has two treble-cut caps, which I fine-tuned to my taste. They are not extreme treble cuts, but rather subtle ones for tailoring an already decent tone where there might be too much treble content (as I've said many times, I'm not big on bright/treble guitar tones.. :) ...and why a rarely use the bridge PUs or single coils guitars like Strats. ).

Anyway...the hot new Hagstrom that I'm jazzing to get is the Hagstrom Deuce...which is basically a Super Swede but with two horns, equally cut out. There is the solid model Deuce and the semi-hollow Deuce-F.
I'm really wanting a Deuce-F in the tobacco sunburst finish.

HagstromDeuceF.jpg
 
The fender modern player series are pretty versatlie and stay away from anything resembling a vintage vibe, definitely a modern edge...the may make traditionalists balk but theyre well made and priced around the $400 mark...just remember they were made buy 5 year old Chinese orphans beaten with shoes though, all the best stuff is
 
I also like epiphones for their price/value ratio...plus they have the tradition Gibson les Paul body shape that I love instead of some weird looking single cutaway that I don't love. The only problem I've had with epis is the pots get crackly and the pickups are lame. I haven't much experience with the newer ones though...they may be better in that area.

Back in the 70's ibanez made some pretty good Gibson copies...dead ringers visually speaking. A guitar player in my band had a flying V. It was a great guitar... Better than the Norlin Gibsons of the day. That being said I don't like the newer ibanezes very much.
Whatever you do don't get the dime bag Darrell guitar (dean I think)...that has to be one of the cheesiest pieces of shit I've ever attempted to play.
Bottom line I would either look for a used Gibson or American fender...or a used Epiphpne depending on what I was willing to spend.
Remember this: it's worth spending 2 or 3 hundred bucks more to get a really good used guitar because if you keep it several years that price difference becomes peanuts and also if you do your homework and don't pay too much for it you can always get your money back out of it
 
Greg_L said:
The new Epiphone LP's and SG's are really nice for a "mid" level, versatile guitar. Since 2006 or so, Epi's have come a long way.

Or you can go the used route and pick up real Gibsons or non-USA Fenders for about the same or a little more.

That's the usual stuff though. Of course there are a myriad of other brands to choose from, but you'll never go wrong with a Gibson or a Fender.
Click to expand...

+1

Greg_L said:
Lol. Ibanez is poo.
Click to expand...

+1, but I do like their re-branded Maxon effects boxes.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
+1, but I do like their re-branded Maxon effects boxes.
Click to expand...

I think Maxon made all of the Ibanez effects for a long time, then Ibanez split away and now makes their own while Maxon continues to make what they've always made...whatever though, the Tube Screamer is a classic. Ibanez effects are pretty good for the most part...their buffers suck, so i'd recommend a true-bypass mod for most any Ibanez pedal.

Also, these Xavier guitars are super nice for the price...a lot of good ones between $179-250...I'd recommend changing the pickups ASAP, but they are one of the best bang for buck guitars I know of.

Xaviere Electric Guitars
 
aaronmcoleman said:
I think Maxon made all of the Ibanez effects for a long time, then Ibanez split away and now makes their own while Maxon continues to make what they've always made...whatever though, the Tube Screamer is a classic. Ibanez effects are pretty good for the most part...their buffers suck, so i'd recommend a true-bypass mod for most any Ibanez pedal.

Also, these Xavier guitars are super nice for the price...a lot of good ones between $179-250...I'd recommend changing the pickups ASAP, but they are one of the best bang for buck guitars I know of.

Xaviere Electric Guitars
Click to expand...

I have an early '80's pink Ibanez analog delay pedal that I really like, but I haven't noticed a problem with bypass? You mean that the sound is degraded when the effect is in the chain but turned off?

Thanks for the link to Xaviere. I only have one electric, and it's pretty nice, but I doubt I'll ever be able to afford a really nice one again. These look like a really low-cost option to try a guitar style (strat, hollowbody, etc.) I've always wanted without the huge financial commitment. Not sure I'd be able to change pickups myself though...is that pretty easy to do?
 
heatmiser said:
I have an early '80's pink Ibanez analog delay pedal that I really like, but I haven't noticed a problem with bypass? You mean that the sound is degraded when the effect is in the chain but turned off?

Thanks for the link to Xaviere. I only have one electric, and it's pretty nice, but I doubt I'll ever be able to afford a really nice one again. These look like a really low-cost option to try a guitar style (strat, hollowbody, etc.) I've always wanted without the huge financial commitment. Not sure I'd be able to change pickups myself though...is that pretty easy to do?
Click to expand...

There stock pickups are pretty decent anyway...i have two xavieres, never going to be classics but way better than the other budget stuff ive tried
 
heatmiser said:
Nah...it's a Japanese AD9 from maybe 1983-84?
Click to expand...

I think the original AD9 units still go for a decent price. They used the Panasonic 3205 chip for delay, same as in my Maxon AD80 reissue (which besides the name is not really similar to the original AD80). The AD80 used MN3005 iirc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top