Can you suggest me a new guitar in the $500 price range

[Kasey]

brian moore's. theyre designer guitars, and the cheapest ones are still better than guitars that are over $1000. you wont regret it. amazing sound, the new 'modern' style neck that gets thinner the further up the neck, which is awesome for soloing and well as playing rhythm. theyre the perfect guitars in my opinion, i love mine.

 

[jimistone]

Even I can tell the difference between a Les Paul and Strat, but can I tell the difference between MIM Strat and MIA strat ?

Tony

Mexican strats are good...I have one and I also have an old american one.
Heres the lowdown:
The pickups on mexican strats are differnet than the rest of the fender line of strat pickups. They are open bottom and sound OK, but not great IMO. The tremelo block on a mex strat is thin and chessy...not a thick cold rolled steel forged block... like the vintage strats. The Mex strats seem to have decent tone with these thin little cast blocks, but im sure there would be an improvement with a steel vintage block. The tuners on the mex strats are pretty good (a hell of alot better than epiphone tuners anyway). The wiring is done with thin gauge wire and the switch and pots are OK I guess. The Mex strats have really good necks and bodies....and the fretwork is pretty good (thats where playing some and finding one you like comes in)

Bottom line...
I put Fender Texas Special pickups in my Mex strat (aprox $100)
Its a great playing guitar and sounds better (IMO) than it did with the stock pickups.

be aware that the trem block string holes on the Mex strats have different spacing than the vintage and american strats....so, you can't slap a steel trem block of an old strat in one ( )....anyone need a cold rolled steel block?

If I was going to by a strat style guitar....1st off, I would buy a FENDER

Secondly, I would realize that if I buy a Mex strat, I will have to spring for a set of pickups and im not crazy about the trem block and plate on those guitars (A steel block and plate from Callahan will run you 150 bucks)

That being said....the 50's/60's/70's or signature mexican strats come already set up the way I like. They are aprox 700 bucks new. Thats the direction I would go in.

Thats over your budget I realize, but, you should be able to get a Jimmy Vaughn strat, or a 50's/60's/70's strat used for $300 to $400.

That would be my suggestion.

 

[hixmix]

tony- if, for some reason, you're feeling pressured into upgrading, spend the $500 on a used MIA Strat. Have your peers, who seem to be pressuring you into this, help you pick one out. Live and play with it for awhile. If, after awhile, it doesn't do anything for you above your Behringer, you'll always be able to sell and get back what you paid for it.

 

[jfrog]

Here's my well educated opinion.

Get a Fender Deluxe Powerhouse Strat. You can find them used for $300-$400 all the time. They have upgraded hardware and electronics and all the things you love about a Strat.

H2H

I was on my way to my local guitar store to buy a Deluxe Nashville Telecaster (~$550 new - a great deal) when I happend to stop in at a used guitar store and found the better version of the same the Nashville Power Tele for about $500. (over $700 new). Either way, they're durned nice guitars for the $$$. I assume the Strats are equally nice.

 

[jfrog]

One more thing...I also looked at G&L guitars...I think it's the "tribute" series that's around $500. They appear well made and they're beautiful. I just liked the actual Fender tone better.

 

[reshp1]

Please do yourself a favor and find a shop that carries Cort guitars (Music-Go-Round) and try the Matt Guitar Murphy Sig model. It is the best value in electric guitar, IMHO. I've simply not played a better guitar in the sub 2000 dollar range. The pickups might be the weak point, but hey, they happen to be the easiest part to swap out!

It looks kinda like a PRS, double cutaways, quilted maple carved top, block faux mother of pearl and real abalone inlays, bound neck and body. Hum-Hum pickup configuration, but both are coil tappable by pulling up on the volume knob. Great tone, great playability, incredible looks. Solid as a rock too, I dropped the guitar face down on my pedal board and there's not a scratch on it.

 

[tonyoci]

Hixmix, and everyone else.

Right now I think I'll stick with what I've got (if not then it will be a Variax). I've been in the stores with my portable studio (Zoom PS04) and fundamentally I can't tell any difference that justifies the cost. I am used to what I have now & since I live 100% in the digital domain I suspect the tone's are not a key for me. The POD XT I own allows me to get a whole range of sounds from my crappy guitar.

I am definitely pressuring myself - "hey I'm a better player - now I should have a better guitar "

tony