hey man, you came to the right place, people here are very helpful. First rule in buying a guitar; plan your budget and stick to it. What kinda monies we talking? Basically, theres an electric guitar for every price level, but Fender and Gibson are two of the bigger names. With either brand, you are paying for a quality brand and an excellent product which is being offset by a somewhat hefty price tag. So start with a number then read on, though this is just my view.
Fender, I love. I trust them, I love the sound my American tele gives me and I would definetely buy another one. I have had no problems with it thus far, and I think its a great instrument. My brother plays an American strat, and we both agree on the high quality of each instrument. Stratocasters and Telecasters are fenders flagship guitars, but you probably laready know that. Strats have three pick-ups and a 5 way selector, and people love the for their versatility. Telecasters have 2 pick-ups, a 3 way selector, and in my opinion are perfect for blues, country and alt rock. The way Fender works is that they have various models for various budgets. Starting at the bottom, there are the 'Squier' by Fender Strats and Teles. Theyre Asian made replicas that are reliable for the money and provide an introduction to electric guitar playing, as most come with some sort of guitar-amp-book package. They retail for about €300 (thats Euro). Next you have a Mexican standard; mexican built with mexican parts, reputable and of better quality than the squiers. If memory serves, these guitars go for €500-€550. Next up, you have the Highway One series - man, I love these guitars, they deserve the awrds the pick up. Its an American made Strat or Tele, with american tooled components, but scaled down somewhat; the pick ups arent of as high quality as more expensive model, and the nitro-cellulose finish is traded for a satin lacquer; be warned, these things will scratch if you're rough with them. Personally I think the sound and build quality is excellent. I paid €870 for my tele, strats maybe a little steeper because of more electronics. Arguably the best thing about these is that you have 'Made in the USA' on the back of em, meaning re-sale is particularly attractive. Next, you have American Standards, the standard top-end fender guitar (though custom shop and deluxe/re-issue models can go for thousands). Made in America, excellent components and quality tone-woods and electronics, these are some of the best instruments you can buy, and at €1300, theyre pretty reasonable.
Okay, onto Gibson. First thing you'll notice is the price Jump; whereas a replica Strat will set you back €300, an Epiphone Les Paul is around €800. As you would expect, the Epi is a 'better' guitar, but you'll notice immediately that you're spending more bucks on your Gibson, replica or authentic. Basically your Gibsons will have shorter scales, making them pretty good for solid riffing. This is exacerbated by the prevalence of Hum-Buckers; pick-ups where the wire is wound in different directions to cancel hum. (Theyre a common site in metal for chugga-chugga rhythms and shred solos). One thing to note about certain Epiphone (remember, the replica brand?) models is an unbalanced body/neck weight ratio; sling an SG on and you'll immediately feel the neck point to the floor. That kinda annoys me. Also, finishes tend to be poorer on Gibsons than Fender counter-parts, but thats my opinion solely. As for prices, well Gibsons go from anything between €1500 for a Les Paul Studio to €40,000 for a 1959 Sunburst Les Paul. Theyre alot of money, and you'd have to try them to amke sure they're what you're after.
Where does that leave us? well, the 'Gibson or Fender' argument won't be settled any time soon; most artists have switched between both. Jimmy Page is synonomous with his Sunburst Les Paul, but the Stairway to Heaven solo is a Telecaster. Clapton had his Black Strat, but started out on a custom SG. Guns and Roses featured Izzy with a Tele and Slash with a Les Paul. so....try em both out. Try em alot. Try Strats, Teles, Jaguars, Mustangs, SGs, Flying Vs, Explorers, Les Pauls. Pick something you'll want to play every day. If your budget doesnt stretch to an AMerican Fender or an Epiphone Les Paul, i suggest you try a Yamaha Pacifica; about €350, and any guitar player worth his salt will tell you what a great sounding verstaile guitar they are. Thats just my two cents.
