It all depends what kind of style of music you want to play . I have a Fender Precision which I am quite happy with its live sound . I know there are better guitars out there but it does the job nicely enough for me . The problem was I could not get a nice recording sound . I picked up a very cheap Tanglewood for about $50 . It is far superior for recording but not as good live . I think I got lucky with the pick ups on the Tanglewood . It all is trial and error . What is good for one person is bad for another .