Members craigny Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 Like the title says.....do you vote for Gibsons Epiphone, Fenders MIM's or Squires, ESP's LTD's, you get the idea....my vote goes for LTD...their high end stuff rivals ESP guitars...what say yall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 I don't think Gibson can be beat these days. I track my guitars costs in a spreadsheet and I'm marveling that I'm paying no more now for an entry level Gibson than I was paying 10 years ago and the tone of them has been getting better than I got from my earliest 3 Gibson purchases.I just purchased another "entry level" Gibson today for $607. I didn't have a LP Jr Spc with HBs, and now I will. Plus the baked maple fretboard on that guitar is actually a plus for me since I find LP Specials to normally be a bit on the darker side anyway. But I don't have a lot of experience with the LTDs. I just have this one.It doesn't sound quite as lively or vibey as I like from a guitar, but it's a pretty good rock machine. Oddly enough, the only problem I had with it was that the Earvana nut had slots that were cut too high. But after I got that fixed (first F'd up filing down the nut and had to start over with a new one) it now plays great. But it seems to mostly shine with plenty of gain. I was drawn to it by it's Duncan Jazz/Custom V compliment.For ESP, I do have a MIJ The Eclipse and it's not quite what I expected. It more "metal" than the "versatile" as described by Guitar Shop magazine.I think I've been happiest with this ESPBut for an Asian made guitar that mimic Les Pauls, I've had pretty good luck with Schecters. Still not as resonant as a cheapie Gibson, but nice versatile instruments in their own right.Fender of course also delivers good bang for the buck. But some of their MIMs have gotten pretty darned expensive.I just think it's hard to beat some of these deals that can be had from Gibson these days from 5 to 7 bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 LTD. I have an EC 400, PB 500, and EC 1000. I have had others with the faux Floyd bridges. All have been, at the least, great for the money. The ones I still have are fantastic. They came stock with Duncan pickups, and the 400 and 500 came with Earvana nuts. The 1000 is light and sounds awesome. I have gigged each of these guitars multiple times, never with a problem. Build quality is top notch, finish is excellent. PB 500EC 1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TunerAddict Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 G&L Tribute Series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members genesis3 Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 +1 on LTDs!...they have a wide variety of models too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thecornman Posted November 12, 2012 Members Share Posted November 12, 2012 Lots of good stuff out there at affordable prices these days! Myself I don't think the stuff being put out by the Godin guitar company can be beat for what you get for what you pay! A guitar like the Session can be bought new here for about 500 bucks and I could walk out of the store with it take it to a gig plug it in and know I have a reliable guitar that I can count on. They also make incredible acoustic guitars like Seagull, Norman, Simon and Patrick and Arts Luther that are great bang for the bucks guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bdegrande Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 I agree with Godin and G&L Tribute and would add the Parker P series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fixintogo Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Godin, for sure. Also PRS SE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flatspotter Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 PRS SEs are a great bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Yeah, Godins are good values, especially at the "deals" they can occasionally be had for.I got this one off of Amazon for $310 and I'd say it would still be a good value at twice that. Feels great, looks great and not one dud pickup selection (1 through 5 plus the HB split options) on this guitar. Very smooth sounding guitar, like it's got a lot of depth to its tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peskypesky Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Squier for Strats, Teles and Jazzmasters Agile for Les Paul style Ibanez Artcore for electric hollow-bodies and semi-hollows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virtual Pariah Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 To keep to the style of the OP's question. I'd say PRS SE's are the best major builders "Affordable" line. Squier's CV and VM lines are close though and they are a different beast. (bolt on vs set necks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deanmass Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Reverend, Godin and PRS SE's. Again, I think it is really difficult to buy a crap guitar these days. The Squiers are kind of amazing, some of these LTD's are amazing. The Schecters I have played are amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IbanezJon Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 The elephant in the room is that all guitars seem well made these days and it's more just about your style preference.. style of guitar, style of neck or pickups, style of music.. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Yea really there are no really bad cheap guitars nowadays compared to when I starting playing in the 70s. Even an Affinity Strat or Tele is pretty darn good, compared to yesteryear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unclemeat Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 The Sterling by Music Man SUB line is really nice for the 200-250 street price. Really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 There is no "best" it's all personal preference. Which neck feels better which pick-ups suit the playing style ect. I played the Ibaneze Artcore and Epiphone Dot before taking a chance on an Xaveire semi-hollow and have no regrets. For me it is the right one so that makes it the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tezmond Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Reverend for best bang for buck imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PrawnHeed Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Yamaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 I'd go with Squier. They're all respectable and everything Standard and up is reasonably good for upgrades while not having any pointy headstocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members straycat113 Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 I have to agree on the statement of how well almost all budget guitars are made today compared to back in the day. I believe because the guitar business is so competative today that everyone has upped their game bigtime which is a big win for players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 I heard that the PRS SE line, LTD and Schecter were all made by the same company (world music in korea). Correct me if I am wrong but it kinda makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted November 13, 2012 Moderators Share Posted November 13, 2012 I'd go with Squier. They're all respectable and everything Standard and up is reasonably good for upgrades while not having any pointy headstocks. I'd go with this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted November 13, 2012 Moderators Share Posted November 13, 2012 I heard that the PRS SE line, LTD and Schecter were all made by the same company (world music in korea). Correct me if I am wrong but it kinda makes sense. I think there are a fair few LTDs made in Indonesia, but not 100% sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted November 13, 2012 Members Share Posted November 13, 2012 Tthe fender MiM standards that I've tried in the past few years have been excellent guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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