Members foose4string Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 I don't want this to turn into a Fender vs Gibson debate, since I am very fond of both. I am wanting to purchase a new or lightly used guitar in the 600-800 price range. I am not primarily a guitar player, but a violin/fiddle player who knows enough to get by. I am not serious enough to purchase top o the line, but I think quite a bit of guitar can be had for less than $800 bucks. I owned a standard mexi Strat back in the early 90's, but got rid of it a long time ago. Now, owning only an Acoustic-electric, I have been fighting back the urge to purchase another solid body for some heavier tones. I have put this on my Christmas wish list. We'll see whether my wife.....I mean Santa thinks I was a good boy. Here are the guitars I am considering. All classic, versatile, designs which will probably be more guitar than I'll ever need, but I don't want to buy crap either. PRS SE 25th custom 24 - love me some PRS. The US factory is about 30 mile from my home. Unfortunately, I can't afford or justify the price of an American. Have seen mixed reviews of the SE series, so not sure if it's worth considering. Fender Highway One HSS Strat- Seems like a great guitar for the money. Hard to go wrong with a strat if they are setup properly. Have a Highway Jazz bass that I am very happy with. Gibson LP Studio- C'mon it's a LP! I'd have to settle for plain Jane version, but I'm ok with that. Gibson SG faded special- Another Gibson classic. Is this version even worth considering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deadbeat Son Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 I bought an SG Faded Special new in 2002 and will not be getting rid of this guitar. It's not fancy, and doesn't have any frills, but it sounds and plays amazing. I know they've climbed in price since I bought mine, but if I were looking for a quality new guitar in your price range, the SG would be one of the first ones on my list. If you search hard enough, you can sometimes find a used Standard in your price range though. They're nicer to look at, but aren't a lot different otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 lots of different yet quality choices there. really they are all good, i think it should come down to what feels and sounds the best in your hands. cant really say anything bad about any of them. HSS would provide a lot of versatility, i would probably vote for that as there is no tele on that list. the fender JA 90 tele is next on my list, its right in that price range too (mahagony, p90s, semi-hollow = ). oh and and an Agile AL 3125. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 Gibson SG faded special- Another Gibson classic. Is this version even worth considering? Absolutely. It's one of my favorites. And I own a few different versions of SG. The pickups are sweet sounding a well voiced for cleans or classic rock. Or consider the same idea in the Les Paul Studio, i.e. the Vintage Mahogany version for $799. The sustain isn't quite as long as on a regular LP Studio, but they sound very lively and are quite light weight. You could also consider something like the new Ltd Ed. Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul which is made in China but has USA Gibson pickups in it. They are listed at $699 these days and include a hardshell case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman3001 Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 I'm partial to the les paul studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 Forget faded this and that, or hyper super highway M42. Just get a new Les Paul Junior. Superb guitar. You won't be disappointed. Solid, simple, better sounds than a regular LP in the bridge position (it's not better than the neck position, because it doesn't have a neck position), more responsive electronics, and you will be able to distance yourself from joe bonamassa and all the other square lp standard players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 There are an awful lot of really sweet guitars in that price range! Of the ones you've suggested, I think I would probably want to A/B the HWY 1 and the SG (just my preference.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Quarter Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 You might want to check out the MusicMan Sterling line and take the balance and put it towards a good amp . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarzan58 Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 "Here are the guitars I am considering. All classic, versatile, designs which will probably be more guitar than I'll ever need, but I don't want to buy crap either. PRS SE 25th custom 24 - love me some PRS. The US factory is about 30 mile from my home. Unfortunately, I can't afford or justify the price of an American. Have seen mixed reviews of the SE series, so not sure if it's worth considering." The $699 SE plays like a $299 Epiphone. "Fender Highway One HSS Strat- Seems like a great guitar for the money. Hard to go wrong with a strat if they are setup properly. Have a Highway Jazz bass that I am very happy with." A used American Standard from 2007+ can be had for $700+. It will hold its value and is a better guitar. Road Worns are going for $700 new. "Gibson LP Studio- C'mon it's a LP! I'd have to settle for plain Jane version, but I'm ok with that." Guitar Center had the Studio in Brown or Red for $610 with a gig bag a few months ago. New is great for the warranty and return policy. Used is great for the price but the risk is greater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 Should I throw a SE single cut into the mix? MF has them on sale right now for $399 in vintage natural and Tobacco burst. That more or less puts it in the same ballpark as the Epi. Unfortunately, the Guitar Center deal on LP's from 2 months does me no good now... but maybe you are suggesting they'll go on sale again at some point? Still, at $799, they aren't that far off the price point. It's hard to deny the versatility of a Strat, and I keep gravitating towards that style. In an ideal world I'd own a Gibson and a Fender, but I need to settle for the best of both worlds. This is what I have always loved about PRS, as they successfully married the two. Something keeps telling me I'll regret getting an SE down the road, but the good looks and price, and PRS name are awfully tempting. This will probably be the last guitar I'll get for quite some time, if ever. I want to make it count without breaking the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Revelation777 Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 PRS hasn't made a guitar that has truly wowed me. I like the Fender! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 399 for that SE singlecut is darn good price, hmmmmmmm....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted December 3, 2010 Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 Should I throw a SE single cut into the mix? MF has them on sale right now for $399 in vintage natural and Tobacco burst. That more or less puts it in the same ballpark as the Epi. Unfortunately, the Guitar Center deal on LP's from 2 months does me no good now... but maybe you are suggesting they'll go on sale again at some point? Still, at $799, they aren't that far off the price point. It's hard to deny the versatility of a Strat, and I keep gravitating towards that style. In an ideal world I'd own a Gibson and a Fender, but I need to settle for the best of both worlds. This is what I have always loved about PRS, as they successfully married the two. Something keeps telling me I'll regret getting an SE down the road, but the good looks and price, and PRS name are awfully tempting. This will probably be the last guitar I'll get for quite some time, if ever. I want to make it count without breaking the bank. I have a PRS SE Singlecut and think very highly of it (review here). $399 is an incredible price. However, I let a bud play it and he hated it. The neck definitely has a unique feel which will likely splinter opinions. I wouldn't say the SE Singlecut is a prime example of the Fender meets Gibson reputation of PRS. While mine has a nice snappy response, its still leaning pretty far to the LP side of the tonal spectrum. I subbed Lace Alumitones into mine, but I'm going to be going back to the stock pickups pretty soon as they're actually pretty good. Definitely take a trip out and play one. Fender, Gibson, and PRS all have distinctly different feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 Necks will be necks as far as I'm concerned. I liked the Fender neck ok when I had it, but I didn't own that guitar very long and it's been quite some time. It's not like I have several years vested in one neck vs. another, so I think I'll adapt either way. My acoustic guitars are really only thing I have as a reference point at this stage in the game, and my experience suggests that any electric neck is going to easier to play than those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2010 One other thing to consider about the SE single cut....Since Music123 will beat the MF price by 23%, it would come to $308 shipped. With the extra money saved on the price beater, a hard case could be had with money left over. Hmmmmm. Starting to think seriously about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted December 4, 2010 Members Share Posted December 4, 2010 One other thing to consider about the SE single cut....Since Music123 will beat the MF price by 23%, it would come to $308 shipped. With the extra money saved on the price beater, a hard case could be had with money left over. Hmmmmm. Starting to think seriously about this. WHY, WHY on earth did you have to bring that up??? now its even harder to convince myself to not buy it. thanks a lot. so..... vintage or tobacco??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 4, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2010 Leaning towards vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fireproof777 Posted December 4, 2010 Members Share Posted December 4, 2010 You could also consider something like the new Ltd Ed. Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul which is made in China but has USA Gibson pickups in it. They are listed at $699 these days and include a hardshell case. If it were me, I'd go with the Bonamassa LP; you'd be getting some great upgrades on a decent priced guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 4, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2010 Leaning toward Vintage, but something tells me tobacco burst would be much sexier in person. The Tobacco burst pics of the SE SC on the PRS site are stunning. Decisions, decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted December 4, 2010 Members Share Posted December 4, 2010 Leaning towards vintage. me too, sent music123 the price match. this is too good to pass. free shipping to boot, wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members foose4string Posted December 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 Got my price beater quote on Sunday. They have some creative math skills over at Music123. Beating a price by 123% apparently doesn't mean 23% off the price they are matching. Instead, they match the price and take 23% percent of the difference between what their original price is, and the the one they are matching. So the single cut is more like $358 or something like that. Still a good deal, and really, they don't even have to beat the price by even that much, but I was a little miffed at how they did their arithmetic. I got them to quote me on a Tobacco burst. Ironically, the day after I received my quote , it was out of stock, and not available until April. Go figure. No doubt it's a decent guitar, but I was starting to change my mind about it anyway. The Gibson are cool and all, but I feel like I will be limiting myself with dual bucks. They are the prime example of what a rock guitar should be, but I've seen plenty of Strats do the job admirably. And frankly (I thought I'd never hear myself say this), I like the twang that the single coils offer. I'm sold on the HSS strat....just don't think you can go wrong with that. Found a lightly used 2010 HSS American Special(burst color) in excellent condition for about $100 less than what the Highway sells for new. I'm pretty sure the wife snagged it for me already. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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