Help picking out a guitar for a mandolin player

[Lary Udienhizer]

It seems I really should have put my first post here to begin with...

 

If you've read the title, you can probably wager a good guess as to what this thread is about.

 

I'm thinking about picking up an electric guitar. Why? I own a mandobird now, a full electric mandolin made by Epiphone, and while it is very cool, its just not really what I'm looking for. I'll probably keep it after I get a guitar, but I mean, it has a few setbacks.. Like tone, and the pickup sounds really weird unless you tweek with it for a while one the tone and volume settings. And because it doesnt have a full truss rod, its tuning has a mind of it's own.

 

So what I've been looking at are some guitars, and here are some elements I'm really looking for.

 

Can take the low range well, while still pulling off high notes with a very nice chime- one of the reasons I am thinking about getting an electric guitar in the first place, I just cant get those low notes on my mandolin. I would not be against maybe a 7 string guitar or a baritone to get that super low A#

 

Can take some pretty hot distortion- Some really creamy thick distortion would be fun, but it's probably going to need the pickups or hardware to not chew up the tone too... Big problem with my mandobird now.

 

Bigsby tailpeice pre-installed or can take an upgrade- I like the tone and sustain that a bigsby adds to guitars, and would lean towards this with just about anything I chose. I also just like the sound manipulation it offers.

 

Things I have looked at and considered as a possible buy-

 

Gretch Corvette/ Pro Jet

Fender Jaguar

Fender Telecaster

Just shoot for a good ol' Strat

 

Any suggestions? Please! Im willing to consider most things, my pricerange isn't really a factor, I can save up.

 

Sound? Thinking somewhere along the lines of Neil Young/ Pixies/ Built to Spill

 

Thanks much guys! I trust you judgement, to a degree XP