Well, Dimebag's not too controversial these days but I don't think you'd want to get Kerry King's BC Rich Warlock starter pak for your devoutly Catholic cousin's kid or someone like that.

*Said in best Freddy Kruger voice* "Here you go little Billy, now you can rock for Satan with Slayer!!! MwaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!" :D

I'm new to geetar (certainly not new to bass, thankyoukindly!) and my idea of a "starter guitar" is a Mex-built (just like my great-grandparents... or my great-great-something grandparents if you count California before the BearFlaggers took it over) Fender Standard "Fat Strat" w/ Floyd Rose. Just had to get something with a tremolo I guess :rolleyes: ... though in hindsight I could do without the Floyd... though if/when I got the dough for a custom built machine, it will have a Bigsby on it! It will it will it will!!!!!

So it meets the "at least $400 criteria." I also got it because I was told with the Mex-builts you can upgrade the p'ups along with some electronic odds and ends (i.e. put in copper shielding, etc.) you can turn an "ehhhhhhh..." guitar into a "duuuuuuuude..." guitar.

Re: those Rondo guitars. On the first few pages those are some way, way lowball prices, even for a cheap-o starter. Are they built out of discarded furniture by Sudanese in refugee camps who get paid with sacks of rice or something? :confused: Interesting how by the sixth page the price category seems to graduate to that of an upper-mid-range Epiphone (if you exclude the fancy hollowbodies they make that are near two grand).