Need advice on an upcoming purchase


hunter60
Humble student
Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
hunter60
Humble student
Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
09/28/2007 2:23 am
Hello all my GT friends. I need some advice.

In another month or so, I will be celebrating my 47th b'day (which is quite a feat in itself considering my somewhat wild and reckless youth but those are stories for another day ~ :D ) and to honor the occasion, I am going to purchase a new guitar. Yes, yes, I am going to spoil myself with a new toy. Now my budget is around $450 or so American. I have narrowed my choice down to either a Mexican Strat or an Epihone Les Paul Standard.

Now I have been reading the on-line reviews and it would appear that the Fender gets dogged a little bit for a variety of reasons but the Epi seems to get through relatively unscathed. Now I already have an Ibanez Af-75 semi-hollow body that has a nice growl to it so I am thinking that the Epi is going to be very similar. The Fender would be a nice addition. I am blues / blues rock kinda guy and as all bluesy people seem to agree, the Strat is the one to buy.

So I am asking you folks, what do you think?

Thanks in advance.
[FONT=Tahoma]"All I can do is be me ... whoever that is". Bob Dylan [/FONT]
# 1
light487
Forum Administrator
Joined: 07/14/07
Posts: 849
light487
Forum Administrator
Joined: 07/14/07
Posts: 849
09/28/2007 1:20 pm
Well.. in my opinion strats have their place just like any other guitar. When I first started electric guitar my first was a strat. Then I had that stolen and bought an Epi SG next.. I used that for many years but then about 6 months ago I bought a cheap strat and I was so pleased with it I installed a decent pickup set. There's something about the silky tones my strat can give, that my SG with dual humbuckers just can't do. For my next purchase, which is just around the corner also, I will be getting either an ESP LTD or some kind of Ibanez. Then I'll have my SG for finger-style as well as crisp distortion, my acoustic for.. well.. acoustic, my strat for blues/jazz, and my Ibanez/ESP for metal stuff. Ideally I would like to buy a Fender Telecaster at some point as well... and a dual neck guitar with standard 6-string on main neck, and 12 string on upper neck would also be nice.. lol :D
light487
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# 2
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
09/30/2007 3:35 am
Try before you buy. Try a lot of 'em! Fender is a little more consistent than Gibson these days, but you still have to go through a pile of guitars to sort out the good ones from the firewood.

I've owned a few Fenders back in the day, and eventually sold them all. I just don't like the ergonomics. I keep going back to old Yamahas and Washburns. If you like the Strat sound, there's really only one place to get it. There are a lot of LP-style axes out there. Do some hands-on research, and don't be afraid to sample some used stuff.

Tone Quest can seriously complicate your life, but it has unique rewards.
Lordathestrings
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# 3

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