help on a guitar buy

okay, heres the deal.
I am planning on buying a new guitar but since there are no music stores anywhere near me i'm going to get it this summer. this leaves me alot of room for research. this is where i need some help.

i need advice on a good guitar. I play mostly rock, classic, rock and metal. i need something that'll play fairly fast for when my speed really develops (i'm working towards being able to shred). I am also on a budget of roughly a 1000 or less.

any specific brand or advice would be great help.

man, i dont really know how are the prices out there, but here are the basic points that a good guitar should have:

1. WOOD: make sure its not "amalgamated" wood, like wood with layers of wood and glue.
2. HEADSTOCK: use blinded tuners, so it doesnt detune easily
3. PICKUPS: if you play metal, it would be good to have 2 single coils for clean sound (near the neck and in the middle) and one humbucker on the bridge for use with heavy distortions
4. BRIDGE: please, dont buy a floyd rose... you have no idea how boring it is to recalibrate this crap every damn time you change strings...

thats basically it. with a near 1000 as budget, you could by one guitar that has a good wood but crappy pickups, so you could change pickups later. it gives you a customizable guitar with a lower price, usually....

sounds like your shooting towards a fender fat strat then

I highly recommend the Yamaha SG or SBG series guitars.

If you're uncomfortable with the physical dimensions of Les Paul style guitars, a Strat or Strat-style axe may suit you just fine. But while you're doing your research, take the time to see how highly a particular guitar is rated by people who actually own and play them.

My own review of "Brand X" appears on Harmony Central http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Yamaha/SG1000-01.html On this page, 7 reviews gave it a net rating of [u]9.9[/u] out of 10! There are several model variants, (SG-1000, SG-2000, SG-3000, SBG-1000, etc.) but its startling to see how highly any version of this axe is praised by its owners. I sold a mint condition '62 Strat when I came up short of rent money, but kept my Yamaha. Its that good!

Your proposed budget should leave you room for any mods you might want to make, like different pickups. The thing is, dead stock, out-of-the-box, its a world-class guitar. One of the music world's best-kept secrets.

Remember, ultimately, its your ears that will know you're playing a good guitar. The name on the headstock means squat!

...'n thass th'way I feel...

i'll do some more research..thanx alot on the yamaha one though, i think yamaha is one of the underated guitar makers. the one i own right now is a yamaha and it rocks for the price i paid for it. i just need a guitar that has a little more to offer than my current one.

Hey dude. Looking seriously at prices, I think things like Les Pauls, and DECENT fenders would be going ind of over the top... I mean, perhaps you can afford it all, but as for me - I'm in so position to spoon out the amount of money that the Classics cost... much as I wish I could.

In my view, I've been in love with the Gibson SG (solid guitar) since I saw the guitarist off U2 play it in the concert in Berlin. It's not as famous as the Les Paul, so it's not as expensive... but it's got SO MUCH individuality! Get the same pickups as the Les Paul, so you'll have the same sound... they look BEAUTIFUL, sound the same...

And COST a LOT less.

Also... have you ever looked at any of the Ibanez models? They kick ass. Someday I'll get one!

E-mail me and tell me what you got!

paddybodenham@talk21.com

Check out Carvin! Custom built guitars, with neck through body construction, for under a $1000!

http://www.carvin.com

You might have to wait a couple of weeks for it, but it's definately worth it I think.


Greetz, TK

For $1000 bucks you may be able to find a used PRS (Paul Reed Smith). Check used places and you may also want to check eBay.

Parker is making some pretty baddass flys for under $1000 these days. One of the best guitarists I know swears by them.

"...Yeah, I'd use my Les Paul more, but I'm so spoiled by my Parkers..."

Bastard.

You should really check into them.
Here's a link to my guitars.

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/elmoblues45/lst?.dir=/&.view=l

get a fender. They are easy to learn on, and you can get a decent one for 300 dollars.

My recommendation: don't buy a used guitar on Ebay or anywhere else without playing it - you're asking for trouble. While I'm sure you CAN get a good deal, if you get a lemon you're kinda stuck. Best thing to do is go to a music store, find one you like, and check out musiciansfriend.com for THEIR best price (probably lower than the store), and order a new one from them. I own a 71 Strat, a 72 Les Paul and a 70 SG, and had a Telecaster and a Gibson ES-125. I really love the Strat, and the SG has a great action - the Les Paul is just too heavy for me. Go with the Strat.

I recently tried a Gibson BluesHawk - I'm going to buy one from Musiciansfriend soon ($799 w/ case - not gigbag). I REALLY liked the weight, action and sound - it has this "varitone" function that I love.

It's just a matter of opinion, when it comes down to it. I'd have to recommend the Strat for the best, though.

Good luck,
Mark

Yeah Marco - everybody knows the Strat's the best of the lot for simple, standard QUALITY. But in my view it's just too ****ing NORMAL!

It varies in it's styles all the way from blues to Rock, to whatever, simply cos it's played through such a wide field.

I'm wondering whether the guy who asked the question originally is actually reading any of these, cos he's not replying... but the question I'd ask him would be "what type of music do you play?!"

If blues, Gibson's are the ones for you. Nothing beats a Les Paul for blues riffs... a little expensive I know, so maybe a Fender Jazzmaster would be worth looking at.

If ROCK, on the other hand...... there can be NOTHING AT ALL better than any of the types of Ibanez. Racy. Aggresive. Growling chords, to angelic melodies... look at the RG series. They range in quality, so you can handle the amount of cash quite easily.

What does everyone reckon on that one then?

I reckon he's not replying 'cause he's out looking for an old Yamaha SBG! :D

If you're in the US try looking at the Essex and Agiles Les Paul copies on Harmony Central

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/

or in UK/Europe "Vintage" brand Les Paul/SG types - great scale and all round feeel for the music you like.

The cheaper Hamers are good too.

You really can't go wrong with a decent Fender American Strat or A Gibson Les Paul Standard. While the Gibson sells for much more than $1000 new, you can find one used in a local trade paper or on the internet used within your price range. I would reiterate that you should not buy a guitar unless you have an opportunity to play it first. As for the Fender Strat, it's price is reasonable, its made of quality wood, and the guitar can accomodate just about any style of music you are into. Some of the Fender Mexican made Strats actually sound pretty good as well (hard to believe but true) Some of the old Fender Squiers (made in the early 1980's in Japan) are also decent guitars with a much lower price tag.

Yeah the MIM gits are a great deal if money's an issue. Get one from the past few years.

sorry...been to busy to reply...and i'm very thankful for all the advice and i will most likely look into the fender strat and some yamahas. and for those people who'd like to know...i play mostly rock (new, old whatever) some punk, and blues if i'm in the mood.