new guitar

Hey,
I've been wondering what guitar I should get. I want a nice guitar for a price lower than $400. What guitar would you recommend?

With $400 to spend, I strongly recommend looking around for a good used guitar. Spend a few hours poking around the Harmony Central User Reviews postings. You can get a lot of insight into what a particular model is like by reading what people who actually own one have to say about it.

I went back a few months on this forum and came up with the following threads. There's plenty more where these came from!

New Guitar Dilema

budget guitars

The worst equipment? (You need to know what to avoid, as well as what to look for)

which guitar?

need help buying my first electric!!!

NEED ADVICE ON A PURCHASE

Buying my second guitar... I need some help!!!

help on guitar buy

Since this is the Gear forum and all...(a listing of gear some of our members use)

I would get a made in mexico (or usa) strat.
I have a samick guitar, which I like.
just dont buy cheap ibanez guitars

Go to shop
Play many guitars
Ignore brand
Buy your favourite

Too much advice from somewhere like this will do nothing to help you.

yeah, you probably should ignore the brand. I just like strats...

Originally posted by taylormarkow
yeah, you probably should ignore the brand. I just like strats...

I'm not knocking strats at all (they don't grab me though). Last time I went seriously guitar shopping I thought I'd end up buying a Jag (I'm into power pop, noise and ambient), but I ended up with my Ibanez RG. It's not at all the sort of guitar you'd expect for my style of music, but it works perfectly. Had I been hung up on brand I'd never even have tried it.

thanx people, I'm thinkin about going for a strat since you can get em relatively cheap and they're well-known for being good guitars. And they look nice to.

Originally posted by punkr
... And they look nice too.

You do your best guitar judgement with your eyes closed. Even with 'em open, you don't see much of your axe while you're playing it. :cool:

yeah, but if you had a choice between two same sounding, same exact guitars except one looks good and and one is all wrecked, youd choose the good sounding one. he was just saying that strats looking good was a plus, not the reason for buying one. i think.

Please don't just go for a Strat (or any other guitar) on reputation.

Play many guitars in the store - preferably every single one that's in your price range. While I'm not knocking Strats at all, you might find (as I did) that they just don't grab you, and that you're better off with something different.

Don't restrict your choices before you've even played anything, please...