play the guitar without plugging in. If it sounds good like that then you can make it sound good through an amp.

This may sound crazy to some people, and in my experience it's the absolute truth!! Unplugged will tell you how much the guitar sustains on its own. And you might be surprised at the differences in volume (unplugged) between guitars. Plus, unplugged you might concentrate more on how the instrument feels and "calls to you", rather than spending time and brain CPU cycles fiddling with some amp trying to pull a certain tone out of it.

Now... Epi vs. Gibson... Ya know, in these days of modern manufacturing techniques applied in asian countries, it may not really make a big damn what name is on the headstock. If your friends are busting you chops about the logo on the head stock, sand it off and stencil "Eat Me!" there! Spend your $$ on new P'ups (etc.) for that Epi, and buy a nice wireless controller for your SONAR rig!

I bought a fender squire strat to play around with a while back. I simply replaced the pickups with some fender vintage noiseless pickups and I hate to admit it, but it's probably the best sounding guitar I have. Even the playability is great. I left the logo on the headstock. I don't care what the logo says. If it's good... It's good. Some guy with a $1200 fender Strat was pretty bummed when he heard my $150+$150 = $300 squire strat kick the Sh!t out of his. He actually asked me to play it so he could hear the difference with a live band. I use it to record with all the time. Sounds great.

I would agree with CJ and Silence Dogood. In this day I am not really impressed with the big differences (ie $$$) Re Gibson being the almighty. IF you want classic, look at a Heritage (the old makers of Gibson in Kalamazoo MI).

And try a PRS first too....

+20 with all the folks in the "work with what ya got" camp.

Does your current guitar feel good? Play well? Intonate well (as well as most guitars can?)? Then why not drop in better pickups, maybe a better bridge/nut (check out the Buzz Feitein system...) and spend a whole lot less in the process?

Truth In Advertising Dept - my own axes are a mix of Steinberger, Godin, Parker, Fender - all higher end stuff, but there's a reason for each one. But my favorite, "warm fuzzy" axe is a 25 year old Vantage V695S I got for around 300 bucks. Dropped in a mix of DiMarzios, Kahler trem, custom nut - holds its' own against any of the above, total cost with mods of around $650.

Big Bucks/Big Name does NOT necessarily equal a happy player. If your hands are happy with the Epi - stick with it.

Oh, and FWIW - I've been thinking of picking up a new axe, and what have I been looking at........? An Epiphone Les Paul!! Go figure........

ask yourself one question, what famous guitar players play epiphone guitars...

Mr McCartney and Mr Gallagher both have signature models. Oh and John Lennon played a Riviera. Anyway it's not what the guitar is, it's whose doing the plucking.

ORIGINAL: chongo
ask yourself one question, what famous guitar players play epiphone guitars...

Sorry, but I have to take issue with this advice...

The name on the guitar doesn't affect much more than the price, and possibly the resale value. I don't know much about the later, I have a policy of never selling guitars<G>!

My rule of thumb that I share with my students is play everything you can get your hands on, then, after you've learned a little about the differences between guitars look at the price tags. If you can tell the difference between a $300 guitar and a $3000 guitar then you really need to figure out a way to buy the $3000 guitar. But if you haven't been playing for a long time you are likely not going to be able to hear or feel the difference. This is one of those rare occasions when life works the way it ought to. As you grow as a guitarist your tastes mature, and you can appreciate the differences between instruments.

The flip side is equally true... if you can tell the difference between that same $300 guitar and a $150 guitar, and if you like the $300 guitar better don't waste your money on the $150 guitar... you won't be happy with it. With any major purchase it makes no sense to skimp. That applies to cars, houses, and yes, guitars.

I have only ever let two guitars leave my collection. The first was a Kramer, and it was given to me, and later on another friend offered to trade me a really lovely Takamine 12 string for the Kramer. It was a no-brainer for me. It was also a no-brainer for him. He played that thing like it was meant to be played... me, it always sounded horrible in my hands.

While the sound of a guitar starts in the heart/mind/fingers, the wood, frets, pickups, electronics, and general construction do all have some effect. Several years ago I was at an open house and several folks brought out guitars. I had not thought to bring one along, so I ended up playing a Sears Silvertone that I learned on. It's a horrible little plywood guitar, but everyone made the comment that I still sounded like me. I took that as high praise. I still think I sound better playing my Larrivee OM-10, Santa Cruz D/PW, or my Martin D-18<G>, but that's my ears, and my perception. And it is affected by the fact that I just love those guitars.

Similarly, I have a very badly "modified" Fender Music Master that, in some settings, sounds just wonderful. I have an old Mosrite Venture model that just sounds like the Pacific surf! But those two don't come out very often, mostly I play one of my Les Pauls or a Strat Ultra. They are better instruments, by which I mean better made, with better woods and better parts.

I also have a Mexi-Strat that I picked up with the idea of using it as a guinea pig for my 13 pin experiments. I didn't really want to route one of my favorites<G>! Before I carved it up I put in new pickups and a new bridge. Dang, the thing sounds great and now I'm afraid to cut it up!

Another reason not to get all hung up on names - I have a Bill Lawrence Telecaster copy. It is hands down a better sounding, better playing Telecaster than almost any other Telecaster I've played. Mr. Lawrence is known for his pickups, but I don't think he is necessarily know for his guitars. So the resale value on this is probably not too high... not that I plan on selling it<G>!

There are other lesser-known builders out there, and some of them make extraordinary instruments. There was a guy on the west coast named Matlin, I don't know what happened to him, but I've played a number of his guitars and they are all great. On my coast we had a luthier named Eric Shulte who made amazing instruments. Sadly, he knew it, and I could never afford one of his creations.

So trust your ears and your hands, play a bunch of instruments, and then invest in the best one you can afford, and that you can tell is better than the others.

If any of that makes sense...

And now for something totally different…

Have you given any thought to a modeling guitar, like the Line 6 Variax? Some purist hate these guitars and many are steadfast in their opinion that they simply don't sound like the real thing, but if you want to lay down some killer guitar tracks; some that sound very close to the 25 guitars the 600 or 700 solid body Variax’s model, as well as have the ability to create your own virtual guitar with the Line 6 Workbench software - this may be the way to go. I have the Variax Acoustic 700 and the POD X3 Live (I use to have the XT Live), and it is unbelievable the acoustic tone I’m able to record. The 1941 Martin 5-17 probably isn’t a dead on model, but I don’t know anyone that has a 1941 Martin 5-17 lying around. Did I mention alternate tunings at the flick of a switch? My next guitar will be a Variax 600 or 700; I may opt for the 600 and put a better neck on it and some locking tuners. I have 8 other guitars; a Parker Fly, PRS CE 22, American Deluxe Strat HSSLT, and so on. I have tube amps, modeling amps and a Fender CyberTwin that sort of lives in its own world, but the best sounding recordings I’ve done (with my marginal ability) has been straight through the POD. I haven’t recorded the X3 yet, but with its ability to record 2 instruments or two separate tones at the same time, as well as a dry signal – this is beyond cool.

Another possibility is the Roland VG strat; I haven’t played one, but I’ve still got my trusty Brian Moore i8.13 midi guitar that I run through a Roland VG-8 – it’s another versatile tool in my tone tool box. I’m really interested in the VG-99; you might consider the package that includes the GK-3 pickup (around $1,300) – it has an attachment plate for Les Paul-type guitars (no drilling). You could also go for the gusto and swap out your EPI pickups at the same time and switch between your guitar’s magnetic pickups and the Roland sounds, as well as blend the two. Why not think out of the box a bit? You could have a new guitar that has a handful of sounds, or you could have dozens – it’s up to you.

But if you a looking for a “regular” guitar that plays great, looks great, sounds great, and is an excellent value – I have to agree with the folks that recommend the ESP LTD Deluxe EC-1000. I’ve got my eye on one of those as well. Good luck.

I would disagree with a couple of things stated above:

1. Play it unplugged. A Les Paul is made of wood so dense that it is almost complete non-resonant. It makes very little sound when played by itself, and sounds nothing like what it sounds liked played through an amp. A Strat, OTOH, is usually pretty resonant and makes considerably more volume by itself, but still it sounds nothing like what it'll sound like through an amp.

2. It depends on who is doing the picking. True to a degree, but you won't make a Les Paul sound like a Strat or vice versa. They are radically different approaches and provide very different tonal characteristics. As soon as you hear that twangy sound, you know it's not a Les Paul. And when you hear an enormous, thick, sustainting, buffalo testicle power chord, you know it's not a Strat. It's best to have one of each, because you can mix them to good effect in a song, using the one whose strengths best complement a given part or that provides the most contrast to what's already been laid down.

Take a look at Schecters with the real Duncans in them.

 According to me Epiphone SG G310 is the bigger Guitar than other. The consensus is the guitar is analytic well made, and the superior of the copse tends to be high.

Speaking from over 45 years of guitar playing and over 35 years of session work both in professional studios and project studios, there is no "best guitar". If you are serious about playing or recording, every song has a particular character that calls for a different guitar approach. One guitar will not do the job unless you are a specialist that has his own sound. Ex=Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King, Albert King, Stevie Ray, Wes Montgomery. Those guys have their own distinct sound that is recognizable. If you are doing many different styles, Jazz, rock, country, reggae., you need to research that style or artist and see what they use. In my work an LP, a strat, and a tele are absolute essentials to cover the electrics. My collection over the years has grown from those three to 15 instruments not counting the acoustics. I do agree that if your Epi is a nice playing guitar that suits you, replace the pickups. Research the LP you want to emulate. Find out what pups are in there. Then look for the equivalent. Seymour Duncans are really good at getting the retro sound, plus you can even hotrod it up if you want. Also, make a decision about your amp situation. Don't buy a guitar for a couple of thousand dollars and then run it thru an amp sim expecting to sound authentic. I use amp sims myself because a lot of the producers now want the option to change out the amp sound after the initial recording. I like the flexibility but the sound of an amp sim will never beat a great mic on a great amp in a great room. Just remember. VERSATILITY! Just because your playing Black Sabbath today doesn't mean you won't be playing Steely Dan licks in five years. GOOD LUCK!

Do some of you ever read the first post and the DATE!!!

johnnyV


Do some of you ever read the first post and the DATE!!!

+1,000,000,000!!!!
 

Well, it's the old Sonar 8.5 forum - we've got to do with what we have or move to X1 for updated versions of the same questions. 


Well it's so true, We are getting so thin here that we will read anything! It's amazing how fast this forum died. We are being punished for waiting till the smoke clears to upgrade. It's getting close. Another 3 months I think.
But there has been a lot of old threads dug up lately. I guess that's the Googler's at work.  I visit the X1 forum from time to time and my mind goes blank. I think the Coffee house is a better read.

Well going back to the OT, guitars are all about what works in your hands, If your not fussy, ya,  a cheap guitar that stays in tune will work.
But I have played guitar since I was 7 years old, so I'm a little more picky.... Most of my guitars are custom made by a small production Luther. I never can find production instruments that work for me , even if they cost $1,500. I have owned all of the major brands and models and end up selling them as they never make the grade. Only my Guild L 50 is a keeper.
The best guitars are now made in small shops. And there are plenty of them thank god.
This is Toms Web site, it's not a very good web site because he is not really into that kind of thing, He's is to busy making good guitars. Mine are all from around 1994 when he started. He recently made me a Strat copy that is a keeper.  I've owned a bunch of the real ones and tossed them. My only commercial guitar right now is a G&L Tele.  But I'm thinking about letting it go. It's only got one good sound.

http://www.tmcustomguitars.com/gallery.htm