which electric guitar?

[bobbyg67]

been playing guitar about 45 yrs, but mostly acoustic. have a martin hd-28 and a taylor 314ce. been thinking about purchasing an electric just to mess with, maybe even get brave and go to a jam. i have a mental block about electric guitar for some reason. need some suggestions on what to get. $1500.00 is my limit.

[Bob Womack]

I love electric. I even wrote up a little guide to choosing your first electric over on my site, HERE.



Remember that the amp is a big part of the sound equation. And enjoy!

Bob

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

been playing guitar about 45 yrs, but mostly acoustic. have a martin hd-28 and a taylor 314ce. been thinking about purchasing an electric just to mess with, maybe even get brave and go to a jam. i have a mental block about electric guitar for some reason. need some suggestions on what to get. $1500.00 is my limit.

That budget will get you a decent amp and guitar. An amp is more important than many realize when they start.

I played acoustic decades before getting an electric. I think that made the Telecaster bridge and shape seem great to me in addition to the general versatility. I had a Stratocaster first. Nothing against it, love them too, but I can't imagine being without a Telecaster whether it's the way hand works on bridge, tone, simplicity....

Like acoustics, used is your friend.

Amps such as Blues Jr and Princeton Reverb will get you spring reverb, work at home, and can play with a drummer. Yamaha THR are neat items for home and desktop/table playing.

Have fun!

[dylanheeg]

I would out more money into the amp than the guitar, as an FYI. The best electric guitar in the world still sounds horrible through a crappy amp.

Depending on what kind of music you are into, the type if amp to get will certainly vary. Do you want to play mostly clean? High gain ? Distortion? FX? All these things will weigh into the decision on selecting an amp.

[Tony Done]

Just to reinforce what the other two replies have said. - Good amp, cheap guitar, upgrade pickups if necessary. Eg I have an H&K Dual El84 amp, a fistul of cheap electrics, all fitted with good pickups. With $1500, I would be thinking something like $900 for the amp and $600 for the rest (the piece of wood, pickups, pedals)

[imwjl]

Buy this ASAP.

Superb versatile amp in EC+ shape, used savings from one of the world's best guitar sellers.

http://davesguitar.com/products/fend...reverb-recent/

A good demo of Tele neck and bridge tone in addition to knowing a Princeton Reverb:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rffnidknmD0

[bobbyg67]

that amp looks sweet. now what to play through it?

[ronbo]

If you want to avoid upgrading pickups, and get a custom shop quality guitar with unique designs, custom pickups and awesome playability for a great price AND be the envy of your friends, 'cause they've never seen one before...Check out Reverend Guitars. Great guitars, awesome customer service and has a secret weapon that you'll come to love - The Bass Contour Control (BCC) that can cut the bass just like the tone knob cuts the trebles, allowing for unbelievable tonal control...I own 4 of them and will probably never buy another G or F guitar again...

There are a fair amount of used ones on CL, The Gear Page and Ebay for pretty good prices and Elderly and a number of other dealers are carrying them.

www.reverendguitars.com

Or you could just by a Fender/Squier or Gison/Epiphone type and be like everybody else...

[bobbyg67]

opinions on this.
http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/msg/4277505544.html

[PointBlank]

Go to a music store and play a G&L against anything!

Edit: That was my quick answer. I'm not saying you should even buy a G&L. I do really like them but you may not. I just think they sit very well between a Fender and a Gibson sound in general. So use them as a bench mark tool to compare to other guitars. Then you can find out if you like a hot/warm humbucker or a clean single coil tone. Or the nice G&L tones in between. BTW I own some USA Fenders and Gibsons, as well as USA and import G&L's. Only wish I tried G&L's sooner.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

that amp looks sweet. now what to play through it?

You can't go wrong with any classic model sold for decades such as the Telecaster in the demo. If you take that used bargain from Dave's - I'm sure it will go fast - they'll surely have a guitar too. It's one of the world's greatest guitar shops. I've bought 2 guitars from Brian, worked with Laun, and Dave himself.

Models will differ with flatter or more rounded fingerboard profiles. Just like acoustic some necks thicker, thin, V, C or U shaped.

This might give you an idea of how Dave's is toward 11 on the 1 - 10 scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjuJ-EOWXuI

With 63 Telecasters, 84 Stratocasters, and 130 Les Pauls in stock it's pretty hard for me to tell you which one!

My guess is many here would advise that amp at the used discount, and Dave's is in the elite of world's guitar shops.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

opinions on this.
http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/msg/4277505544.html

That is a popular model with humbucker pickups. They have a fatter warmer tone. It's not classic Telecaster but a model that has been popular for a long time. I don't know if that's a good price.

You'll pay a little more from a good used gear shop but should get a decent setup and option to trade or return.

[toomuchfun]

Like imwjl said, I think a Telecaster style guitar makes an easy transition from acoustic. With a flat top and string height similar to an acoustic it's just a matter of what kind of pickup arrangement works for you. Good luck.

[Tony Done]

Ok, here's one choice among very many. Of all the electric guitars (a lot!) I've tried over the past couple of years, this was the one that I thought was the standout:

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/hb_...=23&color=CL01

The two big things going for it are the decent P90 pickups and the semi-hollow build adds a degree of "acousticness", plus typical good Ibanez build, fit and finish. I like P90s for two reasons 1) They have adjustable pole pieces, so I can get the string-to-string balance where I like it and 2) their tone is a good compromise between strat/tele SC thin and humbucker warm. - Plenty of meat and chime without any mud.

My amp tech mate Terry, who sometimes works in the store, also liked it a lot - he's another P90 fan - and it sold with a few days.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

opinions on this.
http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/msg/4277505544.html

Nice guitar, pretty good price. It won't have the twang and single coil classic Tele sound, but would be a very nice R&R/Blues instrument. Offer him a bit less and you can't go wrong..................good resell potential. One warning.........these Thinlines with full-range humbuckers can be prone to feedback if used high gain!