So I want to buy a guitar...

[KanadianKrusty 0]

I thought about posting this in food & shopping since I'm actually shopping for one (well not really not I'm still thinking about it), but I figured that I'd get a better response here.

 

So, what should I get?, MAYBE my brother would sell me his "Samick Les Paul Artist Series" when he comes back from the states because he needs money and hasn't been playing much since he started going to college, but I don't know if it would be good for what I want to play (metal, a bunch of stuff from Black Sabbath to In Flames) (by the way, I'm fully aware that I ain't going to be playing that right off the bat or even in the first months but it's where I want to get). Also, a friend of mine suggested a Fernandes Retrorocket X, but I don't trust him since he's a Fernandes fanboy of the worst kind. Oh and my budget is about 500$ cdn. which shouldn't be a problem since I saw some really good deals on ebay, so, any suggestions on what I should buy?

[godthedog 0]

is this going to be your first guitar? if so, just get the cheapest thing you can find that stays in tune. i find it's generally smarter to start cheap & just upgrade as you get better at playing.

 

unless you can get your brother's les paul for less than $500. canadian too, that's gotta be like $400 US.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

Washburn Idol Series. This is what i got recently (idol series 24 model). Great guitar for the price(250$ cdn brand new at Kind Of Trade)

 

Or a BC Rich Bronze Series Warlock model.. I don't know about these ones, having never played them myself, but I never hear anything bad about them. A very popular Metal guitar. They have a wide range of prices, but the bronze series is 300$ U.S

 

Those are two I can think of right now, if I stumble on any other thoughts I'll post linkage.

 

EDIT: You also might do well picking up a Squire Strat. Good first guitar.

[KanadianKrusty 0]

is this going to be your first guitar? if so, just get the cheapest thing you can find that stays in tune. i find it's generally smarter to start cheap & just upgrade as you get better at playing.

 

unless you can get your brother's les paul for less than $500. canadian too, that's gotta be like $400 US.

Yep, that would be my first one, but my brother got his Les Paul for like 400 cdn, so if he decides to sell it to me I'd be surprised if he asks more than 340, oh and thanks for the advice, I'll check the links you posted Thumbtack.

[Red Baron 0]

avoid using B.C. Rich and Dean Guitars, thats just my take. B.C. isn't bad but over-priced for what you get.

 

Samicks are amazing guitars, and if your brother will let you sell his les paul, buy it.

 

If not, go look in Ibanez, mainly the AX Series. Great guitars for a reasonable price.

[The Kid 0]

Get a Fender, can't go wrong with a Fender.

[Rendclaw 0]

Fenders are still too expensive... not to mention a stock Strat is a bit too generic for metal. I have an 86 Squire and I have to tweak the effects to get it to sound like I want it to.

 

I second the opinion of getting an Ibanez. Very easy guitars to play, and the cheaper ones are still decent..

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

It's always a good idea to check out what the guitarists you want to sound like play. Most makes have distinctive sounds (at least once you've been playing for a while) so if thay play, for example, a Fender or Gibson, check out their budget ranges. Also, you'll look like your idols, which is kewl.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

Anything by Gibson is great for metal becasue of the killer pick-ups. if you're going for looks, I'd put my money on a Gibson or Jackson Flying V, or a Gibson Explorer( ), but try not to spend too much so you have money for strings, picks, an amp, cables and stuff too. Also, if you plan on drop tuning (and with Sabbath you'll be drop tuning a lot... something like a step and a half), get some thicker strings. .009 gauges sets won't cut it. 10's are what I use (light top- heavy bottom Ernie Balls), and 11's or even 12's are even better. When you get used to them the skinny strings are going to feel like spider webs.

[Red Baron 0]

if you want to spend a bit extra, Seymor Duncan pick ups are a nice touch IMO.

 

Also look at ESP, Hamer and Jackson, and I'll bet you can find some real cheap prices too, and don't forget about Kramer as well.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'm going to solve all of your problems by mentioning a couple websites.

 

First off, Ed Roman Guitars.com. You name the manufacturer, chances are he's got one. Stuff for people on a budget ranging to PRS Guitars with Dragon inlays.

 

DO NOT get a foreign made BC Rich. They are absolute pieces of shit. Newer Fenders are iffy too. Check the budget section on that site for good deals on quality 1st guitars and such.

 

Harmonycentral.com. Another good resource for researching different manufacturers, get the opinions of others, buy shit, etc..

[Neil-o-Mac 0]

Metal guitars on the cheap...Hmm...and a first guitar too. Interesting.

 

Well, something with knobs, coil taps, phase switches, a Floyd Rose trem and all that jazz is probably a bit much for a first guitar, so something relatively simple, well-constructed and toneful is what you're looking for.

 

The Samick Les Paul sounds like it could be a good deal, but I'd keep a close eye on the hardware (pickup mounting rings, tuners, knobs etc) and the electronics; Samick make Epiphones (and a shitload of other cheapo guitars), and Epiphones can sometimes have iffy hardware and electronics (both my Epi Les Paul 7-string and my friend's Epi Black Beauty have had iffy pickup rings, causing the neck pickup on my LP and the middle pickup on his LP to fall inside the cavity).

 

An SG-style guitar wouldn't go amiss here too, just be careful; if it falls onto its back, the thin body means that the first thing to hit the ground will be the headstock, and it may snap off.

 

Bronze series BC Rich - teh sh1tz0rz. NJs are apparently pretty good (the new Floyd Rose Speedloader sounds like a good idea, but probably still not good for a guitar newbie - a hard-tail is where to go).

 

If you can find one cheap, a Schecter might be right up your street, especially the C, A and 00 models. Yes, a lot of nu-metal players use them, but that doesn't mean the guitars suck, just the guitarists.

 

I hear lots of good things about Raven West guitars and Agile guitars. Google is your friend here, but ISTR that Agile do some STUNNING copies for crazy prices. If only we got that sort of stuff here in the UK....

 

To boil it down somewhat, these are the qualities I would look for in a guitar for you...

 

Two humbucking pickups (single coils in metal - BAD! Well, unless it's a clean section)

hard-tail bridge (no trem!)

jumbo frets (just the thing for metal)

 

Oh, and what about an amp?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifyer...

 

I'm saving towards a Peavey Firebass 700, with 2 12's and a 15. 700 screaming watts of death grinding energy..

 

A good friend of mine has the same head with the big 8-10" cabinet..it gets so loud we can't even bear to be in his little room when it's punched to around 5.

[Neil-o-Mac 0]

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifyer...

 

I'm saving towards a Peavey Firebass 700, with 2 12's and a 15. 700 screaming watts of death grinding energy..

 

A good friend of mine has the same head with the big 8-10" cabinet..it gets so loud we can't even bear to be in his little room when it's punched to around 5.

Yeesh, that sounds like a monstrous bass rig...with 700W it must have clean headroom for days. Not the thing to use if you want a Lemmy bass sound

 

And if you're talking about using it for guitar, you're clearly quite, quite mad.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Everybody that said get Squier: DO NOT LISTEN. A Squier was my first guitar, and I HATED HATED HATED HATED HATED HATED HATED it. I can't play it today becuase the pick-up's suck. Basically, if it has coils and not humbuckers, NO GET. Metal needs the "sick" sound only a humbucker could produce.

 

I'd suggest finding a store like Guitar Center, as they usually have some pretty nice gear for pretty cheap.

[Red Baron 0]

Yamaha is better than Squire IMO...

 

also what kind of amp are you going to get as well.

 

Electric guitars needs amps too.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifyer...

 

I'm saving towards a Peavey Firebass 700, with 2 12's and a 15. 700 screaming watts of death grinding energy..

 

A good friend of mine has the same head with the big 8-10" cabinet..it gets so loud we can't even bear to be in his little room when it's punched to around 5.

Yeesh, that sounds like a monstrous bass rig...with 700W it must have clean headroom for days. Not the thing to use if you want a Lemmy bass sound

 

And if you're talking about using it for guitar, you're clearly quite, quite mad.

Oh it's fucking satanic. Sounds CRYSTAL clear until you get the knob at say...7. 7 is about as loud as I can possibly stand it while standing within the radius of a standard cord. Then it just slightly distorts, but that's only because of the limits of the speakers. Those three beasts still barely draw over half of what the head is capable of doing..I could add another 2 12's, or if I was rich, a 4 10" extension cab to get more high end. I'm only 2 or 3 paychecks away from getting the rig of my dreams. It even makes my piece of shit Epiphone Standard P-bass sound good.

 

I'd never want that for a guitar..I'd go with the first amp I mentioned.

 

Yamaha is better than Squire IMO...

 

Word. The Yamaha Pacifica series is incredibly cheap, but sounds better than most Epiphones, Squires, and other major manufacturer's cheap import lines, IMO. The one I had had 2 single coils and a humbucker. Decent electronics, decent tone, easy to play. GREAT first guitar. The one I had before that was this ancient Hagstrom with friggin' sliding plastic switches for pickup selectors..it was a weird instrument.