Need to buy a new guitar can t decide ! HELP

[alexfen]

Hi,

i ve beeen playing for 2 years on my first guitar , a squier strat. the sound is awful but it was a good help and i enjoyed it. Now it s time to go real and to buy a real guiar.

I m having hard time deciding between fender modern telecaster and Epiphone les paul standard.

A friend of mine told me to wait and to save and buy a real gibson later .to buy the tele .

But i keep on reading that the epiphone les paul is a great guitar and that it s very close . I mean of course i d love to have a real gibson but isnt it too early for me ? i m far from being a pro and i think an epi would be enough but i love as the telecaster modern

HELP please

[deeman]

Try them all out and get the one you like the most.

 

Try out other brands and models too, you may find something you like even more.

[Rabs]

Ok well....

 

Yes, the main way to know is to literally go and play as many guitars as you can... Try a Mexican Fender, even a more top of the range Squire try anything that you like the looks of... You will soon find out what you like and what you don't...

 

The main things to look for when buying a new guitar.... What the neck shape and size is and what pickups does it have.....

 

With Gibsons you have (basically) fatter 50s neck or slimmer 60s necks..... Don't know much about Fenders... And then you have hotter or mellower pickups.. Deciding these two things can really help slim your choice down...

 

As for the Gibson vs Epi debate... Yes Epiphone make some fine guitars... But they aren't Gibsons.... And for the future if you ever wanted to sell this guitar, a Gibson will hold its price way better.. So yeah id say save a bit and get a lower end Gibson... What you need to know about Studios and Specials and the like, is that they are made in the same place and by the same people as the Standards and all the other USA models... Same woods and electronics too..... All that's missing the binding and high gloss finish (very labour intensive processes), apart from that they are every bit as much as a Gibson as any other.... So if you don't care about the bling.. A Studio is a GREAT guitar for the money. (and its never too early to get a Gibson ;))

 

But that's me being biased towards Gibsons.. You MUST try all sorts of guitars.. If you are still new(ish) to it, you just never know what guitar will suit you.. A guitars price is not a guide :) Its only, does it suit you, does it sound great.... That's the most important part...

 

The most annoying thing about all of this is that in a few years your taste will probably change again :) (its a constant battle)

 

Well I hope that helped a bit... Come back and let us know what you go with and good luck on the hunt (its well worth taking your time and putting the effort into this)

['Scales]

Hi there.

I'm not sure whether you've tried many Les Pauls, but from my own experience they can feel pretty strange if you are used to a Strat, so unless you are definitely after a single cut guitar, maybe include an SG in your possibles list - the neck will seem long at first but it will sound like a Les Paul and is worthy of consideration, plus they tend to be less expensive so maybe a Gibson model will be within reach.

 

Good luck either way!

[capmaster]

Hello Alexfen, welcome to this nice place in the web!

 

There's already lots of helpful advice here that I hereby want to confirm. Let me talk a bit about the guitars you already mentioned in your post.

 

Epiphone Les Paul Standards are fine guitars and offer real Les Paul features on a budget. I don't own one but an Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus made in China. This is basically a Standard Plustop with Gibson '57/'57 Plus pickups and series/parallel humbucking coils push/pull switched options instead of coil splits. The multipiece body is not a shortcoming, it sounds pretty up to par with the five of my Gibson Les Paul guitars. Like most Les Paul players I use strap locks on them all - the upper strap button's position is a bit risky. The D shape 60's neck is and feels slightly less rounded on the back compared to all the Gibson Slim Taper 60's necks in my arsenal.

 

Until now I never played a Fender Modern Player Telecaster, but I have to say she looks interesting to me. Made in China, too, with six fully adjustable saddles which I demand for - I reject the vintage three-saddles-only Telecaster design. The pine body is something I would have a close eye on, a strong argument for choosing the Honey Burst finish option. Like alder, pine tends to secrete resin, and this can happen under the finish, too. However, the eight of my alder-bodied Fenders never caused a problem, and four of them have solid finishes because of availability. The neck's C profile feels nice to me - seven Fenders of mine have it, and I'm fine with them, too.

 

Tone and feel are what counts, and perhaps the fretboard radiuses may make a difference for you. Anyway, I like the 12" Gibson and Epiphone radius as well as the 9.5" Fender radius. Through appropriate setups I made all of these guitars mine so to say. Their playabilities are incredibly similar. I also think that switching between maple and rosewood fretboards is not a problem. They say that the Modern Player's frets are Jumbo, not Medium Jumbo like most of my guitars. However, my only guitar with Jumbos, a Telecaster by the way, plays fine, too. Jumbo frets call for a wittingly lighter touch to achieve correct intonation, but that's just a thing of mindset I think.

 

Whatever guitar you decide to go with, take your time to choose wisely, and you will bring home a keeper, whatever guitar(s) you may add over the years.

 

Good luck, keep us posted, and ask back in case you might want some more detailed advice.

[Junior Jr III]

Welcome to the Forum!

This might come as surprise but you're going to need both of those guitars. Probably some others too.

 

Now my 2 bits. Once I thought that I would like to play a Telecaster. I bought one for very cheap and tried it out. I did like the Tele and later got a MIM one that is a few steps up.

A used Squier Tele can be had for about nothing and the two that I have are more than decent and fun to play. Honestly, they can't lose value based on what I paid originally.

 

Bit #2, same scenario with a Les Paul. I didn't want to spend a lot of dough to find that I didn't like the shape, weight or feel so I browsed the Epi line. The LP Standard that I found is extremely easy to play. I even learned to stop hitting the toggle switch (mostly). So much fun I got second one. See profile pic. And now I've added a Gibson Tribute to the batch

 

The point of these bits, is that you can try out any style of guitar you're interested in for cheap, then move up. So you don't care for a Strat sound after 2 years? Maybe a different amp or a fuzz pedal would help.

Saving up for a real Gibson or whatever is a great plan but it's great to have something to play in the meantime. That's it for my advice. So many choices out there. Play a bunch of them and have fun looking!

 

And now some other nice person will be along advise you.

[sparquelito]

alexfen,

 

You have heard a lot of great advice in this thread, and it is all valid.

 

The most consistently coherent advice is this;

Play them all.

Play everything.

When you hold the right guitar, and it sings to you and sound awesome and feels awesome, and it stays in tune, then that will be the one.

 

I have never owned an Epiphone Les Paul, but I have held and played a few.

Most of them are quite nice, and one or two of them failed to impress me.

 

I do own a Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus, and have since 2012.

It's a lovely guitar, and I play it at every single band gig.

It's rock solid, and possesses some really sublime tones.

 

I agree with the above advice regarding obtaining a genuine Gibson versus an Epiphone, if you can afford it.

Resale value becomes a strong consideration the more you dabble into the black arts of guitar addiction.

 

[pandarocket]

Hi alexfan

 

Welcome and I do agree with everyone here and recommend going to play one and see if it fits you. I have an Epi Les Paul Traditional Pro which is a fantastic guitar, but as has been stated, if you're coming from a strat, then it could be a big jump. Another guiter I will definitely recommend would be a Gretsch 5439 Pro Jet, now I may get pilloried for recommending something that isn't an Epi or Gibson, but the Pro Jet is a great guitar. You can get it either with a Bigsby or without one. These guitars are the half way point between a Tele and a Les. Just saying.

[Miguello]

I have a Mexican Strat, a 93 model. The headstock is just starting to get that awesome amber color of a vintage Fender. As far as horrible sound goes, you can rewire your existing Strat with decent pots, and add some of the Fender Hot Rod pickups. That's what I did to mine, and it has that nice chimey bell tone Strats are famous for. At the end of the day it's still a Squier, and there's that amazing feeling of buying a new guitar. Nothing like it in the world. The best advice so far is play everything you can get your hands on, and shoot for just a little more than you feel you can afford. The better your starting place, the more satisfaction you will get out of future modifications. Looks go a loooong ways, but sound is just as important. The sound is cheaper to fix in the long run, but you have to start in a good place to begin with.

 

Here's a good example of what a few mods can do for a Squier. The difference is pretty astounding, to me anyway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3GshGRDEeY

[kidblast]

hi Alexfan,

 

welcome to the forum.

 

A few things to think about...

 

what kind of music do you find yourself playing most of the time?

 

The reason to ask is a fender with single coil pickups is going to sound thinner, and have more top end bite. Epiphone's (like the LEs Paul 60's tribute - which is a fantastic buy!) will have a darker, rounder tone.

 

From the name of Alexfan... I'm lead to assume you mean Lifeson? A rush fan are you?? (I'm not a fan, no.. I'm in fact a fanatic.) If I'm close here, and you find your self playing this kind of music, a les paul is where you want to go... if I'm off base here and that means something else entirely, than ignore this!! :)

 

 

 

if you want / like the "twang"... a tele is the way to go. Tele's are very versitile guitars and you can do a lot with them. But they do make you work for it a bit.

 

If you're looking for something a bit heavier sounding, with more sustain, and you tend to gravitate towards heavier rock sounds/music, then I think you want something with humbuckers.

 

(Eventually, you will at least have one of each.. a single coil equipped and a humbucker one. don't ask me how many guitars I have, it would take a while to count..!)

 

 

At the end of the day if you don't know one way or another, you have to go out and test drive and talk with the sales staffs at the local music stores. If you have any friends that play, drag them with you. Chat with them, try their guitars, eventually you will see what makes your ears go "YES!! THIS!" Then, you'll know for sure.

 

are you taking lessons, do you have a teacher? That person would be a very good sounding board for your decision too.

 

and last but not least -- what are your expectations on $cost$ (eg: what's your budget?)

 

Don't rush the first buy,... Ponder, try stuff, ask questions.

 

oh and one other question, what are you using for an amp? That is easily 50% of the equation.