which LP to choose?

[20_Gauge]

I'm havin a hard time deciding which Epi LP to start with, the LP Jr or the LP Special II. I had been discussing this with my personal contact(a pro guitarist who has worked it some big name recording artists) @ sweetwater.com for the last month, he recommends the LP Special II 'cause of the additional pickup but said I couldn't go wrong with either one. I'm fixated on a Vintage Sunburst LP Jr because I saw my favorite artist(Jason Aldean) play one live last month so 2 weeks ago, I had him put in a special order for a VS LP Jr. I just got off the phone with him & he told me that he looked at Epi's factory list & that they're not makin the LP Jr in VS right now so I told him to put in an order for a VS Special II. I just checked musiciansfriend.com & saw that they have VS Epi LP Jrs in stock. Thinkin' about callin' him back & cancelin' the reguest for the Special II & orderin a JR from mf.

 

So here's my question: should I get over my fixation(just 'cause I saw Aldean play one live) w/ the Jr & get the Special II?

 

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[SaintJonah]

If you have a soft spot for the junior, I would just go with your gut. You really can't go wrong either way, so you may as well get something that lights your fire.

 

Just me feelings, but there's a lot to be said for how you feel about your guitar.

[20_Gauge]

Yeah that's kinda my thinkin too, Saint.

 

I already called my guy back & told him to cancel the request for the Special. Gonna order the Jr later this week.

 

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[SaintJonah]

Yeah that's kinda my thinkin too, Saint.

 

I already called my guy back & told him to cancel the request for the Special. Gonna order the Jr later this week.

 

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Awesome! Congrats. Post pics! :)

[20_Gauge]

Awesome! Congrats. Post pics! :)

 

Will do!

 

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[IanMak3103]

Have you tried these 2 guitars hands on?

If not, I think the best to do is to play them yourself, and pick the one that feels best and sounds best.

 

On top of that, picking the LP Jr has generally turned into being a great mod guitar!

The most common is to wack a dirty P90 on! It be a cheap way to start you mod career, and I know this is a fun little guitar!

[20_Gauge]

Just pulled the trigger & ordered my LP Jr(VS) & a VOX amPlug AC30. Should get it by early-mid next week. Pics will follow.

 

20

[IanMak3103]

Just pulled the trigger & ordered my LP Jr(VS) & a VOX amPlug AC30. Should get it by early-mid next week. Pics will follow.

 

20

 

Look forward to the pics, mate! I hope you enjoy.

Have you considered a GFS Mean 90 to go with it?

[20_Gauge]

Look forward to the pics, mate! I hope you enjoy.

Have you considered a GFS Mean 90 to go with it?

 

Thanks, IanMak.

 

Nah, not really lookin' to modify(other than put on new strings) my Jr outta the box. Might look to customize later. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll that pickup in mind when/if I do decide to change out the humbucker it comes with.

 

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[SaintJonah]

I know what you mean about not wanting to worry about messing with a new guitar right away. Just wanting to enjoy the newness for a while. But those mean 90's are only like $35, and are really something special in terms of value from what I've seen.

 

Regardless, congrats again on the new guitar. Hope you love it!

 

Don't forget about pics :)

[20_Gauge]

I know what you mean about not wanting to worry about messing with a new guitar right away. Just wanting to enjoy the newness for a while. But those mean 90's are only like $35, and are really something special in terms of value from what I've seen.

 

Regardless, congrats again on the new guitar. Hope you love it!

 

Don't forget about pics :)

Exactly, Saint! This is my 1st Electric & I want to get a good base for the sound of an LP straight outta the box.

 

 

Yeah, I already checked out those 90's & really like the low $35 price tag. Thanks for the advice(from your experience w/ them).

 

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[20_Gauge]

Just got a shipping conformation on my LP Jr, scheduled for delivery Tues. Can't wait!

 

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[adam411booking]

Good choice with the Junior.

 

I have one and personally love it.

 

Despite what anybody says, this guitar is gig worthy. With a few tweaks here and there you can rock out with it on stage with no issues.

 

What color did you get?

[20_Gauge]

Good choice with the Junior.

 

I have one and personally love it.

 

Despite what anybody says, this guitar is gig worthy. With a few tweaks here and there you can rock out with it on stage with no issues.

 

What color did you get?

 

Thanks for reassuring me of my choice, Adam.

 

Yeah reading the mixed reviews had me kinda Leary of this LP but a guitar buddy of mine(whose opinion I respect) also vouched for the Jr. Seein' Jason Aldean play it just cinched my decision.

 

I got the Vintage Sunburst.

Just checked the tracking, looks like the delivery has been pushed back to Wednesday.

 

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[adam411booking]

The Junior has a pretty solid reputation ranging from Jason Aldean to John Lennon to Johnny Thunders to Billie Joe Armstrong.

 

It's a really awesome guitar once you get used to it. It's lightweight makes it so easy to jam out with.

 

I'm sure it's gonna look sweet. When you get it, please post a pic. Mines the Alpine White and I totally love it (mostly for the simplicity of the guitar). The fact that it's so simple allows you to be a little more creative with the instrument.

 

I do recommend changing the strings as soon as you get it though. The stock ones are horrible haha.

Also check your tuners. Some people have had some problems with the guitar staying in tune (I personally haven't) so that may be a possible upgrade as well. But besides the strings mine is 100% stock and I use it for jamming and recording purposes (right along with my Gibsons). It's very durable. Mine's taken a few hits and still looks and sounds amazing.

 

Good choice man. I bet Wednesday can't come fast enough haha

[20_Gauge]

The Junior has a pretty solid reputation ranging from Jason Aldean to John Lennon to Johnny Thunders to Billie Joe Armstrong.

 

It's a really awesome guitar once you get used to it. It's lightweight makes it so easy to jam out with.

 

I'm sure it's gonna look sweet. When you get it, please post a pic. Mines the Alpine White and I totally love it (mostly for the simplicity of the guitar). The fact that it's so simple allows you to be a little more creative with the instrument.

 

I do recommend changing the strings as soon as you get it though. The stock ones are horrible haha.

Also check your tuners. Some people have had some problems with the guitar staying in tune (I personally haven't) so that may be a possible upgrade as well. But besides the strings mine is 100% stock and I use it for jamming and recording purposes (right along with my Gibsons). It's very durable. Mine's taken a few hits and still looks and sounds amazing.

 

Good choice man. I bet Wednesday can't come fast enough haha

 

Yeah, when I discussed this guitar w/ my sweetwater consultant mentioned that the Epi Jr is pretty popular w/ some top artist(big ones that stood out to me are Jason Aldean & Keith Urban).

 

Yeah, the simplicity(only 2 knobs) of this LP was a major selling point. I wanted as few knobs as possible on my 1st Electric 'cause I get distracted easy(haha) & didn't want to hafta worry about fiddlin' with'em while I'm learnin'.

 

yeah, I ordered some new strings when I bought it, definitely plan to restring as soon as I get it. Yeah, I've read the reviews & it's seems to be about %50 yay or nay on the tuners.

 

I was kinda worried(readin' folks sayin' this is a good project guitar) that the JR would need modifying to be decent. Thanks for sharing your experience & letting me know that it's decent straight outta the box(besides restringing) & vouching for it's durability.

 

Checked tracking again & it turns out my order was shipped separate. My JR, VOX AmPlug, & guitar stand will be delivered Tuesday. My 2 packs of guitar strings are scheduled for delivery Wednesday. Go figure haha

 

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[swamprock]

Exactly, Saint! This is my 1st Electric & I want to get a good base for the sound of an LP straight outta the box.

 

 

Yeah, I already checked out those 90's & really like the low $35 price tag. Thanks for the advice(from your experience w/ them).

 

20

 

I can vouch for the Mean-90 in a Junior as well. Both of my Juniors have them, and they're monsters; snarly beasts. My Juniors are my main guitars, stage, recording, and otherwise.

[adam411booking]

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

My brother likes to play my Junior a lot as well when he jams with his friends (they're a country jam/garage/cover band) and it can produce an excellent "twang" sound as well. He tends to play a little more Brad Paisely than anybody else. Why he's using my Junior other than my Telecaster, which has been modified specifically for that kind of sound, I'm not sure. But the Junior sounds really good with the style.

 

For a "simple" guitar, it has a lot of diversity. I'm a rock, pop, and occasional metal, and occasional country guitarist and it sounds great with the style(s) I'm playing. My brother plays a lot of country and he loves it as well. The only thing we haven't tried it on is rap/hip hop haha.

 

I think the mean 90's would be a good idea (after you get completely comfortable with the guitar of course). The stock pick ups are pretty good (especially for $100 or so) but the 90's produce an awesome tone. That's actually my next upgrade to my junior :)

 

But like I said, my brother is primarily a country guitarist and he loves it (compared to a telecaster that we modified specifically for that style of music). So I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

I wouldn't think of it as just a "first" electric either. I'm sure you'll be using this baby right along side the future Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanez or which other route you decide to go for your next guitar. I own several other guitars (Gibsons, Fenders, Epiphones, and even a few Squiers) and this guitar ranks pretty high on my list. I'm currently writing and recording some guitar riffs and my Junior has been one of my main go to guitars for this record.

 

The only thing that I think would make this guitar better (in my opinion of course) is if Epiphone offered a Double Cutaway version. Other than that, it's been a great instrument and VERY versatile (between my brother and I for many styles of music).

[20_Gauge]

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

My brother likes to play my Junior a lot as well when he jams with his friends (they're a country jam/garage/cover band) and it can produce an excellent "twang" sound as well. He tends to play a little more Brad Paisely than anybody else. Why he's using my Junior other than my Telecaster, which has been modified specifically for that kind of sound, I'm not sure. But the Junior sounds really good with the style.

 

For a "simple" guitar, it has a lot of diversity. I'm a rock, pop, and occasional metal, and occasional country guitarist and it sounds great with the style(s) I'm playing. My brother plays a lot of country and he loves it as well. The only thing we haven't tried it on is rap/hip hop haha.

 

I think the mean 90's would be a good idea (after you get completely comfortable with the guitar of course). The stock pick ups are pretty good (especially for $100 or so) but the 90's produce an awesome tone. That's actually my next upgrade to my junior :)

 

But like I said, my brother is primarily a country guitarist and he loves it (compared to a telecaster that we modified specifically for that style of music). So I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

I wouldn't think of it as just a "first" electric either. I'm sure you'll be using this baby right along side the future Gibsons, Fenders, Ibanez or which other route you decide to go for your next guitar. I own several other guitars (Gibsons, Fenders, Epiphones, and even a few Squiers) and this guitar ranks pretty high on my list. I'm currently writing and recording some guitar riffs and my Junior has been one of my main go to guitars for this record.

 

The only thing that I think would make this guitar better (in my opinion of course) is if Epiphone offered a Double Cutaway version. Other than that, it's been a great instrument and VERY versatile (between my brother and I for many styles of music).

 

I'm big into Country & Southern Rock, so I'm glad to hear that the JR can produce a decent twang sound. My next guitar will be a Tele(Fender or Squier) but not for awhile tho. I wanna get that Brad Paisley/Keith Urban twang, if possible. Those guys are incredible, guitar masters!

 

I've made a note to remind me to checkout those 90s when/if to change the pickups.

 

I'm just referring to this as my "first" electric 'cause it's likely gonna be the first of many but the first is always special.

 

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[adam411booking]

I'm big into Country & Southern Rock, so I'm glad to hear that the JR can produce a decent twang sound. My next guitar will be a Tele(Fender or Squier) but not for awhile tho. I wanna get that Brad Paisley/Keith Urban twang, if possible. Those guys are incredible, guitar masters!

 

I've made a note to remind me to checkout those 90s when/if to change the pickups.

 

I'm just referring to this as my "first" electric 'cause it's likely gonna be the first of many but the first is always special.

 

20

 

Haha that's true. First kiss, first girlfriend, first guitar. Always one of many more to come and always special lol.

 

If you can afford it, go with Fender USA over Squier. But Squier does make some decent quality Tele's. The Tele that I mentioned earlier is a Squier. It's amazing what a change of pickups and strings can do to make any guitar sound good. We tricked it out to sound similar to Brad Paisely's tele.

 

Nothing wrong with Squier. People tend to say they're guitars are bad, but with a few tweaks here and there you can make almost any guitar sound good. My first guitar was a Squier Affinity Stratocaster and I'll still play it. It's not my favorite guitar, but it's not a bad instrument.

 

Fender, obviously is superior in quality to Squier (at least their American Made guitars are). But they can get pricey. If you're gonna get a Fender, you're looking at minimal $400 and it goes all the way up into the thousands. But, they're also good guitars.

 

Fender USA models I believe run between $800 and WAY up into the thousands. Good guitars, but if you're gonna spend that much you should get a Gibson ;) haha But seriously, if you want a really nice Fender that's probably the way to go. If you just want a guitar to play with, jam out to, or play small club gigs with there's nothing wrong with Squier. They get a bad rep because people think of like the "bullet strat" or their other "starter" guitars. But in reality, they're another brand just like any other. They're aim is to make high quality, affordable guitars and personally I think they do a pretty good job.

[20_Gauge]

Haha that's true. First kiss, first girlfriend, first guitar. Always one of many more to come and always special lol.

 

If you can afford it, go with Fender USA over Squier. But Squier does make some decent quality Tele's. The Tele that I mentioned earlier is a Squier. It's amazing what a change of pickups and strings can do to make any guitar sound good. We tricked it out to sound similar to Brad Paisely's tele.

 

Nothing wrong with Squier. People tend to say they're guitars are bad, but with a few tweaks here and there you can make almost any guitar sound good. My first guitar was a Squier Affinity Stratocaster and I'll still play it. It's not my favorite guitar, but it's not a bad instrument.

 

Fender, obviously is superior in quality to Squier (at least their American Made guitars are). But they can get pricey. If you're gonna get a Fender, you're looking at minimal $400 and it goes all the way up into the thousands. But, they're also good guitars.

 

Fender USA models I believe run between $800 and WAY up into the thousands. Good guitars, but if you're gonna spend that much you should get a Gibson ;) haha But seriously, if you want a really nice Fender that's probably the way to go. If you just want a guitar to play with, jam out to, or play small club gigs with there's nothing wrong with Squier. They get a bad rep because people think of like the "bullet strat" or their other "starter" guitars. But in reality, they're another brand just like any other. They're aim is to make high quality, affordable guitars and personally I think they do a pretty good job.

 

That's pretty much all I want in a guitar, Adam. Just somethin' to be able to play my favorite songs around the house. I don't wanna spend a fortune on a guitar for a hobby, I don't plan to go out on the road anytime soon haha.

 

The Tele I'm eyein' is the Squier Affinity Tele($179) but there's also a couple Fender Teles(around $400) that have caught my eye.

 

Also been debating wether I wanna get a Strat(Squier Bullet Strat) or not. Or does an the JR pretty much take the place of a Strat?

 

20

[adam411booking]

Honestly, no the Junior does not replace the sound of a strat. Nor does the Strat replace the sound of any kind of Les Paul.They're pretty much two totally different kinds of guitars. The strat has a thinner body and gives you a sharper kind of sound while the Les Paul Junior is a little thicker and gives you that warm and crisp tone.

 

The Standard Tele's and Strat's from Fender run from about $399. If that's in your price range, I'd say go for it. I'm not gonna say Fender is the better brand, but Fender guitars are pretty sick. But if you don't want to spend $400 on a guitar, Squier makes an awesome substitute for the Fender without sacrificing much (if any at all) of the sound quality. Between my Squier's and Fender's I can barely tell any difference in tone.

 

Between a Strat and a Tele (for country purposes) I'd say go with the Squier Affinity Tele to start with. They actually have a wood polish color that's pretty sweet. It's not a bad guitar at all, in fact they stay in tune amazingly well. The Bullet Strats are not bad either, but for a country tone you're gonna want a little thicker sound. The Strat would be great, don't get me wrong, but I think you'd have a better tone with the Tele (either Fender or Squier). That's why you'll see a lot of country guitarist (Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, etc) use either a Telecaster or a Les Paul. They're a tad heavier than a Strat (except the Junior, those are damn light lol) but it's worth it.

 

Now you will see the lead guitarist in a country band using a Strat. Again, it's all about the tone. The strat is easier to play leads on as well (especially since it's a double cutaway body). But then again, a lot of country guitar players will use Tele on leads since it's a very subtle difference.

 

My best advice is to go to say Guitar Center or any music store that's close to you and try them out (after you've played your Junior for a while of course). Either way, you really can't go wrong. But in the end, it's all gonna be a personal preferance. In then, as soon as you get your Strat (or Tele) you're gonna want the other. Like when you get your Les Paul, you'll probably get a craving to go out and buy an SG as well haha

 

You also have to think about your amp as well. What kind of amp do you have (or are buying)? You mentioned a VOX right?

 

A lot of guitarist say that if you get a really good amp, but have a horrible guitar you're still gonna sound decent. I kind of agree with that. I use a Fender Mustang III amp (100 watt combo). It's pretty sweet. Even though it's a Solidstate, I like it because it comes with 100 different amp settings on there and you can download more (I have the Vox AC30 and the Marshall JCM series on my amp, along with some guitarist signature tones). Your amp will totally make a difference for you (especially with your Junior, since you've only got 1 pickup).

 

I also recommend maybe checking in to some effects pedals. Those are always fun to play with. Whether it's Overdrive, Delay, Chorus, or whatever you can come up with some pretty interesting combinations (including getting a decent acoustic guitar simulator so you don't have to switch back and forth).

[20_Gauge]

Honestly, no the Junior does not replace the sound of a strat. Nor does the Strat replace the sound of any kind of Les Paul.They're pretty much two totally different kinds of guitars. The strat has a thinner body and gives you a sharper kind of sound while the Les Paul Junior is a little thicker and gives you that warm and crisp tone.

 

The Standard Tele's and Strat's from Fender run from about $399. If that's in your price range, I'd say go for it. I'm not gonna say Fender is the better brand, but Fender guitars are pretty sick. But if you don't want to spend $400 on a guitar, Squier makes an awesome substitute for the Fender without sacrificing much (if any at all) of the sound quality. Between my Squier's and Fender's I can barely tell any difference in tone.

 

Between a Strat and a Tele (for country purposes) I'd say go with the Squier Affinity Tele to start with. They actually have a wood polish color that's pretty sweet. It's not a bad guitar at all, in fact they stay in tune amazingly well. The Bullet Strats are not bad either, but for a country tone you're gonna want a little thicker sound. The Strat would be great, don't get me wrong, but I think you'd have a better tone with the Tele (either Fender or Squier). That's why you'll see a lot of country guitarist (Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, etc) use either a Telecaster or a Les Paul. They're a tad heavier than a Strat (except the Junior, those are damn light lol) but it's worth it.

 

Now you will see the lead guitarist in a country band using a Strat. Again, it's all about the tone. The strat is easier to play leads on as well (especially since it's a double cutaway body). But then again, a lot of country guitar players will use Tele on leads since it's a very subtle difference.

 

My best advice is to go to say Guitar Center or any music store that's close to you and try them out (after you've played your Junior for a while of course). Either way, you really can't go wrong. But in the end, it's all gonna be a personal preferance. In then, as soon as you get your Strat (or Tele) you're gonna want the other. Like when you get your Les Paul, you'll probably get a craving to go out and buy an SG as well haha

 

You also have to think about your amp as well. What kind of amp do you have (or are buying)? You mentioned a VOX right?

 

A lot of guitarist say that if you get a really good amp, but have a horrible guitar you're still gonna sound decent. I kind of agree with that. I use a Fender Mustang III amp (100 watt combo). It's pretty sweet. Even though it's a Solidstate, I like it because it comes with 100 different amp settings on there and you can download more (I have the Vox AC30 and the Marshall JCM series on my amp, along with some guitarist signature tones). Your amp will totally make a difference for you (especially with your Junior, since you've only got 1 pickup).

 

I also recommend maybe checking in to some effects pedals. Those are always fun to play with. Whether it's Overdrive, Delay, Chorus, or whatever you can come up with some pretty interesting combinations (including getting a decent acoustic guitar simulator so you don't have to switch back and forth).

 

Yeah I've noticed many artists(McGraw, Urban, Paisley, etc) usin' a Tele. A Tele will be my next guitar purchase. I'd rather not spend $400(on a Fender) if I can get pretty much an equal quality Tele for $179((for a Squier). Since you've used both & say the sound(twang) is close to equal, I'll more than likely go w/ the Squier Affinity Tele.

 

Yeah, the 2 kind of Electrics that I see bein' used in Country Music today are Teles & LPs, that's why I've already decided those'll be my first 2 Electrics. I do see Strats played occasionally but they are usually by band members, I was just wonderin' bout the difference(sound wise) between an LP & a Strat. Gettin' a Strat is low on my list.

 

Amp wise I'm goin' w/ a Fender Mustang I 20W. Yeah I mentioned VOX. I ordered a VOX AmPlug AC30 Headphone amp to start with because I'll mainly be practicing with headphones on(so not to disturb family as I practice at night), plus save a little $$$. Will get the Mustang though, prob'ly w/ the Tele purchase.

 

I have checked out pedals & a BOSS Overdrive Pedal is high on my list because Jason Aldean's sound has a lot of distortion in it & his style is what I'm aiming for, the Southern/Country Rock style. Also, an Acoustic Simulator(also by BOSS) is on my list.

 

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[20_Gauge]

My Jr was delivered late yesterday afternoon & my 1st impression upon opening was/still is "wow, it looks AMAZING!". I'm not able to play it yet, my headphone a mp won't be delivered until later this afternoon, along w/ my strings.

 

Having trouble attaching pics to this thread , the best I can do for a pic is my avatar.

 

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[adam411booking]

Congrats on getting your Junior!

 

The mustang is a great amp. For a solidstate, it's pretty packed.

I own the Mustang 3 (100 watt combo), and I love it. You can download other tones from various artists straight to your amp.

It's nice.

 

The Les Paul has more of a warm tone while the Strats have more of a bright tone.

It's mostly got to do with the body size and wood type. Les Pauls are thicker and made with Mahogany while Strats are thinner and made with Alder (mostly). The thicker body gives the Les Paul a warmer and "Fuller" tone. Strats are great guitars, but most people use them as a lead guitar rather than a rhythm (unless you're in a punk band. They tend to use Strats for more of a "punchy" type tone).

 

Both guitars can get the job done and sound great, but Les Pauls and Teles kind of suit the country style better (in my opinion).