New Guitar Help

So what's your question? Sounds like you've made up your mind already. Anyway, the Les Paul copy is what I was going to suggest in your price range. Solid guitar.

agreed. solid guitar.

It'd help to know what kind of music you plan on playing with your guitar...

I have that same Epiphone Les Paul Custom in black, had it for 15 years or so - fantastic guitar. Quite a bit heavier than a Fender Strat but it's solid mahogany so that's just what you get. Very warm, rich sound.

If you want a les paul copy an Epiphone could be had for less money. If you want to spend under $600 get a Tokai or Greco copy. A better guitar in my opinion for around the same price. They can be found on ebay for ~$500 most all of the time. The biggest negative about the Epiphones are the poor quality muddy pickups. If you do decide on the Epiphone please use the left over money for new pickups. maybe something like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Greco-Les-Paul-Custom-Randy-Rhoads_W0QQitemZ120297482577QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120297482577&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A4%7C65%3A10%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 or this http://cgi.ebay.com/Greco-1988-EGC-6...d=p3286.c0.m14

Epiphone makes solid guitars, but I agree that you should be able to get an Epi Les Paul copy for less than $600, depending upon the model. Do you want a Les Paul style because you like the sound, you like the look, or you like the feel of it? If you haven't done so already, I would suggest going around some stores (eg Guitar Center) where you can try out various makes and models and make certain that you know what best suits your interests......When you have selected a few models (or maybe you are set on the Epiphone) then you can pop over to Harmony Central's guitar review site and see what other players have written about the select model (take what is written with a grain of salt!!): http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar Remember, Ebay is your friend!!! And don't think of it as necessarily being a "starter" guitar. The second guitar I every purchased was a 1983 Japanese Squier strat (~$300 new). After a year or two, I took it apart to paint it a hideous fluorescent green (ala early Steve Vai). I didn't finish the project and ended up putting it in my closet where it sat disassembled for the next 20 years. Most of my current guitars are professional grade, but I recently decided to reassemble that old Squier for fun. I refinished the body, upgraded the pickup's, and modified the electronics. It plays like a gem and I haven't taken any of the other guitars out of their cases for the last month!!!

For that price range, I think it is better to buy used. Something about buying new mid-tier gear rubs me the wrong way.

ditto on the pickups. get new pickups for the epi pronto

Excellent advice. Those are far better guitars, with quite good pickups, great construction and better woods. I used to have an Epi LP, and the pickups are muddy, lacking note definition when playing chords.

Two things to consider though: One, a LP is a heavy guitar. Second, a LP has a lot of sustain. Too much, in my opinion. There are ways to make a guitar have more sustain: Heavier gauge strings, better finger technique, sustainer or compressor pedals, etc. No way to remove it, should you wish to.

It all depends on what kind of music you really like to play. Of course everything can be played on anything, but some guitars are suited to some genres better than others. Except a Telecaster. A Telecaster can play anything.

Another alternative, a bit more versatile, but with a similar voicing to a LP, is an ES-335 clone (semi-hollow, twin cutaway).

I might be in the minority but I've found Epiphone pickups to be decent, at least in their $500+ guitars. I once spent a few hundred to change out the pickups on an Epi Sheraton with Gibson Classic '57s, and the difference was disappointingly negligible.

i agree but only because i am not a big fan of new gibson pickups either. try seymour duncan seth lovers or antiquities and it is like night and day.

what kind of music do you play? tokai's are great guits for the money, if you're a rock player. if you like metal, i REALLY suggest looking into Charvel (from the 80s). Any Model "M" series is great, and are widely being saught after these days. back then it was jackson/charvel. or a used esp ltd. the upper level ltd's, used, can be had for like 500. but give us more info on what you want, i only tell what i know through experience and what you've given us to work with (basically nothing )

Tourangh, I believe your question is in the wrong forum. Try http://acapella.harmony-central.com/ That is a REAL forum for musicians. I am a musician myself and I have at least started about 50 threads and have got good responses from professional musicians

You have to go and try out a bunch of different kinds of electrics. They're like girls, you'll know very quickly if you like one. This guy's whole Youtube channel will give you an idea of what several dozen different guitars sound like. EDIT - Awwwww! 2 year old post.

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