buying first electric guitar?

Question

so im buying my first electric guitar and id like some advise on my choices, iv done some looking online and i am obviously gonna wait till i can try them out before buying. i want to play Alternative Rock genre
and punk rock, pop punk, hard rock, emo, post hardcore, post grunge. p.s. im a huge mcr fan

So my question is what are the advantages and disadvantages the following guitars have over each other, which do you think i should get?:

Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Epiphone Les Paul 100 Vintage
Epiphone Les Paul Studio

the ones of these iv been looking at of these guitars, fit in between £250-£310 except the Epiphone Les Paul 100 Vintage which was about £180

thanks for any helpful input i get, But importantly im not saying these are the only guitars im interested in these are just guitars i would like to know more about and would like compared so if i do buy one of these i know which would be more apropriate. so please dont tell me about other guitars just fill me in on best choices out of these ones.

and give explanations please

Answer 1

Ok, here goes.



The Les Paul 100 would be the cheapest of the lot because the pickups used are not as good as the ones in the more expensive LPs like the Standard and the Studio. Also, the LP 100 has a bolt on neck while the Standard and Studio have a set in neck (glued). Set in necks are said to give the guitar more sustain than bolt on. The tuner machine heads on the more expensive LPs are better than on the LP100 so tuning stability would be better. All that apart, there will be a difference in the quality of wood used for construction.



The main differences between the Standard and the Studio are cosmetic. The Studio does not have binding (the white line on the edges of the guitar body), the inlays on the fretboard are dots, no pickup covers, pickguard, etc. The hardware is pretty much the same for both.



Epiphone is the budget brand for Gibson but like many will tell you, Epi's are nice guitars as well. The Melody Maker has a single coil pickup and I've never played one of them but I'd reckon they're noisier than the humbuckers on the other 3. Not to say they're bad, just different. Also, having multiple pickups will give you more tonal variety to play around with.



Best choice? Let your ears decide. I've explained what each one offers so you can take a call based on that but decide on the one that sounds best to your ears. I'd mention that humbuckers are generally favoured for rock / hard rock because of the tone. Check out what your favorite artists play.



Me, I'm a no frills Studio guy. I like a guitar that sounds good. Period :)

Answer 2

In my opinion, Gibson Les Paul's are the creme de la creme of guitars. I love them. I've never been a fan of Fender. In my experience, you can make a Gibson sound like a Fender if you wanted to, but it's very, very difficult to make a Fender sound like a Gibson. Gibson's are going to be expensive. You're paying mostly for the name, but you're also getting excellent quality. So there's that.



As far as Epiphone's go, they are the poor man's Gibson. I have an Epiphone SG, and I love it. I've had it for nearly 8 years, and aside from needing new string, I've never had a problem with it. When you start talking about Gibson and Epiphone, again this is my opinion, you are talking about great sounding, reliable guitars.



Honestly, the differences between the Gibson and Epiphones you've mentioned are like comparing Prime Rib to a hamburger. Comparing all the Epiphones to eachother is like comparing Granny Smith apples to regular apples.



In my experience, you can't go wrong with either a Gibson or Epiphone. Hope that kind of helps.

Answer 3

If you can raise the cash USA Gibson every time, they are the real thing, Epiphone are just a Chinese excuse for the genuine article.



It will probably work out cheaper in the long run.



If they are beyond your budget the only other thing I would recommend is avoid Chinese like the plage, there are many fine guitars out there so keep an open mind and try out what you like best!

Answer 4

Look for a schecter...they are Very well built guitars. Excellent value for the money. You will not be dissapointed. I own several as well as some expensive Over $1000 guitars (Gibson Les Paul,Fender American Strat). I like the Schecter, better. You can get them in the US in the $300 and up range. You should be able to find them in the UK. Go to their website and look up UK dealers.