which guitar should i choose?

Question

so, I want to buy a new electric guitar. Right now, I have a Chinese squier stratocaster (which I got at a discount sale for US$150, with amp). I'm looking for something better. I'm aiming for something good for classic or progressive rock, say, something like led zeppelin, pink floyd, deep purple....so I checked the prices on a local store.here it is :
Epiphone G400 - US$ 450
Epiphone LP100 - US$ 360
Epiphone LP special II - US$ 230
Fender Stratocaster - US$ 550


so, which one should I choose? Or maybe I should just get myself a Yamaha Silent Guitar (Steel string) ? It's about US$ 450.

budget is not a problem. The only problem now is I don't know which one I should get....

Answer 1

Hello there,



Have you tried any of those Epiphone guitars? If not, how do you know if you will like them. They have a different scale length from the Strat you have been playing. So they will feel different. Different profile to the neck. Different fretboard radius. Different scale (frets closer together). If you are used to the Strat neck, you want to play the others before you switch.



Another thing you need to decide is whether you want a whammy bar. It is not practical to retrofit a tremolo bridge to an inexpensive guitar that did not come with one. So decide if you want a whammy bar. If you do not want a whammy bar, any of the Epiphones would do. Those are the low end of the Epiphone line and in my opinion, they are not very good guitars. None of those will be nearly as good as a Les Paul Standard or a SG Standard. Also, not of those will be as good as a Fender Standard Stratocaster. Quality-wise those particular Epiphones are not a big step up from a Squier.



If you decide you do want a whammy bar, you need a guitar with a tremolo bridge. On your list, that would be the Fender Standard Stratocater.



You will need a much better amp. Probably more imporatant than the gutiar upgrade. If you have a small practice amp (10 to 25 watts with a 6 or 8 inch speaker) like what comes with the Squier beginner packs. you need a good amp. All small practice amps have the same problems. Now enough power and a small speaker that makes you sound thin and tinny. Plan on getting a 1x12 combo amp. The 12 inch speaker will give you a richer fuller tone. Because the 1x12 combo has more power it will handle gain and distortion better. That is a necessity for that music. There is more to the power rating of an amp than just how loud it is. You need more power than you may expect to handle gain and distortion without the amp running out of headroom. 30 watts minimum. Take a look at the Fender Mustang II 40 watt 1x12 combo amp. Nice modeling amp with some built in effects. Should work fine for you.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOui83Gh9zs



Later,

Answer 2

Yes, I have to admit, though I hate Les Pauls they do play well. Epiphone isn't rubbish when it comes to this model and is reasonable in price. The genuine Gibson Les Paul costs around $3000. Depending on your budget... but you said reasonable and Gibson are rip-offs so I agree, go with the Epiphone Les Paul. Epiphone is owned by Gibson anyway. You won't get laughed at and I think it will suit the style you want. BUT... you gotta get a decent amp.

Answer 3

Fender Strat or Epiphone les paul standard

Answer 4

Id buy a ibanez guitar. Most ibanez are really good and i got lucky cause the action was great on my guitar. People say stay away from the ibanez gio series but i have one and it works well, doesn't get out of tune easily and overall a great guitar. So i recommend ibanez.

Answer 5

Fender Stratocaster all day long =)

Answer 6

best thing to do is go in to the store and try them out for yourself and see which one you like best