• From: Texas
  • Registered: 2007-07-31
  • Posts: 950

Topic: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

Okay so I've had a Squire strat now for some time and its having some problems staying in tune, plus one of the frets is bent out and for some reason its not picking up right (it got left outside in the heat for a long time after Hurrican Rita so I'm sure that had something to do with it), and instead of spending money getting it worked on I'm going to try to sell it for whatever I can get and buy a new electric.
I don't think I want to try a strat again, don't get me wrong it was good for learning on, but it just never really felt right to me (does that make sense?). I am mostly an acoustic player but I've been easing my way onto electric and its been frustrating because the one I have really doesn't give me a whole lot of elbow room as far as sound goes to experiment. My question is, what kind of guitar is good for someone transferring from acoustic to electric. I play alot of barre chords and I'd like a nice solid sound, but also something I could pick and get a good tone out of. I'm not all over the fret board yet, but I do like to bend the strings from time to time...The main problem is my price range is going to be somewhere between 2 and 4 hundred dollars, unless a find a golden oppurtunity thats worth waiting alot longer for.
I do play alot of country, but I'm wanting to get more into rock n roll and blues (on the electric anyway) so I don't think a Tele's a good idea. I was looking at an epiphone dot archtop semi-hollow body, am I even veering in the right direction??

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HannahBeth's Website

  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

Howdy Last Rebel,

  I'll give you the best advise I can, not personally owning a 339 body.  But the fellow I jam with on a regular basis (weekly) has over the time we've been playing as a duo owned an SG, LP, Casino, Emperor (Joe Pass Signature), and a Dot which is currently in his arsenal.  Yeah I know he changes guitars everytime there's a shift in musical taste.  But hey he can afford to and hasn't gone backwards on any that he's sold.  Anyway, there are those that will say that the Les Paul is THE sound you want, but I beg to differ.  Only the real expensive models of the LP retain the original semi-hollow construction features that Les built into his original.  That is what gave the early LPs their distinctive sound and it seems absent in the mostly solid body LP models out there. 
From sitting across the room from all those guitars, doing all genres of music, I would say that a semi-hollow is likely the best all round tone for that rock, blues, jazz kind of stuff.  It has enough sustain to drive hard rock and the mellow fullness for those sensitive country ballads.  I think the Dot you are thinking about would likely be a good choice in the price range you have in mind
and the only thing that I would say is that the 339 body Gibson/Epi models are not small.  The body is less than 3 inches thick, but the overall size of the bouts are close to a full concert dreadnaught..... it's a lapfull!  Neck profile is quite comfortable and smooth, frets easily, and narrow enough to barre without needing the hands of a basketball player.
If you are able to get there, trundle down to your local store and see if you can lay hands on any of the Gibson/Epi models that have that body and you will get a good feel for what you are getting into.  Jeff purchased his through Musician's friend and it came out of the case pretty well set up, but still needed a tad of bridge adjustment (lower) which is easily done on that type of bridge.

Try it.... I think you'll like it!

Take Care;  Doug

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: Teesside
  • Registered: 2007-08-01
  • Posts: 94

Re: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

I'll be honest, guitar buying is always a strange phenomenon.

I've never played on a Strat or Tele and went straight for Les Paul style guitars and SG's and now I want a Strat-style guitar for some reason. Not sure why but I do.

As far as blues and old school rock is concerned, then if memory serves me well the Epiphone Dot's are a good choice but there are others that could be gone for. An Epiphone Les Paul, for example, is similar to Gary Moore's guitar of choice. Possibly a Gretsch electromatic? To be honest, your best idea is to get down your local guitar shop (take a day off work) and play every guitar possible but leave your money at home. Go home afterwards and see which guitar you think "Damn I should have bought it" and go back and buy that one.

Wibble's Website

  • From: Texas
  • Registered: 2007-07-31
  • Posts: 950

Re: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

Thanks yall,
And yeah I know I need to go try it myself, in fact that was part of the problem with this one someone but it for me (which don't get me wrong I appreciate) but I never really had a good feel for it. I was really just wondering if the semi hollow bodied guitars were the sound I was looking for and it sounds like I should definately keep looking into them. Thanks again for the help,
LR

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HannahBeth's Website

  • From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Re: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

Semis should have an airy, jazzy sound however I tried an Epi Dot in a shop last year and well, it was just like a solid-body. I suspect I should have spent time looking for the sweet spot with the controls and amp but that's tricky with the salesman over your shoulder.

Most guitars lend themselves to blues and rock'n'roll, apart from the high output ones like Ibanez Gems and Deans, so you still have a very wide field to play in. The trouble with semis is a higher price tag (the body needs so much more construction) and they are more fragile (a case is well worth it).

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: BUYING A NEW GUITAR (help please!)

Last Rebel,
   I recently picked up a Washburn D-15 guitar. It's a very versitile guitar and the list price on the web site is about twice as much  as I paid for mine. Here's what it looks like;
http://www.washburn.com/products/electr … /hb15.aspx

The body is thicker than the Epi Dot guitar so you'll get a beefier sound with the Washburn. I played an Epi Dot and the Washburn in a local music store and the Washburn was much easier to play, the tone was richer and warmer, and it looks cooler, in my opinion. Enjoy your search!

Give everything but up.