Erm, "cool" guitar?

summer_ina_bowl

Hi, I'm looking to get a new electric guitar as a surprise for my 17 yr old brother for his birthday/christmas. Tbh, I don't really know anything about them, and want to get him one that he'll be impressed with lol. The one he has is a piece of crud, he's only been playing for a year or so, but he's genuinely interested in keeping it up so I'd like to get him a better one.

Don't want to spend more than 350 euro, if possible, and also would rather not get a fender, as the only time I asked what kind he'd like, he said that fenders were good but that too many of his friends had them :S

If anyone here could suggest an alternative, I'd really appreciate it He's big into punk/alt rock music, if that helps!

ultra55ound

Personally, I wouldn't want anyone to buy me a guitar as a surprise. Don't get me wrong, the thought is lovely but really I'd want to sit and play a few guitars until I could decide which one was the one for me. They're all different, even two guitars of the same model can have different feels.

If it was me, I'd rather take the 350 and add some of my own money and get myself something I really liked (which would be a Fender btw :P)

Jakob

I'm sorry, I know you said no fenders, but to be brutally honest with you, Fender is KING. Get him a strat. He'll never need another guitar again. Of course, that's just my opinion. Tell him not to worry if his friends all have fenders, they have them for a reason. It will be him who will be enjoying the guitar. Ask him again. IMO if he likes fenders, then that's exactly what he should get, you could pick up a mexican strat for 3fiddy no problem on adverts or above the 400 mark for a new one. You said "cool", well IMO, there is only one "cool" guitar, and that's a Strat. Tele's are nice too though.

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=08120216510528

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=08120216480728

http://www.adverts.ie/272242/guitar-and-bass/fender-stratocaster-60s-classic-plus-hard-case-price-drop/

Good luck in your quest

PeterIanStaker

Maybe you could get him a gift voucher for a music shop for that amount? That way he can choose the guitar that suits him and it'll still be your present?

summer_ina_bowl

Thanks to you all!

I can't just give him the money, because family can't know how much it's costing, I've a sister a year younger than him and she'll be lucky to get a 50 euro clothes voucher off me lol as pretty much every other present I've gotten her ends up as rubble - so even if it's a new guitar, I'll be taking it out of the box and claiming I bought it second hand off a friend or something, in order to avoid ww3 :S I'm not too worried about him not liking the guitar, as the one he has now looks like it was made out of play dough lol.

I'd just genuinely like to get him a nice one as the guitar is the only thing that gets between him and 24/7 computer games, and as I've spent a considerable amount of time developing his interest in music, I'd rather not let myself down on the cool stakes by getting him a dud - I'm somewhat weary of just going into a music shop and asking, incase I leave five minutes later, 500 euro less well off and in possesion of a cornflake box covered in elastic bands

ultra55ound

How about this?
http://xmusic.ie/Fender-Squier-STD-SERIES-jjagmaster-BSB-p-26266.html

I've never seen one of these in the flesh so I can't comment on quality, but it's just outside budget (walk in and haggle) and as far as I'm concerned, it screams cool.

Grolschevik

Wish I'd had a sibling like you...

MilanPan!c

Surprised no one's mentioned adverts.ie, specifically:

http://www.adverts.ie/191/guitar-and-bass/

Look at these:

http://www.adverts.ie/292307/guitar-and-bass/epiphone-bb-king-lucille-es335-400/

http://www.adverts.ie/292219/guitar-and-bass/fender-telecaster-with-seymour-duncan-alnico-ii-pup-upgrade/

^^^ That's very cool!

derdider

Whats with all the fender recommendations ?

If he plays metal the last guitar hes going to want is a Fender !

First question people should be asking is what kind of music he plays ?

A Les Paul type guitar would be probably the best all round guitar but getting a decent one for €350 might be a bit of a stretch. Im sure youd get some sort of Epiphone one for that though which would be ok.

Like others said, its risky buying him a guitar yourself. If he doesnt like it its going to be an expensive statue in the corner of the room !

eagle10

The best thing I can suggest is to find out what guitar players he likes find out what guitars they are using and try and find a descent copy if you post up who he likes I'm sure anyone here can tell you what they use and suggest an appropriate guitar for you.

Jakob

derdider wrote: »

Whats with all the fender recommendations ?

If he plays metal the last guitar hes going to want is a Fender !

First question people should be asking is what kind of music he plays ?

A Les Paul type guitar would be probably the best all round guitar but getting a decent one for €350 might be a bit of a stretch. Im sure youd get some sort of Epiphone one for that though which would be ok.

Like others said, its risky buying him a guitar yourself. If he doesnt like it its going to be an expensive statue in the corner of the room !

If you read the OP, you will find that he doesn't play metal.

As stated in OP said brother plays punk/alt rock

All the fender recommendations are because, as said in OP, his brother thinks fenders are good but as his friend have fenders, perhaps OP thought it best to go for something different. Although in saying all this, I do agree that an epiphone les paul, (if a fender is off the cards) is definately a good choice and can be bought new for under 400. If I was buying an epi, it would have to be this one http://www.musicstore.com/en_EN/EUR/Guitars/Electric-guitars/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Standard-Plus-VS-Vintage-Sunburst/art-GIT0009617-000

Sorry for sounding confrontational at the start of my post, i wouldn't be bothered editing now that I have calmed down

Peace

summer_ina_bowl

Lol, you guys are brilliant, I really appreciate this!

He plays some greenday and other poppy/punky type rock songs, but I know his ambition is to be able to play Muse, he's started learning some of their intro's and they're definately his favourite band Hope that helps!

Ok so I'm beginning to think my 350 euro won't get me far, so realistically I can probably stretch to about 500, oh but also I know if I get the guitar from the shop his guitar teacher owns, I'll be able to swing a 15-20% discount but like I said, I really want to be able to walk in, and name a specific make/model so that that I don't get bamboozled with talk of fancy strap this and whammy bar that lol

eagle10

summer_ina_bowl wrote: »

Lol, you guys are brilliant, I really appreciate this!

He plays some greenday and other poppy/punky type rock songs, but I know his ambition is to be able to play Muse, he's started learning some of their intro's and they're definately his favourite band Hope that helps!

Ok so I'm beginning to think my 350 euro won't get me far, so realistically I can probably stretch to about 500, oh but also I know if I get the guitar from the shop his guitar teacher owns, I'll be able to swing a 15-20% discount but like I said, I really want to be able to walk in, and name a specific make/model so that that I don't get bamboozled with talk of fancy strap this and whammy bar that lol

Mathew bellamy from muse uses all kinds of mad guitars I dont really know much more about him other than he uses alot uf fuzz.

Billie joe armstrong from green day used always use some kind of a stratocaster(fender) Lately he seems to be using a lot of gibson les paul juniors which in my opinion are not very versatile atall..

Maybe a good les paul copy is your best bet

Jakob

I'm gonna have to bow outta this converstaion for now and leave you with my 4 final thoughts on the matter (in order of importance & coolness)

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=05011113470428

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=03121114094118

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=04041420102018

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=px-EH127XF2360


Good luck

rowanh

There is a fair bit of bad advice here..

Adverts.ie is a good way to go alright and a les paul would be good.

You can easily get something for 350 that will be cool, check out thomann.de, they are a great site though it would be a good idea bringing it to a guitar shop to get it setup, they will adjust the string height etc.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/epiphone_sg_g400_eb.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/kramer_guitars_s_211_custom_tb.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/gretsch_g5225_junior_jet_ii_bk.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/schecter_omen_6_bk.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/esp_ltd_ec50_black_satin.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/kramer_guitars_assault_220_fr_black.htm

Blackhorse Slim

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, if he likes Fender-type guitars but wants something a little different, Yamaha Pacifica

http://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_pacifica_212v_qm_cb.htm

Yamaha Pacifica used to be the standard response around here for anyone looking for a good guitar in that price range. Quality instruments, well-made, great value, versatile and a little bit different.

Jakob

rowanh wrote: »

There is a fair bit of bad advice here..

Adverts.ie is a good way to go alright and a les paul would be good.

You can easily get something for 350 that will be cool, check out thomann.de, they are a great site though it would be a good idea bringing it to a guitar shop to get it setup, they will adjust the string height etc.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/epiphone_sg_g400_eb.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/kramer_guitars_s_211_custom_tb.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/gretsch_g5225_junior_jet_ii_bk.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/schecter_omen_6_bk.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/esp_ltd_ec50_black_satin.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/kramer_guitars_assault_220_fr_black.htm

Thomann are good for sure, especially if you're prepared to pay that extra bit more for something than it's actually worth. And the above guitars are all cool, especially if your little brother has no taste or has river blindness or something.

Sorry, but I just don't see any particulary bad advice above. It might be different advice from yours, but it's advice.

Ultimately, you need to suss out what your bro likes best & go for that

Heeding all this advice, (and reading between the lines, you guys seem pretty close) but what could be really "cool" would be to go to a guitar shop with him, let him try a few out and then BAM! down the cash

Did it with a (very good) mate of mine 12 years ago for his 18th. He still talks about it.


[Hippy]

It's a really nice bonding experience

[\hippy]

Demeyes

I think a lot of people are recommending fenders, to be honest I wouldn't go down that route. For punk/rock stuff I'd prefer to have something with humbuckers in it, or at least one with a bridge one.
The Epiphone Les Paul is a good guitar that would cover a lot of ground and be very usable even for gigs and in bands. I had one as my second guitar and I've used it for gigs and practices for years, it's rock solid. The pacifica suggestion is good too, well worth looking into especially if you can't afford too much.
If possible try and tease out some more info on what guitars he likes, brands and shapes would be a big thing. People's taste in guitars can be pretty personal. There's no telling if someone likes a shape or not unless they tell you.

kranog

Are you against getting him a second hand guitar coz 350 would get you a seriously kick ass second hand Schecter, Ltd or Epiphone. If you'd like a hand picking something out mate, let me know sure and I'll take a look around for ya!

Zombienosh

350 euro is plenty!

I just recently got a new Cort KX-5 for €250!

I've been playing guitar over 10 years, and have played/owned a lot of different brands, I bought this KX-5 a few weeks ago kind of on impulse because i loved the look of it, but it plays amazingly, a lot better than some guitars i've bought around the 1000€ mark.

http://www.cort.kr/english/products/common/view.asp?product_id=111

check it out there, it comes in black or white. Theres also different models in the KX range, different prices etc.

They have a large selection of Corts in the guitar shop on Wicklow St. near Georges St. Arcade.

Best Guitar I've ever played for under €500.

Paul.

CianRyan

You definitely don't need humbuckers to play punk, especially if it's pop punk like bands mentioned in this thread.
A Strat or a Tele would really be the key.
I wouldn't go for an Epiphone, ever.
I've just played way to many horrible epiphones to even consider one at this stage, you'd get a second hand fender for the same price as a brand new epi Les Paul and the fender would be mile better.

punchdrunk

get him a Gretsch!

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/gretsch-electromatic-pro-jet/13250

perfect for pop punk/alt-rock!

ciaranmac

Papa Smut wrote: »

Heeding all this advice, (and reading between the lines, you guys seem pretty close) but what could be really "cool" would be to go to a guitar shop with him, let him try a few out and then BAM! down the cash

Did it with a (very good) mate of mine 12 years ago for his 18th. He still talks about it.


[Hippy]

It's a really nice bonding experience

[\hippy]

Good idea - and you can do this without giving him any hint that you're going to spend money. Who needs an excuse to test drive a few nice guitars anyway?

Varkov

Cool Guitar Bro!

http://www.thomann.de/ie/epiphone_ltdedg400_alpine_white.htm

CianRyan

punchdrunk wrote: »

get him a Gretsch!

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/gretsch-electromatic-pro-jet/13250

perfect for pop punk/alt-rock!

For pop punk?
Really?

wild turkey

If it were me id get him one of these & a microcube
All excellent guitars
http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_squier_tele_custom_ii_p90_bk.htm?sid=9fbce27dd0767bcf3c07367b5c988573

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/article/3842-looking-for-a-cheap-les-paul-vintage-is-the-answer-.html

http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_micro_cube.htm

The vintage les paul distressed model is on offer for €220 incl postage
and all are as good as any €400 epiphone