If You Had E1500 To Spend On A Electric Guitar...What Would You Buy?

TheFiveLamps

Hey,

im looking to invest in a new/used electric guitar,my budget is E1500.

i have my eye on a Deusenberg Starplayer in MusicMaker currently.

and basically just wondering what guitar folk would recommend in/around that price range?

cheers!

gerarda

The best answer is to go and try guitars in that range and buy the one that feels and sounds the best to you. You will get different opinions from everyone recommending different makes. When you decide, check it over for scratches/damage etc and ask if they will do a setup for you or maybe a discount. Enjoy!

Savman

Another PRS

Squidgy Black

Used Les Paul Standard or a PRS, solid guitars with great tone, and if you buy smartly you can break even if you need to flip it.

As for the Duesenberg, if it turns out it's not the guitar you really want after a couple of months, you'll probably end up taking a big hit on it as they're not really popular or well known.

Demeyes

That would really vary depending no what kind of music you play and what sound you're after. Shapes, woods and pickup preferences would come into play too. Personally I'd look at used stuff because you can get one hell of a guitar second hand in that price range.

Malice

If I had €1,500 to spend I'd buy an Agile Septor Elite 827


Would I recommend it to the thread starter? Probably not unless they specifically want an extended range guitar .

TheFiveLamps

Demeyes wrote: »

That would really vary depending no what kind of music you play and what sound you're after. Shapes, woods and pickup preferences would come into play too. Personally I'd look at used stuff because you can get one hell of a guitar second hand in that price range.

I Guess im into playing soft rock/alternative rock. nothing too amazing,simple rhythms and chord changes really.

Morf

I don't play guitar, but I'd buy an Ibanez J-custom if I had €1500 to spend on one.

Ravelleman

I'd definitely buy from the States on ebay and I'd spend weeks meticulously researching my purchase.

I managed to get a NOS 2004 Gretsch Annie and a 2011 G&L Legacy for just a little more than you want to spend, including shipping and customs. Both are undeniably high quality guitars.

For general playing you couldn't really go wrong with a G&L Legacy and a G&L ASAT. Or a Legacy and a nice amp. People don't spend enough on amps. Or an ASAT and a nice amp...

But seriously, it pays to buy from the US if you're smart and really look for the best prices.

seanwhite20

Gotta be a second hand LP standard.

kbell

Washburn N4
I'm a lefty and have only saw a couple of these around in LH.

roast

Malice wrote: »

If I had €1,500 to spend I'd buy an Agile Septor Elite 827


Would I recommend it to the thread starter? Probably not unless they specifically want an extended range guitar .

Exactly the same here, that'd be my next guitar.

Or, bass-wise, a Marcus Miller signature Jazz Bass V.

demanufactured

either a PRS or an ibanez JS1200

Ardent

Gibson Les Paul all the way. I picked up a traditional a couple of months ago for 1750. I love it - gives me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I play it.

The key thing, regardless of which guitar you finally purchase, is to play them all. I spent a week going through every Les Paul in my price range in Dublin! You need to get a feel for the tone and action before you take it home. If it doesn't sing to you in the store, it won't sing to you at home.

Ravelleman

Ardent wrote: »

You need to get a feel for the tone and action before you take it home. If it doesn't sing to you in the store, it won't sing to you at home.

Action is adjustable! I reckon that the feel you get most of the time while in the shop isn't anything like the feel you get at home once you've adjusted everything to your preferences. The key is to look for potential.

feylya

Ardent wrote: »

The key thing, regardless of which guitar you finally purchase, is to play them all. I spent a week going through every Les Paul in my price range in Dublin! You need to get a feel for the tone and action before you take it home. If it doesn't sing to you in the store, it won't sing to you at home.

Ravelleman wrote: »

Action is adjustable! I reckon that the feel you get most of the time while in the shop isn't anything like the feel you get at home once you've adjusted everything to your preferences. The key is to look for potential.

Of the 4 (I think it's 4...) guitars I have, I bought 1 in a shop and only played 2 chords on that one before buying. The problem with Gibsons is that their QA has been (and possibly still is) incredibly flakey.

Miklos

Get a 2nd hand Gretsch, like this one, and join the cult of Gretsch!

Seziertisch

I think the Duesenberg is an good choice.

It covers a lot of ground in terms of the styles that can be played with it, and the hardware on them is excellent.

I've played quite a few of them, and like with all guitars some are better than others, not that some are bad, but just sometimes you get a particularly nice one. If you have found one like that in Musicmaker, then I would say go for it.

As someone else pointed out, though, as they are not a well known brand (like Gibson or Fender) you will take a bit of a hit if you try to offload it, but seeing as the second hand gear market is pretty deflated at the moment, that's to be expected anyway.

il gatto

I have a Les Paul. Had it for years. Can't speak highly enough of them. Having said that they're not everyone's cup of tea (idiots:)). I would however always suggest a classic of some sort, be it a Les Paul, Tele, Strat, SG, ES335, Rickenbacker, Gretsch etc. I know too many who've bought good guitars by Charvel and even Ibanez and not been able to get even close to their outlay back when they sold them on.
Second to that is that, for me, it was an aspiration to have the guitar (or similar to) that was used for so many classic songs. As good as PRS are, things like Slash breaking into a solo outside the church in November Rain, Jimi Page swaggering around with a massive (on him) sunburst LP, Hendrix setting his Strat on fire, or Springsteen slashing away at his Tele. It just feels so good to play piece of (albeit recently manufactured) history. And there sometimes there's no replicating those classic tones without the right instrument.

Ravelleman

Gibsons and Fenders take big hits on the second hand market, no doubt about it. As much as people want to believe that an LP Standard is an 'investment piece' or 'won't lose its value', it's just not true. Same goes for a lot of American Fenders.

And while I enjoyed having a G&L Legacy, the reason that I don't sound like Hendrix when I play it is ultimately not a question of brand - and he played several, let's not forget - but the fact that he was great and I'm not.

il gatto

Ravelleman wrote: »

Gibsons and Fenders take big hits on the second hand market, no doubt about it. As much as people want to believe that an LP Standard is an 'investment piece' or 'won't lose its value', it's just not true. Same goes for a lot of American Fenders.

And while I enjoyed having a G&L Legacy, the reason that I don't sound like Hendrix when I play it is ultimately not a question of brand - and he played several, let's not forget - but the fact that he was great and I'm not.

I paid the equivalent of €1,300 for the LP STD about 12 years ago. Still in great nick, I'd be unfortunate not to get all of that back, maybe even a small profit looking at Done Deal for example. For sure not every Strat or LP Studio, SG etc. are going to hold value, but neither will a €1,000 guitar suddenly become a €500 guitar as soon as it leaves the shop as happens so often.
I didn't suggest buying one of these guitars would make anyone play like Hendrix (I wish:rolleyes:), rather that the lust for them is massive because of their associations. And it may not help you play any better, but a good route to a Tele's cut or a LP's fat tone is to actually buy one.
By the way, the G&Ls ooze quality. Leo Fender may have been a radio repairman, but boy could he design a guitar. Nice thing about Music Man and G&L is you get to be a bit different but still get the look and feel (and in alot of cases better build quality and components) and still have the Fender DNA. Always fancied an ASAT but couldn't justify the money on another guitar for all I play these days.

Portlawslim

Alot of the replies are saying how deflated the second hand market is at the moment so deffo go that route.
All the classic brands are a given but don't forget about your Yamaha's and high end Ibanez's.
I have a late 80's Yamaha and its a top notch solid well built guitar. A good nick Yamaha SG is worth a look.:)

seachto7

What about the Jackson Mark Morton signature series, the high end one. Looks a beauty and has coil taps for both pickups.:cool: