Best electric for <$1000

[ItsaBass]

Re: Best electric for <$1000

No reputable, respectable music store should hang any guitar in that price range with a bad nut on the wall.

When my shop gets a weird / bad Gibson we send it back so they can try again.

Exactly, and good for your shop. I believe that any change in Gibson's quality is going to come at the hands of the retailers. If every retailer sent back every bum nut job, every finish defect, every binding defect, every horribly thick finish, every bad polishing job, etc., Gibson would see the hit on their bottom line, and shape up.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Best electric for <$1000

The new 2102 American Standard Telecaster is awesome.

It has a tummy cut

It has a Custom Shop Twisted Tele neck pickup

It has a Custom Shop Broadcaster bridge pickup

It has a brass bridge plate

It has a no load tone control

It has a thinner finish

It has new colors

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Best electric for <$1000

I'll second the nomination for a used, USA-made G&L. If you like Teles, the ASAT is the way to go.

If you like the Strat body, then either the Legacy (vintage alnico SCs), Legacy Special (dual blade HBs), Legacy HB (bridge PAF), S-500 (Leo Fender's hot MFD SCs) or the Comanche (Leo's hot HB Z-Coil MFD pickups) could be your dream guitar for classic rock and blues. I like the powerful MFD pickups, and they work great with effects because they have a wide-range response, while maintaining clarity.

I can't speak highly enough of these guitars. I just don't think the Highway One can compare, in features or in quality.

If you're looking for a budget 2HB guitar, there are loads to choose from. A used Heritage or Hamer would probably be at the top of my list. I'm not really crazy about Guilds myself, but a Bluesbird or a Starfire might be doable at the top end of your budget. The top end Epi LPs are pretty good, and the Sheraton would be one I'd look at for a 335-clone. I like a lot of the Ibanez Artcore guitars, or go vintage and hunt down an Ibanez Artist--a Les Paul killer if there ever was one. Another brand I like is Reverend. I've only seen a few, but I've liked what I've played.

Save you pennies, get your ducks in a row, have the patience of a saint, and strike while the iron is hot. These are cliches, but when you're hunting for the right guitar on a budget, it's the best approach.

Bill

 

[AlexR]

Re: Best electric for <$1000

Or Gibson Studio 60's tribute, either LP or SG special with p90's. You can kinda hang with both the singlecoil crowd and the humbucker crowd with one guitar.