Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

[VergDan]

I've tried/owned several low budget and mid priced guitars over the years. I mainly play metal and blues. Here are some of my thoughts.
Epiphone Standard- Ok build quality and playability but the pickups are not so nice. Dull and powerless sounding.
Epiphone Prophecy and 1960 Tribute- Better build quality and playability but still, adjustments are needed, string buzz here and there. Excellent sound thanks to EMGs and Gibson Classic '57
Tokai Chinese made SG loaded with 3 pickups- Baseball bat neck, low flat fretwires, I guess they try to copy everything from Gibson. Can't set the action too low due to string buzz. Excellent for bending but bad for fast playing. ****ty pickups with high end that sounds like tearing paper and muddy mushy low end.
Ibanez RG421- My favorite one so far. Wide and thin neck for fast playing, super-low actions, and what really surprised me was the pickup. The quantum pickups loaded on mid-to-low priced Ibanez guitars now (even Vai's Jem junior model) are warm but not mushy with punchy midrange and smooth high end.

But, recently I'm really interested in Sterling by musicman sub series, how are they?
Washburn and Ltd look interesting too.
Call me an idiot but I guess I really like mid to low priced guitars.

 

[VergDan]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

God I forgot Schecter. Played one recently and I'm seriously considering getting one.

 

[Nickmag01]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I own an epi sg prophecy. Great sounding guitar for the price! Cant beat the maple top and ebony fretboard for the price. Only criticism is the set neck but thats personal preference. You also cannot go wrong with an rg, i own a 89 japanese rg550 and it still shreds like new. Ive heard the build quality on lower price schecter guitars was off from multiple players though.

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[Ben1962]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I been buying Epiphones myself. I replaced the probucker with a Pegasus and I swear, the Epiphone sounded better. More Harmonics, just a more powerful voice all round. May drop that pup right back in. Seriously, metal distortion, nobody will know the difference. That being said, the Sentient in the neck is in an entire new league. I paid $320 on Bay for that guitar

 

[VergDan]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I own an epi sg prophecy. Great sounding guitar for the price! Cant beat the maple top and ebony fretboard for the price. Only criticism is the set neck but thats personal preference. You also cannot go wrong with an rg, i own a 89 japanese rg550 and it still shreds like new. Ive heard the build quality on lower price schecter guitars was off from multiple players though.

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Shame they discontinued the SG Prophecy, absolutely love the feel of the SG shape. The Ltd viper looks like SG loaded with EMGS but I never had the chance to play any LTD guitars.

 

[VergDan]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I been buying Epiphones myself. I replaced the probucker with a Pegasus and I swear, the Epiphone sounded better. More Harmonics, just a more powerful voice all round. May drop that pup right back in. Seriously, metal distortion, nobody will know the difference. That being said, the Sentient in the neck is in an entire new league. I paid $320 on Bay for that guitar

I don't usually use too much distortion so yeah I can hear the difference between pickups. Gotta say pickup upgrade is kinda necessary for epiphones.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Used PRS SE’s can be had for $350. Great guitars but at that price point most if not all guitars need a professional set up, including leveling, crowning and polishing of the frets, and making the nut perfect. New strings and setting the action and intonation too. $100. but if done right by a real pro, a $350 guitar can be made to play like a $3500 guitar.

New pickups eventually too, so add $200.

So now you’ve got $650 in it. But it should play and sound like a totally pro guitar.

I love my SE’s. Got three of them. One with Seth Lovers, one with PG’s and one with CSPG’s.

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I like playing around with the PUPS too. I play thru a EVH 50 watt head, never use channel 3 and gain never above 5 . For whatever reason, that one Probucker was awesome. I am not an EMG fan myself, thats all good if you are but to me they lack personality. Clinical sterile, thats for me tho. And thats me hearing thru my amp in comparison to my buddies LTD with EMGs. I also have another EPI with the Nazgul, one with 57s and my personal #1 is a cheapo spalted maple with the JB/Jazz set. Solid hunk of wood, heavy and SCREAMS. I keep hearing about the SE and how great it is. IMHO, you buy an SE replace the nut ASAP. They dont stay in tune at all, at least mine didnt and I hated the PUPS too. Again, just my personal experience. I think EPI makes a very good product, little TLC and you get a killer guitar

 

[VergDan]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I like playing around with the PUPS too. I play thru a EVH 50 watt head, never use channel 3 and gain never above 5 . For whatever reason, that one Probucker was awesome. I am not an EMG fan myself, thats all good if you are but to me they lack personality. Clinical sterile, thats for me tho. And thats me hearing thru my amp in comparison to my buddies LTD with EMGs. I also have another EPI with the Nazgul, one with 57s and my personal #1 is a cheapo spalted maple with the JB/Jazz set. Solid hunk of wood, heavy and SCREAMS. I keep hearing about the SE and how great it is. IMHO, you buy an SE replace the nut ASAP. They dont stay in tune at all, at least mine didnt and I hated the PUPS too. Again, just my personal experience. I think EPI makes a very good product, little TLC and you get a killer guitar

Now that I think about it, it's probably the orange head I tried the Probuckers with. I can't stand the fuzzy orange high end so I turned it down. Probably too much lower mids for a Les Paul. But it sounds alright with a Jackson Flying V which is a very thick sounding guitar. By the way I put EMG85 in the bridge which has growling midrange and smooth high. And 81 in the neck to get rid of some muddiness. To me EMGs are awful when used with light overdrive. But in higher gain situations they're consistent and articulate.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I been buying Epiphones myself. I replaced the probucker with a Pegasus and I swear, the Epiphone sounded better. More Harmonics, just a more powerful voice all round. May drop that pup right back in. Seriously, metal distortion, nobody will know the difference. That being said, the Sentient in the neck is in an entire new league. I paid $320 on Bay for that guitar

I love the Probuckers in my Florentine
I have a JB/Jazz set sitting round
I haven't been tempted to swap them at all

 

[Mincer]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Every Sterling I have played has been amazing. Same for Godin, who also have their own thing going on, but are often overlooked. Their used prices are great, and if you let someone else take the hit on a new guitar, you can get one at Epi prices easily.

 

[Artie]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

I love inexpensive guitars. Especially the older USA Peaveys. They still fly under the radar. And, as a member of this forum, I don't care what cheap pups sound like.
Although, I've run into quite a few that were not bad. Especially the Peaveys.

 

[Godin15]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Godin only makes Mid and high end. If you're looking for a mid range guitar you will be hard pressed to beat their lineup of guitars.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

New pickups eventually too, so add $200.

Or get them used like I usually do, for half price, so around $100 for a set of good PU's.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Used Reverends go for cheap money considering the quality of guitar you get. Their resale market hasn’t had chance to build out yet.


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[justFred]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Used American Standard Stratocaster. $600 - $700 if you watch, wait, try out and buy. You end up with a guitar that is the standard and will save you a lot of money in the long run. Get it right the first time is the only way to go.

 

[Spudman]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

Since you asked about Sterlings - I have the Axis copy that was a Guitar Center exclusive with the locking trem, and the Silo copy in black. Both have maple fingerboards, sound great and play really nicely. Only complaint I have is that on the Axix copy the high E is a little too close to the neck edge and it isn't just a 'yank up on the neck and realign it' sort of thing. The tremolo on it is great.

The pickups and controls are good on both, and they stay in tune really well. Roughly $200 for the Silo brand new at my friends guitar store. Totally worth it. The Axis copy I got brand new at Guitar Center on clearance $165! I should have bought all they had at that price. Great guitars - especially for the price.

If you go up a bit in price the ESP LTD EC256 is a great LP alternative.

As someone else said, most PRS SEs are really good too $400 or less used. I have two, but I bought them new for less than $400. I tried two SE Custom 24s and neither of them had any mojo. Then I got the SE Standard 24 with just a mahogany body and that guitar is amazing, a keeper for sure.

 

[Name]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

LTD and Schecter are great.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

God I forgot Schecter. Played one recently and I'm seriously considering getting one.

Schecters are a lot of guitar for the money — especially the set-neck models. They put to good use the set of Duncans or EMGs that might come with them.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Mid-to-low priced guitars, any opinions/recommendations?

My recommendation isn't really popular, I guess cause it's not available in the land of the free, home of the brave.

It's FGN by Fujigen, the manufacturer of Fender Japan and Ibanez Prestige. New ones go for 800-900 dollars street, basswood body, JB, SSL-1, Classic Stack; all Gotoh hardware; all maple neck.

My only concern is the plasticky finish but I can live with that, and the curved frets.