Music Guitar Advice: Budget Electric Guitars - [GOT ME ONE!]

I've played the guitar on and off for the last 20 years, but never seriously. Been in a band or two, but never owned a really decent guitar nor do I follow what's good and what's not. I'm a very casual player.

However I've not played for about 4-5yrs now and my old electric guitar is knacked. So I want an inexpensive one, good enough to faff about on for an hour or so in the evening. It'll be mainly plugged into my laptop with headphones on (I live in a terrace). So, I want one that is uber cheap just so I don't waste money on something I won't use. Literally the price of a PS3 game.

From a quick trawl of the Bay, Squier and Ibanez Gio seem to be within that sort of category/price bracket, used. I've known a few people with Squiers but never tried one and the Ibanez (I'd love a proper one...) Gio seem to get favourable feedback online. What's peoples opinions? Please bare in mind I am a very rusty, very average player who only seeks to dabble, so it's no good recommending a £300 'entry level' guitar to me. I am looking at uber low budget here with the possibility of upgrading if I fancy in the future.

Cheers me dears!

 

Mainly a bass player here, but I swear by Cort (they produce everything from low budget to professional gear). Squier (by Fender) is good too, Epiphone (by Gibson) is good too, but might be too expensive. I have an Ibanez acoustic guitar and it's awesome too.

But remember, a guitar is as good as it's strings, all my "babies" are spoiled by Elixir strings (and believe me, heavy elixir bass strings are expensive )

My advice would be to head to a local music shop and play some guitars, you'll see what fits your bill right away.

 

Epiphone SG-310 (or something like that)

About £130 new or so, and a pretty decent guitar.

 

I've heard some very good things about Epiphone. If need be, I'd chip in and get one of them.

 

My lad has a Stagg Strat copy, excellent quality, and £105 here:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/stagg-s-302-fat-strat-style/66940

Shop around, may get it cheaper

 

In my experience Stagg are absolute crap... Neck warping and losing tune...

 

Build your own :B

You can get some cheap parts knocking about, and wiring diagrams are easy as hell to come by. I put together a strat copy with parts off ebay for ~£100.

If you get an unpainted body, you could also get some nitrocellulose lacquer and paint it yourself :B

 

I guess its a case of YMMV - can only speak as I find.

 

If you get an Epiphone, don't get an SG, it's a very strange balance to come back to.

I'd recommend the Ibanez SA120, I have one and it's absolutely brilliant and only £189 from GAK (http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/75435) took it to get serviced the other day and the guys in my local shop thought it plays as well as the grown up SA, I think one of them just bought one actually, pretty sound endorsment.

Also, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard if you want a classic, nice to play as well, good action, but quite heavy, the Ibanez is solid but nice and light.

 

For a guitar that price your probebly going to have a hard time find something new Id look for second hand guitar.

 

Hey mate, sent you a pm!

 

When I said new, I meant as in a new one to me. Obviously at that price I'm only going to find a used on t'Bay.

 

I had a squier strat, it had a much higher build quality than any strat copy that I saw in shops/friends owned. I'd have another.

 

ah, in that case good luck finding an electric at that price new! mine's still on offer if you change your mind tho

 

Ibanez GIO or Cort.
Ibanez simply because i'm a sucker for them (hey, i play a Prestige RG2570 in Vital Silver - for those that care). Great guitars, the lot of them. While i'm not too convinced with the GIO's, i recently played my cousin's GIO, and found it pleasant, if a bit dull sounding.

Cort make some STUNNING instruments in that price bracket, that normally sound fairly good as well. Where most mid-range corts DO fall a bit shy of the mark is when it comes to the overall build quality... even though it's not like they're going to fall apart - more like their floyd rose licensed birdges actually aren't all that good at returning to zero, the lock nuts suck a bit, etc.

Epiphone is quite possibly the best of the "budget guitars" around, even though you want to stay away from anything that has "epiphone special" written on it (try as i might, i could not get one to sound even remotely good, even through various marshalls, peavys and Behringer VAmp Pro/ Pod XT setups...). The problem is the fact that i had to write "budget"... the good ones are not exactly all that cheap... about the price of a full blown (though not Prestige) Ibanez... and given the choice, i'd take the 'nez for playability...
If you DO find one (in the price bracket), i'd recommend the Les Paul customs... good guitars...

 

Cort are good budget guitars, i would steer clear of the ibanez gio as they are usually gash (pickups, and quality of manufacture). however we cannot discount one of the best budget beginner guitars out there which is the Yamaha pacifica 120. pretty much the best guitar in that price bracket and can be had for peanuts on ebay second hand.

Like i just spunked £370 on an 80's tokai sg custum a few weeks ago, and my poor ibanez 1570l is being a bit unloved atm

 

Ibanez get my vote for a serious guitar, I got the 1820X its a damn beast! As for budget? My missus has a peavey starter kit, which is damn good considering she spent £100 on it. You might wanna try out dean aswell, its good enough for michael angelo batio and they're built pretty solid. BC rich have some decent beginner guitars but the shape is kinda cheesy. Your best bet is to pop into sound control, they're used to dealing with beginners so they would be able to advise you and you can try a few while you're there. Check out thomann.de aswell, their prices are dirt cheep and service has always been excellent.

 

i cant believe you mentioned sound control, the idiocy in there is tantamount to setting fire to £200. thomann are good, but their delivery times are often shocking.

 

It's just like PC world for instruments tbh - it's fine if you have an idea of what you want. That, and you can always play everything and find out, they don't really care.

QFT. A mate of mine bought a lovely-looking Epiphone Les Paul Copy, awesome finish and build quality, but I couldn't get a decent sound from it in about 4 months of messing around with it...

+1 for Ibanez, if your budget/tastes suit it. I'm going to get myself a budget Ib around Xmas for something different than my current Fender Showmaster, just to keep things interesting.

 

The answer's staring you in the face.
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=1811722#post1811722
My first was a Squier Strat and they're brilliant. Get it