by Spades » Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:25 am
Already posted, but these ARE the main beginner brands...
ESP-LTD: Cheap but solid and fast playing guitars, usually have EMG humbucker knockoffs with a coil tap (humbucker to single coil)
Squier: The poor man's Fender. Asian (Tiawan, Korea, China) built, decent quality, low prices, decent sound.
Epiphone: Gibson's version of Squier guitars, somewhat higher quality, heavier though. Les Pauls, SGs, and the Zeppelin-esque Double Necked SG, made by these guys.
Ibanez: Their low end is pretty cheap, while their high end is very good. All around fast and pretty reliable guitars, comparable to an ESP-LTD in design and basic feel.
First Act:.......WAL-MART!!!!!!!!!
G&L Legacy: Leo Fender made G&L after he quit Fender and got pissed at Musicman. Excellent guitars, their Legacy's are like Epiphones (in quality), except, IMO, smoother and more comfortable, they also make Strats and Teles.
Jackson: Yet another ESP or Ibanez. Same designs, Same bodies, basically, all of these brands are wannabe shredder brands, not to say that their work is bad, just too impersonal.
Fender, Made in Mexico: Most newbs don't realize this, but these Fenders are made only 20 minutes south of the American Fender headquarters, and have alot of the same quality (minus the shielding) for a fraction of the price of an American Fender. They usually run about the same price as an ESP-LTD, or any of the others on this list (minus Squier, their Bullet is about $300 for a beginner's pack). I own one of these and can attest to it's smoothness and sound. A well set-up Mexican Strat is comparable to a G&L Legacy Strat (S-500).
Fender, Made in Korea: Even cheaper than a MIM Fender, usually comparable to a very nice Squier, except these can come with some cool features such as two-point tremolos and Seymour Duncan pickups Also prettier than Squiers.
Fender, Made in China: Even rarer, a few of Fender's guitars are made in China, such as the Stratocoustic and Telecoustic, off the top of my head. Even cheaper still, but, it does have the Fender logo. Comparable with an average Squier. (P.S. The Stratocoustic and Telecoustic were discontinued a few years ago, I have a Telecoustic, and can say that while it is not a good sounding guitar, it is highly durable and fun for camping trips, and does have a pickup for amplification)
Fender, Made in Japan: Usually priced about the same as an MIM Fender, but much higher quality. The Aerodyne series is mostly built here, as well as many of their basses and, my favorite, a version of the Jaguar. In the Japanese factory, from what I hear, the workers are paid not on their quantity, but on the quality of each piece, thus rendering quality equal to or superior to American Fenders. The only thing holding these back is the slightly lower quality equipment used (again, lack of shielding, as on almost all instruments of the below $1K price range) A well set up one is easily comparable to an American Fender, prices run about parallel to Mexican Fenders, maybe slightly higher.
This is just a sampling of my favorites that cost under $1K. Most will run you $400-$750, depending on the model, other than the Squiers. My recomendation: an MIM Strat, an MIJ strat, an Epiphone, or a G&L Legacy, though these will run in about the $500-650 range, they are guitars that will bring you from a newb to a pro without the need for an upgrade, a lot of pros even play them. If you wanna go cheaper, get an ESP-LTD. They run $450 and are very fast if soulless guitars. If you wanna go even cheaper, I recommend a Squier Fat Strat (on which I learned), or a Squier beginner's pack (on which my brother learned), which includes an amp, a cord, and a Squier Bullet. You can also find MANY extraordinarily good deals on eBay, as many mothers tend to sell their kid's extra stuff while they're at college, without ever knowing it's real value.
Wow, this post is way, way too long.
-Spades
low and....well....just low.
) So yeah, basically anything that you would suggest for a begginer who bashes his face up with acoustic guitars... 
is it possible to get something that could do some metal too at the same time, while able to do anything else too? Or is that going up the price ally...
