Best electric for <$1000

[watercarving]

I play mostly blues and classic rock. Also do some delay/chorusy stuff. Am looking for the best guitar I can get for <$1000 to fill the bill.

If you were me what would you go for?

Thanks!

[phil_104]

Highway 1 or American Special strat with a SD single coil sized humbucker in the bridge.

Proceed to rocking.

PS. Same thing can be said for a telecaster.

[MetalManiac]

I think the Sg Gibson Standard is 1199 now? If ya can get the 200.00 off Coupon from MF, and thats a bg if, unquestionably the SG..in fact at 1199, if that what it still is, its still the best bargain with or without the discount.
Other than that, the flat top Les Paul with the 2 P90's; whatever thats called.

[aleclee]

When working with a constrained budget, buying used is generally the right answer.

Without more info about the tones you prefer and other info about your rig, it's hard to give a meaningful answer.

[MetalManiac]

Without more info about the tones you prefer and other info about your rig, it's hard to give a meaningful answer.

I play mostly blues and classic rock. Also do some delay/chorusy stuff.

I think thats plenty of info.

[MetalManiac]

So anything that doesn't have a floyd and active humbuckers, then?

And you could even say that blues and country is do-able on a floyd'd metal machine...



.

Don't be ridiculous.

[watercarving]

Prefer SC or HB....I don't really know. I'm not much of a gear guy unfortunately. I've always played strats but I've got an itch and a few funds. Looking for something that sounds really good and is versatle.

I would love to go from a SRVish tone to the Edge (I'd like to be able to play like SRV but gear won't help that!) with just one guitar. Or as close to that as I can get.

[MetalManiac]

I would love to go from a SRVish tone to the Edge (I'd like to be able to play like SRV but gear won't help that!) with just one guitar. Or as close to that as I can get.

Its not likell that you'll get a guitar that does everything, like from the Edge to SRV.

Blues and Classic Rock is going to be Fender and Gibson type guitars. Id say a Blacktop Strat with coil switching for would be a good compromise that could get you into the ballpark on evrything form SRV to Edge.

I'd prefer to either get a Strat/Tele/ GibsonSG or Les Paul and settle on one type of Blues/Rock tone that does one sound perfectly rather than try and get a jack of all trades guitar that does a bunch of different sounds half assed, but for a begginer, I can't say the Blacktop Option would be a bad thing..

[aleclee]

I play mostly blues and classic rock. Also do some delay/chorusy stuff.

I think thats plenty of info.

Don't be ridiculous.

Does that make you the pot or the kettle?

[Powdered Toast Man]

Highway 1 or American Special strat with a SD single coil sized humbucker in the bridge.

Proceed to rocking.

PS. Same thing can be said for a telecaster.

I would love to go from a SRVish tone to the Edge (I'd like to be able to play like SRV but gear won't help that!) with just one guitar. Or as close to that as I can get.

What did SRV and the Edge have in common? Fender.

See above post from phil. Either American Special or Highway One Strat or Tele. Heck, you could even score an American Standard for under $1000 - I think Fender has a $100 off promo right now.

[ImmortalSix]

Telecaster

[jtougas]

Les Paul Special, single or doublecut.

[Empty Pockets]

Get a used Highway 1 Fender and a used Faded Gibson

Or if you already have Strat(s) get a Gibson.

[MetalManiac]

I still think Im good with what he said in the beggining. The OP likes Blues and classic rock. Aclee wanted to act like a big shot and ask for more info, and then all he got was the guy wnated everything ( within Calssic Rock and Blues). I don't know or care about the edge, but if he uses Fender, it still doesnt get EVERYTHING in Blues and Classic Rock, much of which is Gibson.

Again, ya can get a guitar that tries to do both fender and Gibson sounds, which is a Fender opr Fender style guitar with Humbcukers and Coil Split.

Or , liek i said, go for a 2 P90 Flat top Gibson , or if at all possible, a SG Standard Gibson on discount.
You cannot assume just cause OP likes SRV and the Edge, that discounts his appreciation of the entire scope of Blues and Classic rock, which he stated first and foremost was his boundaries for considertion of the sound he was after , and of which the BEST DEAL, of which point I still consider of primaray importance here, is still the most fundamental consideration and I stand by my original suggestion, notwitstanding Major Genital Aclees wiesenhiemer remarks.

[everdrone]

I play mostly blues and classic rock. Also do some delay/chorusy stuff. Am looking for the best guitar I can get for <$1000 to fill the bill.

If you were me what would you go for?

Thanks!

I got my gibson sg standard used for $800

that would fit the bill for you too!!

[Powdered Toast Man]

Oh, you can get a real Gibson for under $1000, but my experience with that is you need to pick up a LOT of them to weed out the dogs. The hardware is crap (Zamack cast hollow bridge anyone) and the nuts are cut poorly causing tuning instability (my experience with my $1200 Jr). I'm not saying Gibson guitars are all like this, but it's my opinion that their quality control seriously slides the closer you get to that sub $1000 territory.

Fender is much more aimed at this price range and does it well. Are there zero bad ones? No, but they're much more consistently good than bad.

[Empty Pockets]

Oh, you can get a real Gibson for under $1000, but my experience with that is you need to pick up a LOT of them to weed out the dogs. The hardware is crap (Zamack cast hollow bridge anyone) and the nuts are cut poorly causing tuning instability (my experience with my $1200 Jr). I'm not saying Gibson guitars are all like this, but it's my opinion that their quality control seriously slides the closer you get to that sub $1000 territory.

Fender is much more aimed at this price range and does it well. Are there zero bad ones? No, but they're much more consistently good than bad.

This type of stuff pisses me off. 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.

[ItsaBass]

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.

[tonello]

Faded SG.

[ItsaBass]

Used US-made G&L ASAT Classic. They are better made than any production line Fender or Gibson, and they have terrible resale value, so they are a great value on the used market. (That also means that if you buy them used, you don't take a huge hit in value if you should ever decide to resell.)

As an example, somebody just got a lot of guitar for not much money in this E-Bay auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-L-ASAT-Cla...item2c65ffaa0f. US ASAT Classic custom ordered with ebony fretboard and color-matching headstock, with hardshell case for $715 shipped. And you might find even better deals locally, because of the difficulty of selling a G&L.