Honestly if you picked up a guitar that felt good to play that’s in your price range just buy it dude. I have a few Mexican and American fenders and love them all. Can’t go wrong with a PRS either, you might find one with coil tapping that will get you more tonal options.
this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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I'm going to add on that it's important to just go out and try as many different guitars as you can. Try to use the amp closest to yours if not exactly yours. It's very easy to lust after a certain guitar from historical vibes and online reviews only to get it in your hands and find out that you just cannot click with it.
I tend to use a modeler over amps. So making that happen isn't too terribly hard. I've even been taking it in to the guitar stores, because it fits in my music bag.
Consider ESP LTD or Ibanez guitars? You can get A LOT of guitar for that money with these brands. Other than that, I'd personally look into PRS and maybe a Telecaster?
Or just upgrade your Epiphone Les Paul into a higher tier Epiphone LP, or even an actual Gibson.
Schecter might be worth a look, too. There are interesting models in that price range like the Nick Johnston and Jack Fowler traditionals.
I would stay away from Mexican strats. Unless you get a deal they not good bang for the buck. A little more gets you an US one, and a bit less gets you a better Asian import. Maybe a Jackson or Charvel, or a Kramer, or a squir classic vibes and and amp upgrade. Ibanez and ESP are also great options.
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Between a MiM Strat and a PRS I would go with the PRS. The scale length on the PRS is mid-way between the Strat and the LP, so if you go back and forth between the LP and the new guitar you're less likely to have issues with the different string tension making your chords all sound out of tune.
I have an SE Custom 24-08 and I love it. I also have a MiA Strat Deluxe Plus, which I also love but I find myself playing the PRS far more often. Same pickups as the 24, but having the 3-way switch with the two mini toggles gives you two more pickup combinations. On the 24-08 you can have both pickups active with one using both coils and the other using a single coil, the 24 is either both double or both single.
Yeah, after getting an American Strat and an Indonesian Custom 24-08 in my hands yesterday, I've ruled out the Strat. Which is weird because when I started, this shopping, it was the guitar I was looking at the closest. And honestly, I probably could have gotten a good Black Friday or Inventory Closeout sale price on an American Strat, given my timeline.
But I may need to try something from Godin. Which is going to take me into the suburbs, because they don't have a dealer in town.
Used Jackson rr24 is probably the best guitar in this price range