Getting my second guitar

I've been playing an ESP M-50 for a couple of years now, enough to be able to tell that it's making some things harder than they could be. I've settled on getting a new guitar. Any recommendations? I'm playing straightforward rock, rhythm guitar, practicing by myself, every other week with the band. I'm looking to spend around $500.

Things I like about my current guitar: small, round neck. Body shape.
Things I don't like about my current guitar: the neck isn't very straight, resulting in quite a bit of variance on string height, which makes playing harder across the board. There is all too frequent buzzing and rattling at the high end.

My favorite music store stocks mostly ESPs and Tokais. Any words on those?

I also want a new amplifier to replace the Roland Microcube I have (I have two, so still have that carry-on flavor available). I'm not going to spend more than $500 - can I even get anything decent and powerful enough for band practice in that price range? Would a virtual amp actually be a better bet? We have amps at the rehearsal space anyway.

Have you had the guitar correctly set up? Neck tension and saddle height may help with the string height issues.

Not that I'm suggesting you don't buy a new guitar of course. But properly setting the ESP up can mean you get something pretty different to give you options when playing, if the ESP is set up badly you will never pick it up again. I don't know anything about Tokai, but ESP is a decent mid-range brand.

Best thing to do is get in a few stores, look at what's in budget and noodle around a bit. See what works for you. But considering your current guitar is a dual humbucker super-strat I may lean towards a Les Paul style for a really meaty sound, or a traditional strat with all single coils for a lighter, cleaner sound. Les Pauls are heavy buggers though, and they have variety in the necks, but are traditionally quite chunky.

But really, it's so subjective, what's right for me may not be right for you.

I'm eyeing out a cheapish Washburn Les Paul rep at a store near me at the moment, or considering the bundled Epiphone Les Paul Junior with Rocksmith, but I just can't spend the money. I have a Korean Washburn Strat rep that I've had for (holy crap!) 15 years now and I've always been happy with it.

$500 is kind of an awkward price range for guitars. I can't speak for all guitar manufacturers but for the ones I'm most familiar with (Gibson and Fender) there's not a lot of value in that range. Generally you're better off going below $400 or above $800 or so.

That said, I did find this for $500 which seems to be fairly well received. Gibson SGJ.

Unfortunately not super familiar with ESPs and Tokais. ESPs are generally too metal for my taste and I actually know nothing about Tokai. Sorry.

Edit: Solid advice from MrDeVil909 about getting it setup. You could also upgrade parts (pickups, tuners, bridge) to try and increase the quality while going easier on your budget.

Holy crap, how did I forget the SG? Lovely guitar, very small and dead sexy.

I don't have any specific guitar to recommend, my only advice is to not get one with a whammy bar.

kyrieee wrote:

I don't have any specific guitar to recommend, my only advice is to not get one with a whammy bar.

Can you elaborate for my own curiousity?

Well, in my experience with them the spring in the whammy adjusts to your tuning, so if you want to change to a different tuning (which I frequently do) the whammy will counteract that, because its equilibrium position is in the old tuning. So five minutes after you change tuning it's already out of tune. Then you have to repeat this process for two hours before it settles down. Plus, you need a string lock and undoing it every five minutes to compensate for the detuning is a pain (you can use the fine tuners but they'll bottom out right away). For me the result is that I use my guitar with the whammy way less even though it's easier to play and has a better sound, it's just a hassle. It does hold its tuning though, as long as you don't want a different one.

I could be doing it all wrong, someone tell me if that's the case.

You're not wrong, but that's why you have 2 guitars, so you can have different tunings.

The SGJ does look hot and is just about in my price range, also over here, even if it's 30% more expensive in euros. Going to find one in a store somewhere for a feel, thanks for the tip!

Goddamnit! Now I want a new guitar!

I have too many expensive hobbies... Cameras, music and gaming are all way too expensive to keep up at the same time...

MrDeVil909 wrote:

You're not wrong, but that's why you have 2 guitars, so you can have different tunings.

I shouldn't have read this quote.

jlaakso wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

You're not wrong, but that's why you have 2 guitars, so you can have different tunings.

I shouldn't have read this quote.

Hehehe. That's why I said, get the ESP set up properly. It's a great choice for a dropped tuning.

I'm getting ready to step up to a nicer guitar in the same, <$500 price range. The two models I'm eyeing most are both Epiphones: The semi-hollowbody ES-339 and the Les Paul Traditional Pro.

Both get really good reviews for the price range (and have the same basic feature set, including coil tapping), but I keep going back and forth on which I want.

B Dog wrote:

and the Les Paul Traditional Pro.

That looks like a great option, too, and is locally available... hmm. Really need to get out there to get a feel!

As I said, I'm also looking at a new amp for home practice, but with mind towards the first gig sometime next year, as well. I came across these VOX models and the VT40+ sounds like just the thing - somewhat portable, with a tube sound, and at least on paper, plenty of range, and should be just about powerful enough to play at a small venue/in band practice. Anybody got experience with those?

Settled on getting a Gibson SGJ Cherry. I love the shape, dimensions and weight - it's considerably lighter than my old instrument. It feels easier to play in an appreciable fashion. I thought long about getting a used "proper" Gibson for the same price (EDIT: 550€/$720), but decided that I just don't know my guitars well enough to be sure I'm getting one in good condition. Anyway, it feels like a real step up from my first baby. I haven't played enough to comment on the tone, but based on playing in the store for a while I'm real happy.

I didn't get an amp for now. The ones I like would set me back far out of my budget for now, and I honestly don't really need one for my practice anyway; I'm currently playing mostly through Rocksmith and then at the band rehearsal room, which comes with its own gear.

Mistake I can't believe I made: I picked up strings, but didn't think to pick a strap. Well, tomorrow!

MrDeVil909 wrote:
jlaakso wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

You're not wrong, but that's why you have 2 guitars, so you can have different tunings.

I shouldn't have read this quote.

Hehehe. That's why I said, get the ESP set up properly. It's a great choice for a dropped tuning.

Dropped tuning?

If you need to get low, this is what you need!

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