What cheap guitar should I buy?

[sev]

I'm in the market for a cheap guitar ($250 or less) just to use on some recordings.
What kind of guitar will give me the most bang for my buck?
I have a preference for Gibson type feel and sound. But, Ive been told that cheap single coils sound better than cheap humbuckers. I was eyeing an Agile Les Paul copy that looked good for the price.
But, then I think that since cheap gear doesn't hold its value, maybe I should find a used Mexican Fender or Epiphone.
I don't wanna go eBay on this - too many people getting rid of lemons with funky necks, frets, etc.
I'm confused.
Help?

[starcastic]

http://shop.firstact.com/PublicStore/(S(gcqdjqbkcxc3yu555pv4vy2l))/product/Paul-Westerberg-Signature-Guitar,681,163.aspx



I just love Westerberg. And $90?!? C'mon...

[sev]

http://shop.firstact.com/PublicStore/(S(gcqdjqbkcxc3yu555pv4vy2l))/product/Paul-Westerberg-Signature-Guitar,681,163.aspx



I just love Westerberg. And $90?!? C'mon...

Ever played one?
I wonder if you can opt for another pickguard. The plaid is just not...me.

[CBGB]

Maybe SX Guitars? http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html

All sorts of knock offs of your favourite guitars, and a pretty cool sort-of-Jaguar-thing for $140!



I've never played one but they get decent reviews on Harmony Central...

[sev]

Maybe SX Guitars? http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html

All sorts of knock offs of your favourite guitars, and a pretty cool sort-of-Jaguar-thing for $140!



I've never played one but they get decent reviews on Harmony Central...

Yeah! I was considering that exact guitar, in vintage white. And the 2 pickup version is even cheaper - $120!
Then I started looking at some of the Agile LP copies also on the Rondo site in the $200 range, and those seemed a little safer (quality tuners, etc).

[McSpunckle]

Agile.

I like it. It's got a smaller neck than I would like, but I have clumsy fingers and tend to prefer acoustic necks.

The pickups can be a bit muddy, but overall they don't sound bad.

Everything is pretty good. The tuners aren't the really good Grovers, but they hold tune OK as long as you don't lay it on the couch or something.

Overall, I haven't seen anything that would touch if for $200.

[basti moon]

They have P90's on everything, I'm in heaven

Oh, even fretless guitars, baritones and funky jazz hollows. Cheap jazz hollows + preparedness?

[starcastic]

Ever played one?
I wonder if you can opt for another pickguard. The plaid is just not...me.

I haven't yet, but it's gotten pretty good reviews considering how cheap it is ( http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/First+Act/PW580+Paul+Westerberg+Signature/10/1 ).

I'm with you on the pickguard. Not a big fan of plaid either. I'd find a way around that.

[ohsojayadeva]

i have never heard anything but good things about all of those cheap guitars from rondo. obviously if you're looking for long term, you'll want to swap the tuners out, maybe change the pickups, but even then you're still going to come out ahead.

[masked elwood]

i own a Paul Westerburg First Act and LOVE it. it sounds great and plays great...but i love plaid too...anyway...a pickguard is easy to change. or just take it off...there's no routing under the pickguard.

as mentioned....one drawback about cheap guitars is the tuners...i'm really into beginner guitars but i've never been able to play one straight out of the box. usually the machine heads need to be changed, the neck needs to be shimmed to create a steeper angle...and with older cheapo's (like harmony's)..a proper bridge that can be intonated. (or take the time to mess with different string gauges...or tunings until one works)
these new cheapo's seems to have decent bridges (the Westerburg has a really good bridge...nothing like the walmart versions)...

elwd

[Gunner Recall]

Squier by fender jagmaster is a nice cheap-ish guitar



GL with selling the strat Devi, def. something different. Woulda considered if I hadn' just bought myself a new guitar

The m13 is sweet, worth it just for the verbs and the upgraded dl-4 inside it. Not to mention all the other lil bells and whistles.

[ohsojayadeva]

i've played a couple jagmasters and enjoyed them, they are definitely worth checking out. anyone remember the silver sparkle ones?

[Skarrgus]

i've played a couple jagmasters and enjoyed them, they are definitely worth checking out. anyone remember the silver sparkle ones?

They're the shit.
I actually have two of 'em- 1 silver sparkle, sitting next to me and a once-black sparkle-now-flourescent-pink one at my rehearsal space. Thay definitely need to re-release the 25.5" scale.. Maybe even with a hard tail.

I also have one of the SJMs, and they're certainly nice, especially for how cheap they are. A full stack even fell on it once, an dthe only damage to it was some chipped wood and paint at the lower bout. I've not had a problem with the tuners, just the shitty Jazzmaster bridge, which I swapped out for a modified Mustang bridge. Oh, and the P-90s weren't really my thing, so I ripped out aqll the electronics and wired a Duncan Invader directly to the out jack.

[ohsojayadeva]

i seem to remember at that time the squier line got to be pretty decent. there was a mahogany set neck tele with dual humbuckers for stupid cheap that i never could talk myself into buying. of course now (last i checked) it's a fender and costs twice as much.

[jrmy]

My guitar player used to have a blue sparkle Squier jagmaster that was SO FRICKIN' AWESOME! It had the hottest pickups ever, and sounded like nothing else. Sadly, he had to get rid of it in a great Gear Purge (he got into building his own guitars and made himself a kickass Tele Deluxe). I wish I'd had the cash at the time to buy it off him...