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So I've got an '80 Les Paul Custom which I love but rarely play and a (Squier) Mascis Jazzmaster that's my #1, and I'm looking for a third guitar that I can set up for weirdo tunings (AAEF#AE etc), Sonic Youth style. This is a totally indulgent luxury so I can't really justify spending much money, hence the price limit.

Things I like:

1. Humbuckers or P90s
2. 25.5" (not a deal breaker)
3. Offsets

Things I don't like:

1. Teles
2. Single coils

Right now my list of things to try/consider is:

1. Another Mascis
2. Sterling Stingray


What else would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Personally, I think sub $500 guitar quality is pretty good these days, especially used, but you probably want to try a bunch of stuff in a store to weed out potential duds.

I ended up selling it, but one of the best cheap guitars I ever had was an 80s Westone I found at a junk store for $50. I also used it for weird tunings.

70s-80s MIJ Yamaha stuff is worth looking out for. They made a lot of weird/ugly guitars that haven't gone up in price as ridiculously as other Japanese stuff from the same period, and are generally very reliable.

My fave cheap alt-tuning guitar was a Peavey T-15, but those are short scale..

It's hard to top the Mascis as far as new guitars go, though. Plenty of well-built cheap guitars in 2021 but sound-wise that thing is in a league of it's own.

I came in here to recommend the new paranormal Cyclone but I guess that's way off base. I'm happy with the quality of a LTD/ESP I've got but I don't know if those come in 25.5.

What about a Squier Toronado or a Starcaster?

Zork wrote:What about a Squier Toronado or a Starcaster?

Oooh, I do like a Starcaster...

Honestly man, since the Epi kinda restructuring thing they did last year, I've been really interested

My girlfriend walked out of Sam Ash last weekend with a brand new Smokehouse Studio LP with the "pretty good" probuckers, and after a quick setup and string change, im wishing I had got it hahaha

$460ish out the door

I’m interested in some of the hollow and semi hollow Epi’s, so I get you.