I am probably going to get a new guitar either an Epiphone Casino or a new Fender. I am just wondering what is a really good guitar for around $700. I would be willing to pay more for quality. But what would be a great strat for southern rock, classic rock, etc. I would like one with a great clean tone and distorted also. Any information would be greatly apprietiated. Thanks.

If you are talking new, you might want to check out some of the mexican line.Anywhere from the standard to the roadhouse or a deluxe.You might want to check out used too.You can probably find a used American for around 700.

An American Standard will fit the bill. You can find them used all over craigslist for 700-750. The main thing to do though,even if you don't buy new,is go play different models at your local music store and get a feel for what you want. Mike

_________________
The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Ok thanks guys. Is there a specific model I should get?

Highway 1 Strats are on sale at most places right now. I highly recommend them.

_________________
Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner

Okay, how do you think those sound.

Baja tele sounds great and is well worth a try out.

_________________
No no and no

I would go to your local music store(guitar center has a wide variety to try) and just play a bunch.You will see the pros and cons of each one.I would even try out a few american standards and then check out used ones and see which one sings to you.

Ok thanks

Mind you, I'm sure the Casino is a very nice instrument. Don't cross that off the list until you can compare the two one after the other.

Hi blues-man-wv: I'm not sure that you do need our help - or that it would be very useful to you, anyhow.

There is a such a world of difference in feel and sound between a Casino and a Strat that you really have to decide which of those you want for yourself. We can't do that for you. Everything about those guitars is different.

Far as Strats are concerned, any single-coil (SSS) Strat will do approximately what you want. There aren't exactly specific models for specific types of music: it ain't quite like that.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be unhelpful, but...

Good luck - C

Okay-dokey

+1 I like semi-hollow body guitars and solid bodies. There is a world of difference. I play lots of different kinds of music. Sometimes solid body won't work so I use a semi-hollow body. Here's a personal example. I play in a couple of Blues bands. One band I play in plays a lot of Chicago Blues. My semi- hollow or mu Martinique fits the bill. Another plays a lot of Texas blues like SRV for example. My Strat or Dano is the way to go there.

It really depends on your needs and what type of sound your looking for. An Epi Casino will not sound like a Fender and vice versa.

Like Ceri said, you need to decide for yourself.