My budget is 1000-1200 dollars, I want to purchase another guitar. I play rock and blues. I am putting together a 70's, 80's "Bar Band" and will need a second guitar, I've have a fender/squire strat s/s/s/, Fender HRD Amp (soon to be replaced by a DRRI). I am thinking Gibson SG Standard or a VG strat used because of the different tunings ect... There are soooo many options. Is there anyone out there who is in a similar situation(bar band) that can give me input on some other guitars thatv would work other then what i listed? The guitar needs to have a smaller/thin neck, I prefer no locking tremlos ,Qaulity electronics, no active pup's no graphic paint jobs,New or used. People have suggested ESP's ect.... please give me your two cents, I dont have a lot of music stores where i'm at so hands on experiance is what i'm seeking.

If you think you have the Strat type covered, then I would suggest a Les Paul type guitar. You can do alternate tunings on the fly much easier with the fixed bridge Les Paul.

Don't spend all you money on it though. Buy an Epiphone and put the remaining funds into your New Strat savings account. You'll want a MIA Fender some day (and probably a Gibson too after that).

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

GO on ebay and pick up aa American Standard strat with the s1 and you will pretty much have your bases covered. I picked up an ash NOS 07 with tags and warranty from a small shop for $1,140. There are a lot of bargains due to the economy and you can get a great pro ax for that much money to last your lifetime. I dont like SGs at all if you want to go that route get a studio Les Paul and you will have change to spare to get some cables and strings.

Hello Dugan21,

SG is a nice guitar but I'll suggest to buy a
American Standard and block the tremolo.

S-1 switching is not on the A-standard it's on the A-Deluxe.
The A-standard has delta tone, which is the absence of the
tone control at 10, Direct pickup sound.

Cheers.

+1 on the American Strat.I wouldnt waste my time with the epiphone though.I had a Dot and it was cheaply made with really cheap parts.Tuners sucked as did the electronics.The pickups were mediocre and it had a plastic nut that broke when i put 10s on it.Its not made anywhere near as good as the MIM strat.

Les Paul and if you are thinking SG try several and make sure one is the Classic with the P-90's

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

If you're happy with your strat, I'd suggest looking for a used SG 61 reissue. It's in your price range and it's a nice compliment to the strat you have. If you're not happy with your strat, pick up a used Am Deluxe and a look for a used "faded" SG. there's some good prices on things on Ebay and Craigslist right now so both could be had within your budget.

I went through the same thing this summer. I own an old Tele and a Deluxe Player's Strat. I wanted a guitar with a different sound, so I bought an ESP/LTD. But, for some reason I grew to hate the sound. So, I sold it and checked out Gibson SG's and a Les Paul Studio with the worn finish. They all sounded great, but the Les Paul's frets were rough. So, I decided on the SG Standard. The neck is a little thicker maybe, but it's not hard to get used to. The classic double cutaways make it a little easier to reach the higher frets. And the tone is what I was searching for.

The prices for the Am Std Strats are going on sale this month, so you may be in luck. As for the Fender VG's and Gibson's Robot guitars. It seems like they're going to discontinue those. I guess the market just wasn't there. If you're into different tunings, you could use your other guitar for that. I don't have that need, so I really don't know much of a pain lugging around several guitars must be. If you do go for the VG or Robot, try one out and ask a lot of questions... You're the player, so that makes you the boss... get what you like and can afford.


Good Luck.

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"...The final truth is, there is no truth..." - (from "Nice n' Neat" by the Boomtown Rats)

The one thing i will say about my American Standard is if you play the bridge pickup and roll the tone knob off , it fattens it up considerably.Maybe not to the point of a SG, but still nice.

This is similar to a post above ... If you really think you have Strat covered, then get the Gibson SG Std. They were lowered to $1200 a while back. Can't go wrong with that. Along with Strats, a good Gibson SG kills.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I agree!!!! I can't beleive people are saying get an American Standard when the OP said he has that sound covered because an SG and a Strat are way different. As different as a Strat to a Tele. Expand your horrizons!!!! Go SG, LP or even Tele.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Must buy SG, must buy SG.

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

It is always a good idea to have different instruments at your disposal. Why limit yourself just to one sound? Many times playing a different sound ing instrument can really get you more inspired to play and be creative. If you already have a Strat, then check out the SG. A standard SG is now around the same price as a Amercican Standard Strat. Aside from my collection of Strats, I also have a collection of Gibson Les Pauls and SGs that I play on occasion, but my bread and butter is a strat.

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http://www.youtube.com/user/gmlasam

You may be on the right track with an SG. I really like mine for anything played with alot of distortion. I like my Fenders for the cleans. Not all Epiphones are bad guitars, especially if you can find a Les Paul that was still made in Korea. I have one of those and installed the Gibson Burstbucker Pro pickups. It sounds amazing and will sustain much longer than any of my other guitars. For the type of music you play you really have the bases covered with Fender and Gibson/Epiphione.

Way too many cool old and new Fenders for me to start looking at those little Gibbys!!!LOL