buying an electric guitar, les paul model. which should i buy...?

Question

im considering buying an electric guitar (ive been playing an acoustic for years now). But I want a relatively cheap guitar (i mean price) and the les paul model. Are Epiphone Les Pauls' any good? how much do those go for? how about the imitations? i know they are sub par, but i heard some imitations are somewhat good as Gibson's.

RoVale-- oh, trust me, i love playing the guitar. always! i love the chunky sound of the Les paul, though, thats why i want to get that model.

Answer 1

I have a les paul epi, and i love it!! The tone is great and it's very versatile. I recomend it. It depends which model you want, they can go from 250 approx up to the 900 bucks. But like someone here said, go to a shop and try them out, strats also rock!

Answer 2

the best guitar is the one you like, the one that feels and sounds good to you and is comfortable in your hands. Of course that's assuming you're talking about a decent quality instrument. The worst clunker can to the untrained ear sound decent and feel and look nice while still being utter rubbish. I agree with others that learning on an acoustic instrument is usually the better way to go (and I've used both). Not only do you not get caught up in wondering whether something sounding wrong is because of your playing or because of some setting on the instrument or amplifier, but you also can't mask your errors behind tons of distortion and effects, and can more easily travel as you don't have to lug that amplifier and a bunch of cables with you. And of course, not having to buy an amplifier, your budget will stretch to a better instrument. Back to electric guitars, you are typical in asking exclusively about the guitar itself. When playing electric, the guitar is only half (and depending on your equipment, quite likely less than half) of the sound you produce. The amplifier is at least as important for that, yet is often overlooked by beginners who get some cheap thing that they are quickly dissatisfied with (this happens even more often than people becoming dissatisfied by their guitar). As a rule of thumb, your amplifier should likely cost at least as much as your guitar, if not more, they're that important. And cables too are important. While there might not be a bit visible difference between a $10 and a $50 one of the same length, the difference is well worth the investment when it comes to what comes out of the speakers (note, I'm not talking $100+ cables here, there is a limit). As to what are "good" instruments, that's hard to tell. It's a very personal choice, what may be right for me may be totally wrong for you. In general, brands like Ibanez, Fender (and Squier), Gibson (and Epiphone) and the other major brands all make good products if you stay away from their lowest range models. The only way to decide which you should get is to actually go out to some stores and try a dozen or more different models from several brands. Some may be uncomfortable to you, others may not sound right or you may simply not like the looks of them. Same with amps. Roland, Vox, Fender, and others all produce good amps. Try different guitars on several makes and models and notice the differences. Then try the guitars you've decided might be best for you on several amps you think would work for you and decide which combination is best. Buy that, in that store, don't do them a disservice by buying online for a few dollars less, cheating a real store out of a lot of time and resources spent on helping you. For the guitar, get a good (preferably leather) strap. Also get a good guitar stand. Do NOT buy starterkits of any kind. They're rubbish. Total budget? $1000 should do the trick for a decent guitar+amp+cable+strap+stand+picks and cleaning kit. Anything much less is likely to disappoint you relatively quickly unless you can find something in a clearance sale that suits your tastes and is heavily discounted. For an acoustic otoh, you're set with a pretty nice instrument for about $600.

Answer 3

Go try one...it may be too heavy for your shoulder to play for any length of time. I think the Epiphone Les Pauls are not as heavy as the Gibsons...but go try them anyway. I have seen some professionals use the Epiphone Les Paul but never have used one myself. Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Epiphones are about 800-900 bucks. Have you ever heard of "Gibson/Baldwin Educational Model" guitars? I have one and they're pretty good for a really cheap, 200 dollar guitar.

http://www.gibson.com/Products/GBME/Signature/Products/Signature%20LP/

Answer 5

Make sure you get a guitar you actually enjoy playing. My daughter bought herself a guitar with her allowance money because she liked the way it looked. However, she soon found she didn't like playing it and put it aside. Now, she's trying to sell it and buy herself another.

Answer 6

epiphone les pauls rock, my friend got an epi les paul standard, swapped out the tuners and put emgs in it. i cant tell the difference between his and another emg eqquiped lp besides the cosmetics

Answer 7

oh, i love les pauls. i was going to get one, but they are very expensive, some over onethousand. if you can afford it, i recommend going to a store and playing one, seeing if you like the feel, then if its good, go for it. i personally like the way ibanez guitar necks feel.