New player - need "better than starter" electric

[desertbluesman]

Stratclone would be what I"d go for. Nothing against Fenders & Squiers, I just don"t get along with their ergonomics. The clones are just subtly different enough that I prefer them.

 

I have an Agile Strat Clone, that I would put up against any Fender Strat. I did change the pups to Fender Vintage Noiseless, been playing that axe for years and love it.

[johnchop]

Well folks... landed on the Pacifica 611HFM, in root beer. Her name is Ruby. Subverted my expectations in a good way.

 

Price became more of a driver, but even so, from a fit-and-finish perspective, the other stuff I had access to could not compete. Not even close.

 

Thanks again for all the input!

 

PS: I definitely want to revisit hollowbodies. You all weren't kidding about wanting more than one guitar.

[KuruPrionz]

Well folks... landed on the Pacifica 611HFM, in root beer. Her name is Ruby. Subverted my expectations in a good way.

 

Price became more of a driver, but even so, from a fit-and-finish perspective, the other stuff I had access to could not compete. Not even close.

 

Thanks again for all the input!

 

PS: I definitely want to revisit hollowbodies. You all weren't kidding about wanting more than one guitar.

 

 

Glad you found something you like. I've got a budget Yamaha, sort of a Les Paul Special with value added features. I'm hot-rodding it but I do that to ALL my guitars The basic quality is high, it's a great guitar.

If I didn't bond with it, I'd have just cleaned it up and moved it along, I've bought and sold lots of guitars. For me, it will be a gigger, something I can leave on stage at the club and not worry about and at the same time, something I can play that makes me smile.

 

I've slowly built a stable of different guitars, very intentionally since I have a home studio and play a wide range of genres and styles. Sometimes opportunity suggests possibility and I go with it - I found an Ibanez GIO Mikro at the thrift store and on looking at it I realized it could be tuned in Nashville tuning and be intonated correctly. It's wonderful for adding chime to acoustic guitar parts so it gets to stay.

 

Slowly, they will pile up on you. If you buy well, they are more or less a type of savings account. Some will even accrue. The Gibson ES-335 Studio I bought for $400 in 1988 should fetch 4x that now.