Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?

Subject: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 09:31 AM

After several months of trying to force Jimi Hendrix-style bend'n'wails out my Seagull acoustic   (;-) I've about convinced myself to bite the bullet and buy an electric. I've heard that Godin and Epiphone make decent instruments in the under $500 range; does anyone have experience with either, or any other recommendations in that price range?

I tried a $350 Epiphone and really liked the sound -- but that may have more to do with the top-o-the-line amp the store provided. ANd I like the idea of Godins, because they are Canadian made from quality woods and (supposedly) manufactured in an "environmentally friendly" manner -- but I've never known anyone who owns one. Any Godin or Epiphone owners out there??

I don't know much about pickups or amps either -- is a "humbucker" pickup a good bet? ANy other pointers re hardware?

I do have an older "Stage 100" keyboard amp which I'd like to use for starters, but I've heard that keyboard amps are so "treble" in range they don't do justice by electic guitars. Any opinions on this? WOUld I be better off to invest in a guitar amp - say, a cheap little Roland practice model?

Thanks a lot for your help, you wonderful Catters you!

daylia

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 10:09 AM

at the moment Hofner Colorama guitars are being discounted at remarkably low prices..


equivalent build quality to the better epiphones and other respected
far eastern brands.
check ebay and the usual US/Canadian surplus stock clearance music megastores

and they compare very favourably to Gibsons current range of over priced "Faded Les Paul Junior double cutaways"
which they resemble.


http://www.hofner.com/index.php/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.hoefner_flypage/product_id,50/category_id,9/opt


general consensus is these Hofners are oustanding value great sounding and playing
classic style electrics..

but its advisable to test a few to find the better made examles
[unfortunately some bad ones slipped through Hofner Cinese factory quality control]...

though the far more expensive US Gibson Faded les paul juniors are apparently suffering from similar if not worse quality control.


i took a chance on buying 2 off ebay at less than half origional retail..

one needed to be returned due to problems
that were'nt that bad really for the price i payed..

but i still insisted and got a better replacement..

the hofner humbuckers sound excellent..

top sounds from hard rock right through to mellow jazz range of tones

[and of course folk rock somewhere in the middle]

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 10:19 AM

ps.. i payed less than £100 for each so got an amazing bargain..

this guy payed more than me and was still delighted..

he wanted the parts for a modification project

http://www.stevesguitarsite.com/COLORAMAHECHB.html

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 10:25 AM

http://search.ebay.com/hofner-colorama_W0QQbsZSearchQQcatrefZC6QQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQfstypeZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQpqryZhiofne

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST,dax
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 11:41 AM

If you like the quality of your Seagull, you should expect the same quality of any Godin. They should at least be worth a test drive.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 11:52 AM

By the way at least some of the electric ones are made in New Hampshire. I am not sure if they are also made along with their hollow body siblings (Seagull, Norman, Simon & Patrick, Art & Luthrie,) in LaPatrie, Quebec.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Mooh
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 12:39 PM

Just got a Godin LG with humbuckers a few weeks ago. Fantastic bargain at about $550 with gig bag. In my humble opiniion you gotta spend twice that to get as good an axe from anyone else. (I've also got two of their acoustics and a fretless 5 string bass, all very good.) The same guitar is available with single coil pickups, nice sounding P90 style ones. "Assembled in New Hampshire from parts crafted in Quebec" according to the hype...likely for import reasons.

I'd like their new ones with three pickups, apparently first shown at NAMM, but they haven't hit the shops here yet.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST,Anonny Mouse
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 03:01 PM

Anything from Godin seems to be pretty decent for the price, esp in acoustics, but youre lookin' at electrics I realize. I'd think Epiphone, Ibanez, and Eastman (although Eastman archtops are pretty pricey-not sure if they have solid bodies) might be worth a look. Used is also a good way to go as you won't take the big depreciation hit. Tons of 'em on Ebay.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 28 Jan 06 - 03:06 PM

Try some of the reissue Hagstroms. You may prefer the humbucker sound but surely Hendrix played single coils, didn't he? Noel Redding sometimes played a Hastrom 8-string bass (these have not been re-issued). Prices for the re-issues are sometimes quite low on ebay.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Grab
Date: 29 Jan 06 - 11:00 AM

Have you checked out how much Line6's Variax 300 is? It's about £330 in the UK if you shop around, so it might come in under your price. It might not be to your taste, but it's worth a try for the variety of sounds on tap. General opinion seems to be that the higher-spec 500/600 sounds a bit better (different woods), but YMMV, and you may get a good one.

As a fairly cheap alternative, the Squier Fat Strat isn't a bad bet. Mine's been going a while and is versatile enough for most things. A "Fat Strat" has a humbucker at the bridge position instead of a single-coil (a normal Strat has a single-coil there, on a bit of a slant), which generally gives a more "rocky" lead sound. Squiers tend to be poorly set up, but if you have some basic skills then this isn't a problem - electrics are generally easier to set up than acoustics. In a similar style, it's also worth looking at the Yamaha Pacifica which is another good starter electric.

Amp-tone-wise, technology is your friend. ;-) From all my kit (including my Lowden), my Korg AX1500G multi-FX pedal is the one thing that I'd replace immediately without even considering an alternative. The wah sound is crap (as are most multi-FX wahs), but the rest of it is top notch. There's a cracking variety of overdrive and distortion sounds that'll do pretty much anything you want tone-wise - and you can instantly get the right tone between songs without having to fiddle with amp knobs. Oh, and it's so easy to use that you can pretty much bin the manual straight away when you unpack it. And it's cheap too.

Once all your electric sound modification comes from the pedal, you don't need the amp overdrive. So you can just feed that in as a line input into whatever you like - your keyboard amp should do fine, or if there's a PA then it can go straight in there, or whatever. That'll save you a few quid.

One warning amp-wise - don't buy Behringer, or not on their own anyway, cos their OD sounds are *really* bad. Output watts per quid, they're fantastic, so if you're amplifying a keyboard (or the output of an FX pedal like my Korg) then you can just jack it into the slave input and you're fine. But if you're putting a guitar straight into the preamp and expecting a decent OD sound, you'll be very disappointed.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: M.Ted
Date: 29 Jan 06 - 01:15 PM

I think that the thing you have to thing about first is the kind of pickups you like--P90s sound different that Humbuckers, even if the guitar body and neck are exactly the same, and, strange as it may seem, they make the guitar feel different, too.   And a "Strat" pickup configuration is completely different, and lends itself to a different kind of playing.

You need to try guitars with different pickups and pickup configurations, till you find the one that you like the best--then find the make of guitar that feels and plays the best--this isn't as hard as it seems, because now, a lot of guitar makers offer the same guitar with different pickup options--

You should google your favorite players, because you can find out what kind of guitar they play, what kind and configuration of pickups they use, and what amps. Then you can start looking at good cheap copies--a tip--play the guitars through the kind of amp that you will be using--

Incidentally, P90 pickups are the ones that they used to put on the Gibson Archtop electrics back in the 40's and 50's--think "Rock around the Clock"--and they tended to use them on solid body guitars through the middle 60's. For the humbucking sound, think 60's and early 70's metal--like Jimmy Page--

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 29 Jan 06 - 04:07 PM

Thanks so much to everyone for so kindly offering your info, ideas and links. :-)   I'm printing out this whole thread! Tried a Godin with humbuckers yesterday, loved it. Off to do more guitar-hunting, will check back later. Thanks again all!

♫♫ daylia ♫♫

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 30 Jan 06 - 03:21 PM

WEll, now I've really done it. Out looking at Godins this morning, I came across a "vintage" Seagull acoustic in a hock shop. Serial no 744 -- which I was told is their first year of production. Hmmm.

Solid spruce top, mahogany neck, maple laminate back and sides, good action and intonation, a couple minor scratches on the top and I think the saddle's been replaced. Played it, loved the sound, drooled, looked at the electrics, tried one, played the Seagull again, drooled more -- and bought it. $289 including tax and gig bag. Not such a bad deal, i thought -- but Mooh might have a different opinion.

Anyway, Hendrix will just have to wait a bit I guess. *sigh* ;-)

I love the sound and feel of Seagulls, and the idea of a "vintage" model was, well, too hard to turn down. Especially after reading a certain other thread about "investors guitars" on this site today. Hey, in about 50 years maybe it'll be worth a small fortune .. and who knows? I've heard Seagulls never die ....

Thanks again for all the help,

daylia

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Mooh
Date: 30 Jan 06 - 06:55 PM

Different opinion? I think you got a great deal! Someone else has played it in for you, it apparently doesn't have issues if it's lasted this long, and best of all you like it. I love the brand, congratulations!

If you ever want to sell it...

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 07:46 AM

Ah Mooh thanks a lot. 2nd guessing myself is such a pain! I am having the action tweaked a bit for comfort, by the helpful folk at the Arts in Newmarket. What a store!   They have a new, bigger location, hundreds and HUNDREDS of guitars, a separate 'parlour' of top of the line instruments -- ($5000 Martins etc) -- and guess what. While they were oooing and ahhing over my prototype Seagull, I was checking out the Godins. ANd I bought one. "Detour" model -- this one - 'cept it's black gloss. 2 humbuckers (which gives it a real rocky sound I do hope I like as well forever) and the most gorgeous birds-eye maple neck you ever saw. That maple has a thousand eyes I swear!

Spent hours playing it yesterday, and the only thing I don't like is the growl and hum I get from the little amp I bought. It's a Roland Micro Cube, only 2 watts and real light for carrying (which is good, lots of effects which saves having to buy pedals which is good too), but when I set it for "clean acoustic", the bass strings are just WAY too over-resonant I think. Unless the volume is right down, you can even hear all the harmonics (overtones?) when you play the 6th string, especially open. And the sound echos and warbles and feeds back, kinda --- it's distracting.

Anyway, it's not the guitar. It has a great "clean" sound on my keyboard amp. Just can't get any effects that way. Could be the little amp , or it could be just me, not knowing what to do with all that sustain an electric produces. If I don't have it figured out by the time they're finished setting the action on the Seagull, I'll bring it in and have them demonstrate on it for me I guess.

Thanks alot again everyone. I'm just a'wailin' now!!

♫ daylia ♫

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Mooh
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 09:41 AM

Very cool! I've been recommending Godins for years, and have many students with them, one of the coolest axes being a silver-sparkle Detour. I love the humbuckers in my LG (I imagine they're the same or similar to yours), and with the coil tap I can get a pretty good Tele-like spank from them.

As for amps, consider using a bass amp and an effects unit if you resist getting a larger electric guitar amp. It'll work for acoustic, electric and bass, and you won't need to have multiple amps taking up space everywhere.

They must have had some nice bird's-eye go through the factory last year. One of my young charges received an amazing Godin Freeway Classic for Christmas with a bird's-eye neck (also has a nice flame top), and no upcharge on the purchase price.

Anyway, welcome to the flock (of Seagulls).

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 12:32 PM

Thanks for the tips re amps and pickups, Mooh. Tried a couple Freeway Classics and LG's too -- I think all are amazing.

You might be interested in what Michel at Godin Guitars said this morning about the "vintage" Seagull I found. I'm so pleased!

"The first Seagull models came out in 1982. We only began keeping track of serial numbers in 1985 (with serial number 8940). You guitar is most probably one of the first Seagulls available.

In any case, if the guitar is in good shape, at $289 tax included with a gig bag, you've just made a great deal!"

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Anonny Mouse
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 12:37 PM

Glad the suggestion to have a look at the Godin line seems to have worked out...AND...you got yerself a neat acoustic with that Seagull; I don't think I've ever read a bad review on Seagulls...yeah some are laminate B/S, some just sides. But they play well, and are well-made. Congrats on your purchases so far! The $289. is a heluva deal.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 01:02 PM

Thanks Anonny Mouse. And to all and to the Mudcat too, for being here, once again!! - to help me find a great guitar. You folk are wonderful!

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: M.Ted
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 01:43 PM

That's a tiny amp, Daylia,but even at that, they are supposed to be surprisingly loud--the biggest mistake people make when they move to electric guitar is that they turn the volume up too high. you should turn the volume down far enough that you have to work a bit to get the guitar to speak--and you need to get very familiar with what all the knobs do--you've got a practice with them just the same way you practice playing technique--

Even still, if I were you, I'd use an amp with a bigger speaker and a little more power--because it will give you more fullness to your sound--

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: GUEST,william
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 04:57 PM

While I agree totally with what's been said about Godins, you might just keep an eye open for the Danelectro guitar. They're a bit on the weird looking side (pastel colors, kind of a vintage, big body, but light, design), but they play really well and are quite reasonably priced. "Lipstick" pickups with a really bright tone. I've also got a Takamine solid body electric (TZ300), which has double humbuckers and is quite a good rock& roll guitar for around $400 or so. Good luck. w

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 01 Feb 06 - 05:08 PM

I bought my daughter an Epiphone Red Dot and she loves it. She plays a Seagull Grand acoustic; and would like an Epiphone Les Paul Electric and a Seagull Folk with electric pickup. For the money I would highly recommend Epiphone and Seagull products.

Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 08:01 AM

I'd like to try a Seagull Folk with pickup myself, Dave. Lucky girl! And Ted, you're right about the volume. The bass doesn't distort unless the amp is overloaded. I've discovered the trick is to keep the Gain at about half the volume level.

I'm almost wishing now that I'd spent a bit more money on the guitar itself. For about $150 more I could have had an LG like Mooh's, but I wanted to get the practice amp too.

I do like the Detour, but I know now, after playing it for a couple days, why it's Godin's entry level electric. It doesn't have a whammy bar, a couple of the tuners "skip" a little, and there's this distracting metal "ping" above the 12th fret on the first couple strings. Like the strings are hitting a fret, but I don't see that they are! Could be because it takes time to adjust to the lighter touch on an electric? Or maybe because this style of guitar is intended for grunge or metal rockers who use so much distortion those little "pings" don't matter? Hmmm ...

Anyway I now own 2 Yamaha classicals, 2 Seagull acoustics and the Godin. I got the old classicals out yesterday, polished 'em up and played 'em for a while. Gonna change the strings on one of 'em today. Don't want 'em fretting over being dethroned, after all. I feel like the old woman who lived in a shoe and had so many guitars she knew what to do ---- give'em all equal time, every day eh?   :-)

I'm just glad I don't have room for that many pianos. I'd never find time to eat or sleep.

daylia

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: Mooh
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 01:09 PM

Hey, you can always trade up, or better yet just add another electric later.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 02:45 PM

Yup. And the effects on this amp are fun. It does it all in it's own small way -- country picking   pink floyd wailing    death metal roaring   early Brit plunking (when I don't bother to tune that is) hee hee!

William thanks for the heads up re Danelectro. Those Lipstick pickups sound interesting.

Subject: RE: Best electric guitars under $500 Cdn?
From: number 6
Date: 05 Feb 06 - 02:49 PM

I thought this thread was about lectric guitars for under $500. But since peeple are mentioning Seagulls I'm selling my S6 with hardshell case and capo for $200 (in case anyone is interested).

Well in the lectric category less than $500 cdn I'll promote the Yamaha Pacifica.

sIx