Well, it's that time. The time that every acoustic guitar player eventually comes to. The time to buy an electric. I told myself at one point in my life that I would never, ever buy an electric guitar. I was going to stay clean, pure, unplugged.

 

 

 

But, some diversity in my musical tastes came along - bands like John Mayer Trio opened my eyes to the beauty of blues guitar, and alas, it is time to go electric.

 

 

 

So, I'm going to give the music and movies board a shot - I want to hear what you have to say about Fender electric guitars. Yes, Fender - I've got a Fender acoustic and I love it, and would like to keep supporting them.

 

 

 

I've got a fairly versatile price range - I'm looking to spend from $500-$1000 CAD on a Fender electric. I'm currently looking at either the American Telecaster or the Telecaster Thinline. The Thinline is a Mexican make but it is a semi-hollow body, which makes it a little more ideal for blues than the American standard.

 

 

 

So if anyone with experience in Fenders would like to offer some advice it would be most appreciated.

 

 

 

`insane.

Stratocaster all the way... :-w :thumbsup:

I don't like the look of the strat, and finding an American Strat for under $1000 would be tough - I could always wait a few months.

 

 

 

(I could get a Mexican strat but I would rather go high-class and not have to worry about anything)

I don't like the look of the strat, and finding an American Strat for under $1000 would be tough - I could always wait a few months.

 

 

 

(I could get a Mexican strat but I would rather go high-class and not have to worry about anything)

 

 

 

I've got 3 Mexican Strats now, and they are honestly brilliant guitars. The only difference between it and the American, I believe, are different electronics, and a better setup. Get your local guitar tech to set up a Mexi Strat for you and you've got an unbelievable guitar for the price.

 

 

 

If you don't like the look of the Strat, you should check out a Telecaster. You could also look at the Jaguar, Jagstang or Duo Sonic, but I'm not big on any of those guitars, and I think a Strat will be best suited for Blues anyway. You'll find that a Strat is far more diverse than a Tele.

 

 

 

Don't be at all discouraged from the Mexican range.

Yea, as I said earlier, I'm looking at the Telecasters as my #1 at the moment. I really like the look/feel/sound of the Thinline, a semi-hollowbody version of the telecaster (1 f-hole).

 

 

 

Apparently even though it's hollowbody it gives good distorted sound, so it would be fairly versatile as well as giving extremely nice clean sound (as all hollowbodies do).

Yea, as I said earlier, I'm looking at the Telecasters as my #1 at the moment. I really like the look/feel/sound of the Thinline, a semi-hollowbody version of the telecaster (1 f-hole).

 

 

 

Apparently even though it's hollowbody it gives good distorted sound, so it would be fairly versatile as well as giving extremely nice clean sound (as all hollowbodies do).

 

 

 

Well my only qualm with hollowbodies is that they feedback like hell if you're using anything over a light gain. If you're just using light distortion/overdrive you should be cool.

Yea, as I said earlier, I'm looking at the Telecasters as my #1 at the moment. I really like the look/feel/sound of the Thinline, a semi-hollowbody version of the telecaster (1 f-hole).

 

 

 

Apparently even though it's hollowbody it gives good distorted sound, so it would be fairly versatile as well as giving extremely nice clean sound (as all hollowbodies do).

 

 

 

Well my only qualm with hollowbodies is that they feedback like hell if you're using anything over a light gain. If you're just using light distortion/overdrive you should be cool.

 

 

 

I definitely prefer the clean blues sound to the distorted, so no problems there.

 

 

 

Also, the thinline's got dual humbuckers which makes it more versatile than most other hollowbodies.

 

 

 

But thanks for the info on Mexican standards, that's pretty encouraging information.

I agree on the Mexican Strats, but I'd suggest going for maybe an Epiphone, or if you can find one, a Gibson for about $1000. Which isn't as hard as you may think-I regularly see Gibson Explorers and Vs for $900-1050.

 

 

 

But if you're hell-bent on Fender, I say Stratocaster. Telecaster is good too, I just prefer my Strat.

Try it ou before you buy and make sure its the right tone and feel you want. Later on you could always modify it buy changing pickup, bridge etc.

How on earth did John Mayer's electric playing make you want to get an Electric, if anything, it should've done the opposite. John Mayer's Electric tone is horrible, horrible!. His acoustic playing is so much better.

 

Fender strats are definately nice guitars but if you can push it a bit, a midrange Ibanez will be much better.

 

The 6 string version of this: has incredible tone considering how much it costs, brilliant for Jazz and rock

^^^I thought I would be the first to mention that Fender Telecasters have to be the worst make of guitar in the world.Fender its self is absolutely awful.You will want an Ibanez.Once you have played one you will never want another guitar.Why not get an electro acoustic?I can get one for about ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã200, so its either that England has really cheap guitars, or America just rip people off.I personally use an independant make of guitar called Wesley,they have served me well in the UK for about 3 years now,I have ben playing for 5,and before I usually used a BC Rich and an ESP Explorer.I will eventually move market to an Ibanez MGM series(Mick Thomson signature).Fender are a waste of money,look ugly and play awful.If you want to waste your money and have a lame guitar,then go for Fender.

stuff

 

 

 

I would appreciate it if people gave reasons for their opinions. I have a Fender Acoustic and it plays like gold, and is worth $1000 more than I paid for it. Just saying "All Fenders are crap and are ugly and play lame" makes your opinion look rubbish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How on earth did John Mayer's electric playing make you want to get an Electric, if anything, it should've done the opposite. John Mayer's Electric tone is horrible, horrible!.

 

 

 

Taste in music is very subjective. Just because you think it is terrible doesn't mean I will. To each his own I guess. What is the cost of this "midrange Ibanez?" I gave my range as up to $1000 - does this mean pushing it would put me over that? And when I said Fender Strat/Tele, that would include the American Series, which is a midrange as well.

 

 

 

(I did play the Ibanez Artcore and loved it - I'm not "hellbent" on Fender - I've just had good experiences with them in the past and see nothing wrong with continuing to buy from them).

I think this is the 6 String version (or close enough).

 

Mid Range Ibanez

 

This was a guitar I was considering getting, but you might be wanting some a bit more pricy.

 

 

 

Ibanez Website

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

Well I do work in a guitar shop in Central Reading,so I do know what I am talking about.We do sell a lot of Fenders,and to be fair we also get a lot of returns of the purchased Fenders.They are reliable guitars,its just they are an all rounder guitar.Most guitarists want a guitar that is specific for their playing style,and Fender are not a make to go with if you want a specific playing style.Ibanez are an extremely good make to go with,since not only are there many series of the guitars,but they also cater for a massive range of playing styles.If your Fender Acoustic is worth $1000 more than you bought it for,then I am surprised that it was sold to you,since it must be a very valuable guitar.To be fair,Fender have been going a long way,but thats there problem,they are far too mainstream to cater for singular artists,whereas Ibanez and Gibson have a more personal feel to them.If I were you then I would look at buying a Les Paul Epiphone,or maybe an Ibanez RGX series.

Well I do work in a guitar shop in Central Reading,so I do know what I am talking about.We do sell a lot of Fenders,and to be fair we also get a lot of returns of the purchased Fenders.They are reliable guitars,its just they are an all rounder guitar.Most guitarists want a guitar that is specific for their playing style,and Fender are not a make to go with if you want a specific playing style.Ibanez are an extremely good make to go with,since not only are there many series of the guitars,but they also cater for a massive range of playing styles.If your Fender Acoustic is worth $1000 more than you bought it for,then I am surprised that it was sold to you,since it must be a very valuable guitar.To be fair,Fender have been going a long way,but thats there problem,they are far too mainstream to cater for singular artists,whereas Ibanez and Gibson have a more personal feel to them.If I were you then I would look at buying a Les Paul Epiphone,or maybe an Ibanez RGX series.

 

 

 

If I were to get a Fender, it would be a higher-end Fender, so I wouldn't have to worry about hardware problems (as much as a mid-range). As for a guitar catered to my specific wants, this is why I have chosen the semi-hollowbody Thinline - it's got a cleaner sound for the guitar I want to play, but isn't a full hollowbody so it allows some versatility.

 

 

 

If I were to go other than Fender it would be Ibanez. But at the moment the guitar buying is looking rather bleak as I am paying $300 more for textbooks this semester than I anticipated >.<

stuff

 

 

 

I would appreciate it if people gave reasons for their opinions. I have a Fender Acoustic and it plays like gold, and is worth $1000 more than I paid for it. Just saying "All Fenders are crap and are ugly and play lame" makes your opinion look rubbish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How on earth did John Mayer's electric playing make you want to get an Electric, if anything, it should've done the opposite. John Mayer's Electric tone is horrible, horrible!.

 

 

 

Taste in music is very subjective. Just because you think it is terrible doesn't mean I will. To each his own I guess. What is the cost of this "midrange Ibanez?" I gave my range as up to $1000 - does this mean pushing it would put me over that? And when I said Fender Strat/Tele, that would include the American Series, which is a midrange as well.

 

 

 

(I did play the Ibanez Artcore and loved it - I'm not "hellbent" on Fender - I've just had good experiences with them in the past and see nothing wrong with continuing to buy from them).

 

 

 

It's not musical taste though, I love John Mayer, but from a technical view point, his electric guitar tone (not music, his tone) is horrible, he uses way to much treble and it becomes a Hi-Fi mess. It's weird because his acoustic guitar tone is lovely.

 

 

 

Fender guitars aren't bad, they have a very specific tone and if you like that tone, there is no reason why a fender guitar isn't for you (unless you want a 24fret fingerboard). However for people like me (though im a bassist, it still applies) who plays Jazz, Metal, Funk and Rock, having a guitar with much versatility to the tone is incredibly necessary, and sadly Fenders lack this versatility.

 

 

 

The price of the ibanez in Britain is around ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã250-300 so it's probably around $400-500 because you yanks get it cheap :)

 

It's a really solid guitar though, i'd reccomend a seven string since being able to get an Eb without down tuning is quite essential for some forms of music. Plus they're obviously great for metal (though I recommend you don't think the lower the note, the more METAL!!!! \../ it is).

 

 

 

Hope that helps

@Evadek;

 

 

 

I love that tone :P and I only play a couple styles of music (I hate metal, for instance), so it works for me.

 

 

 

Btw, I'm Canadian, not American.

Remember Fender, Gibson, Ibanez arn't the only leading brands out there. There are other "less known" bands such as Washburn, Schecter, Music Man etc. Try looking at some of those.

you cna still play blues with an acoustic..its just a tad bit harder. but umm..maybe a telecaster?

 

 

 

but a blues guitar is generally a strat. ive never seen bb king using a flyign v..

Remember Fender, Gibson, Ibanez arn't the only leading brands out there. There are other "less known" bands such as Washburn, Schecter, Music Man etc. Try looking at some of those.

 

 

 

What I would absolutely love is a Gretsch. Preferable the Tennessee Rose. Take a look at 'er.

 

 

 

 

I just don't want to fork over $2000 for it.