Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: indysmith on July 01, 2006, 05:09:06 PM

Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: indysmith on July 01, 2006, 05:09:06 PM: Basically what's the best Les Paul i could get new from the UK for £500 (including £200 worth of BKP goodness). Is my only real choice Epiphone?
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on July 01, 2006, 05:37:03 PM: Or an Aria PE series
They have all access necks - brilliant!

Here is an absolute gem of a guitar- cheap so far even with shipping
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-CUSTOM-SHOP-PE-120R_W0QQitemZ260003782425QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: indysmith on July 01, 2006, 05:59:48 PM: Quote from: FELINEGUITARS
Or an Aria PE series
They have all access necks - brilliant!

Here is an absolute gem of a guitar- cheap so far even with shipping
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-CUSTOM-SHOP-PE-120R_W0QQitemZ260003782425QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That one on evilBay looks great, i'll definately keep an eye on it.
The PE series doesn't come with a set neck unless you are willing to pay about $800 for one, which is annoying because i can't afford that or find them in the UK, and even if i could they'd probably be about £800...
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Brow on July 01, 2006, 06:57:01 PM: Depending on what you want, you may be able to get a 2nd hand Gordon Smith stylee for about £300 or so.

Most of the 1s that come up for around that price are the single pickup models, but if you'd be ok with that, then they're usually very good quality guitars :)
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Sifu Ben on July 01, 2006, 07:20:54 PM: The Vintage "relic" Les Paul has an RRP of £299 and looks pretty decent, you can get Dean Evos in that range quite comfortably, the new Ibanez singlecut thingy looks good for the money, you can still get a Washburn Idol in matte black for £299 if you look.................
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: BleedMarshall on July 01, 2006, 08:16:25 PM: Not having a go or anything, but if you have the 300, then why not wait till you have 500 or 600 even, and get more along the lines of what you want? You have waited this long, why not a little longer? Again just wondering. I buy maybe one guitar a year doing this, so I am just a miser I guess. :lol:
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: deg0ey on July 01, 2006, 08:26:10 PM: Quote from: BleedMarshall
Not having a go or anything, but if you have the 300, then why not wait till you have 500 or 600 even, and get more along the lines of what you want?

Because he's impatient like myself, I would suggest
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: indysmith on July 01, 2006, 09:12:59 PM: i don't have the £300 - its just an achievable goal for me right now
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: dave_mc on July 01, 2006, 09:41:52 PM: I'd look at the yamaha aes 620 and washburn idol wi65pro (if you shop around, you can get this discontinued model for £300). Some of the indie ones are quite nice too. or there's an ibanez arc300, but I haven't tried it, it may suck.

They won't sound like the real thing in terms of weight of wood etc., but then neither will an epi- and at least the ones I mentioned are made of the right wood, unlike the epi...
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: indysmith on July 02, 2006, 12:23:06 AM: i'll be sure to check out that Ibanez ARC300 - seems like exactly the kind of thing i was after - big brand name (can trust it), available new, with the right woods, and based on a Les Paul. Nice 8)

EDIT: I've been reading about it and it turns out the maple top on the arc300 is actually just a veneer, so i'm steering further towards the ARC100 now, because i prefer its looks (didn't like the over-elaborate inlays and top on the '300), not to mention it being £65 cheaper :)
(http://www.ibanez.co.jp/img/eg/l/ARC100_BK_12_01.jpg)
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: deg0ey on July 02, 2006, 12:24:52 AM: Even the low budget Ibanez's are great...My first guitar was an Ibanez GRX (i think) and I still play it now, from time to time - much better than the squier stuff anyways, the fretwork doesn't rip your hands to pieces :)
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: jt on July 02, 2006, 01:42:22 AM: :D personnaly i`d wait untill you see a Yamaha "Lord Player" on Ebay come up. There absolutley stunning guitars & unbelievable good value. There all grey market imports so your not going to get a pristine condition guitar, but what you will get is a Pre lawsuit LP [20 - 25yr old guitar ] with a played in feel that`ll never devalue. I`m currently waiting for one to appear [ Black] myself. They sell for around £350 on Ebay.

Or a second hand Gordon Smith. The graduate 60 has a very good reputation...

:D 8)
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: froglord on July 02, 2006, 01:01:28 PM: You can get Gordon Smith to build you a guitar with BKPs fitted, which would save you buying a pair of pickups you're immediately going to replace. Still over £500 by the looks of things, though ...
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Twinfan on July 02, 2006, 02:35:58 PM: Those Vintage (relic) Les Pauls got a good review in guitarist this month. I reckon one of them is worth a punt at £300.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: BleedMarshall on July 02, 2006, 02:45:56 PM: Quote from: indysmith
i don't have the £300 - its just an achievable goal for me right now

That is cool. I was just wondering and being curious.

As far as an LP at that price, yeah Epi is your friend, but you can get a guitar for that price from othr manufactuers that are better than Epi in my opinion.

Peavey
Ibanez
Jackson
Aria Pro
Samick (Who happens to make Gibson and Epi overstock orders. :wink:)
Schecter

Those companies make a fine ax. I have played several models that kick ass from each.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Skybone on July 02, 2006, 05:23:11 PM: As Jon said, the Aria PE's are great guitars, highly underrated.

The Ibanez Artist reissues are good as well as the new ARX/ARC guitars, kind of like a Les Paul DC, or maple topped SG.

THere's always the Korean Tokai's, or you could buy something from Japan on eBay and have it shipped over, but you need to figure for import duties.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: CaffeineJunkie on July 02, 2006, 05:33:09 PM: although there are a LOT of dodgy auctions from the east on eBay
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Searcher on July 02, 2006, 05:55:32 PM: How about a Tokai love rock? I haven't done the dollars to pounds conversion, but I think you're in budget.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Skybone on July 03, 2006, 11:08:29 AM: Quote
How about a Tokai love rock?

On budget for an MIK, but not MIJ in UK.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: _tom_ on July 03, 2006, 12:38:03 PM: The Korean ones look pretty nice anyways - http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/Catalogue/ViewProduct.aspx?productId=2014

Not made of the right materials though so the tone might not be so good..
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: dave_mc on July 03, 2006, 08:43:36 PM: Quote from: Twinfan
Those Vintage (relic) Les Pauls got a good review in guitarist this month. I reckon one of them is worth a punt at £300.

you can get the non-relic ones for about £100 less, afaik. I haven't tried them, though.

If you MUST have the lp look, then, it's true, you are pretty much limited to Epi and Vintage (maybe one or two others).

But if you're willing to look at any singlecut, with (roughly) the right specs, I'll just reinforce my original suggestion of the washburn and the Yamaha. I tried a Yamaha Aes420 the other day. It kicked ass. And you can get the 620 for £289 if you shop around. Which means you'd have a Duncan JB you could sell.
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: mikeluke on July 04, 2006, 10:52:26 AM: Other suggestions would be Greco/Burny/Orville LP - if you are lucky with the price!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110003688577

Mike
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: Johnny Mac on July 04, 2006, 05:27:38 PM: Don't drink and Ebay and buy a Richwood like I did! Mind you with new pups and a re-fret it's around £600. Whatever you get your gonna need Bkps! Choices, choices....
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: HTH AMPS on July 04, 2006, 10:49:06 PM: For a real bargain, keep your eyes out for the LP-shaped DeArmond guitars that were round a few years back - they really are nice guitars. I paid £250 for mine when they were still fairly popular, I'd imagine you could still pick one up for that price or less.

:twisted:
Title: Best Les Paul Style Guitar Under £300
Post by: indysmith on July 06, 2006, 05:03:43 PM: has anyone tried the Korean Tokais? Of course They are totally the WRONG woods, but do they still sound relatively les paully?
I'm really wanting something new, or used and from Britain...