Guitar choosing + complicated situation...

[ztikmaen]

To all those that have replied on my previous threads, thank you. I think this thread will be enough to cover all that kafuffle that I've absent-mindedly spread everywhere.

Situation: Have Ibanez RG370DX. Don't really like the tone as it has a big cavity for an Edge 3 bridge which I don't use. I have a Telecaster which I will upgrade the pickups of. Originally though I'd like a Gibson Studio Les Paul 60s Tribute but then worried about whether or not the Ibbie would be substantial as part of my water and bread (single coil Tele, Humbucker Ibbie).
 My financial situation allows me to spend about £400 in a few months, and then about £1000 early next year. So it seems that I could buy my pickups in the first spree then get a guitar early next year. I'm not really satisfied with the Ibbie :/

Problems: • I don't know what guitar to get for my vintage-ish all round humbucker sound, looking at a Gibson Studio Les Paul Faded, but also some Tokais and Edwards. Mostly because I want a nice honeyburst finish regardless of whether or not it has a flamed/quilted finish. I'm craving for that trademark Les Paul look. Also starting to consider SGs too...
• I don't know what P90s can really do. What sort of stuff can they cover? They seem versatile but would I need them more than I would need a good humbucker guitar?
• I'm in NEW ZEALAND. This lil place doesn't had a whole lot of stock so I can't really try before I buy. I have no Guitar Centre...
Thanks for you opinions and feedback, you've helped to sort my mind out well so far lol.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Decent Les Paul style guitars you could look at that are a fraction of the price of a Gibson would maybe the Michael Kelly Patriot Custom or a PRS Singlecut.

[ztikmaen]

Okay, but I really want it to have a proper Les Paul shape :/
Only Gibson and overseas countries can do that due to legal issues. I've always wanted one for some weird reason, the same reason I bought my Tele. Also I want it to be good quality one that will last me a good 10-20 years or so. Unlike my Ibbie xD
OH! Also I should mention that the reason I don't sell my Ibbie is because when I bought it, it was about £500. But now a new one will cost you only about £350... So yeah.
Also I have already decided on the Tele pickups, the BlackGuard Flat '52s. I'd Sled around and people seem to absolutely adore it, their descriptions seem perfect. So that's one task ticked off.
Now... Particular suggestions for Gibson/copy Les Pauls? Remember I can spend about £1000 but I want something that will LAST. When I say copy, I mean the exact same shape. Anybody know about Edwards or Tokais? Some say they are better quality than Gibsons...

[Slartibartfarst42]

You're being a little contradictory I think. The only way you're going to get a 'proper' Les Paul is to buy a Gibson. You could get the same 'proper' shape if you bought an Epiphone but a PRS or even a Michael Kelly would be a better guitar. Now I think of it, I seem to recall there being some legal controversy when PRS launched their single cut because the shape is essentially the same but they were allowed to do it because there were already so many guitars out there that are the same shape as a Les Paul anyway. I may be wrong in that but that's vaguely what I recall. Anyway, I really wouldn't get too hung up about the shape and focus more on the playing. A Gibson neck is VERY different to the guitars you're used to playing. I love to tone of a Gibson but I'd never buy one, partly because I think they're massively overpriced for what they are and mostly because I just don't like the necks. A Les Paul Studio is £999 (the 'Faded' is quite a bit cheaper but as you mentioned £1000 I thought I'd take this one as the benchmark) and ESP do a huge range of single cut guitars at a similar price or cheaper that are excellent instruments and arguably better than the Gibsons. They certainly have necks that I think you'll find easier to adapt to coming from an Ibanez. Indeed, Ibanez do some too. If you want a Gibson, that's fine, all I'm saying is don't get unduly stuck on a guitar simply because it's Gibson or has an iconic shape.

[ztikmaen]

I just want the TONE and the FEEL of a real humbucker guitar. A nice thick mahogany body single cut with 2 Humbuckers and no perks, just tone (and looks :P)
The thing is I love the Les Paul shape, I think it's so iconic without being excessively cliche.
 I even considered the Reverend because they look pretty good. I want something to be an axe that embodies the Humbucker feel. Know any? It should either look exactly like a Gibson or something completely original.

[Telerocker]

Ok, you want a Gibson-style guitar, at least with glued-in-neck and two humbuckers. If you don't have Gibson-money, look at Edwards and Tokai. Some more expensive Epiphones could be a good alternative, especially after changing hardware/pickups. I think a Les Paul is definitely allrounder then an SG.

[asianaxeman]

if on a budget i'd try and get a secondhand  ltd ec400 / 401/  ec500 with jb 59s, should be not more than £450ish i reckon

this video is useful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIi34jQHCsI

[doc_erp]

PRS single cut. Quality is good and price is not bad, so if the pups are not your cup of tea,  you might have some spare cash to change them.

[Slartibartfarst42]

This is exactly my point. ESP offer some great guitars for very similar money and even the cheaper LTD versions are probably a match for Gibson, especially if you end up changing the expensive stock pickups in a Gibson. I've played a few SE versions of PRS guitars and I can tell you for sure that the quality is absolutely fantastic to the extent that I'd say they stand up very well to Gibsons at twice the money. The PRS SE Single Cut can be had for only £389 so even changing the pickups to BKP, you're only just over half the price of a Gibson. It's got the wide fat neck as opposed to the wide thin, but that certainly wouldn't be a problem if you were going to get a Gibson anyway. Other single cuts from PRS you MAY consider would be:

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/prs-se-245-(tobacco-sunburst/48660

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/prs-se-singlecut-trem-tobacco-sunburst/31927

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/prs-tremonti-se-vintage-cherry/17583

http://www.dv247.com/guitars/prs-se-zach-myers-electric-guitar-royal-blue--71232

Personally I think the PRS SE 245 would be right up your street.

[ericsabbath]

the SE's are OK
but not worth the new prices, imo
I had a SE Custom 22 and 3 real PRS's (two mccarties and now a CE-22)
the distance is bigger than from a "good" epiphone to a regular gibson
they're equivalent to schecters (same factory) and cort guitars, that cost half of a PRS SE
so I'd rather buy two US$300 Cort guitars that aren't any lower quality than a US$600 PRS SE
and they have a new les paul based model
the tremonti SE, for example, is not any better than a cort KX1, not even in the finish

what really pissed me off about the PRS SE, is that it had a really nice looking top, but it was FAKE
and by fake, I don't mean a thin flat veneer
it's just a photoflame glued directly to the mahogany back (no maple at all)
real PRS's have a really thick maple archtop, and that makes a ton of difference on the tone

[Slartibartfarst42]

That's interesting because my experience was very different with SE guitars. I tried a PRS SE 24 Custom and was REALLY impressed with it. If it had a locking trem I'd have bought it. My other experience of the SE range was a Torero that, frankly, I thought was rather better put together than the Jackson SL3 that I actually bought and streets ahead of any Cort or Epiphone I've ever tried. Based on those particular guitars, I didn't find them far off the quality of a Gibson in terms of build. Don't get me wrong, there was a difference but the Gibson wasn't worth anything like twice the price in my opinion. Perhaps the ones I tried were just unusually good.