h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hows it sound?

Eh, like a fair to middlin' beginner's guitar. The sort that doesn't sound too bad around a campfire or in a campfire.
I had the boys over at Heart of Texas play with the action and it plays a bit better, but the nut needs replacing and I think the scale is red hair off. On the other hand, it was bought for the purpose of being drug around by a pre-teenager, with the secondary purpose of having a halfway decent instrument around the house.
Her mum wanted me to spend less than a hunnerd. Pleh.
Those are usually kindling.

What constitutes the best electric guitar is going to be different for each person, although certain traits should be consistent for everyone. Playability and sound are always the two most important concerns, and every guitar is going to vary on those factors. Even two of the same guitar from the same production will play and sound slightly different. For most people, any such differences are unimportant, because the equipment they are using will not convey any variation.
I personally find that although major brands (i.e., Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, etc) are often good instruments, they each have many flaws that detract heavily from their value. Gibson and Fender have both declined steadily in the past decade in terms of what you get for the money, so you can't always trust the pricetag to give you a good product. You can, however, pretty much always trust the pricetag to give you a piece of garbage if you buy something cheap. Anything that says Squire on it is garbage. Also, every company that introduces an out-of-country line (and sometimes just a cheaper line) from its primary area of production is usually subcontracting to an outside corporation. Samick produces many of the cheaper lines for Fender and Ibanez, and it is hard to say who produces the cheap lines for everyone else. The main point is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Save up for another month and buy a guitar that you know is going to be good. And do some research into the product first. For example, Squire's flame-top lines are all "foto-flame", which is literally a picture of a flame-top that is cut to fit the body and then laquered on.
Hope this helped.

Erm, "Squier"?

Sorry, that's what I meant. It's Fender's "cheap" line. They're not good guitars no matter how you look at them. For the money, if you're looking for something cheap to bang around on or to give to a kid, try all the different brands you can find. Some are going to be better than others. If it says Fender on the headstock, you can pretty much bet you're not getting what you pay for, because that logo is what you're really buying. Never shop by brand, because it guarantees nothing. If you're buying a guitar for a kid, make sure its a decent instrument, because otherwise you're setting the kid up for failure. They aren't going to want to practice on bad instruments because then they will sound bad no matter how much they play.

Actually, I would trim that all down to "never buy anything you haven't played".

In my experience of using, owning and building solid body electric guitars over the last twenty-five odd years, it has become clear to me that a dedicated guitarist can find a way to play even a piece of driftwood strung with screen door wire. A beginner with enthusiasm is going to find his way, too.

I have my definite preferences, but I refuse to reject an instrument solely because of it's brand name.
I have handled hundreds of instruments with the name Fender and Squier on them over the last ten years. On the whole, I prefer the guitars made by Leo's last company, G & L, but I have seen Squier guitars that seemed to have more individuality and "feel" than higher priced "real Fender" models.

As for Gibson... well, I cannot be trusted as an unbiased consultant.

My current instrument is a Yamaha Pacifica electric twelve string with a body and electronics shaped like a Strat, only it has wider pickups and a wider neck. I took off the octave strings and play it as a six, with large Ernie Ball Slinkies. I like a wide neck on an electric.
I still hold with my general antipathy with regard to my personal use of Strats, but this instrument had the neck I wanted and the body shape and volume knob placement was of secondary consideration.
I like the fact that it is a hardtail, though.

Strats and Teles win out, period. If you can name a famous Les Paul player, I can assure you that that was before he bought his Fender.

Heartbreaker was recorded on a Telecaster.
Pete Townshend always used teles in the studio, and now plays a strat live anyway.

the only guitar greats who did not play strats or teles were from the eighties (and usually played super strats anyway) and B.B. King.

Now, Fender is the creator, but I include in this knockoff teles and strats, so ibanez satriani guitars are strats too.

"If you can name a famous Les Paul player, I can assure you that that was before he bought his Fender."

Les Paul himself. He's got a Telecaster, but he keeps it in a case.

Slash, who is almost never seen with a Fender.

Al Dimeola.

Peter Frampton.

Robert Fripp.

I give you one slash and Frampton and raise a Jimi Hendrix, a Clapton, an SRV, a Van Halen, a Satriani, a Vai, a Malmsteen, a Mayer, a Buddy Guy, a Buddy Holly, a David Jon Gilmour...

on Strats alone. I'm sorry, but I can't quite get into a base modle guitar that costs $1000.

a thousand dollars? *does some mental calculations* that wouldn't even be near an expensive guitar in teh UK, the one I was looking at the other day was £1500 of course... The notion of 'what is the best guitar', kinda doesn't work really, as its different for each and every player, and within each player it'd likely vary depending on what they're playing at the time Currently behind me I've a yamaha 6 string electro-acoustic, nothing special, not a particularly great sound, but its fairly easy to play with a half decent action, and it kinda suits my hands and gives a noticabably better (to my ear a very nice) sound when through the amp Downstairs I've the superstrat yamaha pacifica 7something thing, with the hotrods (or is it hotrails?) pick up, and the pathpro (I think thats what its called) pick up, which gives a nice variation in sound, alongside the stock yamaha pick up on the rear of it and thats a guitar I find easy to play, again it seems to fit my hands, strange as its a pretty thin neck compaired to the other guitars in the house, but its very quick and easy to play... Then I've the Washburn, Tonewood, which has a nice sound, even though its only got the stock pick ups it came with again it fits my hands nicely, even though its a very wide neck in comparason to anything else in the house, not as quick to play as the yamaha but hten I'd not play the same kinda stuff on it... Then theres lodgers 70something or 60something old strat which has an absolute gorgous sound, even though its beaten up to hell an beyond as a result of 30 years on the road being gigged etc., A very thick sound for a strat, the pick ups I recon are slightly over wound but only in a good way as its got a really destinctive sound I've not heard from any other strats.... I can't stand to play it though, it really doesn't fit my hands or playing style, but then again, it apparently is the guitar my lodger really got on well with more so than any other guitar he's ever played Then theres the hand built acoustic, steel string, fantastic noise tone warmth etc., etc., I find it a bit tricky to play, but only cause I'm not that used to it, and its not quite the right 'fit' for my hands Then theres the telecaster which again has a pretty wideish neck, but kinda suits my hands, though I've hardly played it that much really and then theres the Bass I got a few years back just for recording purposes, think its a honer, nothing special, cheap, great sound though (and sounds even better when my bass playing friend takes it for a trip) The bass guitar is a good case in point, to me, its far easier to play than a old friends Ricky fantastically expensive wonderous looking bass, and gives pretty much the same noise (once Its plugged into the same amp natch), yet the honer cost me about £90 second hand (haggled down a few tens of quid), and the ricky cost him well over a grand I think Now the £1500 strat we had visiting the other day that really did just fit my hands properly, reminded me more of an old Tex Mex strat I had a few years back which I wish I'd never got rid of Although, having said which, I doubth the expensive strat was as fast for me to play as the yamaha pacifica though it did have a fantastic sound to it due to the good electrics, but would it be worth over three times the cost of one of my guitars? ... well I nearly bought it, but in the end, 'no'..... if I was going to spend anythign like that sort of money it'd be on an acoustic; hold their value better, often tending to go up quicker, and its on acoustics you relaly notice the obvious differnece when it comes to compairing cheap and more expsnive guitars mind... I'd sill have liked it; were it £900 instead of £1500 he wanted, it'd still be in the front room now reminds me... I must start searching out a new strat some time soon...

Hi, 2legs!
I've gotten to the point where if I don't like the neck and the action, it doesn't matter what the body shape or the pickups are like.

"I give you one slash and Frampton and raise a Jimi Hendrix, a Clapton, an SRV, a Van Halen, a Satriani, a Vai, a Malmsteen, a Mayer, a Buddy Guy, a Buddy Holly, a David Jon Gilmour..."

Uh, huh. Well, what about Carlos Santana, Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, Ted Nugent, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, Eliot Easton, Chuck Berry, Howard Roberts, George Gobel, and Tiny Tim?

If I had a spare grand to play with, I'd pay to have my Franken-Tele finished. I've got all the parts, I just haven't finished mutilating the wood or found someone to do the soldering.
Me and wires do not get along.
I don't even like changing strings.

Ah, it's know-all nerdy TonsilRevenge again. You say "...I don't remember him ever using an Ibanez. The Gibson Explorer found on the back of an early album was played live for a bit...". It was actually an Ibanez Destroyer. So a) he did use an Ibanez, and b) it isn't a Gibson on the cover of Van Halen

Ah, it's boring-nerdy TonsilRevenge again. You say "I don't remember him (EVH) ever using an Ibanez. The Gibson Explorer found on the back of an early album...". It was in fact an Ibanez Destroyer you're referring to so a) he did use an Ibanez, and b) there isn't a Gibson Explorer on that album cover. You need to stop trying to sound clever