Epiphone LP Special I, Epiphone LP Special II, Epiphone SG, Ibanez, Jackson, Telecaster

[xman1102]

I bought a Yamaha acoustic in December and have been learning since. My goal has always been to play the electric, so I'm not sure why I let the guy at my local Guitar Center convince me I needed to learn on the acoustic first.

I love the learning process, but starting to get bored a bit with the acoustic and wish I had researched a bit more and got an electric.

Having said that, I'm looking to buy.  I've read, researched, and watched every YouTube you can think of and I have somewhat narrowed things done.

I really like the look and sounds of the Epi LP I/II.  If I had to pick right now, I'd go with either of these.  My next choice would be the Epi SG.  From there, it's the Telecaster, Ibanez, or Jackson.

The music and style I want to learn are 70's and 80's rock/metal and modern metal.  I also could see myself learning classic rock.

So my questions are this

#1. Between the Epi LP Special I and II, what are the major difference and which would be the better guitar and value.  From what I have seen and heard, I like the tone for these guitars.  Not knowing much about guitars, I'm not sure the difference.

#2. The SG, Ibanez, and Jackson don't seem as versatile.  I could see myself playing either of these in a couple years when I want to just do some shredding, but that's far far down the road.  Would I be able to learn and play the variety of rock/metal with either of these guitars?

I plan on going to my local shop and seeing how each of these feel, but I want to narrow it down to just a couple before I walk in.

Any suggestions?

[sairfingers]

“I plan on going to my local shop and seeing how each of these feel, but I want to narrow it down to just a couple before I walk in.”

That’s exactly what to do. Only you can decide what you like best! Try out all the guitars on your short list.

[xman1102]

But as far as the guitars themselves, what opinions does everyone have about these I mentioned?

[CT]

You just have to get down to the shop and try them out. Guitar Center has excellent return policies (45 days I think), so you have time to see if the guitar is right for you.

That said, I have the Epiphone LP special I and it was a great value and rocks:
Rumble Down

The special I has P90 pickups and the II has humbucker pickups. Just a matter of which you prefer. I think a telecaster knock off is a better choice as a first electric guitar, over the ones you have listed, but that's just my opinion.

[DarrellW]

The Epiphone LP's are OK but Ibanez have always been known for consistently good guitars regardless of price, the beginner models are pretty decent and the GRX range are well worth looking at. Also not on your list is the Yamaha Pacifica, the 112V is the best option, again they are known for consistently good quality. As already said go to your local store and give some a try, you need to buy one that you connect with otherwise it won't work for you.

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[xman1102]

I guess my main question is the flexibility being able to play classic rock and metal.  Which of these would give me that?  That's why I was thinking more about the Special I and II.

[DarrellW]

Any of them will be suitable, maybe less so the Special 1 as humbuckers are more useful for those styles; the Yamaha and Ibanez both have bridge humbuckers so will do high gain stuff ok. Try the Special 2 and an Ibanez and Yamaha if you can, beware of Jackson, the cheaper ones are not as good as Ibanez.
A Telecaster will do rock very well but not really the right one for metal.
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[joueur de guitare]

I guess my main question is the flexibility being able to play classic rock and metal.  Which of these would give me that?  That's why I was thinking more about the Special I and II.

Guitars aren't interested in what musical genre they're being used for.

You don't see much jazz being played on a Jazzmaster either.

[stitch101]

I guess my main question is the flexibility being able to play classic rock and metal.  Which of these would give me that?  That's why I was thinking more about the Special I and II.

Guitars don't care what you play on them. You can play classic rock, metal, country
or any other style you come across on your journey on any of the guitar you've listed.

The important thing is you buy a guitar you find comfortable. The best advice I can
give you is go play some guitar. Have a friend who plays come with you.
You never know you may come home with a Strat

[BCDC]

I think an Epiphone LP is a good choice, but I would personally buy something a little higher up on the price scale. My first guitar was an Epiphone LP Special II. I liked it, but quickly grew out of it after I picked up a better quality Epiphone which made the Special feel like a toy! I would suggest spending a little more now on something like an Epiphone LP Standard Plus Top pro. I think it will last you longer before you want to upgrade. I wish someone had told me that before I purchased my first electric guitar. My 2 cents.


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[close2u]

Epiphone Special is special in name but not in nature.
It is bringing 'that' classic les Paul look to the budget end of the beginner market but with cheap cost cutting components and unreliable quality control.
What is your max budget for guitar, amp, accessories?

[xman1102]

$400'ish total

[BCDC]

Xman. So what is your verdict after visiting the guitar store?


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[CT]

Again, your Guitar Center will give you 45 days to return any guitar that you're not happy with.

I would also recommend doing some Internet searches, there are some pretty good players (on some really good websites) out there that are happy with the LP SP I. The P90's really rock. It's a solid value. Calling it a beginner guitar because of the price is a biased point of view. It's a simple slab body design (so is a tele, so is an SG) and with a flat no frills finish.

Good luck on your search.

[xman1102]

Xman. So what is your verdict after visiting the guitar store?


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Headed there today

[xman1102]

Ok, left Guitar Center and tried numerous guitars. Ultimately, I like Ibanez.  I like the feel and the reason I wanted to learn the guitar is I love 80's metal and it just felt like that's what I want.

I did try the LP Special and I liked it as well.  The Squire Stratocaster not so much.

I'll think about what I ultimately want to do, but I'm leaving heavily to Ibanez.

[J.W.C.]

Ok, left Guitar Center and tried numerous guitars. Ultimately, I like Ibanez.  I like the feel and the reason I wanted to learn the guitar is I love 80's metal and it just felt like that's what I want.

If 80s metal is what inspires you, it's hard to go wrong with Ibanez! 

[Swill631]

I had an Epiphone Lp special 2, which I really liked in terms of playability, however I felt it would only be a keeper with new tuners and neck pickup (this is not me being picky, the tuners are poor and the neck pick up is muddy). In the end I sold it to fund a Dot (the quality of the Special impressed me enough to go for another Epiphone). The changes necessary are a bit of work or extra money to pay a tech. For my money I'd recommend the Yamaha Pacifica 112 as a really good guitar for any level of player and for a number of styles of music. It's a guitar that can grow with you and is well made using quality wood. The routing (holes) where the pickups go will allow you to change to double humbuckers if that's the route you want to go sometime down the line. I've no experience of Ibanez, but I believe they're decent, I would stay away from models with a floating tremolo though (that's just my opinion, I had a lovely Yamaha RG421 but couldn't live with the floating trem - I'm not into heavy use of the trem, so it was of limited use to me in the first place. The Pacifica will be great out the box with no modifications, but might benefit from a pro set up, in fact it's a good idea for any new guitar. By the way, Vintage brand guitars are pretty good, I'm really happy with my Strat copy (V6) but it's not a heavy rock guitar, the do a version with a humbucker pickup at the bridge which would be more your thing.