[WarrenC]

I have been playing an acoustic guitar for over a year and i have decided to buy an electric guitar. I play mosty blues and blues rock(Clapton, SRV, Led Zeppelin......etc) I've narrowed it done to 3 of them the fender standard stratocaster. epiphone les paul standard and the epiphone dot. Which one of these guitars suits me best? From what I heard....

Stratocasters - pros - comfortable, light, fast neck, good clean tone
- cons - buzzing sounds from cheap pickups, lacks distortion

Epiphone Les Paul - pros - nice distorted sound, nice looking,
- cons - cheap hardware, heavy and uncomfortable

Epiphone Dot - ?????????????

If anyone has any information or owns any of these guitars, answers would be most appreciated.

Thank you - WC

[Misty2u]

Hi Warren

Welcome to the forum. Sorry but I don't know a lot about guitars but someone will be along that will be able to advise you on that.

Good luck

[krissovo]

I am seriously considering a Variax guitar from line 6, they are digital I belive and fake the sound of many guitars including two of the guitars in your list and a acoustic or two depending on the model to a very high standard if the reviews are correct. One of our members has one and his sound samples were good.

http://www.line6.com/products/instruments/

I am torn between a few including Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat (Clapton model) so I think a Variax would suit me. I spent an hour last week in a shop playing the 3 Variax models 300, 600 and 700 and they are a good compromise I think and would suit me and my standard fine. The shop also hooked it up to a PC and I changed a couple of the custom settings, I was amazed that I could drop the tuning at the flick of a switch or change the positions of the pick ups or the pick ups or just about any thing I want.

Hey, I think I am sold already!

[WarrenC]

they look kool but how do they work? no pickups?

[metalkour]

i would say the strat or the dot

[biker_jim_uk]

I suggest going to a store and trying them out. Different folks like the different guitars and all 3 options are good ones, Epis have improved a lot over the last few years apparently.

Dots are Gibson ES335 copies and they are good for a wide range of music - Clapton used one in Cream, Chuck Berry and BB King used variants of it, the Beatles used a similar style as did Creedence and Oasis use them too.

[allthumbs]

Buy a cheap strat and get cheap pickups. Buy a good strat and get good pickups or buy a MIM and upgrade the pups. Strats tend to have semi jumbo (big chunky frets). You will love them or hate them. When I switch from my Epi Alleykat to my strat it's like my fingers are sliding over speed bumps Try guitars out before you buy if you are unfamiliar with the different fret profiles.

[fly135]

I really like my Epi Dot, but I also have a G&L S-500 strat style. I find myself going back and forth depending on the type of music. The strat is more twangy and the dot has a more mellow round sound.

The type of stuff that I'm currenty practicing...

Strat for CCR, Ventures, Twist and Shout. Dot for Santana and Jazz sounds like Pat Metheny. I'm gonna try and do that Hawaii Five Oh backing track posted by scotty_b. I'll use the strat for that. I also tried playing a little with the C Blues Shuffle posted by burp. Mostly mimic'ng the sax. For that I used my Dot.

[Ultimate Garage Band]

Originally Posted by WarrenC

they look kool but how do they work? no pickups?

The saddles are the pickups.

Get a 'Fat' Strat; humbucker in the bridge and 2 single coils.

[WarrenC]

hmm...looks like theres alot of strat lovers here. Well thanks for all the advice looks like im stuck between fat strat and dot. I think ill go try the epi dot see how its sound and feel is. Thank you very much fir all your help.

P.S. - wow this is a good forum very kind members others forums aren't so helpful

Thanks agian

[bluesguy]

Check out an article on my website "How to buy a guitar". Also look at Guide to buying an Electric Guitar.

I am a 'Strat' guy. All of the guitar players I really enjoy are 'Strat guys' or play an acoustic guitar.

[WarrenC]

Thanks bluesguy for the general info on the guitars. Now i can go to the shop and not get sucked in by the employees!

On the way home I stopped by a guitar store for a quick peek. I tried the epiphone les paul standard($570 CAN) and the epiphone dot($500 i think..)Both unplugged. (didn't have much time).
I really like the feel of the les paul. nice neck, the action was really nice too and it wasn't as heavy as i thought it would be.

The Epiphone Dot was more than i expected..online it looks like a low end guitar with cheap wood. When i picked it up.....The finish was nice and smooth, the contoured body of it just hugs you, but the frets and the neck could have been better. The frets were high and chunky, but action was fine and the neck wasn't as smooth (maybe dirty).

When i put the guitar back i noticed a guitar no eye would miss. I felt the body and the neck, smooth as silk with lusheous cherry red finish. The F holes on either side of the guitar side indicated a sign of , 3 way pup selector, 2 volume, 2 tone, i looked at the piano black headstock and read..... G-i-b-s-o-N. Glanced at the price.......tag.....walked away.

[bluesguy]

Here are some links to Harmony Central reviews on Ephiphone Dot and complete list of reviews of Epiphones

[WarrenC]

Thanks again bluesguy. Seems with epiphone guitars pup selector, and pickups should be upgraded. Ya the dot looks good in general but detailed theres quite a few flaws, looks like no effort was put into it. Thanks.

[doug russell]

If you can afford an American Fender strat get one, it's a guitar that is very unforgiving, lets you know if you play a bum note but once you get used to the strat it will take you to mounds of pleasure.
Epi Les Pual, A very versatile guitar, easy to upgrade p/up wise. lets you express yourself, quite a fast fretboard, good rock and blues axe. However it is a heavy guitar.
Epiphone dot. I would love one.